London take 3

One thing I loved about our trip was Alex's interest in everything. He listened intently to the narration on his phone/headset at Westminster Abbey and the Cabinet War Rooms. In fact, he was a little upset when we rushed him out before he had listened to every number. He also had a million questions for those willing to listen and give answers. When we headed back to the hotel to give Henry a nap, he decided to tag along with Uncle Parry and Papa Jeff to the National Army Museum. Sounds fun doesn't it?

Pete and the kids with the London Eye in the background

Big Ben

"Look kids. Big Ben, Parliament."

Westminster Abbey

sitting in the Cloister

Ruby and Rachel

Henry

St. James' Park

Alex, Ruby and Henry having a snack outside of the Cabinet War Rooms

We took a red bus to Leicester Square to grab a bite to eat. Although some food critics might argue, I thought Noodle Stop was so good...but it could be because I haven't had ANY Chinese food in over 6 months.

After nap time, we decided to stick close to the hotel and headed over to the British Museum. Not only was it free (which a lot of museums in London are), it also had some amazing collections. I commented to Pete that without the kids I'm sure he could have spent hours inside. We however, hit the top 3 exhibits.

1. the Rosetta Stone

2. the mummies
(I just have to add here that there was one that was unwrapped. Although it was a little gross, it was amazing to see how well-preserved it was. You could see the fingernails and other things still intact.)

3. the Greek ruins

photo by Ruby

Getting to know you

Our second day in London was packed full. We saw Kensington Palace and the gardens, Hyde Park, Hyde Park Corner, Buckingham Palace, Harrods and the Science Museum. Pete also took a slight detour from his vacation for some work meetings.

I don't know why, but this is one of my favorite pictures from our trip. This picture was taken walking through Kensington Gardens. At this time of year when everything was so green and starting to bloom, it was especially beautiful.

the Albert Memorial

Rachel, Alex and Papa Jeff in front of Kensington Palace

Alex's question of the day: "Is that real gold?"

Abby, Rachel, Allyson, Henry and Alex with the Serpentine River in the background

Ruby warming up with some hot chocolate

Pete, Alex, Henry, Ruby and Christina

our family on the back row with Rachel, Allyson, Abby and Parry Jarman in front

Ruby and Uncle Parry taking a minute in front of the Royal Artillery Memorial dedicated to casualties from World War I

Pete, Ruby, Papa Jeff and Uncle Parry in front of Wellington Arch commemorating Britain's victories in the Napoleonic Wars

Although I missed the memo that the changing of the guard took place on EVEN days in the month of April...

...we did see the horse guard marching in from St. James' Palace which the kids thought was pretty cool

Harrods is the ultimate shopping mall. Not the best place for an anti-shopper like me, but a great location to eat lunch with the family and let Henry nap in his stroller. The Egyptian Escalators were pretty cool too.

On the 4th floor there is restaurant called Planet Harrods. It had some yummy fish and chips, wasn't crowded and had tv screens playing Tom and Jerry. It was a fabulous stop to recharge our batteries for the Science Museum.

Ruby and Aunt Julie

Ruby, ready for more action

Our first little sample

Due to a canceled flight, we arrived in London later in the day than originally planned. With only a couple of hours until dinnertime we hopped on a red bus to Piccadilly Circus. Even though it was a Wednesday afternoon, it was a zoo!

Pete and the kids in front of the memorial fountain and statue of Eros

From Piccadilly, we headed up Regent Street towards Soho. Unfortunately, with all of the crowds, Henry was not doing well. Luckily, after turning onto Oxford Street, we came across a nice little park called Soho Square. For the next hour Pete and I enjoyed sandwiches (the kids ate McDonalds of course) while Henry...

...chased pigeons.
We have learned during our travels that if Henry isn't happy, nobody's happy.

After a long walk home (up Oxford Street, down Tottenham Court Road) we finally met up with everyone back at the hotel. With only a 30 minute nap on the plane and the 1 hour time change, Henry was definitely running on fumes. It didn't help that he was surrounded with "strangers". He buried his head deep into Pete and wasn't in the mood for issuing out smiles.

Alex and Ruby, however, were so excited to meet up with family and celebrate.

Apparently that's just what Grammy Margie had in mind. She and Aunt Julie had picked up a couple dozen Krispy Kreme donuts so that we could sing to Alex and celebrate his belated birthday. Not the greatest picture of Alex and Pete so...

...here's one that's in focus.