Barcelona Day 2

 Our full day in Barcelona was packed! 

We slept in a little, but had an early reservation for our guided tour of La Sagrada Familia. Once we arrived, we waited in a gift shop across the street for our tour guide, and found a personalized item with Gemma's name on it! It was a small model of a wine bottle and the description fit her perfectly! Why yes, she is a bubbly little number with spicy overtones!

We moved out to the street while we waited and had some cops come by telling us to keep our bags close. We had been warned and I had read a lot about the pickpockets in Paris, Barcelona, and Rome, but we were prepared with locking bags and awareness, and fortunately never had an issue.

Our guide was great, and the tour was very informative. La Sagrada Familia is one of Antoni Guadi's creations. It has a long history (look it up if you want, it's pretty fascinating) and will most likely never be fully completed. The Jesus Tower was completed and blessed by the Pope just a few weeks before we were there. They are constructing a spiral staircase inside so that guests can visit the tower. There are still many plans, including a new main entrance, that Guadi had that funds have not been available for, so hopefully those can be completed someday.

It was so beautiful, especially the stained glass and the way the light came in the window. 

As she does, Karyssa befriended the woman who was on the tour alone. Her name was Paige and she's literally a nuclear physicist from the Midwest US who was in town presenting at a conference.

After the guided portion of the tour was over, we walked around and took advantage of some beautiful photo spots. We also visited the recreated school house where the construction worker's children were schooled years ago. 

We started walking toward our next tour at Park Guell, and found the bullfighting ring. It's not active anymore, but they still do events there and offer tours. We didn't have time to go in, but it was cool to see it from the outside.Then we hopped on a train and a bus to take us up some big hills we didn't want to walk!

We ended up arriving early and found some shade to wait in. All of a sudden, there was a little commotion and we looked to see a woman with birds on her. Apparently the birds there are not at all afraid of people and if you have food (or pretend to have food) in your hand, they will land on you to check it out. Of course my kids had to get in on the action!

Park Guell is another of Guadi's creations, and it became evident there that he was a huge influence in the illustrations of Dr. Seuss. No straight lines and tons of color! 

He also had lizards everywhere, which reminded us of one of our set designers back home. 

The park was beautiful and had an amazing view. Our tour guide, Philippe, moved to Barcelona from Florence because his wife was from there and fell in love. He was our most passionate of all of our tour guides on the trip, and knew so much history of the park and city. The schoolhouse in the park is where his wife actually went to elementary school!

It was gorgeous, but so hot, so once the tour was over we visited the gift shop and bathroom (we had experienced some pay toilets in the train stations and in Pisa, but overall most places we visited did have free "toilets.") 

We then walked until we found a tapas restaurant that looked like it had something for everyone and it was amazing! Other than the fact that the fried fish were actually whole small fish, everything was delicious and we got so full. From there, we headed back to the hotel to take some pictures on the balcony and enjoy the pool. I did get in for a few minutes, but it was a little cold for me, but the others had fun swimming and chicken-fighting, and we had the whole pool almost to ourselves.

Then we headed upstairs to pack carefully for our Ryanair flight the next day and had another night on the balcony and another good night's sleep.

Walk count: 7.7 miles

Paris to Barcelona

 We woke up early the next morning to get packed up and to the train station for our train to Barcelona.

I had not gotten my magnet yet, so Kyran, Gemma, and I ventured out to find a magnet and some breakfast. 

The souvenir stores that had been open later in the evening the night before were locked up tight in the morning, but we did find a currency exchange store that had some magnets so I was able to get one there.

We got breakfast at the same bakery around the corner, and brought some back to Jason and Karyssa.

While we were out, Gemma got her Polaroid picture of the Eiffel Tower from the street and a man who was also there asked if I could take his photo. I happily agreed, and took a beautiful photo, except for the trash along the curb. He pointed it out and asked if I could get one of him without the trash, and I mentioned that he could clean it up with his phone. English not being his first language, he misunderstood me and went to clean up the actual litter. We had a good laugh about it when I reminded him that the app on his phone would most likely erase the trash from his photo. 

