Thanksgiving in London

We left for London on November 20^th, the day before Tanner’s birthday, at 230 in the afternoon. We flew to SFO and had a 4 hour layover there before departing on the 11 hour journey to Heathrow. The seats had individual TV screens, which the kids of course loved, so they zoned out for about 4 hours watching movies and playing video games before we made them turn off and try to sleep. I’m not sure how much sleep any of us got but eventually they turned on the cabin lights and served us breakfast.  At this point we realized Tanner had turned 10 while flying over the ocean, so we wished him a happy birthday. A few more episodes of Borgen later and we landed. I can’t say we looked, felt, or smelled very pleasant!

Joan and Phil picked us up and we drove to their home in Bookman’s Park- a very nice suburb of London where we had a delicious meal of homemade spaghetti followed by a special birthday cake for Tanner.  It’s the first birthday any of our kids have spent with Grandpa Phil so it was pretty special! We made ourselves stay awake until 730 then crashed out until around 10AM the next day!

Sunday we drove to Windsor and toured the castle. The kids weren’t as interested in the history as I’d hoped, but, to be honest, Brian and I haven’t really given them a lot of opportunities to experience museums and tours and things, so we weren’t that surprised. Faith loved the audio tour, however, and she enjoyed hearing all the castle stories. They all enjoyed seeing the grandiosity of the rooms and the look of the castle itself. Brian and I were fascinated by the austerity and wealth it all represented. After touring the castle we spent some time in Windsor exploring shops and eating a late lunch. The town was decked out in holiday decorations which was really cool. I think the kids’ favorite part of the day was when Grandpa Phi bought food for the swans and they ran along the riverside and on the bridges feeding them!

Monday morning we woke up a little earlier and headed to the local train station to hop a train to London. The kids loved riding the tube. We had rented an AirBnB for two nights so we dropped our luggage there, then headed out to explore the area. We were right in the heart of London, a two minute walk from St. Paul’s Cathedral, and surrounded by pubs, restaurants, and shops. That day we spent with Phil and Joan and we covered a lot of ground! 10+ miles to be exact! We walked to the Sky Garden, then to the London Eye where Phillip had purchased tickets for us all. The kids loved riding in the huge ferris wheel and looking at the London skyline, identifying famous sites, etc…. We found a good pizza place for lunch (one of the only things all of the kids would eat in London) and then walked back to the Sky Garden where we went to the 33^rd floor for a cocktail and view of the city at night. Joan and Phil headed back home and we headed to our little apartment (or “flat”). 

It was a beautiful, fun place to stay. Great windows overlooking the neighborhood. It was situated above a pub and Brian and I left the kids with their devices while we went downstairs to eat fish and chips and share a pint. None of us slept very well that night, in fact, Tanner and Jake and Brian and I were awake from about 1-3 eating frosted flakes on the couch. The late night led to a very late sleep in for the kids and we didn’t get out of the flat until after 10AM on Tuesday. That was OK because Brian and I had our coffee and energy drinks handy and we enjoyed sitting in the front room watching the Londoners arrive for work and listening to music.

We started Tuesday with a double decker bus tour of London. Our first stop was the Tower of London which we toured on our own, saw the crown jewels, and the torture rooms, as well as the many different areas of the tower itself. It was very cool, but, once again, I think the kids favorite part was seeing the Ravens that are housed there and chasing the pigeons through the squares. Hmmmm. I see a bird theme going on here.

After lunch we boarded the bus tour again- that was a mistake. The city is FULL of construction and we basically sat, in the rain, in a lot of bumper to bumper traffic while trying to get to our next stop- Covent Garden- to buy theater tickets. We gave up after about 90 minutes and bought tube passes and took a quick train over to the theatre district. We bought tickets to Mamma Mia then headed quickly back to our flat to meet one of my oldest and dearest friends, Yoshi, for a beer and (more) pizza before our 745 show. After a fun hour and a half catching up on life, Yoshi ordered us a car to take us back to the theater. It dropped us right in front and we all enjoyed the play. After it ended we walked to PIcadilly Circus where the kids had a midnight snack at McDonalds, taking in the lights and sounds of the city at night. The tube took us right back to our flat where we collapsed into bed.

Wednesday we woke up late again and after breakfast at a local café, we headed out to Spittalfields Market (for me) and then Harrods (for the kids). Brian and the kids were patient while I checked out all the stalls of jewelry and clothing; then I was patient while the kids explored Harrod’s toy department.  Late that afternoon we stopped back by our flat, picked up our luggage, and took the train back to the station nearest Phillip and Joan’s house where Phillip was waiting for us. We went back to their house where Joan cooked us another delicious meal (followed by another delicious fruit crisp).

Thursday was Thanksgiving- not only in the USA but also in our own little area of London. Phillip moved to England 30 years ago and wanted a traditional Thanksgiving Day meal so he gathered all of Joan's family and Joan and her daughter Sarah cooked up the feast. Joan cooked pecan pie, pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, and more while Sarah did the turkey and vegetables, etc...  We had such a fun time celebrating this American holiday in London! We were at Sarah's house- about 15 minutes from Joan and Phil's place- and our kids loved spending the day with their "British cousins".  Sarah's girls are 12 and 15.  Harriet and Faith had a great time, as did Jake and Georgia.  Mark, Joan's son, also joined in the festivities and brought his son Jack who had just passed his drivers exam that morning. His girlfriend Helen and her son Connor were also there. We sat around the table and listened to story after story that kept us laughing all night while the kids all played upstairs. It was a really fun night. 

Our last day I took Tanner down to Brookman's Pub again for morning coffee enjoying our one-on-one time, while Brian and Phil worked out at the gym and Faith and Joan hung out at home. That afternoon we went with Sarah and her girls to a local ice skating rink then back to her house for leftover turkey made into a pot pie.  

It was a really fantastic trip. I think everyone had a good time- but I'm sure Phillip and Joan slept for a week straight after they got their home back from our crew!