Whirlwind Week in London - Touring Tuesday

The Manor was host to two of our very good college friends for a week.  They'd never been across the ocean before, so they were up for anything!

We did not spend hours in any one place.  I tried to take them in for the highlights so they could get a flavor for all that London has to offer.  I had to keep track of time to return to our borough to retrieve Youngest Kiddo, so you could actually spend more time at the venues if you so choose.  I think our itinerary proves that you can just about see it all in one week (I listed the day's starting tube station in case you want to try our itinerary).

Sunday - arrival day Tube: Westminster

Pick up at Heathrow
Lunch at home
Westminster sights (Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, London Eye, River Thames)
Walk Whitehall to Trafalgar
Walk Trafalgar to Covent Garden & Seven Dials
Pub in Covent Garden 

We created a loose plan for the day since we had no idea how much (or little) sleep they had on the flight.  Luckily they had a few hours and were game to get out into the city.  I think the Westminster area is a great first stop because you see so many iconic structures in one spot.  A few drinks in the pub was a nice way to end their first day.    

Monday - Tube: Knightsbridge

Harrods

Victoria & Albert Museum

Natural History Museum

Walk to Kensington Gardens (see Royal Albert Hall & Albert Memorial)

Tour Kensington Palace

We chose to spend some time in Knightsbridge & South Kensington for their first full day of touring.  I thought it would be best to start at Harrods right at opening to walk the food halls, see the Egyptian staircase, and handbag department before the other tourists even finished their coffee.  The architecture in many of the museums is part of the charm.  The main lobby of the Natural History Museum is beyond gorgeous.  We had to queue outside the museum for about 20 minutes, but that gave us the chance to see all of the different tiles, gargoyles, and motifs on the building.  

Tuesday - Tube: Green Park

Changing of the Guard

Take away Pret sandwiches in Trafalgar Square

Tour Buckingham Palace

As much as I love the royals, the Changing of the Guard is not actually something you need to do.  Prior viewings had a well choreographed entrance of the fresh guard and an amusing concert with everyone's favorite God Save the Queen (also known as My Country Tis of Thee for the Americans out there).  Sometimes they throw in a contemporary tune or even the James Bond theme.  This particular day was uncharacteristically abysmal.  The band played sporadically, and it was just a big let down.  So we chose to waste no more time on that.  However, we did get a great view of the outgoing guard as they followed us down The Mall toward Trafalgar Square.  The highlight of the day was the summer opening of the Buckingham Palace State Rooms.  This year's theme had the ballroom set up for a state banquet; I'd sure like to be invited to one of those!

Wednesday - Tube: Kings Cross

Walk through Kings Cross & St. Pancras Stations to see the architecture & Platform 9 3/4
Camden Market (big thumbs down)

Walk to Primrose Hill and pass by Regent's Canal (big thumbs up!)

Piccadilly Circus to see favorite shops (Liberty, Fortnum & Mason, etc)
Self-guided pub crawl thanks to Yelp recommendations

I never get up to North London during the week because it's not the easiest to get there and back in time to pick the kiddos up from school.  So I was happy that the guests wanted to see that part of town.  Primrose Hill's view of the city is worth the gluteus maximus work out to get to the top.  Skip Camden Market and go for the fun shops off Piccadilly & Regent Streets.

Thursday - Tube: Monument
View The Monument (climb the 311 steps if you feel adventurous)

Tour Sky Garden (prebook your FREE tickets)

Leadenhall Market (Diagon Alley scenes from Harry Potter movies)
Borough Market 
British Museum

The Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch Street is one of my favorite spots in the city (tickets are FREE, but you must prebook your time slot).  I highly recommend this over the London Eye due to cost and ambiance.  Then we walked to nearby Borough Market to see its lovely, historic food market with many diverse food options.  Be sure you bring cash if you go as not many stalls take cards.  We ended our day at the British Museum for my favorite must see items: Elgin Marbles (George Clooney's wife is trying to help get these returned to Greece), Egyptian Mummies, and the Room of Enlightenment.     

Friday- Tube: Tower Hill

Tower of London
Tower Bridge
Walk across Tower Bridge to St. Paul's
Pub in Richmond for dinner without the kids

We sent our guests to tour the Tower of London and met them for lunch at Wagamama Tower Hill.  Our walk from the Tower Bridge down to the Tate Modern gave a great view of the city.  Please admire the great view of St. Paul's before you cross the Millennium Bridge.  Since we spent so much time in the city during the week, we picked a pub out in Richmond for dinner so they could see another facet of Greater London.  

