London, Day Two

During our first day in London, we fell in love with the city, but day two proved to solidify it's spot at the top of our list of favorite big cities in Europe. We once again arrived in Waterloo Station, but this time we walked over to Big Ben and the Parliament buildings. It was pouring rain and cold, but we still couldn't believe that we were there! Double Decker buses passed by, the London Eye slowly spun tourists around on our right and Big Ben chimed ahead, accurately setting the time for the world.

  

Our first stop of the day was a tour of Westminster Abbey. Photographs were not allowed inside, so I took a few from the outside and then put my camera away while we toured the inside of this most famous cathedral. The big kids and Sarah toured the abbey with audio guides and the three little ones and I toured with a children's treasure hunt booklet. While wandering around the nave, a priest stopped us and took us on a private mini tour of the cathedral. He showed us where the queen sits when she is in the abbey. He opened the small wooden door to her throne and, as if it were a secret, showed us the little compartment that only her majesty is allowed to enter. A little embroidered cushion, with the lion and unicorn crest representing the United Kingdom, sat on the chair. The man then let Sophia sit in the chair in front of the queen's chair and explained that this was where he sits, on occasion, when the queen is present, including at William and Kate's wedding. His job is to hold a staff and walk in front of the queen, nudging anyone out of the queen's way. He left and after a moment reappeared with the staff that he let Sophia hold. He also gave us a program from the recent Commonwealth Day Ceremony during which all the heads of the original Commonwealth gather in Westminster Abbey. A chair for each leader is designated near the queens. I know that Sophia will always remember her visit to Westminster Abbey.  

Inside of Westminster Abbey, thanks to Google Images

Our next stop was at the War Rooms. We listened to an audio guide that took us through the corridors that served as Churchill's hideout and strategy rooms during WWII. The kids were fascinated. A museum, full of hands on activities, was incorporated in the building. The kids typed secret messages, tried on a replica of Churchill's red velvet outfit that he jumped into if awoken during the night for an urgent matter and then saw the original jumpsuit in a glass case and tried strategies for battles that took place across the world.

 We then wandered, through the rain, into St. James Gardens, which were full of spring flowers.

 We stopped in Trafalgar Square and watched the taxis and double decker buses circle the round about and then stopped into the National Gallery to see such paintings as Van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait, Monet's Water Lily Pond, Van Gogh's Sunflowers, and Seurat's Bathers at Asnieres.

 We found Piccadilly Circus, London's equivalent of Times Square but on a smaller scale, where the kids watched the jumbo tron and a broad range of interesting Londoners.

 We window shopped in the area, keeping an eye out for Fortnum and Mason, a high end department store that specializes in exotic and speciality foods, including it's highly celebrated tea selection. We left with a large bottle of vanilla bonbons that we ended up sharing all throughout the UK.

 Our children's favorite stop in the area was Hamley's toy store. This was similar to FAO Schwartz in New York City, but even more hands on for the kids. We spent quite a bit of time trying out the toys and then I allowed each child to spend fifteen pounds on their favorite find. We carried out a huge bag full of magic pens, stickers that with a bit of creativity turned into glittered works of art, a transformer and a doll for Mia with which to replace her water bottle baby.

We were happy with everything that we accomplished in London, but with only one more planned day in the city left, I began thinking that we would need to shift our schedule around a little bit and try to add a day or two more in the area. I knew that London was a place that I would need to come back to again and again.