London Part 4: Friday to Sunday

Ok...this is the last post.  If you want to read this chronologically...head to London Part 1 a few posts down.
Writing this has been so fun for me to relive and remember how incredible a trip this was.  I am looking forward to going back one day and seeing more of the country and more palaces but we had decided that this trip would be spent in the city and taking that all in.  It just gives me something to look forward to!

Friday:
We headed back to Westminster Abbey to actually go inside and I am so glad we did.  That was a highlight for me...seeing the coronation chair, standing next to Handel's memorial while Handel's messiah played on our handheld tour guide machines, walking around the tomb of the unknown soldier, being instructed that the Abbey was having a moment of silence and prayer over the loud speaker, and seeing where Kate and William got married...the whole thing was a spiritual experience.  At the beginning of the tour where we picked up our devices to listen to the tour, the man handing them out asked what language we spoke.  We said English to which he scoffed and smirked and in a thick British accent corrected us and said "you mean American...don't lie".  It was awesome.

On the walk there are a bunch of statues dedicated to freedom fighters so we had to take a picture next to Abraham Lincoln.

Our last view of Buck House

We went back to Leicester square to check on any available tickets for plays that night but there weren't any at TKTS that we were interested in.  So we sat in the square at the fountain, resting and talking and enjoying the street performers.  Then we headed to the most British pub we could find, Mr. Fogg's Tavern.  It. was. AWESOME!  We had amazing fish and chips, a sourdough grilled ham and cheese that I would give my right arm to eat right now, and some sausages in a savory sauce.  

This is how the bill came!  I wanted to steal that tiny box...but I refrained

After lunch we were walking around Piccadilly circus and saw an advertisement for Lion King tickets.  We decided to go for it, bought two for that evening and had a great conversation with the ticket people about the Book of Mormon musical vs the actual Book of Mormon.  They asked questions, we shared stories and it was like a mini missionary discussion.  Very uplifting.
Mark humored me and we went to Fortnum and Masons.  Such a beautiful and fancy tea store, but 4 stories of all types of departments.  Funny enough, I didn't buy anything but Mark bought some church socks from their men's department.
We decided to go back to the hotel and pack and rest so that the next morning we would not feel rushed. We did just that and then headed through Trafalgar square, again enjoying all the street performers and people watching, and ate at a diner with American food.  We had eaten Japanese, Thai, Indian, British, and French food so we decided a good cheeseburger sounded about right.  It was good but not much beats a Red Robin cheeseburger!

After dinner we made our way to the Lyceum Theater and found our seats for the Lion King.  What a spectacular show!  The costumes, the set designs and the original songs written for the play were so pretty!  It was such a huge scale production and just a ton of fun.
The walk back to the hotel was slow and a bit somber.  We loved our week in London, we grew closer as a couple, we had more experiences than I thought possible packed in to one week.  London had never been high on my list of places I wanted to visit but after this trip, it has become one of my favorites.  We missed our kids so we were excited to see them but vacations are always hard to leave.

Saturday:

We were able to sleep in a little bit on Saturday and we headed down to breakfast around 9:30.  Mark got the London times, as per usual, and I enjoyed sipping my hot cocoa while people watching.  It was a quiet morning reminiscing about the trip.  We went upstairs, got our luggage, told the concierge we were waiting for a car to pick us up and then we sat in the lobby for a few minutes enjoying the very strong spa smell we came to equate with being comfortable all week as we would walk in at night to it hitting our noses.  

We headed to the airport, taking in the last sights of England and got through security quickly and easily.  I enjoyed some more shopping in the duty free shops...man that airport is HUGE.  We had a delicious lunch, headed to our gate, boarded a shuttle and got on the plane via staircase outside around 2:30 pm London time and again had a nice uneventful flight home.  Mark and I even synced up a movie so we could watch one together on our separate screens.

We landed around 6:00 pm but our bodies definitely thought it was later.  We were pretty tired but we still had to make the drive up to Twin Falls to gather the kids.  We pulled in around 9:30 pm and visited with my parents and sister for a while and handed out gifts we bought them...poor Mark fell fast asleep mid conversation on the couch.  He deserved it!
I couldn't help myself and as we went down to bed I snuck in to ACE's room and woke her up to steal a kiss.  She smiled shyly at me, laid on my shoulder and then went back to sleep.  Then I did the same thing with the boys and they seemed sleepily happy to see me.