Saturday - Tube: Hammersmith

Fish & Chips @ Kerbisher & Malt

Bishop's Park for playtime and see and hear the Fulham stadium crowd

home for Pimms and dinner

Our guests' final day in London was certainly less eventful than the previous days.  We went for lunch at our favorite chippy (British for fish & chip shop), and ended the day with a stop at a park on the river.  Everyone took a turn playing on the equipment (although the adults realized that spinning rides aren't for us anymore) amidst the sounds of the nearby crowd as Fulham played Brighton and Hove Albion.  We spent the rest of the evening at home, eating, drinking Pimms, and laughing with our friends one last time. 

Then the week was over.  Their cab arrived at 5:30 Sunday morning to usher them back to Chicago.  It was a memorable week that I know none of us will forget.
  
What didn't we do?  I know it seems impossible that we missed anything.  Here's what I'd add with a few more days:
*West End show - There are always great shows in London, but I just never get around to booking tickets.
*National Gallery - Ran out of time
*River Thames boat ride - Ran out of time
*Afternoon Tea - I could have made it work, but I still can't stomach the £35+ per person at a proper spot for tiny sandwiches and a few bites of cake.  Yes there are cheaper options, but I feel you have to do this right or not at all.  
*A picnic in the park - The sun really never came out to make this a worthwhile event.  Sunny picnics in the park have the best people watching.  
*London Eye - Skipped this on purpose because the Sky Garden is free and they have snacks!

A4 Update - June 2015

Yeah, yeah, I'm a little behind.

Oldest Kiddo went on a three day school trip.  She was completely wiped out from canoeing, climbing, abseiling (rappelling down a rockface), mountain biking, and a whole lot of friend time.  

Holly happily finished working on the school summer fair; it was a full time job for a while.  The school community had fun, and there was plenty of Pimms all around.  

The kids had a day off from school, and we left the city limits to pick strawberries.  

Matt's sister and her husband visited The Manor for a week, and it was brilliant to have them here.  Oldest Kiddo was sick for some of their visit which hindered our ability to tour with them.

London experienced summer with a heatwave of above 85 degrees.  When you don't have air conditioning, it's awful.  Thankfully it only lasted a few days and then we went back to the low 70s.  

Let's see what July brings!

A4 Update - May 2015

The days are getting longer!

The Colosseum in Rome 

Our friends from America finished up their visit the first few days of the month.  We sure loved having them stay with us. 

Oldest Kiddo celebrated her birthday with her friends on a guided Harry Potter walk of the city.  The guide was phenomenal, and my girl was so happy to act out a scene from the movie with him.  The video takes place at Leadenhall Market which doubles as Diagon Alley.  They are acting the scene where Harry asks Hagrid how he is to obtain all of the supplies for Hogwarts.  Listen closely for her British accent, it's adorable.  

The kids continue to be busy at school.  Oldest Kiddo's grade took their standardized tests, and she's happy they've ended.  The British schools sure spend a lot of time revising (British for reviewing) for the tests. She's pumped for a two-night outdoor trip in a few weeks.  Youngest Kiddo's reading is taking off, and he is still in love with Legos.      

  

The kids had a week off for the half-term break, and we spent the week in Florence & Rome.  Posts on that gorgeous trip are on the way.  Now we need to start planning for summer, which does not start until the middle of July for the kids.  

Matt and I have returned to finding ways to keep the sun from waking us when it peeks in our windows at 4:30am.  We sure don't complain when the daylight sticks around until almost 10pm.

Bring on the summer!

A4 Update - April 2015

April was filled with fun.

Both of our kids celebrated their birthdays. The small distance between their dates makes for a busy month. Thankfully they are easy to please; Oldest Kiddo was thrilled with books & clothes and Youngest Kiddo Legos, Legos, Legos.

Holly's sister & nephew visited for ten days around Easter. They got the full tour of London.  

After the family returned to 'Merica, we spent the last few days of the kids' Easter break in Berlin.

Matt was only gone one day this month, such a difference from last month's 15 days.  

The month rounded out with another set of visitors to the Manor from 'Merica.

Youngest Kiddo lost his two front teeth, but only one was available for the Tooth Fairy.  He swallowed the first one with his breakfast!

Just Call Me Cruise Director - Touring Tuesday

I have to pat myself on the back with the itinerary I planned for my sister & eleven year-old nephew's visit at the end of March.  Maybe my new name should be Julie McCoy. 

Day 1 (Monday) - The kids and I picked them up at Heathrow.  Thanks to the real-time data on the Flightradar24 app, I knew exactly when to leave The Manor.  We only waited for a few minutes before they emerged from passport control.  We spent the day back at The Manor trying to keep them awake with a trip to the park, a quick shop on the high road, and a few games of Chutes & Ladders.