We requested an Uber when we were almost ready, but they started so send a smaller car, so we had to cancel and request again. By the time it finally arrived, we were getting close to being late for our train. The Uber driver seemed not to know how to use anything except the very loud and profane rap music coming from the speakers and the GPS. We had no air conditioning in the back, and it was miserable. 

He dropped us off about a block from the train station and pointed us in the general direction of the station, but we were still slightly lost.

We did find our platform and boarded the train with no issues. Kyran, Karyssa, and I were in a group of four seats facing each other with a table, and no one sat in the other seat, so Gemma joined us for a while. Jason's and her seats were right behind Kyran's and mine originally. After the first stop, we were joined by our ticketed seatmate who had been sitting with a friend until the person with that seat boarded. She was not very friendly. After the next stop, she moved back, and Gemma returned, but shortly after she returned again, so Gemma went back to her seat for good.

We had one train change, which didn't take long. We were on this train for significantly longer than the Eurostar, so we got to see a lot of the French and Spanish countrysides, and even had a stretch where we were on a very thin strip of land and had water on both sides of us.

We knew we'd be pushing it to make our 8pm check-in, and once we got off the train it took a while to get a taxi large enough to fit us and all of our luggage. We arranged a late check-in with our host, found our place and met Carlos, who told us about the rental and surrounding area. This was our first rental with air conditioning and it was actually too cold for me at times.

Because Barcelona is right on the coast, I was able to find a place near the beach for us to stay. After we got settled, we headed to check out the beach and find some food.

The beach was fairly crowded, with lots of people in the water and on the sand. This was a very family-friendly beach, so everyone was covered pretty well. We dipped our toes in the Balearic Sea. It was a little too cold for me, but the others waded in it for a while. Then we rinsed our feet off and headed back across the street and in the direction of the mall Carlos pointed out to find some food. Or so we thought. 

We had trouble finding anywhere with food. Even the market was more like a WalMart before they had groceries. We walked around for quite some time trying to find food, and a little longer trying to find the exit and the way back to our rental. On the way back, we did find a small store that had some food, so we did a quick grab and go of granola bars, yogurt, chicken nuggets, cereal and some other food. We could only find soy milk at this store, but the kids said they were fine with that and never complained.

We made it back to the apartment, ate, took showers, and Jason and I got to hang out on both of our balconies (one city-facing and one beach-facing), until we were exhausted and ready for bed. Between the beds being pretty comfortable and the air conditioning, it was the best night's sleep we had so far on the trip.

Walk count: 4.4 miles

Paris Full Day

 This was technically our only full day in Paris, but since we had packed in so much the day before, we felt like we had been there for longer already!

This was our first apartment with only one shower, so we had to be even more strategic about who was showering and where everyone was getting ready. Jason had already gotten used to using my travel mirror to shave at the kitchen sink, but the girls and I had some adjusting to do.

We walked to the Metro, bought travel cards, and headed to our reserved time at the Louvre. When we got there, the line for our time was at least 300 people long, but a worker came and got the line just before us and led us to a different security entrance, which I'm sure saved us quite a bit of time. 

To enter the main lobby of the Louvre requires a bag scan and metal detector. This is the top pyramid area that it so easily recognizable.

After that, to enter the Louvre, you have to go through another security checkpoint and have your tickets scanned. From there, the maze begins. That place is HUGE! There were several signs and helpful workers who pointed us in the right direction, and there was only one place we all wanted to go first - The MONA LISA! We did stop to check out a few sculptures and paintings on the way, and even found Gemma's Louvre twin!

The area with the Mona Lisa was quite chaotic, and there was a roped of area for VIPs, it seemed, so we couldn't get close, but they do now let you take photos of it (just no flash), so we were able to get some pictures. (We had lots of success on this trip finding kind strangers to take our family photo, but this was an "every man for himself" atmosphere, so Jason just took one of the four of us.)

