Let me start this week by saying, 14 hours on a plane is brutal (even in the exit row, with all the extra leg room)! Throw in a family of 5 with three very young kids who are sick – think coughs, fevers and vomit, and it adds a whole other element to the trip! …. But, we made it! Heathrow airport is like a whole other universe to navigate -and we managed not only that, but two trains and a walk to find our accomodation while dragging heavy suitcases as well… we were pretty pleased with ourselves!

We stayed in a flat in Hoxton, right above a pub called ‘Howl at the Moon’… an interesting neighbourhood during the day, and possibly one to avoid at night! It is colourful and was home for a week! Jet lag was quite a thing for the first couple of nights, and the resident ghost woke us up most nights playing with the kitchen lights, but it’s all part of the adventure of travelling… right!?

Day one saw us up very early. We pottered around for a bit and then hit the road to see the sights! A train ride into town (squashed in like sardines!) and then the amazing sight of Big Ben just outside the station! It almost feels unbelievable to be standing infront of places that I have only ever seen on tv! A very surreal moment – and one that warranted a million photos! We were really lucky to have a warm, blue sky day thrown in for good measure!

We took a quick walk over Westminster bridge to get the full impact looking back, and it actually kind of takes your breath away! Back over the bridge and past the buildings and statues…. Parliament Square Garden, the Horse Guard Parade, St James Park, Duck Island, the Mall and then the first glimpses of Buckingham Palace. There is so much to see!

Our plan for day one was to see the changing of the guard, and we made sure to get to the palace quite early. The flag was flying so we knew Charlie was home – King Charles III for those who like to be proper about such things, and some of the windows at the front were open… I didn’t notice anyone peeking out, but maybe they like to hear the crowd!? We got a space right up against the fence, and it was amazing to see just how many people had the same idea as us! There must have been at least 5000 people, maybe even more!!! It was fabulous…. All the pomp and ceremony! I loved it!! It actually went for a whole lot longer than I had thought and my feet were quite sore at the end of it.

Once the crowd moved, we went for a stroll through St James park, past Clarence House and Spencer house. The gardens and parkland are beautiful and the most amazing green!!

Harrods was our next stop on the list! – again, another one of those places that I have heard about! There are floors and floors of all the fancy (and expensive) things! It is an easy place to get lost in, and something to see everywhere you look! The fresh food halls were a feast for the eyes, and I think dangerous for me if I lived here! We indulged ourselves by having some lunch, followed by more walking, and then afternoon tea, just for fun!!

Ready to start heading home turned into another adventure! The public transport system is phenomenal if you know what you’re doing!…. We did not so much! We thought we had it mostly figured out, but ‘trespassers on the track’ meant a detour on foot through suburbs I have only heard about on a Monopoly board…. Islington and Highbury, and a walk past Pentonville Prison! It was actually fun, but also exhausting! We met up for dinner with a couple of my friends, and then home to bed!

Day two saw us strolling one of the oldest street markets – Hoxton – right outside our flat, and Brekky while watching the crowd. Then back into town to do a Thames river cruise. We loved it! It was a great way to get a different view of some of the big landmarks, as well as seeing a while bunch of other ones for the first time! Our tour took us all the way out to Greenwich, and luckily for me, the tide was out. It meant that I could do something that I have wanted to do since we started planning this trip – Mudlarking!

Mudlarking, is literally digging through the mud on the edge of the tideline to find forgotten treasures…. And there are all kinds of things to find! We saw a whole bunch of bones – and we are going with animal rather that people bones, and I collected some Roman pottery, bits of old glass and some Victorian pipe stems (it used to be fashionable to be seen smoking a pipe, and there was a whole array of disposable clay pipes that, once done with would be thrown away) … I didnt find an actual pipe, but am very happy with my treasures none the less!

A bit of lunch, then a leisurely cruise back to Westminster followed by a bit of chaos! We were walking up to 10 Downing Street (home to the Prime Minister) and both of us commented on the amount of Police present…. It turns out they were readying themselves for a Protest March! D and I quickly moved further up the road, found a spot for a cup of tea and watched thousands of people march past, protesting the Far right and their racist views. It was pretty interesting!

We finished day two by heading into the West End of London to watch ‘Book of Mormon’ at the Prince of Wales Theatre. The show was fabulous, and the atmosphere loud and colourful! I’m amazed at the number of people out and about at all hours of the day and night. There is just so much to see and do!

Day Three started with another market – Borough market is one of the oldest food markets in London. Every type of cuisine was catered for, and the smells were mouthwatering! We indulged in some Brekky and some people watching before making our way to the Tower of London.

The Tower of London was one of the best things I have done… it was fascinating! There has been a building on that site since 1066…. Almost 1000 years of continuous use as either a palace, fortress, prison, or now – tourist attraction. There was so much to see and do, and the most glorious day for us as well! We did a tour of the tower led by a Yeoman, we saw the Crown Jewels, we walked the wall and saw a whole lot of armour and weaponry in the White tower. We could easily have spent a whole lot more time there seeing a whole lot more…. But with very sore feet, it was time to head off.

Our way home took us over the Tower Bridge and through parts of Southbank. I have been absolutely amazed by the number of people out and about at all hours of the day and night, and for everything that we have seen so far. It feels like a proper adventure and I can’t wait to see and experience so many more things!