Under the Sea

There was a definite feeling of Spring in the air during our final two days in London. The temperatures reached a balmy 14 degrees, the heads of blooming daffodils were poking through the muddy greens and the general atmosphere seemed lighter and brighter. With Chris at GWR HQ I decided to make the most of the rare sunlight and get outdoors as much as possible. I was also hoping to give the final, clinging remnants of jetlag a good boot in the arse.

Sam and I spent one morning in Holland Park where we found a playground (hooray!) and I admired the beautiful homes backing onto the park (Chris told me that night that Richard Branson lives there. I didn’t see him). We spent some time wandering around Kensington and I ventured into Clarkes, where I used to work, to get a perspective from the other side of the counter. We had morning tea at Starbucks however, where the clientele are permitted to have their phones on and chocolate is allowed on the cappuccinos.

We met Chris after work and wandered through Hyde Park along the banks of the Serpentine. Hundreds of people had the same idea and for 5 o’clock on a Thursday afternoon the park was a hive of activity, a sight more reminiscent of a Saturday afternoon.

In Hyde Park on a bridge over The Serpentine

Yesterday, we went to the British Museum to see the mummies (dead Egyptian aristocracy, not women with children). Time Out warned that some children found the exhibition quite overwhelming, but Sam loved them. Fortunately he has watched an episode of Ben 10 featuring an alien mummy so was quite familiar with the gruesome spectacles. He was especially taken with the cat mummies.

Following morning tea at Starbucks, we found a spectacular seven acre kids’ playground near Russell Square called Coram’s Fields. There were bikes, scooters, climbing equipment of every shape and size, sand pits, a petting zoo and a flying fox. It is a community-run initiative with a nursery and child-care centre attached. It was well worth the visit, and free.

Now we’re seated on the Eurostar with the train travelling through the chunnel. Sam can’t quite believe we’re under the sea in a train.

Paris-bound on Eurostar

I was sad to leave London and I’m confident we’ll work out a way to return permanently one day, but brave new adventures in Paris await. Au revoir!

NOTE TO READERS: I stupidly forgot to take the camera out on both days. I apologise for the lack of photos. Je suis desole.

Double dessert on night one in our Paris apartment

Getting Around

We Australian adults seem to spend our entire lives attempting to avoid public transport, and with good reason. So it’s quite a surprise when we see those same vehicles through a different set of eyes – a four-year-old set of eyes, for instance. Suddenly the idea of a train (especially one in a tunnel) or a bus (especially a double-decker) is quite a thrill. At least that’s what Sam has been attempting to convince Jenny and I of over the last few days, as the importance of the journey has well and truly overcome that of the destination.

Yesterday we achieved the Holy Trinity – train, double-decker bus and black cab. The Tube train was caught, of course, to the London Transport Museum where we climbed all over old trains and buses.

Sam takes a corner…

We then walked (another form of public transport, I guess) to Trafalgar Square…

Sam tames the wild beast

…before catching a double-decker bus back to our apartment in Chelsea. That afternoon, after a very deep sleep (for me as well as Sam – jetlag has finally begun robbing us of night-time sleep) we hopped into a black cab…

Mummy and Sam travelling in style

…to the Natural History Museum, and from there we walked home. But it wasn’t over yet. This morning Sam begged for more, so we hopped on a Tube train to Tower Hill where we had a brilliant view of Tower Bridge…

Sam and Daddy and stripey beanies

…before wandering the always-amazing grounds of the Tower of London, including a walk through London’s most secure building to view the Crown Jewels.

Sam guards the Crown Jewels…

Of course, a long walk along the Thames was followed by a Tube ride home, and after another very satisfying daytime sleep, we caught one more double-decker to Clapham Common so Jenny and I could check out our old haunts. This was lovely and brought on strong feelings of homesickness for London.

It’s now 8.10pm and exhaustion has set in again. Time to head back to bed – hopefully we’ll sleep past 2am this time.

Knowing Looks

During the 13 hour 25 minute flight from Singapore to London Chris and I shared a number of knowing looks. The first came roughly six seconds after settling into our seats when Sam asked, for the first of what seemed like a billion times, “When are we going to be there?” There was another intense stare when the man in front of me reclined his seat within seven seconds of settling into it. A glance shot like a bullet between seats 34A and C when we realised that the coughing lady seated across the aisle was surely tubercular. Each occasion (and there were many) the jolly Scotsman sitting behind us laughed unusually loudly at whatever he was watching on the in-flight entertainment triggered another bewildered stare.

These looks all said one thing, asked one question – Why are we doing this to ourselves? But when we arrived in London our doubts were allayed.

After a night of strangely uninterrupted sleep in our fantastic apartment we decided we would reward Sam for his spectacular behaviour on the aeroplane by catching a double-decker bus into Oxford Circus and visiting Hamley’s, the famous five-storey toy store on Regent Street. Sam finally got his Omnitrix (readers with a boy-child under 10 will know what this is) and an action figure from the same show (Ben 10) called ‘Armadrillo’. Sam was delighted with the whole experience and Chris and I were fascinated, in a politically-correct fashion, when the employee taking care of our purchases was dressed like a gollywog.

Sam and Hamley’s man

Snacking in Carnaby Street

We wandered down Carnaby Street, had morning tea at Pret-a-Manger, shopped at Boots, Waitrose and Waterstones (a few of my favourite stores) and then caught the tube back to Chelsea. What a morning! What a city!

The day was topped off with a visit to the children’s playground in the grounds of St Luke’s Church in Chelsea. Sam had loads of fun on the equipment and Chris and I occupied ourselves by marvelling at the number of nannies (child-minders, not grandmothers) on duty. We seemed to be the only actual parents. With money, it seems, comes a distinct lack of personal contact with one’s children.

A couple of swingers in the playground

Chelsea view from our apartment

Arrived In London

Just a quickie (as it’s 1am and we’re awake, entertaining Sam) to say we arrived safely in London last night after a painfully long flight and moved in to our very awesome apartment. Our accommodation is way beyond our expectations which is good, especially considering our last London experience. Will update in the next few days, hopefully after a lot more sleep.