Natural History Museum and Harrods

Today we had another educational day when we visited London's Natural History Museum. Picture "Night at the Musuem". . .but better! The kids loved it! Three hours passed in a flash as we wandered amongst dinosaur skeletons, giant blue whales and all manner of fossilised creatures - and we only saw half of the museum displays.

There were so many people and school groups, we decided to split the day into 2 and come back another day and finish our tour. . .So we wandered up to Knightsbridge - home of the famous department store "Harrods". Harrods is currently having a sale and there were throngs of people flowing in and out of the various shopping halls. We picked up a few things from the perfumery and then headed for the food halls (yes. . .I know it's all we seem to be concerned with!). We picked up some Harrods coffee and tea, chocolates and then moved to the fresh food halls and sat down at the oyster bar for a light snack!! The kids weren't that interested in the oysters (which were delightful!), so all the more for Steven and I!!!!
back home on the tube for an early night. . .our first in the entire week.
More shopping tomorrow, with a traditional English afternoon tea booked at Fortnum & Mason (which should be lovely!).

Wimbeldon and Bath

Despite exhausting every avenue known to us for getting Wimbeldon tickets and without succumbing to the extortionist claims of the numerous ticketing agencies (thousands of pounds for tickets!!), we decided to head down to Wimbeldon for a "look see" and to join the queue for the limited number of tickets that are offered by the All England Lawn Tennis Centre at Wimbeldon on the day of play. If nothing else, we thought the children might enjoy seeing the grounds and taking a few photos.
When we got to Wimbeldon station, we took a shuttle bus service down to the Tennis Centre and asked about the queue for non-ticket holders. The courteous official informed us to head down to Car park 10 (some 2 kms away) and that the current waiting time was 5 HOURS where some 9,000 people were waiting for tickets!!!!!!! Holy Moly!!! It was incredibly hot, and with no guarantee of securing tickets at all, there was no way we were going to queue! That said, we meandered around the Tennis Centre and took some photos before hopping back onto the Shuttle for Wimbeldon station.
We then headed back to Paddington station and took a train to the historical town of Bath to visit the The Roman Baths and take a walk around this beautiful town.
The Roman Baths date back to the first century and was a kind of spa resort that was thought to have healing powers (as the water rises from naturally occuring thermal springs). We took a self-guided tour of the Baths and then wandered into Bath Abbey (next to the Baths)to take in the magnificent architecture of ths building and to offer a small prayer.
Since the last time Steven and I were here, Bath has grown into a very modern town with all the modern conveniences and named shopping attractions, cafes and restaurants. It was amazing to see the transformation. . .all against a very beautiful historical backdrop. Anyway, have a look at the photos and decide for yourselves.

Borough Markets, Hertfordshire and the West End

We started our Saturday in London with a visit to London's famous Borough Markets which is only a short 10 minute stroll from our apartment. We've been past on a number of occasions, but on this day they were in full swing with lots of beautiful fresh food stalls to visit and sample various food items. The children ate fresh watermelon, sampled cheeses and artisan London chocolate and checked out the local fish and meat stands. It was fascinating and yummy!! We'll definitely go back there!!

From the markets we headed to Kings Cross Station for the above-ground trains to Hertforshire (about 30 minutes away) as we were spending the day with Aunty Sarah. We had a relaxing day starting off with a beautiful morning tea, lunch at the local pub, shopping at the local Marks & Spencer, then back to the house for afternoon tea before heading back to London.

When we arrived back at King's Cross we decided to look for platform 9 and 3/4 (from the Harry Potter films). As our train stopped at platform 9b - we thought it couldn't be too far away. . .and we were right!! There it was trolley and all (see photos) and the kids couldn't believe it!!! They were following in Harry Potter's footsteps - only wondering where on earth the Hogwart's Express could be???

Sunday (today), we woke rather late and had a leisurely morning before heading off to Covent Garden and the famous markets there. After a hearty lunch, we wandered down to Leicester Square and the movies to see the latest Shrek movie in 3D (check out our 3D glasses!). As we headed out of Leicester Square, we noticed police squads out en masse and realised that England must have lost their worldcup match against Germany (which occured during the time we were in the cinema)!!! Lots of fans out on the streets wrapped in the English flag bemoaning England's loss. . .

Wandered home via New Bond Street where I visited my long-time friends "Jimmy" and "Tiffany". Definitely will be back this week for a longer visit. . .

