“Dear Past, thanks for all the lessons. Dear Future, I’m ready!”
So I’m a wee bit behind uploading and writing about our adventures. Stella started part day pre school and I didn’t realize how tiring it would be to run around doing errands with Nora while she’s there, then getting home and *trying* to clean. Plus, Justin still hasn’t shared the Stonehenge photos with me *ahem Justin*! So here I am, both kids asleep, trying to get in a quick New Years post, without Stonehenge photosSo we took a trip with Eurotrip Adventures to London for New Years. We drove to the port in France and took a ferry over to the U.K. It was so bazaar to see cars on the other side of the road and it was hard to look the opposite way before crossing streets in the city. It seems so simple, but when I was out for a job one morning I felt so confused, looking back and forth after having my mind shut off during my run. 
We had a walking tour guide and he took us to Buckingham Palace, he pointed out some Harry Potter filming spots, and other big places in London. He was really quite a riot and had a great sense of humor. 
Here we have Buckingham Palace, the Australia Gate, and the Queen Victoria statue (who now has the second longest reign of Great Britain after her Great Great Granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II). These photos were at the changing of the guards ceremony, so it was packed. We could see what happened, but were unable to get photos because it was so crowded and I found it incredibly rude of everyone who had cameras and phones up blocking others views of this event. Because, “if you didn’t record you obviously weren’t there” mentality apparently everyone across the world has now. Sorry I couldn’t be “that lady”.
We also did a quick walk by of St Paul’s Cathedral. My photo does not do this building justice. If you stand in front, but further back than I was, you can see the awesome architecture that went into this building. Honestly, I felt pretty impressed by many building in London.
We drove across London Bridge, which apparently there is no stopping on, so our tour guide had the bus driver drive slowly across it so we could see Tower Bridge. I would really love to go back and go to this exhibition one morning we are there. This is where you can see how the bridge was built, walk across the bridge as long as a bridge lift isn’t needed, you can see the old Engine Rooms, walk where the bridge’s floor is clear and you can see down, and I’m sure more. This is just what I heard from some people in our group. Because Justin and I seem to have a knack for visiting things when they are closed or under construction, of course this happened also to Big Ben or Elizabeth Tower. 
To wrap up our tour we walked past Parliament, which is quite a work of art. Much more impressive than the US’s Capitol Building, if I do say so myself. We ended our exploring that day with a visit to the Sea Life Aquarium, which our kids enjoyed. It was a good Aquarium and a nice place to get out of the rain for awhile. If you have little ones and they aren’t interested in the Aquarium, they have a couple more things to do in that area such as the London Eye (which I wish we had had time to do), Madame Toussands’ Wax Museum, and Shrek’s Adventure. There are packages you can buy to get discounted entrance fees to these. We only did the Aquarium, but we bought the ticket online, outside the Aquarium, because you get to skip the line and get your ticket right away. If you plan to do the London Eye, I’d recommend booking a ticket in advance for a time. There was a constant line there. Considering the views you get of London, I’d say it would be worth the while.
On the evening of New Year’s Eve, we ate at a little pub we found tucked away in an alley and went to London’s Christmas Market. Compared to German Christmas Markets, this was more like a fair than a Market. That night, while the girls were asleep, the night was lite up with fireworks. I’m pretty sure I fell asleep to fireworks going off outside our window. It was a nice way to end the year.
On New Year’s Day (day 2, as the rest of the city was hungover), I drug Justin around to see all the Harry Potter sights. We were unable to get tickets to any of the tours, so I find this as a great excuse to go back and plan a trip well in advance (because those suckers fill up fast!) We saw St Pancras Station (called King’s Cross Station in the film), we went into the actual King’s Cross Station (where the platform 9 ¾ store is and you can push your trolley through the platform), Borough Market (where the Leaky Cauldron and Third Hand Book Emporium were located), and, of course, Piccadilly Circus (where Harry, Ron, and Hermione end up after fleeing Will and Fleur’s wedding). We saw other locations, like where Gringott’s was filmed and the Millennium Bridge, but we were on the bus and I missed getting pictures.
Going on a trip with a group was nice and took the stress out of planning and traveling, especially since it started snowing and icing before we got out of Germany! London was a great city and I would love to go back if we find the time and money. The pound to US dollar is not so good right now, and London has been one of the more expensive places we’ve visited so far. Plus, I have my Oyster card now and we figured out how to use the underground in London pretty well by the end. The Oyster card is the card you see Harry swipe for Mr Wesley in the fifth movie when they are headed to the Ministry of Magic “the muggle way”.
Sorry this was so late! Anyone who knows me knows I’m good at being late, so why not on blog posts too? Happy New Year’s y’all!
Links
Tower Bridge
Big Ben/Elizabeth Tower
Sea Life Aquarium London
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