Paris/London-Conclusion

Our trip to Paris was almost over.  We were going to go back to London to spend a couple of days before heading back to the US. 

We took the Chunnel back to London.  Because of our previous experience on the train, we were understandably a little nervous, but the trip went smoothly this time.  We arrived in London, went to our hotel, and settled in.  We had tickets for the theatre that night.  We were going to see Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theater.  If you say that with a British accent, it sounds more impressive.  We got ready early and went to the Piccadilly Circus area to get something to eat before the show.  We ate at McDonalds.  We’re in a new country and we eat at McDonalds? My kids like to try the McDonalds in every country we visit, but I don’t see the appeal.  We ate our McDonalds.  I was not impressed. We went to the show and it was wonderful!

The next day, our flight was in the late afternoon, so we decided to get in some sight seeing before we left.  We got up early and went down to the hotel dining room to have the complimentary breakfast provided by the hotel.  Now, I will readily admit that I am not a foodie.  I rarely investigate the food when I am planning a vacation. The food is not my focus.  However, perhaps I should have done a bit of research for this trip.  I was not expecting the food that was on the breakfast buffet. A traditional English breakfast typically includes eggs, bacon, sausage, fried mushrooms, fried bread or buttered toast, and grilled tomatoes.  Even though I don’t eat several of those things, they all seemed fairly innocuous.  But baked beans is also a part of a typical English breakfast.  Baked beans? For breakfast?!  There was something called “black pudding.”  This is a sausage made of blood and a filler like oatmeal.  THAT was not going on my plate.  Kippers were also available on the buffet.  Kippers are fish.  You could smell them and know they were there.  This was not something I was willing to try.  I hope I’m not offending anyone from England that may be reading this story, but that is a weird breakfast. I’ll stick with the pastries in Paris. And ice cream. Ice cream is always good.

We decided to do the hop on/hop off red bus tour.  It was a great idea, if we had all day, which we did not.  We saw Big Ben and the Tower of London.  We got to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, which was really impressive.  When it was over, we realized that we were running later than we had planned.  We got back on the bus to get to the metro so we could get back to the hotel.  By the time we arrived at our hotel, we were running way behind schedule.  We ran into the hotel to get our luggage, frantically asking the people at the front desk to call to request two taxis to get us to the airport. The taxis arrived, we loaded up, and we were on the road to the airport.  I was nervous, but it looked like we were going to make it.  Then, the taxi in front of us, which was carrying my mom and my aunt, pulled off the road and up to an ATM machine.  My mom and my aunt got out of the taxi and went to the ATM machine.  What was happening?! We barely had time to get to the airport! Did they not notice the frantic rushing and nail biting that had just occurred? We were leaving the country! Why did they need cash?! We were running late! 

GET.  BACK.  IN. THE.  TAXI. 

They finally finished their transactions and got back in the taxi.  We arrived at the airport, jumped out of the taxis and went into the airport.  We got through security, which is no easy task at Heathrow airport.  We arrived at the gate as they were boarding the plane.  But we had made it. Several hours later, we arrived back in the USA.  Another great vacation for all!

Final tips:

1. I don’t recommend eating at McDonalds in London. Go find some fish and chips.
2. You need more than two days in London to see everything.
3. Going to the theater in London makes you feel very cultured.
4. I could not find the Queen’s Theatre online.  It was a small theatre and looked older, so it may not be operating anymore.  But if you are interested in booking theatre tickets in London, you can go to www.londontheatre.co.uk  You can find a current list of shows and theatres, and you can book your tickets.  I highly recommend seeing a show in London.  It is a great experience.   
5. It might be a good idea to research the food when you are visiting a new country.
6. Hop on/hop off bus tours in London are a great way to see the city.  You can book your tickets on www.bigbustours.com
7. You need more than a couple of hours to get the most from your hop on/hop off bus tour.
8. Multi-generational travel has its challenges, but it is an amazing experience for everyone!

I would like to introduce the characters in my story.

First, there is my husband, Greg. He may not share my love for travel and sense of adventure, but he is tolerant, patient, and supportive, and he joins me on many of the trips.

These are my three beautiful children, Ally, Sarah, and Ryan, who have grown into confident, adventurous adults. They have learned to survive the craziness, and they continue to join me on many of my journeys!

Thank you to my daughter’s friend, Heather, who sometimes looked at us a little strangely, but she never complained and she was a pleasure to have on this trip.

And finally, my mom (Diane) and my Aunt Carol. They come from a long line of spunky women, and they are amazing. At the time this trip was taken, they were 66 and 71 years old. They are now 83 and 88 years old, and still going strong.