England Part Two - December 27th-31st London and Home

Saturday December 27th

Planning for this trip was ongoing. We had been in London already for a couple of days, but due to Christmas day and Boxing day most of London was shut down. We looked at the weather forecast and planned our big day at the London Eye for Sunday. Even though we had been here for a while we had not seen any of the iconic landmarks that immediately tell you that you are in London. That was coming later in the week so we strategically set out for the oldest part of London and the business area to see a few sites. 

We took the tube to the London Bridge station and ended up right next to a newer symbol of London, The Shard. It is the tallest in London and one of the tallest in Europe. The observation deck was an option, but for a family of four to spend over one hundred dollars to ride an elevator seemed wasteful. We still got our view later in the day. This was an obvious business area and it was pretty dead.

We walked along the southern bank of the Thames towards the west to check out the Shakespeare's Globe Theater and the Tate Modern museum. It was colder today and the wind along the river was biting. We back tracked and headed further east to the London Bridge. 

From here we had a great look at the Tower Bridge and the HMS Belfast WWII ship. David was having a bit of a rough morning and was not wanting to be in the pictures.

We walked across the bridge to the northern bank and into the tall buildings of London. We found the Leadenhall Market, but it was shut down too. No shopping no food no people around. Two of those are fine with me, but no food was going to have to change. 

I found a restaurant on my Google maps and we walked that direction. I was so focused on where the restaurant was on the map I did not even notice that we were walking into a 40+ story building. This was a sushi restaurant on the top floor of this building. The glass front turbo charged elevator was more fun than any ride at the winter festival the other day. 

This was a really nice place and not a place we would normally take the kids. We were desperate for food and there was not an option to be picky. Cindy and I had a couple of rolls and they had other food that the kids enjoyed. We had a great view and we got food out of the deal, much better than The Shard. 

Here are a couple of pictures from the bar area of the restaurant.

The restaurant trip took us pretty far north of the river. We had not been on a red bus yet so we hopped on one to get us back down to the Tower Bridge area. Here we saw the Tower of London castle, with The Shard in the background. There was also a Roman wall discovered in this area that could be viewed.

Above is a memorial to the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets, according to Google. I just liked the old monument with the new fancy building behind it.

From there we grabbed some hot chocolate and coffee and hopped a tube to check out St. Paul's Cathedral. This was a nice area. We were cold and starting to lose the light. We decided to head back for the evening. Sunday was going to be a great day, but we needed some rest to gear up for it.

Sunday December 28th:
This was the big day. We all had places that we wanted to visit while in Europe, David had a specific objective in a specific city, to ride the London Eye. I did not have one place, my list was long and we had not been to all of them. For Cindy I think it was Paris and for Katherine it was the Eiffel Tower in Paris. David was the last to get his request, but it was one worth saving.

We pre-booked the tickets for the London Eye as a day and night combo. The website was specific about how far in advance to show up to pick up tickets and to stand in the queue for your time slot. We had our day ride planned for noonish so we headed out early to see some other sites. We went to Leicester Square first to stop by M&M World. It was past 10am and I could not understand why they were not open. Being on a trip this long the day of the week tends to slip my mind. We finally figured out that it was Sunday. We walked to the south a bit to get to Trafalgar Square. On our first flight to Europe we had a layover in London. We left the airport long enough to see Trafalgar Square and a few other places before we continued our trip to Munich back in August of 2013. This was a place that was familiar to all of us.

I thought it would be fun to compare. Above is August 2013, below about 18 months later.   

Both of the kids remembered the obelisk and the lion statues and eating McDonald's while sitting next to this fountain. 

We made our way towards the river and found the Sherlock Holmes restaurant. We walked across the Golden Jubilee Bridge. By now it was after 11:30 but this far north at this time of year the sun never really gets that high in the air.

There was a small Christmas festival in this area with a few rides and food booths. I headed off to get the tickets while Cindy got us all some food. Up until this point London had been pretty calm for us. As soon as we got to the London Eye area it all changed, for the rest of the trip. The people were back out and in droves. I had trouble even getting into the building to pick up the tickets. Luckily I found an automated machine to use if you reserved by credit card.

We met back up again and did the London Eye 4D experience first. It is a small 4D theater in the building with a five minute video and effects. On the way in we had the green screen picture taken. I normally don't fall for buying these, but we did this time.

This was the longest line that I have ever stood in I think. Luckily with the wheel never stopping 25 people are getting on every minute or so. The line kept moving and thirty minutes later we were getting on. 

With the low sun in the southeast sky most of the day pictures were taken towards the north and east.

David was thrilled and we all had a good time. The touch screen pads inside the pod tell you what all of the landmarks are in the distance. When we first boarded I was worried about being the last group let in to the pod. People were claiming spots along the windows. It was fine though, over the thirty minute ride people moved all around to get different views.

