London (July 2024)

Buckingham Palace: London

London was a busy few days reconnecting with family/friends, with whom we had spent time with on our last trip around the globe. On our first day, we met up with Anita, a London local we met in India. Anita first took us to the Lookout. It is on the 50th floor of 8 Bishopsgate, with a fantastic view of the City Center. Anita is an architect so she is familiar with all the buildings and we got to see some of  the projects she had been a part of.  We then took a train to the cable cars and got to see the city from an aerial view. The other side of the cable cars took us to The O2 which is also known as the  Millennium Dome. It is a massive event space with restaurants and shops. The kids played a little round of putt-putt during a snack break.

From the Dome we got on a Uber Boat which took us down the River Thames.  It's another great way to see the city. The boat stopped at many landmarks. We also spotted many of the buildings that we saw from the Lookout. We got out at Westminster Abbey and saw Big Ben.  We found an English Pub by St. James Park and ended a great day with our first proper Fish and Chips. Thank you for the tour, Anita!

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Our hotel was only minutes from Hyde Park, a sprawling 350 acres of gorgeous landscape. We made an impromptu break at the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain.  It was in an enclosed spacious lawn. The fountain was more of a shallow lazy river.  Kids and adults were playing in the water. Some were prepared with swim suits, others just dipped their feet. My kids were wearing wicking clothing so they made several laps around the fountain. It was the perfect spot to cool off on London's hottest day of the year, somewhere around 90 degrees. We enjoyed the family atmosphere of the fun and active memorial.

From Hyde Park, we met Parker's Aunt Kris and John at Waterloo Station. We stayed with them in Paris, in 2011.  They visited us recently in Texas, it was familiar connection for the kids. They took us on a tour of the iconic Tower Bridge spanning the River Thames. After our tour, we had a lovely lunch by the water, then headed to the world famous Buckingham Palace. It was a wonderful day with family. Thanks for meeting us!

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On our way out of London, we met up with our friends Lou and Jon (and their girls Esme and Annabel). We met John and Lou during our trek to Everest Base Camp in Nepal. It was great reminiscing over our time in Nepal and our treks. They were on their "Around the World Honeymoon Tour" then. It was so great to catch up and have our kids finally meet. We hope to see them sometime on our trip. London was great, but quick. Now to Paris!