London: Day 4 (Wednesday, April 17)
It was so warm and sunny today we didn't even need coats, and we spent most of the day outside. We took the Tube to Kensington today and first stopped for some sandwiches (and candy) at Tesco Express, then headed into Kensington Gardens. The kids played at the Princess Diana Playground for a little while, and then we walked further into the gardens, to a large lake in the middle. Crowds of swans, ducks, and pigeons were everywhere. We found a spot by the water, Kensington Palace at our backs, and had a picnic lunch. The girls fed bread to the swans and ducks. Greta sketched some waterfowl.
Eventually we made our way to the palace and saw the beautiful Sunken Garden, dedicated to Princess Diana. We walked around the manicured grounds in front of the palace, and the girls talked to a character actress dressed up as a young Princess Victoria, not yet queen.
It was a perfect day to walk through some of Kensington, and we stopped next at 28 Campden Grove, where James Joyce briefly lived. Joyce loathed London and called the address "Campden Grave." There's a small plaque on the apartment building, and we took pictures of Dad in front of it.
Next we hopped on a bus to the Victoria & Albert Museum. It's a gorgeous museum but none of us were too interested in the decorative arts it houses, so after a little while we decided to go out into the courtyard. We were surprised to find the courtyard had not only a cafe but also a large wading pool where barefoot children were running around. L&G asked if they, too, could take off their socks and shoes and splash around, and of course we said yes. They had so much fun. They hiked up their pants and tucked their dresses into their waistbands. It was killing them to not just get completely soaked. The rest of us sat at the side and had coffee and tea. This was a lovely interlude, and one of those things I hadn't come across in any of the many London guides I read while planning the trip. There are always surprises.
Our final stop of the day was Harrod's, where we wandered around the ridiculous food hall and then checked out the (expensive and underwhelming) toy department. We didn't make any purchases.
We hung out at the apartment after that while Andrew went out for drinks with some London co-workers.
I'll pause here to note the extremely challenging and stressful thing I did last night to facilitate our Wednesday evening. Back when we were booking everything for our trip, I thought it'd be fun to have dinner at the oldest restaurant in London, a place called Rules, and we booked a table. When we looked more closely at the menu yesterday, however, we realized it was exactly the wrong kind of place for us, with an emphasis on wild game. Andrew had already called to reschedule the dinner once, and he was loathe to call again, so I took it on, calling last night to cancel the reservation. I hate hate hate making phone calls but YAY it worked.
So, instead of an expensive restaurant none of us would have liked, we had dinner tonight at a casual and delicious place in Covent Garden called Rossopomodoro, which we'd walked past and admired a few times this week. It was a perfect choice.
We put the kids to bed, and then Andrew and I went to the pub next door for a drink with one of his co-workers and his wife. And that was Wednesday.
Hard to believe we have only two days left. We've packed so much in and there's still so much to see and do. The kids love being in a city, staying up late, having a whole week with Gra and Pop-Pop. I know they'll remember this trip--things like the fizzy drink at Tredwell's, the swans, the wading pool. Greta is enamored with her Paddington Bear and Fruitella candies. Lucia is observing everything and asking questions like how people become homeless, how Andrew knew a group of women who came into a bar and were subsequently asked to leave were "gypsies"--you know, easy things to answer. More tomorrow, no doubt.
Eventually we made our way to the palace and saw the beautiful Sunken Garden, dedicated to Princess Diana. We walked around the manicured grounds in front of the palace, and the girls talked to a character actress dressed up as a young Princess Victoria, not yet queen.
It was a perfect day to walk through some of Kensington, and we stopped next at 28 Campden Grove, where James Joyce briefly lived. Joyce loathed London and called the address "Campden Grave." There's a small plaque on the apartment building, and we took pictures of Dad in front of it.
Next we hopped on a bus to the Victoria & Albert Museum. It's a gorgeous museum but none of us were too interested in the decorative arts it houses, so after a little while we decided to go out into the courtyard. We were surprised to find the courtyard had not only a cafe but also a large wading pool where barefoot children were running around. L&G asked if they, too, could take off their socks and shoes and splash around, and of course we said yes. They had so much fun. They hiked up their pants and tucked their dresses into their waistbands. It was killing them to not just get completely soaked. The rest of us sat at the side and had coffee and tea. This was a lovely interlude, and one of those things I hadn't come across in any of the many London guides I read while planning the trip. There are always surprises.
Our final stop of the day was Harrod's, where we wandered around the ridiculous food hall and then checked out the (expensive and underwhelming) toy department. We didn't make any purchases.
We hung out at the apartment after that while Andrew went out for drinks with some London co-workers.
I'll pause here to note the extremely challenging and stressful thing I did last night to facilitate our Wednesday evening. Back when we were booking everything for our trip, I thought it'd be fun to have dinner at the oldest restaurant in London, a place called Rules, and we booked a table. When we looked more closely at the menu yesterday, however, we realized it was exactly the wrong kind of place for us, with an emphasis on wild game. Andrew had already called to reschedule the dinner once, and he was loathe to call again, so I took it on, calling last night to cancel the reservation. I hate hate hate making phone calls but YAY it worked.
So, instead of an expensive restaurant none of us would have liked, we had dinner tonight at a casual and delicious place in Covent Garden called Rossopomodoro, which we'd walked past and admired a few times this week. It was a perfect choice.
We put the kids to bed, and then Andrew and I went to the pub next door for a drink with one of his co-workers and his wife. And that was Wednesday.
Hard to believe we have only two days left. We've packed so much in and there's still so much to see and do. The kids love being in a city, staying up late, having a whole week with Gra and Pop-Pop. I know they'll remember this trip--things like the fizzy drink at Tredwell's, the swans, the wading pool. Greta is enamored with her Paddington Bear and Fruitella candies. Lucia is observing everything and asking questions like how people become homeless, how Andrew knew a group of women who came into a bar and were subsequently asked to leave were "gypsies"--you know, easy things to answer. More tomorrow, no doubt.
Comments