ADVENTURES IN LONDON | PART THREE
Sunday - Day 4 - Tower Bridge, British Museum, NoorJahan II
Sure enough we were up in the middle of the night again (thankfully this was our last night of jet lag), so we had a late start to the day. Our main event was to visit the beautiful Tower Bridge and enjoy a picnic outside. We took the train to the Shard and I am glad we were able to see the modern skyscraper.
We took our time and strolled along the path next to the River Thames with Tower Bridge continuing to grow larger as we neared the famous landmark. We took pictures, let our son walk and simply enjoyed the moment of being a family in London. I was in awe of the great bridge and loved being overwhelmed by the history and the architecture. I thought about visiting the Tower of London, but it seemed a shame to try to one-up the already wonderful moment on the bridge, besides we had a picnic planned.
It started to drizzle as I set our little “picnic basket” in a grassy space facing the Thames. It was not a fancy space or really a large grassy area at all, but we were satisfied and the view of the bridge and the water was simply lovely. I had taken so many pictures already so at this point it was nice to just soak in the experience.
My husband and I agreed before our trip that during our son’s nap time, one of us would have the opportunity to explore the city solo. I have to admit that although I love to travel with my family, I enjoy exploring on my own and at my own pace. On this day, I had the opportunity to walk to and visit the British Museum. I have always wanted to visit this particular museum, but I must admit, I was a little disappointed. Perhaps with the expectation of going to France on this trip, I thought that the British Museum would be roughly the size of the Louvre. It certainly wasn’t. There is more to museums than size, but I was expecting to spend several hours there and I saw all I wanted to see in about 90 minutes. I will say that the Egyptian exhibit was amazing and nearly the entirety of the Parthenon was in an exhibit all on its own. I did get to see components from the great Mausoleum at Halicarnassus; two statutes with one possibly the figure of Mausolus and fragments of a colossal horse that sat a top of the mausoleum. This was my first experience witnessing an ancient wonder of the world (or at least remnants of one). I long to see the great Pyramids of Giza, but that is another adventure for another time.
I returned home to find my son awake and full of energy. A little worn out from walking so much, Dustin let me rest while we searched for a good place to try Indian food. I had never experienced Indian cuisine before and London seemed like a good place to try it. Thanks to Yelp, we found a place called NoorJahan II that had a lot of good reviews, but the place looked really small. I was a little nervous about how my son would do, but we decided to go and see what would happen.
On on journey to the restaurant on the north side of Hyde Park, Dustin wanted to visit Speaker’s Corner. The Corner is a place for public speeches and debates that touch on all subjects and groups. My husband had read that there “should be something happening” until 6:30 pm. We arrived at the northeast section of Hyde Park only to find Speaker’s Corner fairly deserted. I think he was a little disappointed to not see some speeches or interactions. With the chill in the air and our hunger growing, we retraced our steps back to the Lancaster Gate Station which was near our dinner location.
We arrived at NoorJahan II cold and hungry and my feet were a little worse for wear after such a busy day. Dustin and I looked around the restaurant; it was really small and rather intimate. What were we going to do about our son? My silent question was answered when we were seated rather quickly without fuss over our little toddler. They didn’t have high chairs so our son had to sit on my husband’s lap for the entirety of the meal. I was really tense. I imagined the worst; big messes, loud noises, crying, whining and more. Thankfully a plate of papadum was served to us directly. This initial course with its chutneys and sauces kept my son happy and busy for a good fifteen minutes as we broke off small pieces and fed them to him. I was supremely happy to find out that nearly everything on the menu was gluten-free (except for naan and the like, of course).
My husband did order some naan for himself and our son, but everything else we ordered I could enjoy too. Chicken Marsala, Special Duck, Saffron Rice, Aloo Gobi; it was all delicious. We took our time, tried each dish and savored each bite. Much to my surprise and delight, our son tried and liked everything that was on the table. Our waiter frequently made sure were doing well throughout our meal and was kind enough to talk to our son even though he was not talking yet. We shared about some of our recent adventures in London and our waiter (who had a three-year-old) kept asking if our son could ride a bike. I had to explain that my son was only 18 months old, but our waiter encouraged us to visit again in a year and then his kid and our son could ride bikes. Although the idea of another visit to London in a year seemed far-fetched for us, it was so kind of our waiter to want us to return. The constant attention and attentiveness of the wait staff calmed my tense nerves and I praised the Lord that my son did so well.
