London, England

<Derik> London is a place that is close to my heart as I spent a semester there during my junior year in college.  It is a place that Cathy and I have shared together but seeing it through the eyes of the girls was awesome.

Our hotel's location was great as it was right on the south bank of the Thames near Waterloo station. This left us with a view of the London Eye from our room and a quick 5 minute walk to Parliament,, Westminster, & Big Ben.

We ended up our first evening with a pub dinner at the Red Lion near 10 Downing St (home of the Prime Minister) and then for some fun in and around Trafalgar Square.

Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament

Trafalgar Square

taking out the garbage

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The next morning we jumped on one of the double decker red buses and got to see alot of the sights throughout.  We hopped off for some chocolate at Harrods and a dog (stuffed) purchase for Camryn at a great the great toy store Hamleys.
We were also able to visit the Tower Bridge and have the good fortune to be at the top of the bridge when the lower decks raised to see a large sailboat go beneath.  Sort of rare in that the bridge only raises up a handful of times a week.

Callie sitting on the plexiglass 100' above the vehicle deck of the Tower Bridge

We enjoyed the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace:

We toured both Westminster Abbey and St Paul Cathedral including the 1052 steps to the top and back down for some great views.  Kiddos were troopers.

Westminster Abbey apparently now allows dogs

View from atop the dome of St Paul's Cathedral  - Tower Bridge in background

One of the best highlights of our visit was our afternoon at the Savoy Hotel for high tea which was awesome.  We were able to choose from 40+ different teas, and were served a wide assortment of finger sandwhichs, scones, followed by a sweets course and both girls were given a cute Savoy stuffed animal cat to remember their time.  Very memorable experience and the girls (including Cathy) felt like royalty for the day.

Afternoon Tea at the Savoy Hotel

We followed up tea with a visit to the Theatre and saw the Lion King which was a big hit for the girls.

The last afternoon we took a break from the big sites and headed for Hint Hunt.  It is a little hard to describe but it is basically a timed problem solving, puzzle, riddle, timed escape event.  You are given some basic instructions, placed into a themed room (ours was Tokyo) the door is locked behind you, and the 60 minute clock on the wall starts ticking down.  We had a GREAT time and it was fun to see how we all worked really well together.  The success rate is 50% and we were so close.  We finished our last clue and opened the door 30 second late.  A partial success in my book but a complete success have a really outstanding time with my peeps. Easily a highlight for the girls also.

Top of the London Eye - Big Ben 

We closed our visit with a ride on the London Eye and a second visit to the Bleecker St Burger stand (underneath the Golden Juilee Bridge).  I had a Bleeker Black - which is a double cheese burger made with aged beef and classic american cheese with a layer of black pudding (google it).  While I was in a line 15 deep, a local
convinced me to give it a shot and it was well worth the risk - really good.

Some newly made Italian friends experiencing their first ever hamburger

Wow good :)

All in all an amazing stopover in London, England.