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
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