Greenwich

Today we had a fascinating and very educational day. We went to Greenwich which is the home of the Prime Meridian (or the centre of the world's time). All world time is measured against "Greenwich Mean Time" and at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich -you get to see the actual line which divides the world into east and west (just as the equator divides the earth into north and south). It was truly amazing!! The views from the Observatory were spectacular as well. At the Observatory there is a Planetarium or Astronomy Centre and we got tickets to see a show called "Our Neighbours". In essence it was like an IMAX interactive experience which required you to look upwards into this dome and we learned about the stars, the planets, the sun and all manner of astronomical things which we did not know (or at least for Steven and I - was long-forgotten). There were a number of English primary school groups there and the kids put us to shame in terms of their knowledge of the planets and stars!!! The kids absolutely loved this experience - even Zoe was mesmerised by the presentation!
After a lovely lunch in Greenwich, we headed back to Central London by Tube and walked along Chancery Lane - home of the London Law Society (photo moment for Claudine) and all manner of things legal, then onto Fleet Street and St Paul's Cathedral. This Cathedral was where Charles and Diana were married back in 1983 and it is a magnificent architectural feat. Built between 1675 and 1710, it is truly remarkable and it has one of the largest domes.
We were privilged to be there when the choir were singing and it was like hearing angels sing. We were all in awe! We'll probably go back for another look we loved it that much!
Back home on a double-decker bus (just like Harry Potter!). Exhausted.

Walking around

What a day we had today!! We walked and walked and walked. . .we guestimate we walked about 10 km (if not more). The kids had their first experience of the London tube. . .which they loved! We tubed it to Trafalgar Square, then walked to the entrance of The Mall (which leads to Buckingham Palace), along beautiful Regent street with all its wonderful shops, shopped at Hamley's (the iconic London toy shop), then onto lunch at a traditional English pub (Shakespeare's Head).
We then walked along London's famous Oxford Street with all its shops and Department stores. Steven and I felt like we were in New York again. . .boy oh boy if you don't walk at the correct pace - you'll get run over by the wave of pedestrians behind you!!!
We later walked through Hyde Park to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain -erected in her honour after her tragic death. Then onto Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace.
After we left Kensington Palace, we heard (more than saw) a helicopter approaching and waited to see who might be inside. . .when it landed in a field adjacent to Kensington Palace, Princess Anne emerged and was quickly whisked into the waiting limosine and driven away!! Our second royal sighting in as many days!
Back on the tube to London Bridge, stopped at the local supermaket for some supplies and headed home for a well-earned rest and (for Steven and I)our first taste of Pimms. . .eh not bad!
Off to Greenwich tomorrow to visit the Royal Observatory and stand on the Prime Meridian (or the centre of world time).

First Full Day Out

After returning back to the apartment around 7pm, all five of us crashed instantly and did not wake up until 4am the next morning (Jet Lag). Claudine and I started to prepare our plans for today. We headed out at 7am to get breakfast just down to road from us at Hay's Galleria. Full english breakfast with baked beans was on the cards.
Our first touristy event was to get on the "THE BIG" bus tours around London. The tour took 3hrs to complete which commenced at Tower Bridge and went as far west as Buckingham Palace. We later got off at the Tower of London spot and got a complimentary river cruise down the Thames to the London Eye. I have attached a photo of the kids in this massive ferris wheel which gave us views right across London.
Later that day, we were walking around Big Ben/Parliament house and we saw the Queen and the Duke being driven through the streets of London.
The kids are all very excited and tired. I am sure our fitness levels will improved over the next few months.

In London!

Well. . .we're here! A full 24 hours after we left Sydney, we arrived in London on a beautiful summer's day! We were completely shattered - not really having slept a whole lot on the plane. The kids were fantastic on the way over - amusing themselves with the personal entertainment devices available to them (movies and games - what more could they want?). Zoe suffered a little with a sore ear on and off and cried a bit. . .but then there were a lot of other little ones with the same problem.

We were very impressed with the A380. . .what a smooth ride! Andrew and Steven (normally sensitive air travellers) were completely unphased by take off and landing. That was such a relief!

We arrived at our apartment at about 2.30pm. It's spacious, well-equipped and incredibly close to Tower Bridge(the top of which we can see from our balcony) and the Thames.

We took a walk around for the rest of the afternoon (after unpacking and refreshing ourselves) - though it didn't take long before the kids were starting to get tired and we made our way "home" for an early night.

It's 4.15 am as I write and the sun is already rising and we're planning our first day out and about. Going to try and get some Wimbeldon tickets (though not really expecting to be that lucky!).

8 Days Until we go.

Only 8 days left in Sydney. There are still bags to pack, money to exchange, we need to sort out the kids school work program, confirm accomodation, finish off work both at home and work-work.
A bit unreal at this stage knowing that we will be away 16 weeks in total! This is the longest break we have ever taken all together. Looking forward to sharing lots of wonderful experiences and catching up with family during the trip.