Exploring London together

They're here!

We just finished up a great visit with Nani (BK's mom) and NeeNee (BK's grandmother). It was great having them here; of course BK and I love getting to see them, but we especially loved that Baby K got to spend so much one-on-one time with them. Not that we don't love when the whole family gets together, but with 11 people in our immediate family, there's usually a lot going on.

Baby K and I met Nani and NeeNee in London before returning together to show them around Switzerland. We had quite the whirlwind trip around the city, with just a day and a half to cram in as much as we could. I know, it's not much time in London, but we wanted to do what we could and still have the end of their trip in Switzerland.

Enjoying the ride on the Hop-On Hop-Off

When you fly to Europe from the US, typically you arrive in the morning. We met Nani and NeeNee in the terminal where their flight came in and went from there. Our first afternoon in London we grabbed a quick bite for lunch, then got on the Hop-On Hop-Off bus. A family friend had recommended it to us, and with the weather in London quickly turning to rain when we arrived, it worked well for us. The only thing I didn't like was that we had to go to Trafalgar Square to validate our tickets, which was annoying and out of the way at the time. We didn't validate until the next day.

In front of the Tower of London

We made a stop at Piccadilly Circus, then happened upon M&M world, where we personalized some M&Ms for Kate's cousins. We then took the tube and headed over to the Tower of London area. Nani and I got a good workout, as I hadn't done my usual research on which tube stations were stroller-friendly. So, like in many trips before, the stroller was carried up and down many flights of stairs.

Tower Bridge

The Tower of London was really fun to see, although Baby K thought the high point was all the puddles to splash in after the rain. The crown jewels were the highlight for us, and after our visit there was a great view of Tower Bridge. We enjoyed walking around in the area for a while afterwards, and made our way back tour hotel for the evening. It had been a long travel day, so we called it a day and enjoyed a relaxing dinner at the hotel after Baby K went to bed.

Buckingham Palace; flag is up, Queen is in

The next day was our really big day. We started by walking to Trafalgar Square, hopped on the bus from there seeing Hyde Park, the Mayfair area, and Grosvenor Place. We rode the bus to Buckingham Palace, attempting to see the changing of the guard, but unfortunately it was us and thousands of others as well, so it was hard to catch a glimpse. The flag was flying and the Queen was in residence while we were there! Afterwards, we took a stroll through St. James Park, then also saw Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the Parliament Buildings.

Westminster Abbey

Big Ben

After a quick stop for lunch, we strolled back through St. James Park, taking our time, and giving Baby K some time to get out and stretch her legs. We walked through the park to the Chesterfield Mayfair, where we enjoyed high tea, and Baby K even had her own little set up, including a chocolate "milk shake" (chocolate milk).

Sitting with NeeNee in the park

High Tea

We decided to end our day with a visit to Kensington Gardens and Palace. The gardens are beautiful, especially during this time of year when all of the leaves are changing. We walked around the gardens, stopped by the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, then ended our time in the park with a buzz by Kensington Palace. That was pretty much the end of the day for us at that point, as we had to catch an early flight the next morning.

Baby K trying to catch a glimpse of George

Like I said, we had to cram as much in as we could, with just a little over 36 hours in the city. I've been to London four other times, for longer time frames, and even though there is a lot of stuff we didn't see, we got to see a lot of the landmarks and things that were easy to see and experience. BK and I have talked about the fact that we should go back together sometime soon.

Friday morning we caught an early flight and came back to Switzerland so that NeeNee could see where we live (Nani's been here before), and experience all things Swiss. More on that later though... Baby K and I need to head to the airport to pick up Mawmaw (my mom) this afternoon!