  

Day 2 (Tuesday) - There's no better way to get over jet lag than to get out into the sunshine!  Our day started with a spin around The London Eye (be sure to buy your tickets online for a discount).  We grabbed lunch and walked up to Trafalgar Square so the kids could climb around on the lions.  Then we walked up The Mall to Buckingham Palace.  Our day ended with a walk through Hyde Park so the kids could play pirates with sticks.  

Day 3 (Wednesday) - Youngest Kiddo got sick overnight and was down for the count on Wednesday morning.  I did not want our guests to miss out on a day in the city so I gave the reins to my understudy, Oldest Kiddo.  She was elated to play cruise director and navigate them to South Kensington for a day at The Science Museum & Natural History Museum.  She also happened to suggest a stop for fro-yo on their walk back to The Tube.

Day 4 (Thursday) - The boy was back on track so the whole crew could head back out into the city.  We started at The Tower of London to hear about various beheadings and see the gorgeous Crown Jewels.  Since we were so close, a tour of The Tower Bridge was a no brainer.  The new glass walkway is stupendous.  

Day 5 (Friday) - Youngest Kiddo was left at home with Matt so we could have a day of magic at The Harry Potter Studio Tour.  It's a bit out of town, but public transport is very convenient.  The studio recently opened a new section with a Hogwarts Express steam train which was adorable as they set up some of the cars with memorabilia from the movie.  You must prebook tickets if you decide to visit this phenomenal place.  We met Matt and Youngest Kiddo back in London for dinner to round out the day.

Day 6 (Saturday) - Youngest Kiddo was back to not feeling great so he stayed home with Matt again while we made a day in the city.  Our first stop was the Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch Street.  I cannot emphasize how lovely this FREE spot is to visit.  The views of the city really show off how London is a mix of old, old buildings and new, new buildings.  Across the street from 20 Fenchurch is Leadenhall Market, which was used for some of the Diagon Alley scenes in the Harry Potter movies.  To round out the day, we went full on tourist and went to Piccadilly Circus for a stop at a crap from London store, Liberty, Fortnum & Mason, and Hamley's Toy Store (not recommended for a Saturday).  

Day 7 (Easter Sunday) - This was our only day of rest.  The kids had fun playing games and consuming Easter candy while the adults enjoyed time on the couch.

Day 8 (Monday) - Matt joined us today as Easter Monday is a day off for the UK.  The day began at the British Museum to see the mummies, Elgin Marbles, and Rosetta Stone.  We grabbed lunch at Wagamama in Covent Garden then trekked to Paddington Station to show them a proper European train station.  Since it was a gorgeously sunny day, Youngest Kiddo and I played in the grass while the rest of the family toured Kensington Palace.  We hurried home for dinner because my sister and I had tickets to see Shakespeare in Love at the theatre.

Day 9 (Tuesday) - On their last full day in London we visited St. Paul's Cathedral and climbed the 200+ steps to the Whispering Gallery.  We also made a quick stop at The Museum of London to see the exhibitions about the city.  This museum is certainly a cool spot; I especially like seeing the Olympic cauldron and the elevator from Selfridge's Department Store.  Our day ended with a stop at the shops for British candy to go back to America.  

Day 10 (Wednesday) - This was leaving day for everyone.  My sister & nephew had their flight back to 'Merica, and our little family had a flight to Berlin!

We crammed a lot into their visit, but I know they will always remember it!

A4 Update - March 2015

Marching into Spring

Flowers are blooming everywhere!  Daffodils started popping up early in the month, and now crocus and hyacinth are wild in planting beds and open garden spaces.  

We had our neighbors over for lunch.  This was a huge step as it's really hard to make connections with your neighbors in London.

Holly planned a night out with some school mums that included seeing the musical Once and a fantastic post-theatre tapas dinner.

We got to spend time with visitors from America.  Holly's sister & nephew arrived at the end of the month for a 10-day visit.  Also, Holly's former principal was in town for spring break so they were able to meet up for a drink.

Oldest Kiddo received word that she has a place at our first choice secondary school in the fall.  The whole family is relieved since many of her primary school friends were also accepted to the same school.  

Holly stalked kept track of the public appearances of her friend, The Duchess of Cambridge.  The Duchess visited Downton Abbey at the studio where they film the downstairs scenes, and Holly happened to be free that morning to venture to the studio.  Katherine played it cool and didn't cause any jealousy by pretending that Holly wasn't there.  

Matt was in London for only fifteen days in the month of March!  He split his time across Denmark, Italy, Paris, Dublin, Canada, and of course America.  We've got a family holiday planned for April to make up for the lack of family time.    

The weather is almost warm enough to leave the house without a coat.  Almost.

More visitors to come next month!