Third full day, London, April 14, 2025

 

    Today, we started bright and early for the Tower of London. When we got there, it seemed a bit crowded, but....later it was SUPER crowded. We walked around before our 10 a.m. tour which turned out to be very good as we were able to get into the tower where they had the implements of torture. Ugh. And, we were able to walk about and get a feel for the place.

      Our Yeoman Warder, Tom, who gave the tour was excellent. He was informative, funny....and, of course, gruesome. He is a veteran of the airforce and it is quite an honor to become a Yeoman Warder.

He gave a pretty thorough history of the Tower for almost a full hour. 

      By then, the crowds had intensified with a very, very long queue to see the Crown Jewels and to get into the Bloody Tower. So, we went into the Beauchamp Tower (no line) where prisoners have etched in their names, messages, poems, engravings into the walls for over 50ft

   

    Then - off to the cafe for a lunch. Afterwards, we went into the White Tower

(the Keep and where the royals palace was/is.) It now houses the armory on one floor. It was so crowded that it was unpleasant, so we fairly quickly exited and then decided we had done enough and had the flavor of the place. We learned that part of the reason for the long queues was because several things were under renovation, including the battlements and the chapel which funneled more people into fewer places.

      We walked back to the flat and had a snack and a bit of a rest before setting out. We thought we might go to Camden Town in the afternoon, but Sebastian thought better of it having been in enough big crowds for the day.

     So, we caught the Uber boat (can use Oyster card) toward Westminster. We couldn't get a front seat and it was pretty full, but it was still nice. We had intended to go to Battersea and then come back, but the high water prevented that and we had to disembark at Westminster. 

   

   We walked to the Supreme Court, which is a quiet spot on Parliament Square, where there are easily accessed toilets and a nice little cafe. We were the only ones in the cafe - and thousands outside on the street. (Thank you to Maura for this wonderful tip.) Then we went into two court rooms and had a lovely guard explain things.

   

   Rather than boat back, we went by Tube back to Tower Hill and found a small, charming Indian Restaurant, Sripur. The food was excellent - Sebastian had his first taste of lamb. We all were very happy with our meals. Then - walked back home and struggled for the second time with a very finicky washing machine that likes to shut off.

    

       

Second full day in London, April 13, 2025

 Another full day. It was cooler and, by evening, when we came home, we were all chilly.

 

Our first adventure was taking the tube to the Embankment and walking halfway across the bridge. Then - a walk to Covent Garden where we ambled and Sebastian shopped a bit. We had coffee and watched public performers (opera and then a 7-piece stringed instruments group which was excellent.) We also saw an entertaining acrobatics/juggler act which was quite good. 

We got some street food before walking to Gillian Lynne Theatre on Drury Lane where we saw My Neighbor Totoro.

It was quite memorable. The sets were truly amazing. Buildings where whisked on and off the rotating stage and transformed into different buildings. People in dark costumes manipulated puppets and creatures including a flock of chickens, a goat, rabbits and an enormous spirit of the woods called Totoro.

It was a heart-warming story of a family that moved out of Tokyo because the mother needed hospital care, so the father and the two young girls, moved to an old house in the woods. The little girl, Mei, got lost in the woods and Totoro rescued her. The audience loved it. Sebastian bought a tshirt and a tote bag.

Then, Shirley met us at the Real

Greek restaurant around the corner, so Sebastian got to meet one of the English relatives. It was fun. And, the food was great and the maitre d' took great care of us. Sebastian ordered Greek coffee which was way too strong and he made him a new one with another formula. (And, he did not charge us for the coffee.) Sebastian had prawns and also his first baklava. Mark and I had an interesting Greek tea that sounded like "cedar something - no caffeine. 

 Then, Shirley headed for the Northern line and we headed to the Strand to pick up the 15 bus back to Tower Hill....and got an old RouteMaster double decker which was a treat. You can't use an Oyster card as it doesn't have the technology and the conductor had to call out the stops. It was a nice treat.  

First Full Day in London, April 12, 2025

 We walked a lot today - almost 7 miles!