After that, we walked around quite a bit more, reading about the art and marveling at the time and dedication these artists gave to their work. We also got to see Venus de Milo, which as many naked sculptures as we'd seen on the trip, still made the kids a little uncomfortable. 

Because of the amount of artwork in this massive museum, after about two hours, we were done. I'm sure you could walk around for days and not see everything, but we were ready to get to our next location, so we headed out and walked through the streets of Paris and along the Seine for a little while, until we got to Notre Dame. 

Notre Dame has free timed entry, but the spots are hard to get, so we did wait for quite a while in line. It was hot and sunny (could have been rainy, so I was thankful), but we got to listen to the bells while we waited, so that was very cool. Notre Dame was the first location we came to with a dress code - shoulders and knees must be covered - and I had prepared well. They guys both had shorts that went to their knees, and had packed pants just in case. The girls and I had wraps for our shoulders and legs. We got to the front of the line, and I think because of the heat, they were handing out shoulder wraps and didn't say anything about shorter shorts.

The cathedral was beautiful inside and out, and you can still see where they are doing some reconstruction after the big fire. Gemma recognized the pillar that Esmerelda stands by in God Help the Outcasts, and Kyran was also excited about being there because he's hoping to audition for The Hunchback of Notre Dame at one of our local theatres this spring! The gargoyles were also very detailed and it was neat to see the inspiration behind those characters in the movie.

We found lunch at a small restaurant that wasn't even on the map! Karyssa had ramen and the rest of us had grilled ham and cheese on thin baguettes that were amazing! Then we walked around some more before our group tour to the summit of the Eiffel Tower!

During my trip 30 years ago, we were only in Paris for 1 day and it was -15 degrees at the summit, so we weren't able to go. The week before our trip, it was 107 degrees and they closed it for two days, so I was a little worried, but we had no issues!

Our tour guide was good and one of the most valuable pieces of advice we got from him was to fill our water bottles at the fill station at the bottom. We walked the 360 steps to the first floor, and I dragged a little honestly. We walked around the first floor for a while and then listened to the tour guide give information on the tower and a few nearby historical buildings. 

Somehow, as I was struggling on the stairs, Karyssa struck up a conversation with a woman who was on vacation from Australia (lots of Australians on this trip) and with a friend who didn't want to do the Eiffel Tower, so she was alone. Much like at home, Karyssa is the queen of befriending those who are sitting or walking alone and look like they'd rather not be. It was also helpful because she was able to take our photos and we took some of her that she wouldn't have had otherwise.

Then we ventured up the 344 steps to the second floor, where the views were even better. Our guided tour was over at this point, so we walked around and took some pictures before getting in line for the elevator to the summit. The elevator was glass and slow, and I remembered how much I hate elevators. The view was amazing, though, and I was happy to be on it.

From the moment I stepped off the elevator, I felt like crying. It was every bit as beautiful as I had always believed. The river shone in the late afternoon light. We could see all of the places we'd visited and visibility was clear so we could see for miles. The breeze was also very refreshing. No one wanted to leave, but my family did eventually have to drag me away. I almost booked a photo session to take place after our visit, but we definitely would have been rushed, so I'm glad that didn't work out.

We took the elevator back to the second floor and decided we'd had enough steps for the say, so we took the elevator the rest of the way down as well.

Once on the ground, we walked around and got a few more pictures in front of the tower, then headed for our Seine River cruise. We missed the boat we were aiming for, but boarded the next one 20 minutes later and had great seats right on top toward the front of the boat.

The cruise was beautiful, with just enough commentary from the guide about what we were looking at, and just enough time to sit and enjoy the beautiful city from the water.

There was a boy sitting in front of us, it sounded like he was from somewhere in Eastern Europe, maybe, who decided to engage almost everyone we passed with the 6-7 craze. It was pretty amazing how many people responded. Definitely a global phenomenon!

