LONDON CALLING

It's been a little busy, so this post is a few days late...
Last Saturday, we went on our first adventure to London!  We are only about 40 minutes direct, so it's a great easy day trip.  Jack had been wanting to go since we got here, so we got day trip train tickets (a great deal on Saturdays because it's an off-peak day!)  The parking for the train station is about 5 minutes away from our hotel for now.  When we move into our house, it will be a different train station, but still only about 10 min from our house!  The kids ride free, so that's awesome, too!  Anyway, we got there, parked the car, and headed up to the platform.  A few things about being a beginner... the ticket taker is an automatic machine.  So is the machine where you pick up your pre-purchased tickets.  So is the parking payment machine... you get it.  I couldn't figure out why we couldn't get through the gate up to the platform.  I was inserting our return tickets for that night.  Awesome.  Then, we didn't know that the train tickets were flexible (meaning if you buy for the 815 you can get on at 8 or 830 or pretty much whenever.)  Our tickets were for the 836 train.  When the 824 train came, we debated getting on, but decided not to.  We had no idea.  Now we know.  I was afraid of getting yelled at hahahaha!  The train trip takes a little over an hour because there are lots of stops, but it's still a quick and easy trip.  The kids loved riding the train and did great!  We got off at Kings Cross, right in the city.

We had heard such great things about the Big Bus Tour (awesome) double decker open bus tours, so we purchased our tickets for that the night before.  They have loads and loads of buses, and pick you up at the train station!  Another free ride for kids under 5, definitely a huge bonus for having toddlers!  Because it's winter, it's not completely high tourism season, so the buses weren't too crowded.  The first one we caught was to take us from the train to the main lines that go around all the sightseeing areas.

Jack has always had a fascination with these buses, and has always called them "double decker school buses."  He got his first toy one for Christmas two years ago from his babysitter Brook (who is married to a Brit.)  He now has at least 5 different ones.  He was in heaven.  We spent the entire day getting on and off the buses, checking out the sights, and enjoying the views from the bus.  I took lots of photos, here are a few!!!  (They are a mix of camera and iPhone.)

The entire city is just beautiful!

Gorgeous!

Jack's favorite, Big Ben

Even on lower tourism season, it's packed!

Magnificent!

The boys!

One of the Christmas bears at Harrods

This was a super quick drive-by photo!

We didn't necessarily go into lots of places, as we are saving those visits for when we have guests in town.  (Jack was obsessed with the route map all day, as he usually is when we go anywhere with a map.  He actually has a collection of maps from zoos, aquariums, Fort Gordon, etc that he keeps.)  It was our first trial-run, just to familiarize ourselves with the city, the bus tour, and traveling with the kiddos.  We can't wait to actually see the changing of the guards, go inside Westminster Abbey, etc.  We did, however, go into Harrods.  That is the one and only time I will do that.  It's amazing and magnificent.  But I have never seen so many people in my entire life.  I'm not sure how anyone actually buys anything there.  It's literally standing room only, and is overwhelmingly warm with all of the bodies inside.  My mom would have a heart attack in there.  When my mother comes during the holidays, we are going to go back and actually walk through Hyde Park.  When we were there, the Christmas decorating for what they call Winter Wonderland was just beginning.  I can't wait to see it done.  It's a gorgeous park, and from the looks of what they were working on, the holiday decor must be fantastic!  

A few other notes.  When we got off the train, there was a huge line that we didn't understand, and I wasn't about to get in it (as it was not in the direction of the entrance to trains or exit to street.)  When we went around, we could see that the front of the line was people taking a photo.  There is a huge line to take a photo at Platform 9 3/4 (or something like that.)  We had no idea.  Sorry, we aren't Harry Potter people.  Evidently, it's a hot photo spot lol.  

You have to pay to pee.  Every time we had to use the restroom during the day, it was where you had to pay.  It's 30 pence to 50 pence depending on where you are (about 50 cents to 82 cents.)  That's different.  

London was an amazing melting pot of people.  We literally heard every language on the different buses at one time or another, and saw people from everywhere.  We actually encountered quite a few Americans, as well.  I may sound crazy, but seeing a very Asian looking lady with a heavy British accent for the first time makes your brain go, "Huh???"  

After the day of bus riding, we had been invited to a friend's house for dinner.  A friend from high school and her family have been living in London for a year and a half.  We took a taxi about 10 minutes to their lovely home.  Her husband is from Colorado, but he got a job here.  They have two adorable little girls.  Naomi is 7, and she and Jack instantly buddied up.  Their personalities are quite similar, and they had a great time.  Lydia, their youngest, is the exact same age as Scout.  They were literally born within minutes of each other.  They had a great time playing, and were teaming up.  At one point, they worked together (though neither one talks much) and helped each other get on top of the kitchen island and get to the pizza.  Here they are together...

We had a fantastic dinner, which Leah and Chris cooked for us.  We visited, drank wine, ate cheese, and let the kids run around.  It was so fun, and we are looking forward to seeing them again soon as well as having them to our house when we are settled!  They are great hosts and such great folks!  Later, when it was time to head, Chris took us on the bus and got us to the train station so that we wouldn't have any issues.  I have to say that coming from somewhere that I would never take public transit, the transportation system here is amazing and very user friendly!  We got back on the train home at 830, and both kids crashed out on the train home.  After arriving back at station, we got back to the hotel by 10.  Not bad.  We were definitely beat, it was a fun day that wore us all out!!!

Thanks for reading, more to come!!!