Well,thiswascertainlya couponthefirstdaydayof ourtrip.
Thiswasthedaywe arrived,andbythetimewe finallygotcheckedinatThe Mayfair,wewereall extremelypeckish.
Weendeduphitting Henry’s,apubmuchnext doortotheGreenParkTube station.
Runninglateandbelieving TheEyewasopenlaterthan itwas(6p.m.),wearrivedin thenickoftimewithtickets purchasedforthatday.After gettingclearedwiththe ticketpeople,wenoticed othersgettingturnedaway becauseitwastheendofthe day,andwejustwalked rightontoourowncar,not anotherlivingsoulonboard withus.Itwasmarvelous!
Seeingthewholeof Londonbeforeus(without havingtoputZoëonour shoulderssoshecouldsee), wasanamazingwaytostart
outthetrip.Fortunately, MelissaandCharliewereable tomakesenseofsomeofthe landmarks,althoughBobwas convincedhewasabletosee theTower(hewasn’t).
AftertheEye,wewalked alongthesouthbankofthe ThamesinsomeofCharlie’s oldstompinggrounds,which wasprettyneat.SeeingSt. Paul’sacrosstheriverwas
verycool,aswellassome oftheneighborhoods, shops,restaurantsand pubs.Bythetimewe finallysettledonadinner place(Wagamama),we wereallquitesleepy.Kai mostcertainlydidnotpass outatthedinnertable.She wouldneverdreamofit. Despiteourweariness,we enjoyeddinnerandwentto bedsoonafterthat.
OurHarryPottertourwasablast,atrip aroundLondonwithagrizzledtourguidewith anapparentlyencyclopedicknowledgeofall thingsdealingwithmoviesinLondon.Sinceit wasaprivatetour,hehumoredKaiwithsome visitstositesfromSkyfall,whichalsowas verycool,includingshowingustheMI6 buildingandthebridgefromwhichMand JamesBondwatchitexplode.ThePottertour itselfwasamazing.Wesawlotsofsitesfrom thevariousmoviesandendedatKing’sCross Station,thesiteofPlaform9¾,wherewedid thephotothing.Wealsovisitedthebuilding thatservedastheMinistryofMagic(below left).
Afterthetourwasover,weheadedto TheBritishLibrary,whichwasn’tfar fromKing’sCross.ThiswasonMelissa’s must-dolist,andIthinkweallagreedit mighthavebeenafavoriteofthe museumswecheckedout.Itwasrifewith history,includingtheMagnaCarta,the Codex,Shakespeare’sfirstfolioandeven someBeatlesartifacts.
Followingourvisittothelibrary,we headedovertoabaratSt.Pancrasand enjoyedsomebeverages,anditturned outtobeourfavoritedrinking establishment.
FrompubfairtofishandchipstohighteaatTheLangham, foodanddrinkwasoftenawelcomerespitefromwalking around,learningandenjoyingLondonandEdinburgh. Whilerunningfromsitetosite,sometimesweenjoyedfoodtrucks likethereallytastyIndianonewehitaftervisitingtheTheTower ofLondononthewaytoWestminsterAbbey.Othermealswere moreleisurelysuchasoureveningatTheKing’sArmsin Shepherd’sMarket–whereKaihadthepie.Foodwasdefinitely fun!
VisitingCambridgewasahugehighlightfor everyone,whetheritwasbecauseofthesomewhat ill-advisedDIYpuntingontheRiverCam,walking aroundamongtheancientstreetsofthecollegetown,or visitingKing’sCollegeChapel–theexperiencewasagreat mixoffrivolityandhistory.
PuntingwasonKai’slistofmust-doactivities,and,while wecouldhaveoptedforamorecalmandinformative guidedboattripupanddowntheriver,wedecidedtosplit intotwogroupsandpilotourowncrafts.Thereisnothing easyorintuitiveaboutpunting.Althoughthetourguides makeitlookeasyandgraceful,thepoleisabout30feet longandincrediblyunwieldy.Inbothboats,therewas chaosandcollisionsatthestartand,ultimatelymoderate success.Afterourboatride,wevisitedacoffeeshopthat wassituatedinanancientchapel.
VisitingKing’sCollegeChapelwasoneofthemost stunningplaceswevisited,rivalingthebeautyifnotthe historyofWestminsterAbbey.Weparticularlyenjoyed seeingtheintricatestainedglassandalltheTutor iconography.
Doyouknowwhythe cagedKaisings? Maybeitwastheheat andfunfoliageatKew Palace&Gardens.
Mia,MelissaandBob enjoyedcheckingout someoftheAngloSaxonartifactsfrom aroundSuttonwhile visitingTheBritish Museum.
Left,thegirlswerehot atKewGardens,andso wasthegreenhousein thebackground.
Right,theLondon streetshadallkindsof moralsupportfor Charlie.
LeavingbreakfastsatTheMayfairbehindwasasacrifice–abigone–butarrivinginEdinburghwaswasmorethan adequatecompensation,particularlysinceitwasquiteabit coolerthanLondon.
ThethingthatwasspecialaboutEdinburghand Cambridgewasthesensationofbeingconstantly surroundedbyhistory.FromEdinburghCastletoHolyrood andupanddowntheRoyalMile,thearchitecture,the shops,themuseumsandthescotchallwereamazing. BetweenthecastleandtheNationalGallery,welearneda greatdealofScottishhistory,whichisprettycolorful.Itwas interestinghearingaboutitfromtheScottishratherthan Britishperspective.
Wealsoenjoyedexperiencinghaggisforthefirsttime.It wassomeweirdstuff-notatallwhatwasimagined-butI thinkweallsortoflikedit.Onoursecondnight,weall sampledsomewhiskey,whichwasprettyinteresting.Allof exceptKaisharedaflight,whichwasalotoffun!
