Where Time Began: Greenwich, UK

In addition to our day-excursion to Portsmouth and Isle of Wight, we also spent a day of our London vacation in nearby Greenwich. It seemed natural for us to take time for this visit, not just because of the name and origins of my blog concept, but because, well after all, Greenwich is where time began.

Clocks at Royal Observatory, Greenwich (UK).

Our London Holiday, March 31-through-April 9, 2013:

1. British Airways LAX-LHR
2. The Waldorf Hilton, London
3. Covent Garden Neighborhood
4. London Transport Museum
5. Day Out in London – Traditional Landmarks
6. Diana, Princess of Wales’ Memorial Playground, Kensington Gardens, and Green Park/Buckingham Palace
7. Muggles and Magicians: The Harry Potter Experience
8. Family Remembrance and Celebration: Brookwood Cemetery and The Lion King at The Lyceum Theatre
9. Day-Trip Out of London: Isle of Wight and Portsmouth, UK
10. Where Time Began: Greenwich, UK TODAY’S POST
11. Tower of London
12. London’s Shopping Shrines: Hamleys Toys and Harrods

A view from our DLR train ride from London to Greenwich. There are many Quays (“keys”) like this during the train ride, making for a very scenic start to our day out in Greenwich.

The Cutty Sark-Greenwich DLR station where we got off for not just Cutty Sark but for Royal Observatory and Greenwich Park. You can get to the National Maritime Museum from this station on foot, too.

Map of Greenwich, UK.

Welcome to Greenwich!

To get to Greenwich from London’s Covent Garden, we took Bus 15 from Aldwych and got off at Limehouse, where we could connect to the Docklands Light Rail (DLR). The DLR is part of Transport for London‘s rail system, yet different from the Underground and Overground. We continued to Greenwich from the Limehouse DLR station, and we concluded our commute at the Greenwich-Cutty Sark DLR station and from there walked easily to the sites mentioned in this post.

The three of us in front of the Cutty Sark, an original clipper ship from the mid-1800s. It’s now docked in Greenwich (UK) and open to the public as a museum.

A portion of Cutty Sark’s original construction highlighted for visitors to help us understand the work that’s gone into keeping her history alive for 140+ years.

A schematic showing how tea and other crates were packed for transit aboard the Cutty Sark.

T with the Long John Silver figurehead exhibit at Cutty Sark.

C and T under the hull of Cutty Sark, showcasing the original wood and copper construction of the ship. This area is new since the re-restoration after a fire destroyed it in 2007.

While we didn’t get to the tall ships or other boats docked in Portsmouth, we did climb aboard one of the better known of the tall ships in maritime history while in Greenwich: Cutty Sark. The Cutty Sark is a beautifully restored clipper ship from the mid-1800s. Yes, the ship docked in Greenwich is the original vessel, copper-and-wood construction hull and all. While she endured a pretty bad fire in 2007, she’s been cleaned up and re-restored, and she recently reopened to the public in April 2012.

The three of us aboard Cutty Sark. It was a great day for a sail, even if just a pretend one.

T standing at attention under the masts of Cutty Sark. Just look at that sky!

T and C steer Cutty Sark into port.

T loved the ropes aboard Cutty Sark.

It was a gorgeous day out in Greenwich when we visited. Wait, I don’t need to tell you this, you can see it here for yourselves. There’s really no better place to go take in views over the Thames River than from the top deck of the Cutty Sark. There’s also a lot for the kids to do here also, especially if your kids like ropes (plenty of ropes).

A few of the brochures we got during our day out in Greenwich, including a few kid-centric handouts from Cutty Sark. T was too busy seeing everything for the first time to really focus and participate on them, but these and others were fun and free activities included with our admission.

One of the interactive kid activity kiosks aboard Cutty Sark’s tween deck.

I learned about as much as T did aboard Cutty Sark because of activities like these.

Great job, C and T! You steered Cutty Sark to London’s port in a mere 92 days! Unreal that she took closer to 73 days on average back in the mid-1800s around the Cape of Africa to make the same route from China around and up to London.

T took “all hands on deck” seriously with this hands-on deck scrubbing station for kids.

T balancing “tea crate tokens” aboard a Cutty Sark puzzle on its tween deck. What great educational and FUN activities they have here!

Below deck there’s plenty for kids to do as well, and that’s not because the deck is called the “tween” deck; that’s just the name of the deck “in between” top deck and lower deck. But the tween deck is where we found a lot of activities for T (and all children aged toddler-to-tween) to put all hands on deck. There were trivia games, puzzles, crew member role-playing stations, and even some modern video games pitting junior captains against one another to see who could steer and dock the Cutty Sark into London’s first. While the ship is steeped in history (it did carry mainly tea after all… heh, get it, steeped?! OK, sorry) and is a sight to see and tour for anyone who enjoys maritime history, the Cutty Sark does a fantastic job recruiting kids for its crew, too.

C and T in front of a ship-in-bottle out back of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich Park.

We’ve got a lot of walking to do… up a hill to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.

The views from Royal Observatory, Greenwich make the walk up its hill well worth it.

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich (UK)

After leaving the Cutty Sark, we wandered through a part of the University of Greenwich and over into Greenwich Park, part of London’s Royal Parks and home to the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. While we didn’t get inside the Maritime Museum this visit (the largest museum of its genre in the world, by the way), we did get up to the Observatory. And when I say up, I mean up… on a hill. Where else would one find an observatory after all?!

The official Prime Meridian marker atop Royal Observatory, Greenwich.

The Prime Meridian telescope at Royal Observatory, Greenwich.

These folks would not pay to go into Royal Observatory, Greenwich for their photo opp on the Prime Meridian. But they walked up the hill… why stop now?!

C and T’s feet in queue and across the Prime Meridian. We waited about 15 minutes or so for our real photo opps. Not too bad!

T took this picture of C and me kissing across the Prime Meridian. Aww!

T straddling the Prime Meridian at Royal Observatory, Greenwich.

The Royal Observatory’s main draw is that it’s the official home of the Prime Meridian. I know, I know, the Prime Meridian runs north-to-south pole-to-pole so it has many homes along the line, but the “discovery” of the Prime Meridian actually happened at the Royal Observatory. That’s in quotes because unlike the Equator, the Prime Meridian is pretty much an arbitrarily chosen line, or a declaration-it-is-so type of discovery. At any rate, because of its storied connection to the Observatory, this is where many come to visit it… and take many pictures. Fair warning: Do be prepared to pay entrance to the Observatory and to queue for a few (several) minutes to get those photos (you can check out information on entrance fees, including a combo ticket to all the Royal Museums Greenwich, here).

