Warning!! Long post... just capturing memories... Anna and Kates European vacation Day one Have a very cranky arrival in Heathrow after enjoying a fabulous flight on Virgin Atlantic. Take a slow bus to downtown London for 12 pounds after paying 156 dollars for a coach American Express arranged that we could never find. Good news - the bus station is only two blocks from our hotel - bad news - our room isnt ready - good news - we can check in early if we upgrade to a more expensive room - no, of course, this is not a scam. Sleep a bit then walk to buckingham palace just five blocks or so up the street - keep going to walk through green park? Wonderful gardens - heading toward Kensington gardens to photograph Peter Pan statue for Molly but Anna is out of steam - grab a taxi to get back to hotel - get out in Chelsea area? And grab an early dinner before heading back to the hotel for a nightcap. Day two -Wednesday Wake super early - still on DC time - realize there is a Harry potter studio tour that leaves two blocks from our hotel at 8 am! Get dressed grab coffee and croissant from cafe Nero and go board the bus for the 1 1/2 hour trip to Leavesden - so worth it! Loved the books, loved the movies, may have loved the tour even more! Money well spent. Hopefully, youve seen some of the pictures. Coolest place Ive ever been, excluding Michigan stadium, of course. Got back to hotel by 3:00 and went to our first pub - bag o nails - which ended up having the exact same menu as the next two pubs we visited during our trip. (Travelers inn and the earl?) We spent the evening walking to Westminster abbey and Big Ben and the eye and Whitehall palace and ended it at that last pub earl? Royal Albert ? I think it was the Royal Albert and as Anna pointed out - same menu, same wallpaper, same washroom layout - but different name and inviting exterior - we just keep falling for it!! Day three - thursday Learn to use the tube-underground! Buy all day ticket and head toward the London bridge. First go to borough market because it was right outside the tube and Katie freedman had recommended it. It was very cool and we walked right past the guy that played Marius in les Miserables opposite a very boring Amanda Seyfried. Anna wanted Turkish delight - got it - then she wanted to see London bridge. As we were on our way we happened upon a freehouse called the walrus (Lewis Carroll) and stopped in for a beer because we needed to use the restroom - counterintuitive, I know. The place was filled with uber attractive men in suits drinking pints - we felt a bit out of place but vowed to come back because they have a good selection of meat pies. (Dont read anything off color into that - Ill have to smack you.) Off to London bridge. Lucky for me it was the over side of the Tower of London - which I really wanted to see. We had just entered the Tower of London grounds when it started to rain - we wanted to see the dungeon. The minute we got into the dungeon a massive thunder storm started - very ironic. Literally, the only thunder storm of a relatively rainy tripped happened while we were in the dungeon of the Tower of London - and then it was over. By the time we saw the Crown Jewels and went to see the grounds where Anne Boleyn lost her head, the sun was out! We then went to see London bridge a bit closer and wandered around st. Katharines dock before returning to the walrus for meat pies - Anna had lamb shank - I had chicken and mushroom and it was yummy! I dont even like pot pie. Metro back to the hotel for an early night because tomorrow is Paris!!! Day four - Paris What a let down - the train was cool - st. Pancras station is cool - but though Im proud of us for sorting out the metro really well - every place you go has huge lines of not well behaved people so we never saw the inside of anything - except a restaurant in the champs élysées area - which was both good and fun - but what is up with a shared men-womens washroom area and the men only have a half door shielding them from view whilst doing their business. Didnt need to see that but yes, that happened. We did a boat ride on the seine which was both uncomfortable and ridiculously boring. Then took the metro to the Lafayette gallery to shop. Most ridiculously expensive department store ever - but also the most beautiful. The huge central ceiling to this eight story complex is the most beautiful stained glass Ive ever seen. And clearly it is being amortized into the cost of the dress my daughter had to have... Train ride back to London both comfortable and relaxing - just left the Chunnel as I write this - glad to be back. Looking forward to tomorrow. Land of Benny Hill and Monty Python, Ive missed you!
Posted on: Fri, 23 May 2014 21:45:27 +0000