Friday
Right after we dropped off our luggage, Leandra headed to Bank to exchange some old money for new bills since they were only open until 3pm. The process was easy, just had to show bills to be exchanged then a quick wanding and bag search.
She then met up with the rest of us for a classic London walk of the postcard sights – Trafalgar, Thames, Parliament and Big Ben, the London Eye, and finally Westminster.
We also checked out the Leake Street graffiti tunnel where some folks were actively painting.
One memorial that was new to us is the The National Covid Memorial Wall, directly across from Parliament. Filled with >300k red hearts, each memorializing a UK resident who died of Covid, it is a sobering monument.
Saturday
We tried to get a photo in front of the Harry Potter Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross Station but the line was at least an hour. Instead, Asher, Martha and Leandra visited the gift shop while Megan and I tried to stay out of the crowds.
Purchases made, we headed up to Camden. Given some issues on the Northern metro line, we decided to walk the 30 minutes instead. That let us stop at the peaceful St. Pancras Old Church on the way, a first for us.
Camden on Saturday was predictably busy, full of shoppers looking through market stalls and enjoying the December sunshine. We did manage to find a few Christmas presents, plus a new T Shirt for me!
Toward sunset we tried to get into the National Gallery but they were absolutely packed so after waiting in line for 20+ minutes we gave up. Instead we did an impromptu walk through Piccadilly Circus to Regent street and over to Chinatown to check out the lights.
Saturday we had an early dinner in Leicester Square, then fought our way through the crowds to see “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” at the Phoenix Theatre. The effects were amazing, especially the lighting, and we all enjoyed the show.
Sunday
Most of this day was spent with Kim & Jules, but before we saw them we stopped at the V&A for a quick run through several of our favorite spots like the sculpture hall, XXX
After dinner we walked from Marylebone through most of the lit-up shopping districts including Regent, Oxford, Carnaby, Savile Row, etc. The large group skating through was unexpected and bright!
Thursday
Taking advantage of our hotel near Paddington station, we had to visit the famous bear statue!
We dropped our bags off and then walked north to Little Venice, a quiet spot away from the busy center. It is amazing how fast the city can change from bustling train station to peaceful canals, showing a totally different side of London.