We enjoyed our day in Greenwich very much. This was one of C’s choices as far as sightseeing days, and it was a great pick. There was plenty to keep T and the both of us entertained and educated. And it was gorgeous (those views!). I can only imagine how lovely this park and town is in later spring and summer. But never mind imagining… I think we’ll just have to make the time to return to Greenwich and see it again for ourselves.

It’s the family of the RMT blog on the Prime Meridian, home of GMT and where time began!

RMT’ers, what type of sight have you made time to see while on vacation that you’d planned to be more educational than entertaining, but wound up being both?

A Different Type of Island Holiday: The Isle of Wight off Portsmouth, UK

Happy Friday, RMT’ers! I’m making today’s post more of a “Foto Friday” because words alone simply can’t describe our day-excursion two hours south of London to the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth to ride the old steam trains. It’s also more of a photo post because we took a lot of photos, so please enjoy!

Our London Holiday, March 31-through-April 9, 2013:

1. British Airways LAX-LHR
2. The Waldorf Hilton, London
3. Covent Garden Neighborhood
4. London Transport Museum
5. Day Out in London – Traditional Landmarks
6. Diana, Princess of Wales’ Memorial Playground, Kensington Gardens, and Green Park/Buckingham Palace
7. Muggles and Magicians: The Harry Potter Experience
8. Family Remembrance and Celebration: Brookwood Cemetery and The Lion King at The Lyceum Theatre
9. Day Trip: Isle of Wight and Portsmouth, UK TODAY’S POST
10. Day Out: Greenwich, UK
11. Tower of London
12. London’s Shopping Shrines: Hamleys Toys and Harrods

Our trinket take-away from our day-trip down to the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth (UK). This is about a two-hour, one-way train and ferry trip south of London. The tickets on the right-hand side of this photo represent one of our ticket packages purchased from Waterloo Station in London for the trip down and back, including all steam train rides for the day.

Yes, you read that correctly: We took a train to go ride more trains all day long, and it was a day we will never forget. Our trip to the Isle of Wight off the coast of Portsmouth originated out of Waterloo Station in London. There we purchased a ticket package that included National Rail day-return (meaning round-trip) tickets to Portsmouth Harbour, the passenger ferry day-return tickets from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight, the Isle’s Southwest Rail train day-pass, and the Isle of Wight Steam Railway train tickets out of Smallbrook Junction. Each of us received three pairs of tickets at Waterloo, with the ferry and London-to-Portsmouth Harbour ticket printed on one pass. You can do what we did and walk up to buy the ticket package the day-of, or you can buy online before your holiday. As we were unsure which day we’d be up for the day away (jet lag, weather, feeling comfortable leaving London for an entire day, which this trip requires), we bought morning-of and left within the hour of our purchase. For more information on this all-inclusive day-trip ticket package through National Rail, go to this website; to check which steam train lines will be running while on the Isle, please check their website.

Kinder Eggs are a great European treat for all ages. They are also available at pretty much every train station.

This warning isn’t enough for Americans. Kinder Eggs are not sold in the States. Boo!

Oh, and do not forget to pick up some Kinder Eggs before your day-trip! Kinder Eggs are an inexpensive, fun way to keep the kids entertained and a nice vacation treat for anyone. T got very used to having a “chocolate egg” during our longer train travel days, which meant I got chocolate (since he doesn’t care for it much) and he got a toy. Yes, these eggs have small trinkets and toys inside of them! They are highly sought-after by us Americans because of our silly laws that do not allow them to be sold Stateside (choking hazards and such). But there’s apparently no law about buying-and-bringing-back (which we certainly did)! Tip: Hold off to make your larger buy at the airport duty-free to carry on your flight back to the States. Not only did duty-free offer a wide variety of Kinder Egg gift packs, but it was much easier (and involved a shorter amount of time in your trip) to transport without breaking or melting the eggs, too.

C and T heading to the Wightlink ferry from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight.

C and T on the Wightlink.

The boys heading to the Island Train, which connects the Wightlink station to and throughout the Isle of Wight.

The Island Train heading over its trestles onto the Isle of Wight. This is the line connecting the Wightlink ferry with the Isle, including the stop to transfer onto the Isle’s local Steam Railway.

Map for the stops along the Island Train, the rail that runs through the Isle of Wight (not the Steam Railway).

Hmm, does the Isle of Wight remind anyone out there of another certain Isle devoted to the love of all things steam train-related?!

C and T in front of the steam train ticket window. All passengers waited here to either show their pre-paid tickets or buy day-of (we did the former).

OK, back to the trains. Once the ferry docks on the Isle of Wight, a local rail takes passengers over the causeway onto the island proper. To get to the steam trains, we got off at Smallbrook Junction. There you walk up to the steam train ticket window to either buy or show your pre-bought tickets for the island’s steam railway lines, which are good all day on any of the trains operating.

The door of our steam train car could be tricky at times!

The railway line for the steam train is short, small, and quaint. And T loved it. So did we. Enjoy chugging through even more pictures.

We spent all afternoon on the Isle of Wight, including stops inside of their local steam train museums, switch rooms, and repair yards at Havenstreet, the main station along the steam railway.  The history here is proud, long, and loved by its people, and they are eager to share it with visitors and locals alike.

Sign in front of The Ship Anson, a local pub in the town of Portsmouth, UK.

Fish and Chips plate at The Ship Anson.

Nachos at The Ship Anson. I don’t know what the white stuff was but it was not sour cream, or if it was it was unlike any I’ve ever had. We got these for T. He (and we) missed our food back home big time by this point in the trip.

All of us in front of The Ship Anson in Portsmouth (UK). Thanks again to the lovely local (and fellow pub patron) who took this photo of us!

After our day riding the train back and forth on the Isle of Wight and before our return to London, we had dinner in Portsmouth. We found a local pub near the port and train station, which was the perfect ending to a fantastic day-trip away. They even had nachos!

Portsmouth Harbour at sunset (UK).

I’d recommend Isle of Wight to any family looking for a different kind of day-trip out of London, especially for those who love trains. The naval and boat history in Portsmouth is also worth mentioning, though we ran out of time for that on our visit. As we like to say, maybe we’ll go back and do that next time. I think it was Rick Steves that said it best: “Believe in a lifetime of trips, not the trip of a lifetime.” Another way of saying it is, that ship hasn’t sailed yet.