Sunday:
Waking up to Shortstop walking in the room was so wonderful.  He came in and said "Mom!  Dad!  You're home.  I am so glad to have you back.  Tell me all of your adventures!  You tell me about a day in London and I will tell you about a day at Grandma's and we will go back and forth."  He climbed in to bed with us and we visited until we heard ACE squawking.  Mark went in to get her and she was so shy and sweet.  She was so happy to see the man in her life and her huge brown eyes sparkled while she talked to him!  That girl loves her dad.  Eventually Fullback woke up and immediately asked to be held and wrapped his little legs and arms around me for a long time while I walked around the house.  Then the boys had a surprise for me and each played a song on the piano.  My mom said they loved banging on the piano and she realized it would be more useful to teach them how to actually play something.  Time to find a good piano teacher around here!
My sweet mom made a breakfast spread similar to the one at the hotel, to help us transition.  It meant so much to us!  After breakfast, we gathered all our things and loaded the car.  Then we enjoyed the first session of conference together, a delicious roast lunch and visited with another sister who lives in town.  We said our goodbyes and my parents were very sad to see the kids go.  They may have kept them busy but my parents loved every minute of it and sure got attached, especially to ACE.   And my kids did so well!  They rarely missed us but were delighted to have us come home, which is the perfect mix.

The drive home was nice and coming home was a comfort, and easier than I thought.  My sister had bought me some groceries so our poor children would have milk and bread and she also made us a welcome home sign.  It was really thoughtful.  This is my life, this is my home and this is where I belong.  I am just so grateful for the experiences Mark and I, and my little family are able to enjoy.  Can't wait until the next one!

London Part 3: Wednesday- Thursday

Wednesday:

We knew coming in to the week that Wednesday would be our "relaxing day".  We wanted to hit the tourist sites pretty hard the first couple of days so that by the end of the week we could revisit places we liked and not feel so pressured to hit everything the day before we had to leave.  We got up, enjoyed breakfast and headed to the British museum and were there soon after it opened.  That place was unreal.  Rooms and rooms and floors of artifacts and pieces of history!  We were there almost 4 hours and barely scratched the surface.  Mark was like a kid in a candy store...he loves history!  Seeing the rosetta stone and an Easter island head were awesome.  And Mark found a carving on a bone of a horse that was 13,000 years old.  The bone was that old...not the horse.  Haha! I mean...wow!  We saw some Book of Mormon artifacts...though that is not how they are labeled of course, but it was here in the Americas right during the Book of Mormon time.  My favorite things to look at were the coins and ancient forms of money and also the ancient medicinal tools...ouch.  So grateful for modern technology!

We headed back to the hotel, rested for about a half hour then went down to the Rose Lounge in the hotel for our afternoon tea.  It was from 3-5 and was just lovely.  There was a harpist, we each got different flavors of tea, I got Chamomile and Mark got Verbena, and we enjoyed scones, sandwiches, clotted cream and curds and pastries.  To sit for two hours and just visit with Mark was so incredible.  There were moments I realized I was crying, not sobbing, but just letting tears fall.  We had some deep and meaningful talks, we learned a lot about each other and we are closer now than I even thought possible.  My brain was quiet, my soul was calm and although I rarely cry, I think my body just needed to feel peace.  I love being a mom, I love my life, but the last few months have been a whirlwind of trial and rough days so to just breathe and re-evaluate everything was so needed.  

After tea we headed to the spa downstairs in the hotel.  We were treated to chocolate dipped apricots and more tea.  Then we had a private steam and jacuzzi and then an hour couples massage.  My back and feet needed that so bad!  They sprayed Egyptian water into the air above us a few times during the massage and it was so pleasant.  After the massage, we melted in some lounge chairs in thick comfy robes while drinking water and having mixed nuts and then we shuffled our happy bodies to the elevator back to the room to freshen up and head out to dinner. 

The only picture I got of our spa experience but it was a great start to being pampered!

