December 26, 2018

In London you get an extra day for Christmas called Boxing Day. Its a day to simply spend time relaxing with family….unless it is the next to last day of your London trip and then its out and about early.

Most of the day was spent walking to places we wanted to see or see again. We visited Little Venice and saw the canals, we visited Trafalgar Square, and spent additional time at Covent Garden. We wrapped up the day with a return trip to St. Paul’s Cathedral. The beauty and the atmosphere is unlike anywhere else I have ever been. There was not a formal service at the time we were there but chairs were in place and we chose to sit under the dome for a bit and just take it all in.  (Pictures of several stops from the day can be found at this link… https://goo.gl/JCDiHP

One of the most interesting parts of the day was the lack of people. While there were people out and about there were significantly smaller numbers than normal. Because of this, the roads and Tube were near empty. This allowed for a more leisurely pace and the opportunity to take pictures that normally just can’t happen. I was able to get some in various places in the Tube. On a regular day if you stop long enough to get pictures you will get run over or left behind!The escalators you see in the pictures below are very long, however when we exited the train at Covent Garden we took the lift. One because there was no escalator and two because there are 195 steps, the equivalent of 15 floors! That train is deeeeeep underground!

Even with all the lifts, escalators and train rides we walked just over 12 miles today!

December 25, 2017

Just like home, most things are closed on Christmas Day, but there were a few exceptions. One of those was the Christmas Day Lunch Cruise on the River Thames. Seated at a table next to a window, we spent 3+ hours moving down the River, enjoying each others company, the city scape from a unique perspective and an amazing lunch. (More lunch photos can be found at this link. https://goo.gl/JCDiHP )

The views of the city were fabulous! Some places we had seen and visited from the banks, but much of the trip was in areas of London we normally would not have seen. We say the Olympic Stadium, Canary Warf, and Greenwich, where all time begins. It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.

London Eye

The rest of the day was spent hanging out at the flat, calling the kids, trying to see if the things we bought will fit in the extra suitcase we had to buy and relaxing before striking out again tomorrow. With only two more days left we still have a week’s worth of things we want to see!

December 24, 2017

Christmas Eve Day was a slow day both for us and for London. Most things were open briefly during the day but closed down early. In order to accommodate this we got the items for our evening meal at the Borough Market.  More pictures shared at https://goo.gl/JCDiHP

Our other places we visited were areas around the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. It was a nice quiet Christmas Eve day.

Saturday was shopping day. We went began by making our way to Portobello Road Market. Its one of the more famous Saturday Markets and for good reason. There was pretty much anything you want to find…from the brand new to the very old and everything in between. Its a mix between an open air mall, a nice antique mall and a flea market.

Later we made our way to Kings Cross Station, not to catch a train but to visit the “meca for Harry Potter fans” according to Don, Platform 9 &3/4. Today you have to wait in line and pay 15P for a picture at the cart in the wall at Platform 9 &3/4. The first time we were here 12 years ago we just stood there and ask a stranger to snap a photo! But the shop….that was a very cool experience for anyone who is a Harry Potter fan…and I am!

December 22, 2017

Windsor Castle

Today was spent enjoying the rich history found in and around London. We spent a few hours in the Tate Modern Art Museum, looking at what I am told are impressive works of art. Some of which I(Julie) understood, most of which left me questioning why those things are art and other things are not. It gives a whole new understanding to “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” We each bring something to the experience of what we see that effects our experience.

The rest of the day was spent in Windsor. There were 3 main events of the day.

1. Windsor Castle itself…we toured the State Residents Apartments and part of the grounds. The grandeur and opulence is breath taking! The history of the people and events that took place in these rooms leaves you feeling very awed!
2. Royal Windsor Shopping…yes that is actually the same of the shopping area! Got to love it! The shops were a mix of the old and new. There were places to buy handmade Christmas ornaments and a place like Fatty Face that had the best socks and sweaters!
   

   
3. A Christmas Carol…an incredibly well done play performed inside the Waterloo Chamber and St. Georges Hall in Windsor Castle.  This time when we went into the castle we had a bit more freedom to move about the rooms. We even had a snack standing just inside the Grand Staircase. (All the liquids were clear (White Wine, Apple Juice and water) in case anyone spilled anything!  The play was performed with only 8 actors on a raised platform in the middle of Waterloo Chamber. The audience of about 200 people sat in chairs 4 rows deep on all four sides. The audience included children who sat on big poofy satin pillows on each end of the long stage.  Near the end of the play Scrooge invited all of us to follow him to “buy the prize goose” and we all went to St. Georges Hall and finished the evening by singing Christmas carols together. It was an event we will never forget!

It was an incredible day!