Last year, my parents decided it was time for another big family vacation. My parents have always wanted to do a cruise in the Baltic's so the planning began. Eventually we were all set for a Royal Caribbean cruise through Scandinavia and Russia in July. The cruise left out of England so we were able to add a few days to the beginning of the trip and visit London. This was my third trip (second that I can actually remember) and Micah's first. I was very excited to get to show Micah a city I truly love.
We were in London a day and half longer than the rest of my family so we had a few things to get to do on our own. Our flights landed in London early morning so we took the train to our hotel and then immediately hopped on another train out to Windsor Castle.
Windsor Castle is beautiful with lots of history. The grounds are very extensive and very beautiful. Unlike a lot of other castles we have seen on our travels, Windsor is still a functioning castle where the Queen spends much of her time. There is also a beautiful church on the grounds (which of course we couldn't take pictures inside). We saw a brief changing of the guard and I swore one of the guards was about to crack up laughing the whole time.
After traveling all night and jumping right into sightseeing we were ready for an early nights sleep. We headed straight back from Windsor to the hotel and prepared for the next day. The following morning we woke up early and headed for the Churchill War Rooms. It was fascinating to see the underground bunkers where many WWII decisions were made and so strange to think about the constant nightly bombings London endured. It was cool to think of Churchill sitting in those rooms arguing with his people.
When we finished the war rooms we headed off to the Tower of London where we waited for my family to meet us. We let Jake play in the park to get some energy out and then we waited...we waited, and waited, and waited. Micah was so tired of waiting that he went up into the Tower Bridge to take some pictures while I sat with Jacob in the stroller napping.
At last, they made it! It is so fun to get to meet your family in a foreign country. We immediately started a tour of the Tower of London with all its gruesome history. Of course the family had traveled a long ways so we were also trying to beat jet-lag.
When we finished our tour of The Tower (they started kicking us out), we went to get some pictures of the Tower Bridge and then took a scenic boat ride down the Thames.
 |
| Mom and I have a picture like this from 1991, 2007, and 2013 |
When the boat tour ended we all thought we were about to starve so we found a Pub to relax and enjoy. I was really surprised when after dinner my family was still up for a little more sight seeing so I led us all on a tour to Trafalgar Square and on to Piccadilly Circus. We were joking that I was the tour guide since I made most of our plans and would read stuff out of the book to everyone.
After a good nights sleep and a little jet-lag recovery, the next day we were all up and ready to hit some more London sights. Of course, to have the energy to do this much sight seeing a nutritious breakfast at McDonald's was in order. Since we were out early, we were able to get some great family pictures with Big Ben.
Once we were fueled for the day, we headed to Westminster Abby. Bailey was excited knowing it was where Will & Kate were married. We arrived before the doors opened but the line was CRAZY long. Jake and Coleton played in the churchyard while we waited. Of course we weren't allowed to take pictures inside.
From Westminster, we rushed over to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. It was SUPER crowded but we were still able to get some decent position to see some action. Buckingham wasn't open to go inside but we had fun just seeing it from the outside.
Once we tired of the changing of the guard stuff, we headed off to St. Paul's Cathedral. St. Paul's is where Princess Diana was married and is a very beautiful church. Once again, no pictures allowed inside but we did take some from the top on the outside. Nana and Papa stayed with Jacob while the rest of us climbed 100's of stairs. I really loved the memorial to American service men who died during WWII.
Let me reiterate, I had a very busy day planned for us. After St. Paul's we once again headed off to another major sight: Harrod's. In order to get there we took a infamous London Red bus and made a quick stop at Victoria Station. Once at Harrod's we had fun shopping, drooling, and playing.
We did a TON of sightseeing and were so worn out and ready for dinner. When you have a group of 6 adults and 4 kids, finding a restaurant can be tricky but this wonderful Italian place took us all in. It was a wonderful dinner. Jake enjoyed himself too!
This was our last, long, wonderful, full day in London. The next morning we were off for our cruise!
Here are some random fun pics from our time in London:
