Our time in London was exhausting. With so much to see we kept ourselves moving at a brisk pace. It wasn’t just the many activities that kept us busy it was the feeling of London. The screeching underground, honking drivers, and watching for cars all made moving about seem exhausting.

We did have one more restful day when we went to Kew (Link Here) on the 21st but that gets its very own post. It was a simpler day because the train line was direct and it was much quieter. Our legs were still sore from walking the whole day.

In the days after Kew we managed to squeeze in four major attractions.

We paid a visit to the ravens at the Tower of London on Friday. The Tower of London tickets were booked weeks in advance for the earliest possible time slot and we were excited. We have read a few novels that included the Tower as a setting. Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands is a family favourite. That whole series is worth checking out and there is a new one coming soon. The Ravenmaster’s Secret by Elvira Woodruff is another worth picking up if you want to explore the Tower of London through an historical fiction lens. Heather, who doesn’t really follow anyone follows the Raven Master on Instagram!

With our tickets we purchased the family audio guide. We each lugged the guides around the whole morning but they were only used for the first 3 or 4 stops on the map. The audio was cute enough with some children bantering back and forth about the dark history of the Tower but it was a little distracting.

The line up for the Crown Jewels was short when we joined and it moved along at a steady pace. We wove our way through the building watching short videos and reading displays about the history of the Crown Jewels. When you finally get to them a moving walkways on both sides of the Crown Jewels prevents you from staying too long. The walkways allow you a good gaze at the sparkling gems and shiny metals and if you need to you can circle back quickly to have another look. My favourite other than the crown was the Grand Punch Bowl that can hold 144 bottles of wine.

To get to our next stop we took a hackney (black cab) to the British Museum. This was one of my goals while in London. The hackney carriages are as much a symbol of London as the double decker bus or the underground. Steve the Taxi driver was chatty and friendly! We only met him for a short bit but he will always be a legend in our family.

At the British Museum we got to try out our postcard game. This is where we start at the gift shop and buy a postcard for a specific exhibit. Heather’s was easy she had the Rosetta Stone. It was right inside the first door we entered! Desmond found his Greek Discus Thrower second after we asked for directions. Lydia found her Egyptian cat around the same time. Madeline and I lucked out with our Japanese prints. Our exhibit was closed! Madeline did eventually find her Great Wave off Kanagawa at the Bristol Museum, I guess that still counts.

Food for our time in London mainly consisted of sandwiches from local shops and prepared food from the local Co-op. Our Air BnB didn’t have the best kitchen and we were too exhausted to do meal planning beyond pulling something our of the store’s freezer/fridge section. So many sandwiches!

Big Battleship guns (pictured above) greeted us as we entered the Imperial War Museum’s grounds. On Saturday we headed into London to see this great museum. One of our favourite BBC series is War Time Farm. It is a show that in 12 episodes covers the shift in technology, the attitudes, and sacrifices of the British farmer during WW II. The Imperial War Museum carried many elements that reflected War Time Farm but mainly from the perspective of the soldiers in the trenches. Of course it was not limited to WWII it covered all the conflicts that Britain has been involved in. The whole museum was excellent. We of course went back and got postcards.

At Kensington Palace we experienced a taste of what Royal Life was like. Queen Victoria had quite a solitary youth. We saw grandiose rooms the harkened back to King George’s court. High ceilings and red were the theme back then. Our tour finished with personal images of the royal family as they are today. My favourite was a playful photograph of the Queen lovingly glancing at Prince Philip. It isn’t a photo that has been released to the public because it is so personal to the Queen.

Those busy days left our feet tired and our heads spinning a little. On Sunday the 24th we went to our local church, St. Mark, for worship. It was just around the corner from our Air BnB. It was a fun praise service and we felt welcome there by all. Later on we did light exploratory walks around the neighbourhood. Discovered some much nicer and some rougher grocery stores. We visited a park for cool treats and a coffee. Then to end our time in London we went out for supper to a middle eastern restaurant.

The next day we boarded a train to Bristol, but that is a whole other post.