This was also the point when my family first started rolling their eyes at me for wanting to take pictures. I've taken enough trips to know that once the trip is over, the photos are all you have, and my memory needs them to be able to write down and recall the events of the trip.

After the cruise, we walked back toward our apartment and found a delicious restaurant, called Il Grigio Trattoria - Pizzeria, with a view of the Eiffel Tower. We all ate pasta, which we said we weren't going to do until we got to Italy, but it was so good we were glad we did! I had veal parmesan and more creme brulee. While we were sitting there the 10pm twinkle of the Eiffel Tower started and we enjoyed watching it as we finished our food.

We headed back to our apartment to start packing for our trip the next day, and walked outside quickly to catch the 11pm sparkle. As we were standing there, a family walked by and looked like they were headed home. I stopped them to tell them about the lights, but they didn't speak English, French, or Spanish (I was able to recall enough of each), so they waited with us until they saw what I was talking about. I think they thanked us, but could have been wrong because I couldn't understand a word they said. 😝

Paris was the first non-English speaking country on our trip, but you almost wouldn't have known. It seems as though everyone in Paris spoke at least basic English (our waiter at dinner that night spoke 6 languages!) and we never ran into any issues. I tried to speak French, but although I can still read a lot, my recall is not great. It seems as though most tourists who weren't native speakers to the country we were visiting also spoke basic English, so most signs and menus had English on them as well.

Then we made a plan for the next morning and went to sleep.

Walk count: 6.5 miles

London to Paris

 We woke up and headed out early because we wanted to be on time for our train, but since we were leaving out of London St. Pancras, directly across the street from King's Cross Station, we had to visit Platform 9 3/4! 

We took a quick train there, and it took a while to find the "platform" which is actually a cart in the middle of the wall before you even enter the station officially. There's a Harry Potter gift shop there, and as part of their sales pitch, they provide scarves to use for your photoshoot. You are allowed to take photos yourself, but then they also take professional photos. The assistant waves the scarf until the photographer says, "3, 2, 1, and scarf" and then the assistant throws it up and lets it drop, which makes for a fun photo.

We were in a little bit of a hurry (or so we thought) to get to the Eurostar, so we didn't look at our professional photos, but the ones we took out turned out pretty well!

We headed to the Eurostar gates and since we didn't have our boarding passes printed, I was taken personally by the gate agent, who printed our tickets and led us to security. (The tickets said nothing about having to be printed, but that our phone would work.) Security was pretty basic, a quick x-ray of our bags and walk through the metal detector, followed by a passport check and then we were done. We ended up sitting around for a while, which made Kyran upset because he wanted a ??? from a local coffee shop and had we known how much time we had, he could have gotten one.

Once they called our train, it was a mad rush to the line, but since we had assigned seats, we weren't too worried. The line eventually split, and we went up the slanted moving walkway. It's actually way easier to maneuver suitcases on escalators, because they kept slipping down, but we made it to the top and got in line for our car (or so we thought). We waited for several minutes until we realized it wasn't our car, then went on to the next car, only to find out that our car loaded from the one we were waiting for originally, so we had to go back in line much farther than we had been.

Again, no rush, so we weren't too worried, and as we were in line, Jason saw someone with a Detroit Lions shirt on. He asked her if she was from Detroit and she said no, she was actually from Australia but had found the shirt at a flea market and liked the color!

We boarded the train, and were sitting all the way in the back of the car, which worked out well because there was plenty of space for our luggage. There was a lady sitting in the center of the back row, which wasn't really a seat. She seemed annoyed at us for being there, but then was told to move back to her seat anyway. 

The ride was nice and quiet, and Jason and Gemma took a walk to the food car to get snacks. The kids didn't even notice when we went into the chunnel under the British Channel, and the ride was over after just a couple of hours. 

We lost an hour, since Paris is an hour behind London, but barely noticed. Once we were off the train, we found the taxi station and waited for a taxi large enough for all of us. This was sometimes an issue with five of us and all of our luggage in European-sized cars. 