Looking for more train-related fun closer to home? Then please check out my new train page devoted to rides, outings, museums, and other activities!

Family Remembrance and Celebrations: Brookwood Cemetery and The Lion King

Our London holiday was a mix of sightseeing, celebration, and remembrance. Today is a day of remembrance and celebration in more ways than one.

Our London Holiday, March 31-through-April 9, 2013:

1. British Airways LAX-LHR
2. The Waldorf Hilton, London
3. Covent Garden Neighborhood
4. London Transport Museum
5. Day Out in London – Traditional Landmarks
6. Diana, Princess of Wales’ Memorial Playground, Kensington Gardens, and Green Park/Buckingham Palace
7. Muggles and Magicians: The Harry Potter Experience
8. Family Remembrance and Celebration: Brookwood Cemetery and The Lion King at The Lyceum Theatre TODAY’S POST
9. Day Trip: Isle of Wight and Portsmouth, UK
10. Day Out: Greenwich, UK
11. Tower of London
12. London’s Shopping Shrines: Hamleys Toys and Harrods

Memorial to soldiers inside of Waterloo Station in London. The train station is where you depart for Brookwood Cemeteries, where many soldiers from World Wars I and II are buried.

Inside of Waterloo Station about to board our train to Brookwood Cemetery.

C settling in for about a 45-minute train ride down to Brookwood Cemeteries just south of London.

A shot of the original train tracks that led into Brookwood Cemetery outside of the newer Brookwood train station. This train line used to be known as the “dead train” or “necropolis railway” as it was the line used to transport fallen soldiers to the cemetery during war-time.

C and T heading down the path and into Brookwood Military Cemeteries outside of London.

One place we were requested to visit during our visit to London was Brookwood Cemetery. C’s 94-year-old grandmother (T’s great-grandma) had a brother-in-law who was held prisoner during World War II and no one knew what had happened to him. Family was notified when he passed away, yet no one knew his final resting place. But just in the last year, C did a little internet searching and learned he was buried at Brookwood Cemetery, which is just about a 45 minute train ride outside of London. The train, which leaves out of Waterloo Station, stops right at the cemetery and is a short 5-to-10 minute walk to the Military sections. This was such a bittersweet and ironic discovery as Grandma H and Grandpa M (Riccardo’s brother) used to visit London on almost an annual basis together for about 20 years running.

Brookwood American Cemetery near London.

Inside of the Memorial Chapel at Brookwood American Cemetery outside of London.

T walking down the path through the American side of Brookwood Military Cemeteries.

C and T after finding Riccardo’s grave site at Brookwood Military Cemetery in its Italian section.

Many soldiers from many countries that fought in World War II are buried at Brookwood. There is a very expanse American portion to the cemetery, including various monuments to soldiers who perished during different battles or aboard different ships but bodies were never found. The Italian part of Brookwood is just the other side to the American plots (thankfully C had a map from staffers prior our visit, which we recommend to anyone visiting), which was where we found Riccardo.

T and C with Riccardo’s headstone.

The three of us reunited with Riccardo during our London holiday.

C took a rubbing of the headstone for Grandma H. Thank goodness we had that cemetery map and a pack of T’s crayons with us!

T hauling sticks over to Riccardo’s headstone, his own special way of letting him know he was there.

I know this trip might sound morbid for some, given that we took T here on what’s supposed to be a celebratory family vacation.  Please trust me when I say this was an event worth celebrating as much as it was one filled with remembrance. At last, we got to tell Grandma H that Riccardo had visitors and that the family now knows where we can go to remember him. T even left a stick for Riccardo from his finds while out that rainy morning, his own special way of saying hello and goodbye. Poignant yet perfect.

Ooh, what’s in here?! C and T peeking into the Lyceum Theatre, the home of The Lion King London production for 14+ years now.

T getting ready to see The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre in London. Happy five-and-a-half years, T!

OK, onto another form of celebration from this same day: T’s half-birthday! Somehow we seem to end up on European vacations while T turns “-and-a-half” as the last time he was overseas he turned one-and-a-half (in Rome, which I still remember clear as yesterday, him scarfing down slice after slice of lemon cake at some restaurant where the owner kept bringing out piece after piece because he loved it that much!). As the morning was on the more somber side, we decided that we’d kick the celebrating up a notch or two and take T to see a matinee of The Lion King!

Steak Frites at Cote Brasserie, a lovely little French restaurant chain in London.

T’s Croque Monsieur (i.e., ham-and-cheese) at Cote Brasserie.

T with his strawberry ice cream and cookies at Cote Brasserie.

My Cote Creme Brulee – yummy!

When we got back to Covent Garden, we grabbed a quick bite at Cote Brasserie, a small French restaurant near the Lyceum Theatre (other locations city-wide). C and I had delicious (yet simple) Steak Frites, and T had a very tasty (and kid-designed) Croque Monsieur. For dessert, T had a fresh strawberry ice cream and I had some of the creamiest Creme Brulee I’ve had in a long while. It was a delicious half-birthday lunch out before an afternoon of Disney-themed theatre fun.

C and T with the program from The Lion King inside the Lyceum Theatre, London.

We had a lot of fun seeing The Lion King in London’s Lyceum Theatre.

T enjoyed Lion King very much; C and I did, too. I was concerned about the stage production being a bit too artsy and interpretive (read: slow) for younger children, which it was in a few places for T, but more or less the live performance mimics the movie almost down to exact script. That made it very easy for T to follow as it included all of the lines he was familiar with (“he’s so cute and all alone!”) as well as all of the music that we’ve been playing around our house and in the car for a year or so (we love those Song and Story CDs!). The show’s also amazingly choreographed and costumed, which made it extremely enjoyable for us parents, too.

As for the official age recommendation, this is from The Lion King UK’s official website: “The Lion King is recommended for a general audience. As an advisory to adults who might bring young people, Disney recommends The Lion King for ages 6 and up. Children under the age of 3 will not be admitted into the theatre. All persons entering the theatre, regardless of age, must have a ticket.”

T with his cotton candy and ears, all part of our Disney on Ice traditions here at home in Long Beach (CA).

C’s turn with the cotton candy. It was quite the “Treasure Trove” of sweet fun seeing Disney on Ice together!

T and his new sword at Disney on Ice’s “Treasure Trove” performance at Long Beach Arena (CA).