Dinner that night was not so much fun. It started out great with a gorgeous walk down regent street and through Piccadilly circus.  But then we ended up taking a detour on accident and walking much further than we wanted to or meant to.  Once we got to the fish and chips place, I had a migraine and couldn't eat and so Mark finished his meal fast and we headed back to the hotel...sadly the fish and chips did not sit well with him so he was a bit sick that night.  Needless to say, we slept as long as we could the next morning without feeling like we were wasting the day away.  But it was a good thing we were forced to sleep in a bit.

Thursday:
After sleeping in, and the only morning we didn't enjoy a breakfast downstairs, we got ready slowly.  As soon as Mark was ready he headed out to Leicester square to get tickets from TKTS for a play that evening.  We didn't really care which play we saw, although I was hoping for Phantom of the Opera.  And lucky for us that was playing in her Majesty's theater which was right behind our hotel... and the tickets, which were on the floor on the 9th row, were 40% off!  He bought those and headed back to pick me up and then we walked to Harrods for some window shopping.  We had to walk by Buckingham Palace and Clarence house on the way and happened to see a helicopter land in the middle of the palace.  My mind was racing with who it could be!  Not many people know how closely I follow the royal family and have for years.  My first realization that I loved them was when Princess Diana died and I actually cried. I followed that story forever and checked in every so often to see what her boys were up to.  I learned all I could about the queen and the queen mum and was sad in 2002 when the queen mum passed on.  King George fascinates me and the King's Speech and now the Crown have helped me dive even more into all of their histories.  I was delighted and filled with glee (and some jealousy) when William proposed to Kate and the obsession has continued.  And no, it is not by accident that my daughters's middle name is Charlotte.  If I liked the name George I would name my next son that!  After the palace we walked along the Kensington gardens and underneath the Wellington Arch.  There is just history everywhere!

Now back to Harrods....Oh what a store that is!  It was 6 floors and a few blocks of amazing shopping.  We bought some treats and small toys for us and the kids and then I bought a great mini handbag to go in a purse.  And since this is the stage of life I am in, that bag is now holding diapers and wipes and is perfect! I also bought a wooden spoon with the royal crest engraven in it and Mark bought me a Buckingham palace wash cloth.  When I get migraines, he gets a wash cloth super cold for my forehead and so he bought it and said "Next time you have a migraine, you can feel like a queen while you recover".

We found a delicious sushi restaurant in Harrods and had the best miso soup I have ever had and some incredible sushi along with it.   

Once we had our fill of food and shopping, we hailed a black cab to go back to the hotel and regroup before our night at the theater.  It was so fun to take the cab, which are very roomy!  The price was super doable and when we pulled up to the hotel, I loved having our doorman open the door for us and offer to take our shopping bags.  For a SAHM of three living in Eagle Mountain, Utah, this was a nice change of pace.

We found an actual Indian restaurant over in Leicester square and had fantastic chicken tikki masala and lamb curry with warm and buttery naan.  We walked around and enjoyed the outdoor life of the square, popped in to the MM world store and an old fashioned candy store called Hardy's and then headed to Phantom of the Opera.  I love plays, I love musicals and I have seen many on stage.  But for some reason I have never seen Phantom and yet know the music by heart.  The minute the chandelier is raised and the organ music plays so loudly is seeps into your bones, I could not help the tears from streaming.  It was truly an unforgettable evening in a historic theater.   

We walked the very short distance back to the hotel and ordered in some room service and lazed about eating cheese and crackers and hot chocolate in the hotel robes and slippers.  

My dreams that night were filled with floating candles, white masks and cymbal crashing monkeys.  Just writing about it again gives me chills.

London Part 2: Tuesday

Tuesday:

We thought we would want to sleep in a bit on vacation but once we got to London we realized we didn't want to waste any time!  There was just so much to see and do.  

