What an amazing historical place this is. It was first built to be Richard the Lionhearted’s castle, and has subsequently been expanded and served as a prison, a fortress, and castle for many of England’s early kings. It even was a zoo and held the royal animal collection. While there, we learned all about the Tower’s ravens, toured the dungeons and torture chambers, walked the castle walls, toured the armoury, stood on the ground where Anne Boleyn was beheaded, visited the magnificent Crown Jewels and became accomplices in a jewel heist. We also took a tour with a hilarious Beefeater who did great Trump impersonations and told us all sorts of amusing anecdotes about the Tower of London and the life of a Beefeater.
Afterwards, we went out for a fabulous dinner at St Katherine Docks (where I might have had one too many yummy strawberry gin drinks) and then we walked along the South Bank of the Thames enjoying the gorgeous summer vibe of London.
The next day we walked our little footsies off, starting at the Natural History Museum. I’d heard so much about what an amazing museum this is, but what really struck me was just how beautiful the building itself was. Inside and out, there are stunning relief sculptures of flora and fauna on all of the facades and columns. The exhibits were also fascinating, but it was so crowded and hot that we really couldn’t enjoy it and were happy to leave it behind as we headed to Hyde Park for a picnic lunch.
After lunch, we strolled through the park, up Constitution Hill to Buckingham Palace, and then through St James Park to the Horse Parade where we watched the changing of the horse guard. Next, we made our way through the crowds watching cricket on the big screen in Trafalgar Square and onto Leicester Square to visit the awesome LEGO store. But we weren’t done yet! We kept on hiking through the throngs of tourists at Piccadilly Circus and past all the fancy shops on Regent Street to the world famous Hamleys toy store which was frankly a big rip-off. Luckily, a parade of Ferraris, Porsches, and Lamborghinis took everyone’s minds off the disappointment. To give our weary feet a rest, we hopped on an iconic double decker bus back down to Trafalgar Square where ate some yummy pub grub and then walked down to see Big Ben (which is actually huge). Unfortunately, it was undergoing refurbishment and we couldn’t actually see it all.
We made our way back to Harrow with a detour to Kings Cross Station to try and locate platform 9 and 3/4. There was no missing it with the hundreds of tourists queuing up to take a photo, so we decided to forego the photo op as we’d be visiting the Harry Potter studio the very next day. Instead, we tubed back to Harrow where we had a great time eating dinner and watching the cricket World Cup final match at a pub. The locals were super lively and it made for a quintessentially English experience.
After a lazy morning, we were off to Warner Brothers studios for the Making of Harry Potter experience. The boys were very excited, and Paul and I were equally excited - maybe even more so. When the tour commenced, the guide asked if anyone had a recent birthday, and I was so lucky to be chosen to open the doors into Hogwarts. Unfortunately, it happened too quick for a photo, but I was positively effervescing with giddiness. Wandering around the sets of the Great Hall, Diagon Alley, the Forbidden Forest, and Gringotts Bank was just awesome. We also got to see heaps of costumes and props and learn all about the special effects and makeup, including how they made Hagrid seem so big in the movies. We even sampled some absolutely delicious Butterbeer. The day was chock full of the magic that has made the Harry Potter books and films so special. We loved it.
Day 5 in London we went to check out a cool new digital exhibit at the Museum of London where we learned about the history of London through the eyes of the animals who have lived there. The permanent exhibits were pretty awesome, and Elliot and I wished we could spend all day there.
But, we had an appointment with the world’s tallest and longest slide, the ArcellorMittal Orbit in the London Olympic Park. The boys and I were a bit nervous as we took the elevator to the top, but felt a little bit more confident when we were fitted with with helmets and arm pads. The ride itself was a blast and not nearly as scary as we feared. In fact, we wished it was even taller and longer!
And then it was our last day in London, and second last day of our trip. As sad as this was, we were stoked (well, I was at least) to be going to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre for a tour followed by a performance of a Midsummer Night’s Dream. Our tickets were standing tickets down in the yard (where the peasants would be back in the day), and it was so much fun! We felt right in the midst of the zaniness of the play. Bottom, the donkey, had a Mexican piñata style costume. Titania entered in a neon orange golf cart. And there wasn’t just one Puck; instead, all the actors took on the role and were equipped with blow darts. We all loved it, including the boys. And most importantly, it sparked an interest in Shakespeare for both boys.
We made our way back to Harrow for one last pub meal and then spent the evening packing our bags and getting ready for our flight home the next morning. 100 days of travel through more than ten countries. It was an amazing adventure, but all of us were ready to go home and get back to real life.