The Lion King at Disney on Ice’s “Treasure Trove” show at Long Beach Arena (CA).

And speaking of Lion King, we recently saw another live performance of it here at home in the Disney on Ice medium! T and I have had a standing tradition of attending Disney on Ice shows, but this was the first time C joined in on the fun. Definitely a show for all-ages, Disney on Ice’s “Treasure Trove” show was a hit once again with T. This performance was a mix of original Disney favorites such as a Peter Pan scene, and newer Pixar stories like Finding Nemo. Woody and Friends from Toy Story were not there, but given they had a show all to themselves not too long ago I wasn’t surprised. I just thought I’d mention it in case anyone would make a decision to go (or not) from that information.

We are already looking ahead to more live shows we can take T to… have any recommendations, RMT’ers?

Muggles and Magicians: Our London Harry Potter Experience

If you are a Harry Potter fan of any age or intensity and plan to take a trip to London with kids, then I have a few recommendations to put on your itinerary. The best part about these suggestions is that you don’t have to spend loads of time or money on any of these activities. Now that’s magic to your Muggle ears, right RMT’ers?

Our London Holiday, March 31-through-April 9, 2013:

1. British Airways LAX-LHR
2. The Waldorf Hilton, London
3. Covent Garden Neighborhood
4. London Transport Museum
5. Day Out in London – Traditional Landmarks
6. Diana, Princess of Wales’ Memorial Playground, Kensington Gardens, and Green Park/Buckingham Palace
7. Muggles and Magicians: The Harry Potter Experience TODAY’S POST
8. Family Remembrance and Celebration: Brookwood Cemetery and The Lion King at The Lyceum Theatre
9. Day Trip: Isle of Wight and Portsmouth, UK
10. Day Out: Greenwich, UK
11. Tower of London
12. London’s Shopping Shrines: Hamleys Toys and Harrods

Our first Harry Potter purchase!

Harry Potter… these are two words I never thought I’d find myself saying, let alone obsessing over. Then I had a kid who turned five. Soon after that we started reading the first book together as a family. Each night, C would read a few pages while T and I snuggled next to him on our bed. This turned our bedtime routine a bit upside-down for several weeks, as it was usually me doing the reading in T’s room, and we had not yet moved into chapter books.

Turns out the change was well-worth it. T loves Harry Potter; as a matter of fact – and I never thought I’d say this – so do I. I love the characters, the stories, the relationships, the magic, the Muggles, the twists! This genre of literature is not usually my “thing” but wow how I’ve been sucked into the world of Harry, his school chums, and his flock of foes. I didn’t get the hype before, but I do now… says the person who’s 10+ years late to the Harry Potter “Pott-y.” C also thinks it’s pretty fun, too, so much fun he’s started us on the second book already!

Anyway, while we didn’t finish Sorcerer’s Stone (that’s Philosopher’s Stone to anyone not in the States) before heading over to London, we made a deal to finish reading it while on our trip. We didn’t want to take the bulky hardback with us, so we looked online at our  library for the iPad version; sadly it wasn’t available. Not wanting to take the chance of the wait-list, we went to our favorite second-hand bookstore the day before our travels and bought the paperback. We only had about 60 pages to go, and about 15 nights to get it done; four pages a night was a doable goal, even for us Muggles.

The other part of the Harry Potter promise to T was that he be permitted to watch the first movie before our travels so we could determine if it was something he could watch during the flight by himself. We really wanted to finish the book before watching the movie, but we were running out of days pre-trip, so we loosened the no-movie-before-book-finished rule because we were running out of time and had now made the new promise to finish the book while on the trip. About a week before leaving for London, I headed down to our favorite second-hand music and movie store, found a copy of the first HP movie, and set aside that very evening for a family viewing. Apart from the “man with two faces” being the scariest part for T, the rest of the movie was just fine for and with T. Us, too. In fact, it was great!

Do you see the high level of commitment and fan-dome here, RMT’ers?! By the way, we finished Sorcerer’s Stone on our final night in Dublin, or on Night 14.

Anyway, enough about all that. On with our London Harry Potter experience! First, we went to a show called “Potted Potter.” This is a live theatre performance by Jeff and Dan, two guys who parody and spoof all seven of the Harry Potter books, including all of the main and some minor characters, inside of 70 minutes. This is their claim, and they mean it. Yes, they even play the big dragon in Book 4, and THEY PLAY QUIDDITCH! Don’t ask me or wonder how, please just go and see it for yourselves.

Stage set for Potted Potter.

C and T waiting for Potted Potter to start.

T is so excited to be at Potted Potter. It was after this photo that I was instructed to put away the camera. Oops!

Not only did T last the duration of Potted Potter (which had no intermission, by the way), he loved it. It didn’t matter one bit that none of us hadn’t read all seven books yet. Truthfully, as long as you go into the show with some minor knowledge of the Harry Potter series (i.e., character names, who’s good, who’s not, that they PLAY QUIDDITCH!, they go to a school called Hogwarts, most of which can be learned from LEGO sets or Saturday Night Live skits, quite honestly), then you will be thoroughly entertained and laugh harder than you have in years. The two performers are more stand-up than strict storyline substance anyway, so even if you have not a shred of an idea what or who they’re spoofing at a given moment, their slapstick, physical comedy more than makes up for your lack of knowledge. This show was a perfect afternoon matinee for T and a great test show that lead up to our buying Lion King tickets later in the trip. We figured if T could last this 70-minute performance then he could do two 45-to-60-minute acts with an intermission in between easier than Harry can snatch a Snitch.

King’s Cross Railway Station in London.

Where do we find Platform 9-3/4?!

The queue for Platform 9-3/4. Don’t worry, it goes by fast… and it’s free!

Which house will you choose, RMT’ers?

T chose Gryffindor! Or, did the scarf choose T?!

T’s on his way to Platform 9-3/4! No flowy scarf caught by our camera, but that’s OK!

The second part of our self-guided London Harry Potter experience was a stop off at King’s Cross Station and Platform 9-3/4. No, really, this exists! It’s also a free photo opp for the entire family. Props are provided (the luggage cart and a choice of four scarves representing all four Hogwarts’ houses), as is a staff photographer (no purchase necessary). But don’t fret as you are more than welcome to have your travel companion stand next to the hired photog and snap photos freely of your family members without any restrictions. There is usually a queue to get onto Platform 9-3/4, but it goes fast as each “traveler” poses for one maybe two photos tops once at the “wall”; a line monitor also helps move visitors along by assisting with wardrobe choice and “flying” the scarf behind them as they head into through the wall. Brilliant!