I noticed that several people visited the restaurant for takeaway, a good sign for a restaurant even if people don’t have time to sit for dinner. There was one gentleman who was seated next to us. I thought he might be expecting someone, but he was there to enjoy a meal alone. He asked a lot of questions about different dishes, not for explanations of what each dish was, but more about what ingredients the restaurant used specific to each dish. I had relaxed during our meal as my son continued to do well, but then I tensed up again. I hoped he wouldn’t disturb this nice gentleman’s quiet, thoughtful dinner. We kept enjoying our meal and the gentleman enjoyed his. After about thirty minutes I relaxed again; my son was doing great. At about this time I happened to glance to my left and the gentleman next to us caught my eye. He commented that our son was a really well-behaved kid and that he was doing quite well so far into dinner. My heart melted then and there. Those were the best words I could hear as a mother at that moment! He did amazing and I was so proud of him. We thanked our servers and our host before departing the cozy restaurant. It was a successful night, a night that most parents long for. Dustin and I felt like we had proven ourselves as travelers and as parents. Satisfied and exhausted, we returned home for some much-needed sleep.
Monday - Day 5 - London Cab, Eurostar, Departing London
During our last morning in London, we packed our things and I was sad to say goodbye to our lovely apartment. I really wanted to wander around Hyde Park one more time, but I would have to wait until we returned many days later for that indulgence.
After our long trek from Paddington to our Airbnb with all our luggage on arrival to London, we were certain we wanted to have a black cab take us to the Eurostar station at St Pancras International. Taking a cab was one of the best decisions on our trip. We were able to roll the stroller right into the cab, lock it and fit all our luggage. We didn’t even have to take our son out of the stroller or have to use a car seat. Our route was only three and a half miles away and it took over thirty minutes, but using a cab was tremendously helpful. We were dropped off right in front of the station. So simple and much less stressful.
It took us a little while to figure out how to print our boarding passes for the train and where to go. Once we had our tickets we realized we needed to go through security. The line was slow and although my son was doing well, I knew he was getting tired. (We planned our train ride to coincide with his nap time) Fortunately, an employee of the station asked us to go to the next counter and he, likewise, asked the other family in line to follow us. Our new border crossing line was not specifically for families, but I greatly appreciated the attention and priority given to families with little ones. Sure enough within a few minutes we were through security and with new stamps in our passports.
The train ride was really lovely. It was a good chance for my husband and I (and our son, for a little while) to see the English countryside. The land had less of a prairie or farm look like what I am used to from my experience of driving in the Midwest. It was also very different from the mountains and deserts I see in California. The countryside was so green and the homes had more of an enchanted look rather than a rustic style. Before long, with snacks already divided between us, our son began to doze off. He slept nearly the entire time we were on the train. During our railway journey, it was nice to be able to move about while the train was in motion. I am so used to planes where I am stationary for hours. The train ride was a nice change of pace as traveling goes. When I returned to the States, I tried to come up with vacations for us that could include a train ride, but the places we tend to visit are too spaced out for convenient train rides. We considered the train from St. Louis to Chicago, but it would be a five-hour train ride, plus there is a tendency for delays which could amount to at least another hour. In two and a half hours we traveled from St Pancras International in London to Gare du Nord in Paris. Amazing!
As we entered the dark tunnel that would take us below the English Channel, I started to miss London. I knew we had great adventures waiting for us in Paris, but London was such a welcoming and fascinating city. There was still so much history, culture and art that I longed to experience. Thankfully we had a few days more in London before we left the continent. With that in mind I started to set my mind toward Paris. I though about the food to be eaten, the museums to be visited and the culture to be learned. But more on Paris later.
Lessons Learned
Take a cab to and from the train station when arriving and departing! With all our luggage, backpacks, camera bag, pack n play and stroller it was just too much to walk even though our Airbnb was a little over half a mile away.
Double check or even triple check Airbnb address and location. I thought I knew where our place was on a map, but it was hard to be prepared for just how tired I would be after a long flight and jet lag starting to set in. I highly recommend asking for a map that shows directions from the nearest tube station or from a large train station (ex. Paddington Station) to the location of the Airbnb.
If possible, stay near Hyde Park. The park was not only lovely to look at and but it was also nice to wander through as we traveled to different locations. The area on the north side of the park was really safe and transportation was easy.
If possible, stay near a tube station. We had two stations nearby (one less than a block away and another three blocks away.) With all the walking that we did visiting different places, it would have been more difficult to see all the places we wanted to see if we added more time and energy just to get the train to begin with.
Budget for eating out. It is easier to eat out while traveling and since grocers are different than home, it may be easier to buy some essentials, but leave the larger meals (and dishes) for eating out. Keep in mind that I am gluten-free so just stopping by a store and buying bread and peanut butter doesn’t work for me. Also, budgeting for meals out or takeaway allowed us more time to explore different foods in the area, which is a must while traveling.