We had great intentions of writing screeds and screeds about our adventures in London but then we got hit in the face by a funny little thing called Jet Lag. Oh what a wonderful friend that was. Hisham is still unable to sleep a full night (5 days later) and Adam is finally settling back into a semi-normal routine. I've been sleeping like a log and don't know how the other two are making it through the day. So now I'm planning to give a few snapshots of our time in London but it'll probably end up being an epic. Happy reading!
This was in the taxi from Heathrow to our hotel. We decided that with 5 checked bags, 1 pushchair, 1 small child, and 6 carry on bags* we should probably not attempt public transport. It ended up being 60 pounds well spent. Our taxi driver was a true blue British character who could name all of the All Blacks and had a proper Cockney accent. When Hisham mentioned that he wanted to visit Manchester United Taxi-Driver-Chris got very twitchy and did his best to convince us it wasn't worth the trip. No surprises here that he's a sixth generation Arsenal fan. Chris entertained us with facts about London and stories of his travels, and he and Hisham talked a lot of football and rugby.
* Yes we have waaaaay too much luggage. Our allowance on China Southern was two bags each of 23kg. That means 138kg of checked baggage and about 40kg of carry on. We used it all. Can I take a moment to try to justify this madness? First, we're going to winter. And it's a winter like I, at least, have never seen before, which means lots of layers and warm clothes. Second, we figured we had so much luggage allowance that we might as well be generous with gifts. We brought a bunch of clothes to give away, and chocolate, and specific things that other people had asked for like Golden Syrup. Third, we were so busy leading up to our departure that packing ended up being left for the last day so we weren't able to stare at our bags willing them to reduce in size like Hisham has had so much success with in the past. And fourth, I packed heaps of food. I had a whole lot of reasons for this but they all seem silly now. On the plus side: I have better arm muscles after all the lifting!
We had booked a room in an apartment through AirBnB which got cancelled at the last minute so we went to.... LastMinute.com and found another. After a couple of days of scrambling and stressing we booked it at 1am the day before we left and it was a Secret Hotel. Google (bless the hearts of the people who make and run this website) told us that if you search for the description of the hotel provided on Last Minute then it will show you which one it is. Ours ended up being the Copthorne at Chelsea Football Club and it was fancy. So much so that they had a proper bellboy with the golden domed luggage trolley and everything. Hisham tried to help him load up our luggage and was politely told, "No sir, that is my job." Here's Adam standing by their "DISDAS TEE!"
And relaxing after a much needed shower...
After our inaugural jetlagged sleep we decided to hit the town and see what there was to be seen. First stop: Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
This was in the taxi from Heathrow to our hotel. We decided that with 5 checked bags, 1 pushchair, 1 small child, and 6 carry on bags* we should probably not attempt public transport. It ended up being 60 pounds well spent. Our taxi driver was a true blue British character who could name all of the All Blacks and had a proper Cockney accent. When Hisham mentioned that he wanted to visit Manchester United Taxi-Driver-Chris got very twitchy and did his best to convince us it wasn't worth the trip. No surprises here that he's a sixth generation Arsenal fan. Chris entertained us with facts about London and stories of his travels, and he and Hisham talked a lot of football and rugby.
* Yes we have waaaaay too much luggage. Our allowance on China Southern was two bags each of 23kg. That means 138kg of checked baggage and about 40kg of carry on. We used it all. Can I take a moment to try to justify this madness? First, we're going to winter. And it's a winter like I, at least, have never seen before, which means lots of layers and warm clothes. Second, we figured we had so much luggage allowance that we might as well be generous with gifts. We brought a bunch of clothes to give away, and chocolate, and specific things that other people had asked for like Golden Syrup. Third, we were so busy leading up to our departure that packing ended up being left for the last day so we weren't able to stare at our bags willing them to reduce in size like Hisham has had so much success with in the past. And fourth, I packed heaps of food. I had a whole lot of reasons for this but they all seem silly now. On the plus side: I have better arm muscles after all the lifting!
We had booked a room in an apartment through AirBnB which got cancelled at the last minute so we went to.... LastMinute.com and found another. After a couple of days of scrambling and stressing we booked it at 1am the day before we left and it was a Secret Hotel. Google (bless the hearts of the people who make and run this website) told us that if you search for the description of the hotel provided on Last Minute then it will show you which one it is. Ours ended up being the Copthorne at Chelsea Football Club and it was fancy. So much so that they had a proper bellboy with the golden domed luggage trolley and everything. Hisham tried to help him load up our luggage and was politely told, "No sir, that is my job." Here's Adam standing by their "DISDAS TEE!"
And relaxing after a much needed shower...
After our inaugural jetlagged sleep we decided to hit the town and see what there was to be seen. First stop: Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
You will be pleased to know that you have one watcher for your blog at least. Your writing is lovely. It would make a great story. Love Mum
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