In my brilliant planning, upon looking at initial dates, it didn't occur to me that we were arriving in Paris on Bastille Day. I thought about changing the trip dates, but since I already had the apartment reserved, figured it might be nice to see the fireworks at the Eiffel Tower (or so we thought), so we kept it as is. 

Because this year's Bastille Day was also the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Nice Truck attack, they did the fireworks and drone show the night before. But there was still a military parade and other events, so roads were shut down and our taxi couldn't get us all the way to the apartment. 

The ride there was still nice and I wish I had a video of Gemma's face when she saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time. 

We got as far as the driver could take us, and headed across the Seine to our apartment (or so we thought). Much like in London, the address listed on my original reservation was not the address of the actual rental, so we did a little bit of walking before we found it. Once we arrived, we entered two sets of locked doors and our apartment was on the first floor, right inside the door. We did not have early check-in, but they did let us store our bags until check-in. The cleaner was there when we arrived, so we put our bags in the apartment, did a quick change because most of us were sweating pretty badly and overdressed for the heat, and then headed out to explore Paris.

Right outside of our building, as we looked to the right, was a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower! It was a highlight, especially at night, but more on that later!

We set out and started walking. Jason noticed the top of a beautiful-looking church, so we headed back over the Seine in that direction. We walked quite a ways to get there, but it was beautiful, even though it was undergoing renovations. We also got to see the beginning of the military parade on the way! 

Once we were done at the church, it wasn't quite dinner time or even time to check in to our apartment, so we kept walking. My original plan was to visit the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysee the morning we left, because I remember thinking they were too far to walk, but worried about being able to get there by transit on Bastille Day. I seriously underestimated the power of my family and willingness to walk (more on this later too), because we surely did walk all the way there. We got some photos after playing Frogger to get across the street, then headed back dodging traffic again, and walked some more, to the Place de Trocadero where we got some beautiful pictures with the Eiffel Tower and found a filling station to fill up our water bottles (another theme of the trip). 

Then it was time to check in, so we walked back to our apartment, got settled in and then headed out to dinner. After sitting down at a restaurant down the street from our rental with a great view of the Eiffel Tower, we decided we didn't actually want to eat there, so we walked around for a while until we found one that looked good to everyone. Dinner was delicious and I was the only one who got dessert (creme brulee, which I did share after I broke the top without letting Kyran video it and he got upset 😆) so after, we walked to a creperie for dessert. 

After dessert, we went back to the rental to watch the World Cup game (France was playing Spain, and lost, but there was still a lot of street noise from nearby restaurants where people were watching), and get some sleep. France was our third and final rental without air conditioning, but since it was by far the hottest, we suffered the most there. Especially since the only full bathroom was in the basement (down a treacherous flight of stairs, like on a boat) and the dryer was in there too, so we melted while taking cold showers. Some cities are worth melting for, though!

At 9pm, we knew the lights of the Tower would start twinkling, so we simply walked outside our door and watched in awe and they twinkled for 5 minutes. We went back out at 10 for the next twinkling, and were all fast asleep for the 11pm show!

Walk count: 6.5 miles

London Day 4

 On our last full day in London, we slept in just a little before heading off to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace!

We shouldn't have slept in, and probably should have gotten there two hours earlier if we wanted to get a good spot on the fountain steps of in the front row by the street or palace, but now we know. 

We took the Underground to our stop, then had a nice walk through The Green Park before arriving at Buckingham Palace. Once we found our place (we were able to see enough through the row of people in front of us), we waited about an hour for the first phase of the changing. There are five phases, including the new guard coming in, the band playing, the actual changing, and the old guard leaving. We weren't exactly following everything, but it was interesting to be a part of, and we made a couple of friends from Sydney, Australia while we waited.

The band played some traditional songs, but also some Abba and other popular music during the ceremony. 

After that, we walked through St. James Park, which was beautiful, and the girls made friends with some new birds. We also walked across the street from the park to the Horse Guards Parade, and got some photos with the guards we see so often on TV! We walked by there two days earlier, but the parade made it impossible to cross the street near the guards.

