Our Trip to London

The next stop on our European family adventure happened this past weekend in London. We met Kyle (who flew in from Atlanta after a visit with his family) at the London airport on Thursday afternoon and spent 4 wonderful days (with 4 wonderful visits to Starbucks) in Britain's capital.

We made the neighborhood of South Kensington our home base in a wonderful apartment/hotel called The Fraser Place Queens Gate. It was wonderful to once again have a separate living room/bedroom so that we could remain awake past 8:00pm after putting the kids down. This hotel also had wonderful access to the tube, included a great breakfast, and was pretty much within walking distance of most of our activities. I highly recommend it!

We started our trip after settling in by walking to the famous Harrods department store. We headed immediately to the 4th floor where one finds Harrods' vast Toy Kingdom. There were lots of "regular toys" here and Caden was excited to see all the Thomas the Train gear and test out some of the toys on display. I enjoyed looking at the elaborate doll houses (I'm sure Reese will want the Governor's Mansion someday), the designer kidswear and the ultra-expensive baby furniture. The pram in our pictures was over $1,800 (choke, choke)!

Our stomachs then led us downstairs to the famous food halls. There are more than 26 food bars, cafes, and restaurants and people EVERYWHERE! The overwhelming atmosphere and vast amounts of people led us to buy only a few chocolates and a strawberry torte and eat down the road at McDonald's. Alas, the golden arches are everywhere and Caden certainly knows what he wants sometimes.

The first full day of our trip began early, as I had scheduled our "flight" on the London Eye at 10:30am. At 443ft, the London Eye is the world's tallest observation wheel and can provide panoramic views of up to 25 miles. Kyle reminded me as we approached the "Paris Wheel," as Caden continuously called it, that he was not too fond of heights, but I assured him it would be fine. He was happy to see that it was not truly a Ferris Wheel type ride and was more than happy to be encased in our capsule. Our 30 minute flight provided wonderful views of the River Thames, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, MI5 & 6 Headquarters, Buckingham Palace and various other landmarks. It was a nice start to our trip and provided a great overview of the city.

After disembarking our capsule we walked over Westminster Bridge for a closer look at the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. We were able to hear Big Ben strike 11:00am (neat to me, not so much to everyone else). We continued our walking tour with a pause for lunch to Buckingham Palace. The Palace, formerly a country house, became the official royal residence under Queen Victoria. The Palace has over 600 rooms, but none can be visited except a handful during the "Annual Summer Opening." Queen Elizabeth was however at home, as the Royal Standard was flying from the mast outside. Caden enjoyed seeing the foot guards marching at their posts and remarked that he liked how they "danced."

We departed the Palace without being invited to pay our respects to the Queen (maybe next time) through St. James's Park and onto the Horse Guards Building & Parade (the British Army's HQ). This area is actually the official entrance to the royal palaces, even though it is at least 1 mile away from Buckingham Palace.

To pay respects to my high school alma mater and throw in some war with girly prams and palaces, we next toured the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum. These are the actual secret bombproof bunkers in which Winston Churchill and his War Cabinet hid out during the Blitz and around the clock from 1939 to August 1945. The rooms are untouched from this time and included the Map Room (with a small drawing of Hitler if you can find it on the picture), Churchill's bedroom/office from which he made many speeches, and the Cabinet Room where the original chairs remain in position. It was neat to hear the history on the audioguide and Caden even had a children's version to listen to as well.

Post War Room visit, we headed back towards the River Thames for a stroll and a break at a local Starbucks (I was loving all the lattes!) and then strolled around Trafalgar Square, which is London's biggest piazza. The square has become a focal point for New Year's revelry and used to be known for its tradition of pigeon feeding, which has since been banned. It was also the location of our dinner reservation - the Texas Embassy Cantina! Recommended in a guide book for its kid-friendly atmosphere and "best margaritas in London," we had to try it. The margarita disappointed, but the kids were great and we enjoyed a nice dinner. Kyle even picked up a pretty cool shirt that definitely resembles something from Texas.

Our second full day in London took us to the Natural History Museum, best known for its Dinosaurs Gallery. Since our hotel was right next door, we walked over about 30 minutes before opening time and were glad we did as the line was already at least 100 people thick! We definitely made the most of our time once inside, heading straight for the dinosaur exhibit and beating the crowds packed in behind us. There is a super-sensing Tyrannosaurus Rex that actually follows you around the room with its head and roars. Caden - not a fan. Mommy and Daddy thought it was pretty cool though! There were tons of other exhibits to look at too, a life-size blue whale, a live ant colony (which has actually just stopped working because the Queen has stopped producing eggs), fish, birds, human biology - everything! We left overwhelmed, but glad we had made it in and beat the biggest of the crowds.

Later in the day, after some much needed naps, we strolled Kensington High Street, known for its street chic shopping and ate dinner at another family-friendly restaurant, Giraffe. Did you know the giraffe has the largest heart of all land animals? We had another wonderful dinner and were blessed with GREAT behavior from the kids. What more could we ask for?

Our final day in London was spent at Kensington Palace and the surrounding Kensington Gardens. First adapted for royal residence in 1689, the Palace has hosted many courts, but most recently Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales. I was really excited to see Kensington Palace as I was enamored with Princess Diana from a very young age. I seriously remember watching their wedding when I was 3 years old! We were able to tour the State Apartments where many of the royalty lived (not Diana...), the Victorian Rooms (where young Princess Victoria learned she would be Queen) and also see a brief display of Diana's beautiful dresses. Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed.

We convinced Caden to quietly accompany us on these tours with the promise of going to a park when we left. Thus, after leaving the Palace we went to the Princess Diana Memorial Playground, which is loosely Peter Pan themed (fitting, because Caden just watched the movie). The play area is based around a large pirate ship and has teepees, "tree phones," swings, slides and lots of climbing areas. I can only imagine how beautiful it is in the spring and summer when everything is green and blooming. Caden had a wonderful time running and getting out some of his energy before having to sit still on the plane!

We really enjoyed our trip to London and I am so glad we made it there. It is obviously a place that is easy to return to later in life, but to have visited with our kids was special. Traveling with kids definitely means the occasional trip to McDonald's over the posh Italian eatery, but luckily London catered to lots of tastes and whims, and we were able to get the balance just right.

You can view all of our London pictures using the Shutterfly link on the right or just click here.