Wednesday, August 27, 2014

All Work And No Play....

We decided that we desperately needed a break from the non-stop boat refitting. We have literally not had more than a day or two break for 2 years and it was most assuredly time. If this means our departure date slips by a few weeks, so be it. We need some time away from projects and we needed to get Kitty to see her family in Scotland before we left. Maura has work (you go girl!), school work and rehearsals so she is staying behind with family while the 3 of us take off for a wee break.

The first person to comment that they 'really wish we would get back to the boat projects' has my permission to bite me. This was supposed to be a travel/sailing blog, not a boat refit blog but the Universe has a sense of humor. So for the next few days, we are going to pretend that we have been a travel blog all along. Don't worry, there are plenty of boat projects waiting for our return- TRUST ME.

And now, I give you a  day in London...

We just had a brief, one day stop in London. I know I am supposed to love this city and there is a lot I do like about it, but I just have never felt an affinity for it. The last time we were here we had the benefit of glorious weather. This time we were not so lucky and were drenched in rain the entire time. Not the soft, typical drizzle but seriously drenching down pours. This is why there are precious few photos out and about in London- it was too wet and I did not bring an underwater camera with me. My mistake.


Kitty was excited to fly on the plane. She is old enough and has enough knowledge to understand how truly amazing it is to be able to launch a piece of metal into the sky and to fly half way around the world. At 4 , flying equals magic. Who needs Disney?



It stopped raining long enough for me to grab this shot of the back of St. Pancras Church, just outside our hotel. I found these beautiful, but terrifying. Any Dr. Who fan who saw 'Blink" will understand why these creeped me out, being just outside the hotel...

No need to fill out enrollment forms, the kids are already enrolled...

Kitty thought riding on the double decker buses was pretty darned exciting. Here's a cheap travel tip. Skip the tour buses. Just buy a ticket for the Trafalgar Square bus (91) and you will get a drive by of a lot of the big sights. Sit on the second level and if you can get a seat up front, any small kids will be convinced you are on a roller coaster like adventure ride. You can take a short walk over to Parliament and Westminster passing by the Horse Guards Parade Grounds. Same kind of pomp as the Queen's Guard at Buckingham or St. James Palace but with horses so it's just better.




Trafalgar Square, from the top and front of the cheap bus which also has the benefit of being out of the rain.



Look kids! Big Ben! Parliament!

I have become acutely aware that there are just about no photos of me with the kids. I am attempting to rectify this so the kids do not wonder what happened to me years from now.



We ended our evening in London at the Horse and Stables Inn near the Thames and London Eye. Despite having a limited menu due to the bank holiday, we enjoyed a great dinner of an incredibly fresh steak and ale pie accompanied by a pint or two of Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted which was a new ale for me and was it ever delicious.

So that was our brief stop in London before we moved on to other locales....











3 comments:

  1. Ahhh, living vicariously! Despite the rain, London is exciting. Hey, there is no rule that says you can't included travel posts in your 'sailing' blog. Keep it up. I need a little travel adventure here. Agree that you need more photos of you with the kids. Ever notice all the photos of Mike on our blog? Enough said.

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  2. Oh, and also, when you get back, here's a little homework assignment for you. Because I know you don't have enough to do. http://littlecunningplan.com/2014/08/liebster-award-wed-like-to-thank-you/

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  3. Photos are fabulous as always! I expect many more from France though. I hope your blog lets me comment this time. It keeps blocking me out when I try.

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