Our plan after the park was to take a boat to the Tower of London, but we had some extra time (and there was one surprise stop I wanted to make), so we ended up walking. Not an easy walk, but the weather wasn't too bad (especially in the shade). We walked along the Thames for about half of it, then headed down to Fleet Street to find some food.

We ended up eating at a delicious sandwich shop called Brunel. It was amazing how we could find random restaurants on the side of the road anywhere and have some of the tastiest food ever. We also ate at a few Pret a Manger stores, which weren't delicious, but served their purpose when needed.

As we finished our lunch, the rest of the crew almost passed by Sweeney Todd's Barbershop! I had to make them look, and it was a great surprise, especially for Kyran, who recently played Toby in Sweeney Todd!

Then we ended up getting on a train for the rest of the trip to the Tower of London, where we saw the Crown Jewels, the White Tower with lots of armor and weapons from medieval times. Two of our favorites were the Bloody Tower (which has an interesting and sad story), and the Lower Wakefield Tower, where the Torture at the Tower exhibit is located that has several of the old torture devices displayed. (Yes, I know we're weird, but we did love those two places!) We also enjoyed seeing the dried moat and drawbridges that surrounds the Tower area. It's so fascinating to see the things that we read about in history books and fairy tales. 

When we finished at the Tower, we walked to the Tower Bridge. Not to be confused with London Bridge, that is fairly simple. the Tower Bridge is the beautiful, decorative one featured in all the movies and TV shows. At this point, they were so tired of walking, so I joked that we had to walk across and back, thinking we'd walk halfway, get photos, and then head back. They actually believed my joke, and kept walking, so we did cross it twice and also got photos on the other side.

We were so exhausted after the bridge, that we jumped back on the Underground, grabbed a quick dinner from Tesco Express, and back to our place to get ready to see "The Devil Wears Prada" that night. This time we were ready and the bus arrived on time, so we arrived in plenty of time for the show. One interesting not about West End is that they don't hand out playbills for free. You purchase them at the merchandise shop, which of course we did for both shows we watched. 

We weren't familiar with the musical, but are very familiar with the movie, and it followed along pretty well. The performances were solid for the most part, and the effects and choreography were good. Our favorite thing about this show were seeing it before it comes to Broadway, and seeing Vanessa Williams play Miranda Priestly! She was phenomenal! We went to the stage door afterwards with hopes of seeing her, but were still surprised when she walked out (with her huge dog), and signed playbills and took photos with the few people who were out there. She was so kind, and is even more beautiful in person than on TV somehow!

We got back to our apartment and started packing for the next day's ride to Paris on the Eurostar!

Walk count: 8.9 miles

London Day 3 - Stonehenge and Bath

 The next morning, we woke up at 5:30 (at which point several of our friends in the states were still awake, since it was 12:30 there), and got ready for our long day trip to Stonehenge and Bath. 

I did this same day trip when I visited 30 years ago, but it was so much better with my family!

We had mapped out our route, but the bus didn't come when it was supposed to, so we called an Uber and almost missed our bus. Luckily, Viator was quick with customer service and let the tour operator know we were going to be 5 minutes late.

The bus ride was there was nice, with pretty views of the English countryside, and some commentary from our guide. We arrived at Stonehenge and boarded another quick bus that took us from the welcome area to the actual stones. 

We walked all the way around, taking pictures (and having strangers take pictures) as we went. At one point, Kyran looked at Karyssa and Gemma and said, "Can we just BE Stonehenge?" The most hilarious picture followed, and we started a trend of others doing the same!

We finished at Stonehenge and got back on the bus for the hour drive to Bath, where we had a quick guided tour and then had some time to explore on our own, which included visiting the Roman baths. The actual baths are very cool to look at and to think about how the hot springs stay hot. They had some clean drinking mineral water at the end of the tour, but it was disgusting. 1. It was hot...not just warm, but hot. 2. All those minerals might have healing properties (Jason drank three cups), but they sure don't taste good.

