London: Day 1

Our first full day in London was indeed a full one. Museums, ferris-wheel-to-end-all-ferris-wheels, parks, a food court—what a day!

We started off with a bus ride to the Natural History Museum. The bus rides themselves were treats for kids and adults alike, especially when you could snag the upper deck first row...

The NHM is one of the most gorgeous buildings in London, in addition to holding some amazing scientific collections. (You can see photos from my 2008 visits here.)

Here's our full group in the lobby, figuring out where to go to see the Mary Anning fossils, a top item on some of our lists...

(note the shark stroller: a constant, and very useful
companion for the next 3 weeks!)

Next up, and right next door, the Victoria and Albert Museum, possibly my favorite museum in all the world. We didn't spend as much time in it as I did in 2008 (over four visits!) but it was still a hit. Here is the Best Quality Daughter (local joke) and master potter, in her element at the museum's porcelain exhibit:

At this point, it was lunch time, and of course the museum has food options. We chose the take-away cafe out in the main court for a picnic of sorts. There's even a wading pool for the kiddos, which was a welcome diversion, as it had gotten quite warm. (We were incredibly lucky with weather for virtually our entire trip...thank you, travel gods!)

After sufficient refueling, it was on to the tube, another transportation option that is a London attraction in itself. We took our usual, the District Line, to Westminster, walked across the bridge of the same name, and found a lovely park to relax and play in as we waited for our timed-tickets to come due for the next attraction.

When we were here in 2008, we opted not to ride the London Eye; it's quite expensive, and we had no kids with us. But this time we decided it was an experience we just had to give them—and ourselves. And it turned out to be great fun, and worth the price. The views are stupendous, as the ride gives you a smooth, ever-changing vista of this fabulous city. We're so glad we did it!

starting off

view of a neighboring car (ours wasn't nearly as full;
they're very well organized in keeping groups together)

looking downstream

this impressive building used to be the County Hall

We think it's something the kids, and their parents and grandparents, will never forget!

We weren't finished with fun after our Eye car landed, either. There is a nearby park with a carousel that spins a lot faster than the Eye, and faster than any carousel I could ever ride. Then a convenient food court called "Between the Bridges"—finding dining options for such a diverse group of folks was always a challenge—made dinner a breeze. Then back to the tube, the bus, and our Airbnb, for a much-needed night's sleep. On to the next adventure!