Galop infernal

Due to some uncertainty over the availability of The Eldest this week, I was determined that we all had at least one day out together and so made plans for a trip to London.

I’d managed to get them all up and ready in good time, so we headed off to catch the 9.30 from Ingatestone and by 10.30 we were wandering about the decks of HMS Belfast. Fantastic experience and we were all blown away that it could house 1,000 sailors. Apparently it fired more shells over the course of the Korean War than it did during World War Two. I was particularly taken with the footage of the ship in the artic and sailors trying to bang the ice off the gun turrets!

From there we had a little walk along the South Bank, taking in chicken burgers from Borough Market before walking further on for a whistle stop tour of the Tate Modern. We then made our way over the Millennium Bridge to get to Blackfriars to get the tube to Westminster (they wanted to see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey). We’d done a fair amount of walking by this point and there was now some heat in the sun, so The Youngest elected to have a little sunbathe with the Houses as her backdrop. I couldn’t resist a snap.

From there we made our way to Leicester Square with the Lego store as our chosen destination, but unfortunately there was a queue snaking around the side of the building to get into it, so we decided against and took a walk through a bustling, beautiful-smelling Chinatown instead. Another rest was in order, so we people watched, ate cakes and rehydrated whilst enjoying the singer with an amazing voice on on our right who was entertaining the crowds and trying to ignore the street entertainer on our left, who should have been done under the Trade Descriptions Act. 

With the offspring on their last legs, we made our way into Covent Garden for an ice cream and enjoyed the violinists playing and dancing the ‘Galop infernal’ in one of the restaurants (Crusting Pipe?).

With a final stop in the Apple Store to play on the latest iPads, we departed and made our way back across town to Liverpool Street and returned to my parent’s place.

Absolutely brilliant day and if public transport could run as well as that everyday and everywhere, it would be a no-brainer in getting rid of the car!!

Rest day tomorrow, I promise.