After another delicious breakfast we headed down the street on a lovely walk to the Churchill War Rooms.  It was like stepping back in time.  Everything was preserved as it had been used during the war and the blitz.  I have always loved studying World War 2 and Mark loves it even more than me.  He knows so much about Churchill and was so excited to walk where he walked and see what it was like.  It is incredible what London endured during the blitz and what a leader Churchill was!  There were actual sound bytes playing from back in the 40's of secretaries and officers and even Churchill himself and every so often some songs from the 40's played.  I loved every minute of it...I felt so a part of history.  We took our time, listened to as many stories we could and soaked it all in.  It was humbling to be there and realize the sacrifices that had to be made to keep the Germans from taking over their little island. We bought a souvenir bag that has the famous quote from Churchill "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."  He was ornery and stubborn and knew what he wanted...which honestly, was not such a bad thing.  

You can't see it in the picture but back in the 40's, an officer drew a funny cartoon of Hitler on this map that they used to strategize. 

May be a bit small for a kitchen but I love the vintage appliances and utensils, etc!

The nicest part was that we got there about 5 minutes after it opened so there was no line, there were not many people down in the bunkers and when we left the line was out the door just to get in.  Win!  In the gift shop Mark bought me the coolest apron.  It has this on it:

It is my favorite apron to date, mostly because Mark loved it so much and wanted me to have it.

As we left CWR and Whitehall, we headed down Pall Mall for another picture or two in front of Buckingham palace.  I mean, Buck House was right down the street from our hotel and I just couldn't get enough of it!  

And here is part of the Diana Memorial Walk...man she was a neat lady. 

Then we headed to Victoria Station to meet up for our next tour at 1:00 pm:  Harry Potter Studios!  First we had some lunch at the train station after a crazy bathroom quest and only finding locked bathrooms or bathrooms under service.  But once we were full, and empty, we found our tour bus.  It was a double decker bus and on the drive to the Warner Brothers studio, we watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone.  

Once we got to the place, we were on our own which was nice.  There wasn't a tour guide and we could take the studio at our own pace.  We went through security, waited in line for just a bit and then were ushered in to watch a video of grown up Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint talk about how this was home to them for all those years of filming.  Behind them on screen were the giant doors in Hogwarts that lead in to the great hall...and as they went through them, the screen lifted up and behind it were the actual doors!  It sent chills up my neck.  We walked through the doors and were in the great hall.  I mean, I couldn't believe it.  Mark and I are HUGE Harry Potter fans so to be where it was all filmed was almost too much.  

This was in the line as we waited to go in!

When I see these statues I can't help but think when Professor McGonagall says "I've always wanted to use that spell!" as they jump down to protect Hogwarts

We saw every prop used, saw special effects in play, walked through privet drive, diagon alley, stood on the train on platform 9 3/4, and right by the giant chess pieces.  We talked to as many staff members as we could and learned so many cool facts!  They loved being talked to and I am guessing not too many people are as folksy as Mark likes to be.  One staff member brought out the actual diary that Harry stabbed in the Chamber of secrets and showed us the vial of ink that was in the back that Daniel Radcliffe has to break to get that spilling out effect.  We learned about how JK Rowling had to tell Alan Rickman the entire ending of the series before they were even written just so he would accept the role as Snape since he didn't want to be a villain.  And for all the movies, he knew the ending but no one else did!  We learned that diagon alley and hogsmeade are the SAME set...hogsmeade just always has snow on it so you can't tell. 

Mirror of Erised

Potion class

Goblet of fire and the golden egg clue

Dumbledore's office was awesome!  I just wanted to climb the ropes and play with everything

Horcruxes

Mark calls this a human grilled cheese

 Halfway through the studios we had some butterbeer and butterbeer ice cream.  Yummm-yyy!  

The foam on top of the drink was the best part but the ice cream was a close second

Picking his wand

And then as we rounded the last corner, with epic music playing, we saw the "miniaturized" castle they built for the outside shots and aerial views.  Oh. My. Word.  I got teary eyed!  It was actually magical!  Even took our breath away.   I couldn't narrow these pictures down because none of them do it justice!

We had lots of fun in the gift shop buying things for the kids like books, chocolate frogs, figurines and lollipops and of course Bertie Botts every flavor jelly beans!  We loaded the bus at 6:30 and were back at Victoria Station by 7:30.   

 We took a leisurely walk home, again by Buckingham palace, which is beautiful at night and crashed at the hotel.