Some of our trinkets from Platform 9-3/4 and the Harry Potter Shop, London.

Inside of the Harry Potter Shop near Platform 9-3/4 in London’s King’s Cross Railway Station.

Yes, these exist, too! I haven’t had the guts to try them yet.

Leave it to this popular jelly bean maker to replicate Every Flavour Beans from the Harry Potter franchise.

A chocolate frog from the Harry Potter Shop, complete with collectable Wizard Card! Chocolate was just OK, but the idea is pretty sweet.

Next door to Platform 9-3/4 is the Harry Potter Shop. Now while this is entirely a mega-marketing opportunity for the HP franchise, it’s still pretty darn fun. It’s also where you can go to view and purchase photos from Platform 9-3/4 (we didn’t buy as our own free pictures were more than adequate). The store sells anything from wands to wizard spell books, chocolate frogs to “every flavor beans.” It’s hard not to leave here without a little something, especially the candy.

A golden ticket from Platform 9-3/4 and the Harry Potter Shop in London.

C and T (as Harry Potter) hamming it up all over London.

T outside the Harry Potter Shop near Platform 9-3/4 at King’s Cross Railway Station, London.

While London also offers back-lot tours and other bus and walking tours of London showcasing the Harry Potter experience, they are not as affordable or appropriately set up (timing, content) for a five-year-old as those mentioned here. Our walk-up tickets to a matinee of Potted Potter (as in, we were walking by the theatre as the show was about to start and bought tickets directly) were just 20 Pounds each (approx. $30 USD), which is a steal for live theatre in London. The outing at Platform 9-3/4 costs whatever it takes for you to get to King’s Cross Railway Station (we already had our National Rail pass, so we took the Underground) and then whatever you wish to spend inside of the adjunct store. And who said Muggles can’t make magic?!

RMT’ers: What fad or trend did you swear you’d never partake of, and then you had kids and got sucked in big-time?

PS – For an update on what we’ve been up to locally, which also included a train station, please check out how T and I spent National Train Day, which was Saturday May 11, 2o13. You can also check out a new RMT page here devoted to all things train-related. Enjoy!

Palaces and Playgrounds: London’s Royal Parks

Nothing makes a vacation complete for T and for all of us really than seeking out and enjoying the local parks and playgrounds.

Our London Holiday, March 31-through-April 9, 2013:
1. British Airways LAX-LHR
2. The Waldorf Hilton, London
3. Covent Garden Neighborhood
4. London Transport Museum
5. Day Out in London – Traditional Landmarks
6. Diana Princess of Wales’ Memorial Playground, Kensington Gardens, and Green Park/Buckingham Palace TODAY’S POST
7. Harry Potter Connections
8. Family Remembrance and Celebration: Brookwood Cemetery and The Lion King at The Lyceum Theatre
9. Day Trip: Isle of Wight and Portsmouth, UK
10. Day Out: Greenwich, UK
11. Tower of London
12. London’s Shopping Shrines: Hamleys Toys and Harrods

C and T heading on into Kensington Gardens on their way to the Diana Princess of Wales’ Memorial Playground.

I know what some of you reading that opening sentence might be thinking… you traveled halfway around the world to go to the park?! Yes, yes we did. I’m sure if you ask T there were plenty of sites and landmarks that we visited while on holiday that were completely meaningless to T despite the wonderful cultural and historical benefits they offered. Therefore, in order to keep a shred of sanity for all our sakes, we allowed T to burn off pent-up “good museum behavior” energy and enjoy nature and playing with other kids on the other side of this world of ours. The playground is one of T’s favorite outings at home, too, so it helped keep a sense of normalcy for him while on vacation. That said, whenever and where ever we travel, we always put park and playground days and afternoons onto our itinerary; after all, there are kids everywhere, and hence, there are sure to be places for them to gather. We haven’t struck out yet with that approach anyway!

Another view inside of Kensington Gardens, one of The Royal Parks large open spaces inside of central London. While we never got to the area of the park with the more formal gardens, this was a familiar view for us when walking to nearby Diana, Princess of Wales’ Memorial Playground.

RMT’ers, London does not disappoint by way of parks; in fact, London exceeds expectations. The Royal Parks runs eight of London’s open spaces with a focus on preserving lands once previously owned by royal families for generations to come. Paraphrased from The Royal Parks website: “Millions of locals and tourists visit the Royal Parks for free each year. With more than 5,000 acres of historic parkland, The Royal Parks provide unparalleled opportunities for enjoyment, exploration, and healthy living in the heart of this capital city. If it’s history and architecture you’re after, the parks have hundreds of buildings, statues, and memorials, giving a fascinating yet tranquil insight into London’s heritage.”

A tree-canopied path inside of Green Park, London, one of The Royal Parks’ eight open spaces dedicated to royal and natural preservation in the city-center.

I feel as if everyone has heard of Hyde Park, AKA the park that most Americans refer to as the “Central Park of London.” While we didn’t get there on this visit (next time!), I would have felt weird not at least giving it a shout-out. That and I’ve been before and loved it. However, we did go to nearby Kensington Gardens (which borders Hyde directly, so directly that most think is part of Hyde – I did! – but it’s not) and Green Park, two of London’s other centrally situated grand and gorgeous green spaces.

T running into the Diana Memorial Playground.

The pirate ship inside the Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens.

Another view of the large pirate ship in the Diana Memorial Playground, London. The ship is a nod to Peter Pan and all things that can be left to a child’s imagination. Princess Diana loved the children, and this playground is such a touching and fun memorial to her memory.

Kensington Gardens is home to one of London’s most popular childhood destinations: Diana, Princess of Wales’ Memorial Playground. Not only is this an imaginarium devoted to all things Peter Pan-esque, but it’s also a lovely corner of Kensington Gardens devoted to the children the world over, one of Princess Diana’s fervent passions while she was alive. Admission to the Diana Memorial Playground is free. Alright, so what playground isn’t free, right? Well, perhaps, but really, even if The Royal Parks charged a buck a kid, I guarantee you that you would happily ante up to get in on this fun. However, that’s not how “The People’s Princess” would have wanted it, so the goal of the playground is to have free admission to everyone, always.

T steers the big pirate ship at the Diana Memorial Playground in London’s Kensington Gardens.

T climbs up the mast… will he make it to the top?