 We started on the 15 bus from Tower Hill into Charing Cross. First stop: St. Martin's in the Field Church where we saw a bit of a rehearsal for Good Friday and the Crucifixion. 

  Then - across to the National Gallery where we cruised through a few older paintings and some Impressionists. 

  From there - back to St. Martin's where we had our lunch in the crypt. Sebastian and Mark had fish and chips and Barbara had soup.

  Then - a walk through Trafalgar Square and down the Strand where we saw the Horse Guards, 10 Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament. 

It was really, really crowded, especially by Parliament. Sebastian enjoyed listening to a bagpiper. 

Then, we walked across to Westminster Abbey, but all the tickets were sold out and none are available the rest of the week which is too bad. So, we walked to the Supreme Court, which was closed. What do to?

     We got on a random bus and got out at Sloane Square thinking it was near the British Museum, but it wasn't. (That is Russell Square). So, we walked through the very expensive neighborhood and saw Bentleys, Lamborghini, McLarens, Rolls Royces and Ferraris. We went looking for iced coffees as we were hot and tired. More walking, but ended up a a Costa Coffee on the Brompton Road almost across from Harrods. 

Harrods was not on our bucket list, but we actually had a lot of fun going up the Egyptian motif escalators. We checked out a very expensive baby's dress for over 400 pounds! We walked through the Food Halls. 

     From there, we made our way via the Tube back home. We got tickets for the Tower and for the British Museum for later in the week.

     After a little rest, we walked to the other side of the Tower and ate ramen at a Wagamama's.

European Adventure with Sebastian, 2025 April 9, 10, 11

 April 9, Sebastian flies to Logan from Charlotte

      First: We left the island, got work done on the Clarity, went to the eye doctor for Mark and met Amanda R. Kugler in Plymouth for a lovely dinner. And, then went to Jecca's for dinner. Hank had a surprise call to go to a Red Sox game and went - it was really, really cold. In fact, it snowed a bit that day. Mark also got a pair of EarPods which have hearing assist.

      On the 9th, Sebastian, age 16, flew into Logan. Before heading to Concord, we stopped at the Aquarium and also got sandwiches at Dino's in the North End. We had a nice family dinner with Hank, Jecca, Sebastian and us. Jecca and Sebastian chatted about college and admissions.

  April 10: Mark, Barbara and Sebastian fly to London.  

          We took an Uber to Logan from Jecca's and spent a few happy hours in the Delta Sky Lounge. "Bougie" as Sebastian says, but relaxing.

           We boarded a Delta flight at 7 from Logan and had a smooth flight to Heathrow, arriving at around 6:15 "our" time. We took the Elizabeth Line to the District Line and then walked to find the flat we rented in St. Katharine's Dock. It took a little bit of effort to find it - Nightingale House on Henry Moore Lane. We were allowed to leave the luggage as the flat was not ready. So, we walked down to the river on a gorgeous sunny day and watched the boats and people go by. We had a lovely view of Tower Bridge.

Then, we strolled back around the beautiful docks, shopped at Waitrose for snacks and dinner. We are all very jet lagged. Sebastian slept much of the afternoon and evening. Mark made spagetti and meatballs. We are very happy with the flat's location; the supplies are only mediocre, but the location more than makes up for it.

Our apartment is on the 2nd floor

View from our flat, 25 Nightingale Place

       

      

      

Home, October 29-31 and Thoughts on the Trip

 We were picked up by Alec at Logan after a very smooth flight on Virgin Air, operated by Delta. Even the food was a cut above. There was a bit of a scare about the Clarity starting as it had been sitting for so long. 

  We enjoyed seeing Cameron, 14-months old, the next morning. What a lovely child he is.

  We were worried about the battery (not the one for the electric part of the car, but the other battery.) So, we drove an extra hour to Jecca and Willy's. The four of us went out to dinner at Seoul Kitchen which was very nice.

    We took the 2:45 boat home on Halloween and were amazed at the crowds out celebrating on the island, so that it took us quite a bit longer to get to the house.

