London; Like Drinking from a Fire Hose

There were a few goals for the children to see and experience on this trip. Some of which were, first, seeing their grandparents. Hooray!! The country, villages, the beauty of of Europe. The city. The excitement of a huge city, London is SO busy and thriving. Have some kind of weather besides SUN. History, and lot's of it. A little bit of Christmas cheer. Eat some great food. See how other people live. And of course, to have fun.

We decided to try a day trip in London. This was pushing it, but we really wanted it for the kids. So we bought Chunnel tickets online. The chunnel, if you aren't aware, is a 35 mile long tunnel running under the English Channel that connects France and England. You can still take the ferry if you wish, but I think it's two hours, just to cross the water, and I hear it's the pits. The train is high speed and really fun. It was 2 hrs 40 mins from Brussels to London.

We did have to get up at 4 a.m., but it was so fun and exciting, that no one really cared. Our first full day in Belgium we got our bearings and recovered from travel. Our second day, we headed to London. If we didn't do it and the beginning of the trip, we knew we wouldn't make it. We had discussed another full day to Paris, but we were pooped. Next time, maybe. We knew we wouldn't be able to see near what is available in one day in London, but we thought some is better than none. Peter and I were in London 11 years ago when we traveled through Europe for three weeks. So we knew a little of what we wanted to show the kids, and how to get around.

We arrived at St. Pancras station at 8 :40 a.m. (time change). St. Pancras is the outside of the station in Harry Potter. The inside is Kings Cross, right across the street. So, this was our first stop. Seeing the Harry Potter station.

Aren't these stations amazing? They are one of my favorite parts of Europe. Especially England and France have beautiful ones.

And they're huge. (kind of like me....sheesh! Lay off the bacon and cream puffs would you?)

St. Pancras

Big Ben. I just love you, Ben. You make me happy and think of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and a golden pirate ship. Magical.

Tower of London. (these pics are out of order, sorry) But don't miss the Tower if you ever get to London. The history is AMAZING, and you get to see what a true, real life castle was like. The good, the bad, and the ugly. AND, the crown jewels are here. Oh! They are lovely. You can't take pictures, sorry. But they are not to be missed. Roo, Grandma and I ooogled over all of them.

Harry and Ron in front of the station.

Beefeaters! These guys live at the Tower and are the tour guides as well. They're awesome. Very funny, bring the ancient times to life, and are just plain fun. I thought the kids would love these guys. They got bored. Bummer. Note to self, I found the beefeaters much more fun than the kids.

Wating for the Tube. Another note to self: N-I-N-E people getting on the tube, transfering, and all during rush hour - is totally nuts. But what an experience. We all loved it. It was totally crowded, crammed, people everwhere - and we got to hear "mind the gap", and who doesn't love that? (if you dont' know, this is a very loud recorded message that blares through the subway stations reminding you to watch your step, and the gap between the platform and the car) Don't forget that these tunnels were used as fall out shelters during the second world war. Thousands of people slept in here during air raids. History up close and personal.

And speaking of history, skip the beefeater tour and head straight to your own personal knighting. The kids LOVED this. And had to be called Sir and Lady all day. They've been telling their friends they were knighted in London. This was a highlight for them. The weather was over cast, (shocker) but very cold and windy. Great for keeping tourists away, the Tower was pretty quiet, except for some school kids. Which we liked because they wear sweet uniforms here. Just like, you guessed it....Harry Potter.

Gid at the Tower. Proof he actually went to London. He's not in a whole lot of pictures. And I'm quite sure he's going to be 13 saying, "We never go anywhere. I want to go somewhere exciting." And as a good mother should, I'll say, "You've been to Europe. What more do you want?!"

Chach on the double decker, open air tour bus. This really is the best way to see London. Or any other big city, for that matter. Most major cities have something like this these days. Don't get stuck on the "that's so touristy" business. It's a great way to see the city, learn some history, and you can hop on / hop off. They're really fun.

Well. Simon died and went to heaven. Or, Egypt. He's not sure. Here he is posing with his favorite thing ever. A scarab. He went nuts at the British Museum. Again, not to be missed. Peter and I didn't make it before, and we missed out. It's free and has some of the greatest things ever.

"Dum dum, give me gum gum" is even here. (one of them anyway) Also, The Rosetta Stone. No. Not the language software, sillies. Only the one and only key to unlocking ancient Egyptian. That was very cool to see.

We ate fish and chips. Twice. Delish! A really lousy hot dog, once. That just solidified what I already knew. England has the absolute worst food on the planet. EXCEPT fish and chips, but only from a pub. Peter said to me, "You'd think they'd get a clue. They live right next door to the worlds greatest food, France." And that, my friends, is true.

And can you say Good Night? You've never seen this family konk out so fast. They slept all the way home. Snnnooooorrrr....