London Blur

I am convinced that the worst jet lag has to be from the evening east coast flight overnight to a morning arrival in the UK. Something about this travel arrangement always kicks the whole family in the booty, every time. The start of this trip was no different and the first two full days have felt like a bit of a blur.

M (who is 5 now) starts kindergarten in the fall, so this England/France vacation is our first time being a “summer vacation” vacation family. With M being in real school, we know this means our travel plans will be altered for the next 12+ years.

Josh and I haven’t spent any significant amount of time in London since our very first trip abroad nearly 15 years ago. It was our first international city together and we were excited to share it with M.

On day one we headed straight to the Tower of London and explored the grounds. Everyone was still energized and excited to be here so we were able to spend a pleasant time exploring the rooms and towers. The highlights were definitely the Tower Ravens which are cared for on site and the “Beast of London Tower” exhibit featuring information about all the exotic animals that have called the tower home - including a polar bear which they would tie to rope and allowed to fish in the River Thames.

After checking into our very swanky hotel (thanks Marriot rewards points!) we changed into cute dresses and went straight to Afternoon Tea. It was delightful and M and I enjoyed every bit of being fancy ladies in a fancy hotel. Josh was less delighted to be a fancy lady, but did enjoy the desserts and pastries.

That evening, the British Museum was open late so we were able to squeeze in a visit and extend our day (in hopes of making it to a normal bedtime and stop the jet lag from dragging into the next day). M was a trooper for the most part but once she finished seeing the mummy exhibit, she was ready to go and, so, Josh and I did not get to explore as fully as we had hoped.

Day Two in London was a little more low-key. We started the day at the British Library near our hotel. We had tickets to an interactive Fairytale exhibit which M really enjoyed. The best part for me was seeing a handwritten, original manuscript of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures Under Ground.

Afterward, we explored the Treasures Gallery inside the library which housed an incredible collection of books, literature and documents - including the Magna Carta and the fourth printed bible from 1462.

The weather turned unfortunately rainy for the remainder of our day of outdoor sightseeing at Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. I was more than a little ready to be inside when we arrived at King’s Cross Station and Josh and M were more than a little excited to visit the Harry Potter store at Platform 9 3/4. They spent way too much money on souvenirs and butter beer (which M is now referring to as just ‘beer’ and asking for in every store. Cue the CPS report).

We decided to return to the hotel in the late afternoon as the rain was not letting up.Josh and M played with their new toys while I visited the hotel spa. We finished the day eating meat pies and peas at a traditional English pub.

And, I am pleased to report that everyone (except me) was asleep by 9 pm and not awake before 8:30 the next morning!