This was a big day indeed. We had the day night rides planned plus we were going to try and get into the Evensong worship service at Westminster Abbey. We left the London Eye along the south bank west towards the Westminster Bridge. You see that building behind us on the below picture. The London Dungeon experience and a McDonald's, along with the Eye crowds made this almost impossible to pass this area with all of the people. The bridge was also crazy crowded with illegal street vendors and tourists.

We passed a restaurant across the street from the Abbey and with dumb luck got a table for the four of us. We had some tea and fish & chips before we headed to the service. The Internet research helped here a lot. The main entrance to the Abbey was closed to tourists on Sunday. If you wanted to get in to the church you had to go a another entrance and tell the staff that you wanted to attend the worship service. When we arrived there was already a line. The lady in front of us did not answer the question correctly so she was not allowed in. I think she just saw the line and assumed it was to take a tour or something. They asked every group why are you here, if you said for the Evensong service they let you in.

The usher politely asked us if we wanted to sit in another section as we walked up, but I knew it was an option to sit in the choir area from reading about it on the Internet. I replied asking if it would be okay to sit in the choir, he very nicely allowed us to proceed.

Obviously no pictures were allowed so I downloaded this image to give some perspective. The Queen is in yellow in the middle of the above picture. During our service we sat to her right of where she is walking (picture from the William Kate wedding) in the section that she has just passed. This is another church where the organ pipes and structure separate the church into two sections. The rest of the people in our service were sitting further forward past the choir section. It was a great experience to attend a service here with the organ playing and the small choir. Cindy said this was her favorite part of the trip. It was only about an hour long then we checked out the souvenir shop and started walking back across the bridge. 

There were still a ton of people around and it took a while to get back to the London Eye for our night rotation. We got to the end of the line, which was even longer this time but seemed to move even faster. By the time we got on it was good and dark.

A few of the pictures turned out okay but I recommend the experience in person if you ever get the chance. I think all of us liked the night viewing better. I guess if it was summer time and the sun was high in the air the day might be better than what we experienced. There was such a glare for half of the rotation when we did it.

Both of the kids wanted their picture with Big Ben in the background. 

We left the London Eye and found another churros stand at the festival. This time all of us got involved in the consumption of the greatness that is a churro. We walked back across the bridge and rode back to the apartment after a long and wonderful day. As we did most nights, dinner was at the apartment. Cindy and I enjoyed a bottle of wine with cheese and other snacks on most nights.

Monday December 29th
After ice skating at Cambridge Katherine was itching for some more. We had avoided it at the Hyde Park festival and the tiny rink next to the London Eye. I really wanted to take her to the ice rink at Somerset House but it was completely sold out for every session while we were in London.

The next best thing was the ice skating at the Natural History Museum. That morning we got up early and made it to the ice rink. Below you can see a very small part of the Natural History Museum in the background.

Katherine is like her mommy, you can always tell what she is thinking by looking at her. The above picture is great.

It did not take long for the kids to start shedding jackets once they got going on the ice. Katherine just wanted to skate on her own without us following her around. Both of them had it down pretty good by the time it was over. The plan was to see the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. Most of the museums in London are free to enter, which sounds really great until you try to go on the week between Christmas and New Years. The line to get into the NHM was over an hour, so we went to the science museum. It was also really crazy busy, but we stayed for a while and the kids got to do some of the interactive stuff. We could have spent all day at either place they are so large, but we had other things to do.

Next stop was Harrod's. I can now say that I have been there and done that, never want to do it again. There was a line to get into the door. The ground level was so packed you could not move. We stuck it out and eventually made it to some of the upper levels where you could at least breath. The above picture is from the Egyptian Escalators. Not sure why there is an Egyptian themed escalator section, but it was cool. How about the store itself. Who buys this stuff? After seeing a 30,000 pound crystal chess set and a 20,000 pound whisky set, along with other really expensive items I was out.

From there we headed towards Buckingham Palace. We saw the Wellington arch and walked down Constitution Hill road to the palace.

We had told the kids about the Queen's guard and the tourists trying to made them laugh and taking pictures with them. When we arrived we did not see any of them except very far away inside the gate. It was only later that night that I read about a specific threat to the Queen's guard that resulted in added protection and separation from the tourists on this day. We did see the palace and moved on.

We walked north past the London Ritz Hotel and then on to the Piccadilly Circus area. Again, the crowds were crazy here. It was a really nice area full of activity. I got to see the outside of the Criterion Restaurant. It was a place that I wanted to eat at during our stay but it was not looking good to get that done this late into the trip. It is a restaurant founded in 1874. The main page on their website describes the dining area as "timeless opulence in the most spectacular dining room in London". It was also in one of my all time favorite movies, The Dark Knight and also in Downton Abbey.

The goal was to make it back to the Leicester Square area and check out the M&M World. It too was a mad house of people.

Another festival at Leicester Square Garden.

Tuesday December 30th:
This was our last full day in London. Time to wrap up any priority places to see that had been missed so far. One of those was Hamley's toy store. We had been close several times but had not been there yet. First thing that morning we headed that way.

