A Bit o' Magic

We packed a lot into the day, but I had another surprise up my sleeve...we treated the girls to a Broadway show, MARY POPPINS! I figured it was quite fitting since we were in London. I mean, I could've gotten tickets to Jersey Boys or Mamma Mia, but that didn't make sense. Plus I know that Mary Poppins is Gigi's favorite and she had taken the girls to see the movie remake. Gigi always takes the girls to the theaters. I knew it had to be the one. 

It was rough getting there. It was still raining, and it was nearly impossible to get a cab. So we grabbed our umbrellas and set off on foot. It took us a while, and we weren't too terribly wet when we arrived. Mitch grabbed some snacks and met us at our seats. I didn't realize how good our tickets were when I bought them. We were on the floor, twelve rows from the stage. Every time I looked over at the girls they were smiling so big. Step in Time was probably the favorite for all of us. Bert stole the show. He was on a harness and attached to a magnet. He tap danced up the wall, across the ceiling and then back down again. At the end of the show, Mary Poppins flew over the audience with her umbrella. Hattie was in awe and it made my heart so happy. 

On our walk home it had thankfully stopped raining. We found a little pizza joint that was still open a few blocks from our place. We stopped in for a late night bite to eat. The place must be a popular joint because it was filling up by the time we left. 

The next morning we were up and moving pretty early. Our first stop was Kings Crossing. We couldn't leave London without visiting platform 9 and 3/4. A little bit of Wizardry can go a long way, because in no time at all we were across the street at St. Pancras Station to catch the Eurostar train to Paris!

London is my Cup of Tea

We were spoiled by good weather on day one, unfortunately we weren't as lucky with day two but we made the most of it. We wanted to start at the Churchill War Rooms, but we didn't buy tickets ahead of time and couldn't get in for a few hours. AND then it started raining. So we hopped in a cab and went to the River Thames to take a River Tour. Again, it was great and shared lots of good historical information. Kiersten and Hattie had a hot chocolate, but Leah opted for a proper English Tea. We hopped off the cruise at the Tower  Museum, on the banks of the Thames, right next to Tower Bridge. 

The Tower Museum was fascinating. So much history about former Kings and Queens of England. The girls were shocked to hear about all the be-headings.  There was a prison where there were many religious inscriptions on the walls. Hattie even got to try on a military helmet. I know very little about England's history before the American Revolution. I was shocked when the girls were able to tell me that King George III was ruling during the American Revolution but then they fessed up that they learned it from Hamilton. We got a kick out of a display showing that George III was most known for losing the American- British Colonies. 

We REALLY enjoyed being able to see the Crown Jewel collection. There were several different crowns and tiaras on display. A fair number of sceptors were in windows. One of my favorite pieces was Queen Elizabeth II robes that she wore during her coronation. The girls and I watched "The Crown" together before taking this trip, so that was definitely a highlight, but one of the most memorable things I saw was a Solid Gold punchbowl that was probably bigger than my coffee table. It said it was used in a coronation celebration, but I don't remember when. Sadly, photographs are not allowed of the Crown Jewels. 

We found the cutest little English pub for lunch. The girls were excited to try fish and chips. Mitch and I split a steak and ale pie and bangers and mash. The food was really good, we even shared a sticky toffee pudding for dessert. The Pub was called the Crutched Friar, and most of the locals were just having a pint for lunch. 

Finally it was time for the Churchill War Rooms. We gave the girls the choice between Churchill or Westminster Abbey. They chose the War Rooms, probably because of The Crown. It was so interesting. It was  a guided audio tour. The bunker still contained the kitchen, meeting room, sleeping quarters and map room for Churchill and many of his colleagues during WWII. In the map room there were still the phones that were color coded to different map rooms of branches of the military. An important reminder of history that wasn't really all that long ago...and something that really made you think considering our current political climate with Russia declaring war in Ukraine. Hattie was really interested and had so many questions that we couldn't answer. There was a lot of information about Churchills life before and after the war. The best we could do was get a book...always open to learn more.