Can’t go home for the holidays? One solution is to meet you parents in London and have a week of fun. Sadly we visited just early enough that the Christmas markets were not yet open, but we got plenty of sightseeing opportunities including some Christmas lights in Oxford Circus.
After a few flight delays through Turkey, I arrived just in time for Sunday roast and drinks at The Lamb & Flag, Covent Garden with Dad and my step-mom, Debbie. The next day we took the tube over to St. John’s Wood and crossed Abbey Road. We all signed the wall in front of the studios and bought some souvenirs. Then we journeyed via tube to Camden Town and explored Camden Market. We shopped at all the different eclectic stalls and sampled a variety of foods. Camden Market is located in the historic former Pickfords stables, located north of the Hampstead Road Lock of Regent's Canal.
After an afternoon spent shopping and a detour to Kings Cross Station, we took a cab over to Kensington Gardens. It was a lovely afternoon for a stroll ending with tea, cakes and sandwiches at the Candella Tea Room. Everything was delicious and filling so we walked it off by looking at the Christmas lights in Oxford Circus and Soho, and taking one last shopping detour at Liberty department store.
For the rest of the week, Debbie was participating in a travel conference, so Dad and I played the role of tourists. We started off with some breakfast, then took a walk through Westminster Abbey via audio tours, sampled all the notorious food stalls at Borough Market (including The Black Pig sandwiches, Ginger Pig Sausage Roll, pork gyoza, veggie samosa, etc.). We journeyed over to the West End for some pints and joined Debbie and her co-workers for one of my favorite musicals, Wicked. The Elphaba and Glenda cocktails were beyond adorable.
The following morning we had a very stereotypical rainy London day. I took my Dad over to where I had lived when I studied abroad, and showed him the area before heading into the British Museum for some shelter and culture. We explored for a bit then took a double decker bus to lunch, and enjoyed a hot pie at The Bear and Staff, a pub first established in 1714 near Leicester Square. After lunch we enjoyed Part One and Part Two of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I highly recommend this play for not only those who like myself, grew up loving Harry Potter, but for theatergoers who enjoy special effects and epic backdrops/scene changes. For our 'dinner break' we enjoyed nearby hot pot at Pot Pot Malatang in Chinatown followed by some ice cream from Coldstone Creamery.
Thursday we got up bright and early to venture towards the Tower of London. We had some Gregg's sausage rolls for breakfast, and then walked to the Tower. We got there just in time to join one of the beefeater tours of the grounds. After a very comical tour, we picked up our guidebooks and audio guides to explore more of the castle. The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames. The Yeomen Warders of His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary, popularly known as the Beefeaters, are ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London. The tower has a very bloody history and was home to many famous executions. You could spend a whole day there, but ours was slightly cut short by more rainy weather.
We warmed up with some ramen and rice bowls from Wagamama, which is next door and then proceeded to the South Bank for a ride on the London Eye. We got on at the perfect time, as the sun was setting and the city was lighting up. Afterwards, we ventured back over towards Kensington and joined Debbie and her co-workers for dinner at Ffiona's.
Friday was our longest day of activity. We signed up for an all day bus tour that included stops in Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath. The first stop was Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. Founded by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, it has since been the home of 40 monarchs. You could spend a whole day here, and we were only given a few hours with the audio guide. My family and Debbie's co-workers took their time inside the castle, but I was more interested in seeing Queen Elizabeth's final resting place. I'd been to the castle before, so I kind of power walked to the church. It was a very subtle, but beautiful final resting place, and I'm glad I saw it.
After the castle, our bus continued to Stonehenge. Stonehenge is a prehistoric megalithic structure that consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around 13 feet high, seven feet wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connecting horizontal lintel stones. It is considered one of the wonders of the world and the best known pre-historic monument in Europe. We happened to be there on a very windy day, so we got excellent photographs of the area but are hair did was blowing EVERYWHERE. It was freezing, so after a stroll around we got hot chocolates for the bus.
We stopped in the village of Lacock for lunch, a quintessential English village with timber-framed cottages and local shops. With its central grid of four streets, Lacock today looks much as it did 200 years ago. It's been featured in many films and television series including Downton Abbey, the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice and Cranford. The films Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Wolfman were also filmed here. Our lunch venue was The George Inn, which dates back to 1361, and features a dog-powered roasting spit. After some hot food, pints of beer, and photo ops, we got back on the bus for our final stop.
Sadly, we hit some traffic...so we got to Bath literally as everything was closing shop. We did not get to see inside The Roman Baths. I have seen them before, but I felt bad for the others because aside from the Jane Austin Museum (also closed)…this to me is the appeal of going to Bath. Our group split, with some going in one of the churches. My dad and decided to try some mead at a local shop and then get some pints and snack at the pub. The bus ride back was very long, and by the time we reached London it was late, and we were oddly starving. I ordered us a taxi, and myself, my parents, and Debbie's co-workers enjoyed a meal of pastas and pizzas at Vapiano.
Saturday we all flew out at different times in the afternoon, so my Dad, Debbie and I enjoyed a farewell English Breakfast and said our goodbyes. My flight back was also chaotic, but I hung out in the airport and did some last minute shopping. I love going to London, and would live there in a heartbeat. I'll put that on my positive affirmations list for the future.
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