The kids really, really loved it. They had demonstrations going on everywhere, great toys, and five or six levels. Katherine found the My Little Pony Build-a-Bear section. By the time we got done her Princess Celestia pony had a My Little Pony theme song in the hoof, a battery powered beating heart, a complete set of cloths, and a backpack for her to be carried. She LOVES that stuffed animal. They both found some other small toys that we managed to get packed for the trip home.

By the time we got done it was already lunch time. We were close to the Criterion Restaurant so I took a shot and called them for reservations. Sure enough we got in with no problem. 

I was glad that we got to see the inside and the Chateaubriand for 2 was amazing. I am sure the night atmosphere is much different, but it was great to see even during the day.

We had not been to the King's Cross area yet either, so we hopped on the tube after lunch and headed that way. This major train station is in many movies where London is the setting. It is also home to the 9 3/4 platform from Harry Potter. There was a long line and it costs to get you picture taken with the cart going through the wall. Cindy and I kind of enjoyed seeing capitalism at work again, seeing someone take advantage of this revenue opportunity. In Germany this would never happen, at least in our experience so far. 

We found the owl cage swing on the way to the St. Pancras railway hotel also seen in Harry Potter. We were trying to get an apartment under the clock tower at this building but they would not let us have it with small children since the loft and stairs inside the apartment did not have safety railing. This was probably a good thing since this area is so busy. Our other apartment worked out just fine.

We went further north to see what the Camden Market was about. We did not spend too much time here. It is the opposite of Harrod's I think. Here you could find inexpensive clothing and some goods or get a tattoo. It was much different than the other markets we had seen in the city center. 

So that was it, time to head back to start packing up. After the many lines and delays from the flight to England, we had planned to be really early to the airport on Wednesday morning. 

Wednesday December 31st

We stayed right on our schedule. We left the apartment and jumped on the tube to get to the Liverpool Station. From there we caught the Stansted Express train to Stansted Airport. We were the first in line at the bag check counter from the train and security was pretty easy this time. 

This airport was another great example of capitalism. I am using that term just to say someone is trying to maximize profits. We flew Easyjet that is based in London. When you book a flight with them they give you the opportunity to buy anything and everything from them. On the plane after they serve food and drink they bring by a gift/shopping cart for you to buy from you seat. Here at Stansted there was a full on shopping mall as you walked from security to the train to the gates. This was not a hall with stores on the side, you were in the stores. We were way early and this airport does not post gate information until thirty minutes before departure. Everyone gathers in a large open area close to the train that takes you to the gates. We ended up getting some Burger King while waiting. I managed to unload the remaining cash and change in British Pounds in my pocket. The cashier was the nicest person ever and wanted to talk about Texas, living in Germany, and other topics.

Thankfully the travel day and flight home was much better than the trip coming to England. It was rather uneventful. One last hurdle was parking. I had reserved a special rate, but I don't think that I was supposed to take a ticket stub at the entry. Even though there was no signage or indication that a credit card would work, I think I was supposed to use a credit card upon entry. I put the ticket in to pay and was told to insert 249 euros. Cindy and I had talked about this for several days. With our previous experience in Germany it was going to be a battle to get our special 89 euro rate and chances were we would not get it at all. There was a call button on the machine. I pressed it, asked the lady if she spoke English. Sigh.....it was so nice to not ask this for the last 11 days in England. Also, everyone we met there was so nice. Another sigh.......digress.....back to the story. So she asks me how much my reservation was for, tells me step by step what to do, and rather quickly I have paid my agreed upon 89 euros and we are free. That just made my day, no battle, no angry words, she just did it for me. 

Our neighbors had told us to expect snow when we made it home. They were right. We came home to a driveway and walkway that had been cleared of a foot of snow by either a Christmas elf or some wonderful neighbors. When I saw him later that evening I said thanks and he said he was just thinking about not wanting us to come home to that project. They are so nice. Unpacking could wait for now, we had an hour of daylight left and an untouched yard full of snow. The kids could not wait to jump in. This is the first real snow that we have seen where we live in Germany.

David had a snowball fight across the fence between yards with our neighbor Lucas.

We played until it got dark. This was the best we could do with a snowman after an eleven day trip and a full travel day. Those are coke bottle eyes, with a sucker nose, and mouth made out of wine corks. That is not quite how the song goes, but this is no Frosty either. We have reached a new era where Olaf is the standard with which all future snowmen with be modeled after, at least with this little girl.

So that is it for England and back. We did not make it to Windsor Castle, Highclere was closed and there were a few other sites on the list that we simply did not have time to see this time. We did get a great taste of London and the surrounding areas. I suspect some day I will make it to Scotland, I just need to get some practice rounds in first. Ireland is also high on my list for sometime in the future. For now we have all accomplished the sites we wanted to see prior to moving to Europe. We have a couple of trips still to go before it is all over, but we are mostly looking forward to making it back home this summer. 

Next time we will have some proof that we took advantage of our snow situation during the remaining time off before the kids returned to school.