We also found delicious food, although we did have to split up to all get what we wanted.

There is a bridge in Bath that was used for a very significant scene toward the end of Les Miserables (no spoilers), and it was cool to be able to see that. Now we need to watch the movie again!

We got back on the bus after our free time and got to see Windsor Castle from the road on the drive back to London. The flag was up, which meant King Charles was there.

When we got back, we got food at Ji Chicken (or The Chicken Shop, formerly a TikTok trend, apparently), which had been recommended to us by friends, and Good Friend Chicken, and made the trip back home to enjoy it and call it an early night. My favorite was the fried chicken skins from Ji. Not the chicken, just the skins! Others enjoyed chicken fingers and Karyssa got a crepe-like egg puff dish with nutella from the restaurant next door, that ended up being more like dessert, but she said it was delicious!

Walk count: 4.4 miles

London Day 2

 We slept in slightly the next morning before taking the bus to walk through Picadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. We saw the Goodyear Blimp nearby, there for Wimbledon, and the end of a local race. We thought about visiting the museum, but had to make our reservation for Westminster Abbey. 

On the walk there, there were roads blocked off for a small parade. We got to see the beginning, but then headed out. 

Our visit to Westminster Abbey was another audio-guided tour, which the kids weren't the biggest fans of already at this point, but we did learn some cool facts, and again marveled at the beauty, detail and history there. We saw the grave of the unknown soldier, and also the resting places of Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens, Geoffrey Chaucer, Rudyard Kipling, George Frederic Handel, and Oliver Cromwell, among many others. Many kings and queens have been coronated there, and they had the coronation chair on display at the end of the tour.

Then we walked around some more and took a train to the Borough Market, where we ate a little bit of everything! I had a meat pie (bringing back Sweeney Todd memories from Kyran's recent role of Tobias), Jason and Kyran had hamburgers, Gemma had more Mac and Cheese and chicken, Karyssa ate fish and chips, and Kyran and Karyssa had doughnuts (Creme Brule for Karyssa, I don't remember Kyran's) and Gemma had chocolate covered strawberries! It was so crowded and hot, but definitely worth the visit!

After the delicious food, we took the train to Abbey Road Studios and crossed the iconic crosswalk! We visited the gift shop, took photos on the stairs and saw the studio before heading back into town to visit St. Paul's Cathedral.

This was an emotional one for me because I remember begging my mom to wake me up 45 years ago to watch Prince Charles and Princess Diana get married there. Lots of emotion and awe at the thought of the events that have taken place there and the beauty of the cathedral. We climbed an exhausting spiral staircase to the Whispering Gallery and then up even more steps to the Stone Gallery, which is at the bottom of the dome and had beautiful views!

We headed back to the apartment to freshen up and eat before heading to the West End to see Matilda. We learned pretty early in the trip how expensive restaurants are, so we started find markets (Tesco Express in Dublin and London) to grab food that was easy to eat at our apartments, but usually ate one meal a day at least at a local restaurant.

While at the place, we sat down to eat and Kyran's chair collapsed beneath him. He has grown a lot recently, but is still very thin, so we were baffled. The company, like with our complaint about the dryer, seemed not to care.

We missed our bus to the theatre, and had to take an Uber, which got us there just in time. The show was wonderful, and it was fun seeing it with actual British performers! I will admit I cried through most of the first act, remembering Kyran in his role in that when he was 10, and then again during "When I Grow Up" thinking of the same.

We waited at the stage door after, but it seemed like only parents were there and the actors left so quickly we didn't get to see anyone. 

Then we took the bus back to the apartment and went to bed, knowing we'd be getting up super early for the next day's big adventure, although it was hard to sleep for a while because of the noise from the crowd at the pub down the road while England was playing Norway in the World Cup. We were watching on Jason's phone, which had a delay, so we knew when there was going to be a big save or score before it happened because of the cheers and groans!

Walk count: 8.1 miles