Come Along, (across the) Pond

 Last year, we were had big plans to visit my parents in London, where they were serving their mission. Covid pooped on our plans. But by the time Spring Break rolled around, the covid restrictions had been whittled down to a single rapid test before re-entering the US. We decided to take our chances on that test and headed across the pond. 

Our trip started when we checked the kids out of school on a Wednesday. This was a first for us. We've never pulled our kids out of school for a vacation. Now that we've done it, I'm wondering why we don't do it more often. 

Who knew you could fly directly from Denver to Heathrow? Now I do. This was the kids' first red-eye, their first flight over 4 hours, and it was the first trans-Atlantic flight for all of us. This flight was brought to you by Ativan, Valium, and ScoPatch. No, we didn't give the kids benzos. And that makes us saints. Of course, being on benzos ourselves made it easier to be saints. 

We got to London after very little sleep and were welcomed with a 6 hour time shift (which turned to 7 hours a few days later during daylight savings, and crept to 8 hours when we entered France). Needless to say, it was tough to keep our eyes open. 

This scene at my parents' flat repeated itself several times throughout the first day. 

We tried to fight the jet lag by going to Hyde Park, which was very close to where we were staying. Jane was especially drawn to this place. I don't know if it was all the flowers, or Kensington Palace, or if it was the fact that there seemed to be more dogs than humans enjoying the park. It was probably the dogs. 

We also walked to Buckingham Palace. I was too exhausted to change, so I ended up really looking like a tourist, and betraying my Benedict Cumberbatch fan-girl status. 

We also got well-acquainted with London's Underground. This was one of our favorite parts of the trip. It was so easy to get everywhere in the city. No worrying about cars, or Ubers, or parking. We just hopped on and went. My dad was an expert at public transit and showed us the ropes. 

The only downside of the tube was that London had just done away with their mask mandate. We knew we had to pass a covid test to get home. But I think we all realized the masks were pointless if no one else was wearing one. Except for Jane. Jane was determined not to be stuck in Europe. The rest of us just put our trust in our recent vaccines and plowed onto the crowded trains. 

One more note about Jane: She is pictured here in her "London Coat". She purchased it from Amazon because she was convinced that everybody in London would be wearing a pea coat. She wore it the entire time and looked incredibly put together for a 13 year old. 

We were in and around London for 5 days. I can honestly say we made the most of our time. My dad served as our tour guide and wanted to show us everything. My parents made incredible hosts and we were very grateful to them. 

We ventured out a bit to see Leeds Castle in Kent, along with some of the famous Kentish countryside immortalized in Jane Austen's novels. 

Canterbury Cathedral did not disappoint. During the visit I tried to piece together the story of St. Thomas Becket. It is very complicated and nuanced. Nevertheless, he was martyred here and it seems there are pilgrims that come to visit the place of his death. 

Canterbury itself is everything you would wish from a historic English town (village? hamlet?) - including a Starbucks. 

We got a brief glimpse of the White Cliffs of Dover. We couldn't get too terribly close as there was a shipping strike happening. All the trucks that were carrying cargo to be loaded onto ships at the Port of Dover were clogging the highway. This brings up two points: 1) the British highway system does not come close to the American highway system. 2) British people love a good strike - especially as it concerns transportation. We were affected by several strikes during our time there. 

Royal Albert Hall was also very close to where we were staying. I wish we could have seen a concert, but no performers we would want to see were touring at the time. 

Why is this an obligatory shot? I don't know. But we walked where the Beatles walked and I got a t-shirt. In all honesty, I think Abbey Road may be the best album of all time. 

We saw a West End play. This was quite the experience because everybody was so excited to be out and about. As mentioned previously, the UK had just lifted their covid restrictions - all of them. The streets were a continual party. It made for a great atmosphere for our first pond hop. 

We were very disappointed to find that Piccadilly Circus is, in fact, not a circus. Instead, it is similar to Times Square. 

And, of course, we couldn't visit London without going to see the Harry Potter sets. This was a really cool experience. 

It was incredible to see the actual sets where the actors worked for so many years to create the greatest franchise in movie history. 

Of all our experiences in London, the Eye may have been my favorite. Being able to see such amazing views made for a unique morning. 

The River Thames was a constant backdrop for our London adventures. Apparently this is Tower Bridge, not London Bridge as most people believe. After learning this fact, I may turn into one of those people who starts sentences with. "Well, actually"... Ugh. Wait. No. If you want to call it London Bridge, go ahead and call it London Bridge. It's not worth being a douche just to correct you. 

Pictured below is Greenwich. Believe it or not, I actually did not seek out the Prime Meridian. We were within a few hundred feet of it, but I completely forgot to go looking for it. When I got back, one of my squad members who works with GIS chastised me for this omission. It was cold that day and I was tired. This is close enough. 

One of the last things we saw was (the tower that houses) Big Ben. Big Ben is a bell inside the tower. There goes my "Well, actually...." side again.  

This next one's for Chris' mom, Carol. The best way to honor her memory is to visit British T.J. Maxx, which is inexplicably T.K. Maxx. in the U.K. It felt as though she was there with us as we purchased discount clothing to fill the holes in Jane's packing. 

Now, as we leave London, I'll pose the question: "Which is the "real" Platform 9 3/4 ?

Is it the one next to the Hogwarts Express from the movies?

Or is it the one at King's Cross, adjacent to Platforms 9 and 10?

This question keeps me up at night. But it didn't keep the girls up. As soon as we boarded the Eurostar for Paris, they were out like lights. Apparently they didn't think traveling under the English Channel at impossibly high rates of speed was very interesting. 

Next post: Paris!