Yep, T made it to the top! Land ho!

A smaller ship to sail at the Diana Memorial Playground.

C does his best “Captain Morgan” at the Diana Memorial Playground. Yep, parents can get in on the fun here, too!

Also, it’s worth noting that adults cannot enter the Diana Memorial Playground unless accompanied by kid(s). Yes, that’s the right order of phrasing there: This playground is only open to kids and their guardians to promote a safe, family-friendly environment for the children of London and those visiting. There’s also a monitor at all times at the front entrance (this is a gated play space) counting visitors – actually laying their eyes on everyone that enters – and making sure that all kids are with their related grown-ups and everyone plays nicely together. S/he’s also are in charge of the line out front of those visitors waiting to enter. Capacity at the Diana Memorial Playground tops out at around 500 persons total, and the playground adheres to a pretty strict 20-out-20-in policy of admittance to ensure everyone’s safety. Luckily the monitor the days we went was super-friendly and personable. When we told him we were from Long Beach (CA), his response was (in that wonderful regional accent): “Oh, the home of Snoop Dogg?!” I didn’t have the heart to correct him to Snoop Lion because he was that nice.

It’s common to see this sign at the entrance of the Diana, Princess of Wales’ Memorial Playground. It’s very popular with locals and visitors alike.

Happy queue-standers C and T outside the Diana Memorial Playground.

In the three times we visited this playground during our London holiday, we waited twice to enter. I honestly think we got lucky our first time because there was no queue. However, both times when we waited, in all honestly I’ve never see a group of families so patient and happy to queue (that’s wait in line) for, well, anything really! Maybe it’s because this playground is *that* great, or maybe it’s because we adults all know why it’s there so on some level we convey our own patience to our children out of respect. Or maybe it was that kind and friendly playground monitor who made the line that much more tolerable. At any rate, it’s worth the wait and multiple visits with the kids.

T enjoyed the Diana Memorial Playground in London so much we went three times!

More fun at the Diana Memorial Playground.

Once Upon a Time, there was a Princess named Diana who loved children the world over….

There’s a lovely music garden inside of the Diana Memorial Playground, offering kids yet another variety of sensory and creative play options other than the usual gross-motor activities.

I can say with conviction that the Diana Memorial Playground was T’s favorite place in all of London. It exceeded our expectations as well. This truly is a space for all children, all ages, all abilities, and is a can’t-miss for any family visiting London.

Please Note: From The Royal Parks website, “The Diana Princess of Wales’ Memorial Playground will be closed from 13 – 17 May 2013 for the annual shutdown. During this period, there will be maintenance works and the introduction of new play equipment. The playground will re-open on the 18th May 2013. We apologise for any inconvenience.” This is next week as of the date of this post (10 May 2013).

C and T in London’s Green Park. The paths behind the boys lead to Buckingham Palace.

A map of The Green Park showing its proximity to Buckingham Palace (to the south) and St. James Park (to the east).

Information about “Changing the Guard” at Buckingham Palace along with a rough schedule is posted for public notice along the south perimeter of Green Park and across the street from the Palace. The ceremony is free to watch from behind controlled barricades, but do note you should show up at least 30-to-45 minutes before the scheduled time to get a front-row view.

Rather than watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, T chose to hit a tree with a stick.

Where are all those folks going behind T? To the changing of the guard, of course! Eh, never mind all that, as T was happy staying put right here at this tree with these sticks.

Another lovely park we partook of during our London vacation was Green Park. This is the open space across the street and to the north of Buckingham Palace. While I realize I didn’t include this fairly obvious, not-to-miss landmark on my sightseeing list from the other day, there’s one reason for that: T couldn’t have cared less about the Palace. In fact, the tree pictured above (with the Palace and St. James’ Park in background) and the sticks he was hitting the tree with were both far more exciting than anything royalty-related. C also was in the couldn’t-care-less club along with T regarding anything royal, snapping more shots of T with his sticks and this tree than of the impending changing of the guard ceremony (that we could have had front row viewing for but left well before it began).

Hello from The Green Park near Buckingham Palace in London!

I was more than OK enjoying the Palace from across the street, too. I’ve been to Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guard before, and truth be told it’s a long stretch of time to expect any 5-1/2-year-old (boy) to stand and quietly watch, especially when there are sticks to pick up and trees and paths to play on and run back and forth on (and off).

Photo of the trip, RMT’ers?

Hope you enjoyed the sticks and trees, T! I know you gave the “pirate ship park” a definite “aye-aye” rating, but who wouldn’t?!

Take a peek at the local parks and playgrounds while on vacation with the kids!

What types of experiences do you incorporate into your kids’ routine while on vacation to help keep a sense of familiarity while away from home, RMT’ers?

Spring Brings Many Changes…

While T says goodbye, he also says hello… or in other words, it’s time for some out with the old and in with the new around here lately.

I love phonetic spelling, don’t you? And what better picture to illustrate the changes of the season, and the fact that T’s coloring has improved so much over this school year. Happy spring, RMT’ers!

T clearly is growing up. We have been doing a lot of spring cleaning around here since returning from our vacation, and with that has come great change. Not just change related to “stuff” but change meaning that T’s making it quite clear that he’s growing up and growing out of various activities, clothes, and themes. He’s five-and-a-half now, don’t you know (and please do not forget the half around him, lest he remind you!).

Bye-bye, Thomas. Thomas and Friends, that is. Yep, T’s done with his toddler trains, and up to the attic they shall go. These are all keepers for the time being anyway. I can cull and donate another day once we’re further from this particular milestone. Sniff.

The biggest change by far was the other day when T declared it was time to put away his Thomas Trains to make room for other, more “interesting” toys. When I mean he declared it, I mean he said it and immediately after that declaration asked where the empty bins were for the attic. Yep, this was one milestone moment for the RMT household in that Thomas and his Friends have had a home here for years now; I mean YEARS. He got his first Thomas item when he was just one-and-a-half-years-old or so, so that’s a four-year run for a set of toys. Not bad, but still a bit bittersweet to say goodbye to this era of T’s childhood. It doesn’t mean he’s done with trains exactly, but he’s most def. done with Thomas and the other younger toy train sets and themes. So bye-bye, Thomas. Enjoy the attic with the rest of T’s beloveds.

A common view of our living room these days. It will be nice to relocate some of these LEGOs to T’s room now that he’s made space for them.

