London, Part 3

After such an exciting Thanksgiving Day, we slept in a bit on Friday and leisurely made our way to breakfast. Jason and I were becoming quick fans of the large coffee machine in our hotel, the one you could simply press a button and out comes an espresso, a latte, a flat white, a mocha, etcetera. Imagine if we had one of those at home.

Over caffeinated and with high spirits, we stepped out into a crisp and sunny day in the UK. We strolled over the Westminster Bridge and made our way through St. James’s Park. It was a picture of autumn bliss. The trees were magnificent, all colored and dropping huge leaves. Our destination: Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard.

Though Jameson and Harper mostly saw the backs of taller humans due to the crowds, we did glimpse the cavalry riding in and could certainly hear the music. Thanks to Jason’s tallish nature, he was able to hold up a phone and catch some video footage for the kids to watch later and ask, “They do this whole thing every other day? But, why?” After we extracted ourselves from the masses, we did enjoy a beautiful walk around the palace gardens and continued to enjoy the band. We meandered happily, snapping pictures and chatting until we were feeling ready for a little bit of lunch.

Before grabbing sandwiches and cocoas to eat in the park, we popped into the Ritz to see its Christmas tree. We also did a little souvenir shopping and mingled among the holiday shoppers. Then it was time to hop on the tube and make our way to Putney Bridge station and to a little borough to the west of London, Fulham.

Jason has been an English Premier League soccer football fan for as long as I have known him. He is also a fan of sporting stadiums with history (he loves a Wrigley Field and a Fenway). Here in Fulham sits Craven Cottage, home to the oldest English football club, Fulham FC, where we had stadium tour tickets for the afternoon. This was one of our trip highlights, to be certain.

Upon leaving the underground, we knew we would have a bit of a walk. But, we did not know how much we would enjoy our walk to Craven Cottage. This is a little jewel of a location, a quiet area with classic pubs and little cafes and bookstores. It sits right along the river Thames and is flanked with a beautiful park with large trees and sweet little spots to take things in. We walked along and stopped to swing and climb.

Craven Cottage itself was a great little place! Take a look at the tiny doors. Apparently, back in the day, gentlemen used to sneak children into sporting events beneath their overcoats. So, when they built the gates here, they put in very narrow doorways to prevent this.

After our tour and a visit to the gift shop (of course!), we walked back through Bishops Park where the lanterns softly glowed and the lights of the city reflected off the river. It was really lovely despite it being CHILLY. We were ready for a cozy pub dinner. Lucky for us, the old Eight Bells awaited us. Burgers and fish n’chips hit the spot, a perfect way to warm up.

Next stop … the beautiful Oxford Street to see the holiday lights and do a little Christmas shopping. Did you know that the UK also has Black Friday? We did not, and Oxford Circus station was indeed a circus. It felt like the whole of London descended here this night to gather, have a drink, and make some purchases. It was festive and bustling. We weaved our way in and out of shops and stopped for a nightcap of chocolate. It was a full, completely delightful, day.

We awoke on Saturday for our last full day in lovely London. We were lazy to start but decided to spend the rest of the morning exploring the Leicester Square and Chinatown neighborhoods. There was a little Christmas market set up in Leicester, and we strolled through enjoying the music. We purchased scarves and a couple of ornaments before queuing up for the Lego store. Yes, there was a queue to get in that ran all the way round the side of the building. But, for Jameson, this was a must-do. It was fun for all of us. We hit up the m&m store, as well, before walking through beautiful Chinatown.

By midday, we were ready to continue exploring and scooted over to the Tower Bridge area of the city. We found a delicious neighborhood restaurant for a late lunch and enjoyed a little slow-down before heading into the Tower of London. This was such a fun place to be as the late afternoon sun started its descent. It helped to set the “creepy” tone about the place, although the ravens that fly around do that without any help. Jameson loved touring the Bloody Tower and hearing the stories of torture. The kids posed with a guard who, of course, did not crack a smile. The Crown Jewels were ostentatious and glitzy, and the kids both came away asking what the royals did with all that gold?! As night fell, the lights of the bridge seemed to twinkle, and I had many a moment to pause with this backdrop and feel wild gratitude that my family could be here, the first of what I hope is many trips abroad for my children. The world is big but small, and people are different but so much more similar than we give credit for. Also, people are kind and wonderful on the whole, I think.

The Beefeaters bid us goodnight, and we were glad to scurry back onto the underground. The wind had kicked up, and there was a chill in the air. It was time to head back to the hotel, get packed up, and get a good night’s sleep.

Sunday morning dawned with rain, the first of all our days there. It was a sign to head home, I suppose. Many hours later, via Canada, we arrived back in Denver and were happy to wrap our arms around Grandma (our airport chauffeur) and Finn (our furry pup, who we missed).

Thanks, London, for the adventures and for welcoming Harper and Jameson with open arms.