Thoughts on the Trip

We had a GREAT trip. Full of variety. Eight countries in two months with a mix of old and new. We traveled by plane, ferries and busses. The accommodations ranged from a hostel, hotels (modern/old), apartments (medieval to sleek), to homes of friends/family. 

We think that travel is good for our brains as you have to adjust, adapt and problem solve as things are bound not to always go smoothly.

We did get tired of wearing the same clothes because of only doing carry-on luggage. It was challenging because of preparing for temperatures from the 80s to the low 50s. But, when we see people struggling with large suitcases, we are convinced we are doing the right thing. It is a bit frustrating not to be able to buy presents, but...again, lugging things up spiral stairs and onto busses.... 

We loved the feeling of the Scandinavia countries where we did not feel people were worried the way Americans are - about health care, child care, education. 

We ate well and Mark got great ideas for new recipes.

  

West Wickham October 19 - 23

 October 19  Motspur Park to West Wickham

 

Tram

    Maura took us to the station; it was quite rainy as we stood on the platform. Mark and I took the train to Wimbledon and caught the tram to Elmer's End - 20 stops! Ken picked us up and we went to a sports place where Connor was celebrating his 11th birthday playing soccer with some of his friends. Walshie and Katrina were also there.

   

Connor, age 11, at Bromley football match

Ewan, age 17, at Bromley match

   

Then we went to West Wickham and settled into their newly reconfigured guest room and beautiful new shower room. Mark left with Ken, Ewan, Connor to see Bromley Football Club in a match, which they lost.

       Christine, Katrina, Annette and me sat in the garden as the weather became sunny and gorgeous. We had tea and homemade cookies. 

        We all met up at the Fish and Chips restaurant in West Wickham. (13 of us) 

         Then we came back to Goodhart Way and had cake and presents. Connor's big hits- a cell phone of his own and a keyboard. Many had a rollicking game of Uno to end the day.

Compilation of October 20 - 23

        I am writing this a few days after we left West Wickham and am going to write a summary of our days there.

Katrina, Annette, Christine at High Elms

        Every night we were in West Wickham, we had a big family dinner in the dining room. Sometimes it was made by Christine; one day it was made by Annie and Katrina and one day it was made by Katrina. It was amazing to see 11-13 around the table every night with lots of delicious food and also a huge selection of desserts. We had Indian Shepherd's Pie, Coq-au-Vin, salmon en croute, macaroni & cheese etc. Every night, Will handled most of the clean up which was a lot of work. 

 

Ewan and Connor

Adam and Annie reflection on the underground

    Another nightly activity involved noisy and fun games - a variety of UNO games, "Mind the Gap" "Piece of Pizza" etc. So much fun.

   

Mark and Annie

High Elms walk

   One day a group of us went to Greenwich via public transport. (Chris, Ken, Katrina, Annie, Connor, Adam, Ewan and his girlfriend, Connie.)

Brothers, Ewan and Adam

Cutty Sark, Greenwich

         We walked around the Cutty Sark and down to the river and then to the Greenwich Market which was a big hit with everyone. Everyone ate something (sausage rolls, waffles etc). Fudge was bought. Ken bought a print of an old map of their part of London. 

     We went to the cable car across the Thames and back - a big hit. Then, a visit to the O2 center where some shopped and the four "oldsters" had coffee.

      Another day, most of the family went to "High Elms" Park where we walked and then had a lovely lunch at the cafe there.

      Another day, we went with Chris and Ken to see a matinee of The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard at the Old Vic.

       It is a play about relationships and was excellent. The main character, played by James McArdle, is a playwright whose two wives were serial marital cheaters. Words are so important, especially to a playwright. It's impossible to summarize, but the actors were fantastic, especially Bel Powley, who played his second wife.

 

The Old Vic

   James McArdle was wonderful in the lead, supported by an excellent class

    On our last morning we went to Kitchen, a restaurant in West Wickham with just Katrina as we had not had any private time with her. 

Annette with Connie (Ewan's girlfriend) playing Uno