Oh and what is T making room for exactly? How about this pile of LEGOs? It’s our goal in the coming months to gain a portion of our family/ living room back and move some of T’s “Legoland” into his room. Now that he has some freed-up space in there, it’s more realistic to fulfill this goal sooner than later.

T’s Brobee VANS were well-loved and -worn. This final Yo Gabba Gabba goodbye was long overdue, yet still bittersweet.

Another thing T is way over is Yo Gabba Gabba. He hasn’t watched the show in I don’t know how long, was over the toys a year or two ago, and he’s worn out these shoes (and wore them far longer than he should have, oops). But don’t worry; of course T had his own idea of a replacement pair.

T doing the “robot” while listening to the song “Bust a Move” while wearing his new Perry the Platypus shoes. I still remember my transistor radio from around five-years-old, so this is an awesome tradition I feel I am passing down. However, do note that transistor radios now are called emergency radios and come with built-in scanners and flashlights. Ah, changes!

PERRY! Yes, T’s very into Perry the Platypus around here these days and Phineas and Ferb. I know this is one of those love-it-or-hate-it shows and subjects, but we LOVE Phineas and Ferb and the rest of the Danville folks in our house. It’s a show about creative kids who, yes, might get into some (and fantasy-based) trouble, but for the most part the ideas portrayed are very harmless. That and if T is ever able to replicate any of the “-inators” and/or “big ideas” that these characters manage to construct, I’d be a pretty proud parent. So would C.

T with his great-grandma H at her house last Sunday.

T and C say hello to the newest baby on our block (or in our world anyway)… Baby K!

We also had a few visits over the weekend. We went to visit with T’s great-grandma (who was in great spirits, for those wondering), and we also got to welcome a new friend into our lives. One of C’s best childhood friends and wife had their first baby while we were on vacation, so we made time last weekend to go say hello. Welcome to the world, Baby K!

T with a sweet and delicately designed apple from the “Fuji Apple Man” at our local farmers’ market. Best apples anywhere!

Another change in general that happens every spring is the return to our local farmers’ markets for produce that tastes like nothing in the local supermarket (i.e., food that tastes like actual food). Our closest one is held every Wednesday afternoon, which makes it the perfect meet-up place for a play date or for a nice dinner with friends and family al fresco as the weather warms up into the summer. We love buying seasonal, and this time of year is simply scrumptious. Peaches are even returning this early, which is very sweet!

T’s personal depiction of me and his first contest entry. This is a keeper if they mail it back to us. Thank goodness I remembered to take a picture before we dropped it off!

I also wanted to share a new activity T’s been into more and more as he hears about them: Contests. He drew this for our local weekly paper, and we’ll hear in a few days if T’s picture made the cut. At first he thought if he just drew the picture he got $20 or $25. Ha! If winning contests were that easy, T… but I do love his positive attitude. Good luck T!

T hasn’t ridden in the wagon for a long, long time (couple of years at least), but he wanted us to take him out the other night, and it was a gorgeous evening, so we figured why not! What I don’t know is if this was a “goodbye ride” or a “hello to more rides to come” for T.

Anyway, as promised I’ll break up the London trip reports from time-to-time with a more local update. I am sure I’ll have another update very soon. After all, this is the season of ch-ch-ch-changes!

We had quite the mix of weather earlier this week. A Santa Ana with temperatures in the 80s, backed by rain storms, and now we’re back to the “usual” partly sunny and 70s. Must be springtime!

What big changes or milestones are you going through now with your kids, RMT’ers?

One Day in London: Traditional Sites and Landmarks

One thing we made sure to do when we arrived in London was to hop on board a double-decker public bus and sit up top. We stayed on board for about an hour or so, including time for changing bus lines so we could see which routes took us near which landmarks, museums, and major sites should we want to return later in our trip for a more proper visit.

Our London Holiday, March 31-through-April 9, 2013:
1. British Airways LAX-LHR
2. The Waldorf Hilton, London
3. Covent Garden Neighborhood
4. London Transport Museum
5. One Day in London: Traditional Landmarks TODAY’S POST
6. Princess Diana Playground, Kensington Park, and Green Park/ Buckingham Palace
7. Harry Potter Connections
8. Family Remembrance and Celebration: Brookwood Cemetery and The Lion King at The Lyceum Theatre
9. Day Trip: Isle of Wight and Portsmouth, UK
10. Day Out: Greenwich, UK
11. Tower of London
12. London’s Shopping Meccas: Hamleys Toys and Harrods

I strongly encourage everyone to familiarize themselves with Transport for London and its bus and Underground maps, routes, and apps (yes, there’s an app for them!) the first day or two of any London holiday or even before you head out on holiday. Quite honestly, it’s the easiest way to get around town and hit all the major landmarks, even with a kid in tow… and by far the most inexpensive means aside from walking everywhere, of course. Forget the more touristy (and expensive) hop-0n, hop-off bus tours unless you are only in town for a day or two total; London is by far one of the easiest cities to navigate via public transit that I’ve visited (I’ve been to Paris, Rome, Boston, Washington DC, New York City, and lived in Chicago for several years, just as a reference for comparison on major cities and public transportation systems).

Most if not all of the sites and places listed in this post were places we either rode by and/or jumped off of mass transit and at least walked by if not visited inside of one day. I’ve included a mix of photos from each visit during our entire week-plus in London, whether from the same day or not, so please don’t call me out on if you notice that the photos don’t all come from the same day or the sequencing doesn’t make sense. It’s the idea of the one-day-in-London that I am trying to convey here (i.e., the layover concept, if you only had one day in a big city, etc.).

C and T getting on (or off?) one of the older Routemaster buses that runs along the 15 line in London. Passengers board and leave through the back door, making it such that there has to be a second employee other than just a driver to make sure no one gets a free ride!

First, here’s one of the Routemaster buses from the 1950s. The 15 runs some of the older Routemasters as part of their daily operations, which was the line that stopped in front of our hotel, The Waldorf Hilton, on Aldwych in Covent Garden. You can read more about the 15 line here to see exactly where this route will take you on your London adventures. Do note that this line intersects with various other bus lines, which made it quite easy to transfer around town.

Just one of several photos of C and T in London’s Underground, AKA “The Tube.” This subway system turns 150 years old this year!

We also hit the Underground for longer hauls across town. When we found that we’d have to change a bus more than twice, the Underground was the way to go. A lot of times, however, we chose to bus back to our hotel just for something a bit different and to see if we saw anything new that we might want to make time for visiting later.

A view of Oxford Circus from atop one of London’s double-decker buses. It was a gorgeous day even if chilly, so many were out above-ground and walking.

London’s Piccadilly Circus intersection brings tourists and locals together in a hub bub of activity (and advertisement!).

Here’s T out and about in London’s Piccadilly Circus after coming above-ground from a quick Underground ride. Covent Garden, the neighborhood we stayed in, is just one stop down on the Piccadilly line.

From one of our bus rides, we traveled through Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus. These are two large intersections in city-center infamous for pedestrian crowds and crossings. I think the photos speak for themselves as far as the popularity of these areas of town. We could hardly take a bus or Underground ride without crossing one if not both of these areas; looks as if others can say the same!

A view of London’s Trafalgar Square from the top of a double-decker bus. The large building in the center is the National Gallery.

T and C on the balcony in front of the National Gallery looking out over Trafalgar Square. In the distance you can see one of London’s other infamous landmarks, too.

The boys in London’s Trafalgar Square.

T posing for the obvious photo in London’s Trafalgar Square.

Another landmark that is quite hard to miss is Trafalgar Square. This is a meeting place in the hub bub of city center where people gather and others gather to people watch. On a beautiful day, it’s truly brilliant. Trafalgar Square’s also home to the National Gallery, London’s premiere art museum (free admission to all). We did get out here to take a walk around inside of the gallery (no photos permitted here) and outside in the square. T especially enjoyed the story of Vincent van Gogh; please ask him the next time you see him about the “Sunflowers” artist and what he did to his ear and whether that was a good or a bad idea.

BONG BONG BONG! It’s Big Ben and Parliament, or a sure sign we must be in London, baby!

Us with Big B in the background. Not bad for a timer shot! Oh, and yes, it was cold that day… as in, “wintry mix” of precipitation.

We also cruised by two of London’s mainstay attractions. Look, it’s Big Ben and Parliament! OK, so that’s not exactly an original line, but who doesn’t go to London and not at least see these two renowned monuments of the UK government?! Oh, and just a tidbit of trivia: Big Ben is the name of the bell inside of the clock, not the name of the clock itself. You do learn something new every day, right RMT’ers? For even more resounding trivia bits every hour on the hour, check out Big Ben’s Twitter Feed. Bong!

T and I in front of Westminster Abbey. I didn’t understand that I should look into the camera lens for these sort-of shots. Sorry, C!

And since we were so close to the two aforementioned landmarks, we got off and walked by Westminster Abbey. As it was late in the day when we ventured over here, we chose not to go in on this visit. Truth is, we didn’t enter a single church on this entire vacation. I know, right?! How does one even go to Europe and avoid the church scene? Three words (or one hyphenated word?): Five-year-old. Yeah, since T couldn’t really care less, we chose to put those entrance fees towards other activities along the adventures. I, however, have been inside Westminster Abbey on a previous visit, and if you can manage to enter, please do. It really is a time capsule of history by way of the royal events (living and dead) that have occurred here, not to mention all the other famous names who will rest for all eternity.

A view of the Thames River, including the London Eye Ferris wheel to the left of the photo. While we didn’t get around (ha ha, get it, around!) to riding it this visit, I have a feeling it will be here next time we get to London. After all, the Eye was constructed for the Millennium and was only to last for a few years after those events, and now here we are more than 10 years later.

Surprisingly, one site we did not get out to take a spin around on was the London Eye. In fact, we only drove by London’s newest (and now one of its most popular) landmark a handful of times where I could snap a halfway-decent photo! Anyway, since T had just been on our local Ferris wheel not too long before this vacation, we didn’t feel it was worth pushing at the price advertised; also T never asked. It’s also a slow spin, with one ticket getting you one time around in about 30 minutes. Yeah, not exactly thrilling, though I do realize the views of London given its location along the Thames River have the potential to be absolutely spectacular. Perhaps next time when T might appreciate those views a wee bit more for the cost we can work that one into the itinerary.

T and C in front of the Embassy for Ecuador in London’s Knightsbridge neighborhood. And believe it or not, we were not the only one snapping photos here, so we’re not the only quirky London tourists out there!

T and I in front of a mobile command police unit in front of the Embassy for Ecuador in London. You know, just in case you-know-who decides to step out for some fresh air!

London police keep watch outside of the Embassy for Ecuador in London. Thanks for the photo, guys!

Another fun stop we made was the Embassy for Ecuador. OK, I know this sounds strange, but considering the news lately, C felt it important to stop by and see if its most infamous resident was taking visitors. Alright, we didn’t exactly ask that, seeing as there was a very strong police presence and all (that and many flats surrounding the Embassy also were populated with some sort of security and surveillance force). I realize my even writing this in my blog has now put us on some sort of watch list; then again, I am sure we were heavily photographed and cataloged when we stopped by a few weeks ago.

T in a taxi cab. This was the only time we saw the inside of a cab during a week-plus in London. Brilliant!

T finds his “popper word” on a sign “in” front of the British Museum.

C and T in front of the British Museum.

Our friend met up with us for lunch at the British Museum. So nice!

Last but not least, we went to the British Museum. Now while we took a cab here – the only cab fare of the entire London stay! – it was only because of weather and our inability to walk the distance the day-time we went. It would have been only about a 20-minute walk from our hotel if we were to have hoofed it, but no one wants to start a day drenched and tired, right? We also were meeting one of C’s longtime family friends, so who wants to meet up with someone drenched and tired also?

T in front of the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum.

T with some of the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum.

T and I with the Nereid Monument in Room 17 at the British Museum.

There are so many cool hieroglyphics at the British Museum. This photo doesn’t do it justice quite honestly, but it’s the best I got with no flash use.

T’s favorite of the Elgin Marble panels.

Anyway, we spent a good half-day at the British Museum, and I felt as if we missed out on seeing so much (i.e. mummies, oh well!). But wow what we did see. This is the home of the Rosetta Stone, Elgin Marbles, and so many other wonderful relics and archives from the world over. Now I realize most would consider the items in this museum on a, um, long-term loan (that’s the nicest way I could think to phrase “looted and pilfered”), but to their credit, the Museum has done a wonderful job to preserve these items and moments in history. We had good intentions to return during our trip, as admission is free to all, but we just never made it back nor had the chunk of time to do it. Ah, next time!

T loved London so much he had to call home (or at least pretend to call) and tell everyone about it!

RMT’ers, what’s your favorite landmark or site to see in London?