Mind the Gap!

After a pretty pokey morning, we headed to a nearby restaurant on the Thames for some breakfast. This restaurant has a really cool bunch of wind-protection domes so that diners can eat out on the patio yet still cope with the frequently strong winds that blow this way from the Thames. It looks really neat from our balcony to see everyone huddled inside the bubbles. The servers were pretty chilly this morning running back and forth from the main restaurant to the patio to keep their patrons happy with their orders. We opted for the indoor dining instead. We have been observing that many of the restaurant servers here are much older than the typical server age we see in restaurants we frequent in Canada. There were some pretty giggly moments this morning when Sir IF and J both got served their Americano coffees in beautiful blue pottery tea sets from Portugal. Uncertain if this was a "new" way to serve Americanos it took a few moments for our men-folk to get up the courage to catch the server's eye and check if a little mistake had been made. 

We did lots of subway time this morning and our Mind the Gap blog header stems from our experiences. The automated subway voice commands at every door opening to Mind the Gap between the train and the subway platform. As we are sure you can imagine, Meg is closely watching the "gap" at every opportunity (not to mention ensuring that our whole party is all gathered up and getting on/off the train at the same time - much head counting going on ensuring our party is all together). Little P loves to hang around the platform after minding the gap and disembarking, waiting to wave farewell to the train. She's been delighted with those who loosen their British reserve and take the chance to wave back and put a smile on her face. 

The British Museum was our focus today. A grand and glorious old building, we snaked through the queue area pleased to have avoided the large crowds. It's so delightful that almost all British museums are free to the public - it would be a wonderful concept to have in Canada but we can't see that ever becoming a reality in today's fiscal climate. The museum is home to a number of permanent exhibits that tell the story of the history of civilization. A significant number of displays featured elements of the friezes of The Parthenon and the Acropolis. The talent of these artists was incredible and one can only imagine how much effort went into creating all of the intricate details. 

We walked through some quaint streets and loved all of the little bakeries and cafes that were lining the neighbourhoods. Sir IF and Meg will quite enjoy returning here at the end of their Scotland trip to take in more of these sites. There are so many options here for gluten-free diners, or as the locals call it, free from food. Thus far it has been challenging to find places willing to accommodate Meg's allergies so things look promising for a significant weight loss for at least one in our party. We're quite pleased we have an apartment in much of our locales. 

The streets are incredibly busy and we can't imagine what it must be like to be here in the true tourist season. It's actually very challenging to wend your way on a lot of the sidewalks as the people and crowds pretty much take up every inch of space. Life is also a significantly faster pace here. The escalators in the subway stations move at a breakneck pace, people have to be sure to stay to the right if they don't want to be trampled by those who are almost running up the escalator. This pace continues on all of the walking on the sidewalks as well. It's such a huge city and there is so much ground to cover to get somewhere so perhaps that's why everyone's always in such a hurry. 

We toured around the quays surrounding the Tower of London tonight in search of a place to eat dinner. There are so many tourists everywhere that one always feels safe, even when it's dark out, so it's nice to feel that way when travelling around. All of the buildings in much of London that we have seen so far have all been stunningly renovated. There is also a lot of new architecture going up as well. When we are not looking down at our feet to be sure we don't trip on the cobblestone, we have to remember to be sure to look up as the ornamentation on the tops of the historical buildings is really quite incredible. 

Sir IF and J checking out all the boats. (And they say a daughter always chooses a man just like her father!).

The bubble domes are a popular eating spot. 

One of the many friezes inside the British Museum. We thought Little P would particularly like this one (she and Mamma and Daddy P were off to Stonehenge today).

Outside the gates of the Tower of London. 

The DJs

The telephone booth icon still dots the London landscape, even if its primary purpose today is mostly for the tourist photo. 

The Tower Bridge as seen at night on our evening stroll. 

Bob's Your Uncle!

Well we are here safe and sound in London. It was a good flight and are now feeling well rested having mostly adjusted to the time change. We went to bed around 9:00 pm and were wide awake at 1:15 am which rather perplexed us but eventually dozed back off to sleep for almost six more hours so feeling confident we now have things sorted out. 

On arrival into the big city we had already made arrangements to have a driver meet us at the airport to take us to our hotel. It was a long drive in with a very nice gentleman who was more than welcome to share his local knowledge of all of the sites. We had forgotten just how incredibly large London is but we were quickly reminded by the traffic if nothing else -- it took one and a half hours to get to our hotel - in non-rush hour traffic.

Showered up and refreshed we met up with the DJs and took off on foot to explore the area around Tower Bridge. We met up with Little P and Mamma and Daddy P outside the HMS Belfast. When Little P saw the DJs she came racing down the pier, jumped into D's arms and gave her such a warm and welcoming hug. It's always nice to have been missed. 

The flowers and foliage really are out in full bloom already. 

We weren't quick enough with the camera, but Little P got right into the flower bed to get the full experience of the beautiful daffodils. 

We loaded up our tube Oyster cards and ventured out with the young people to Abbey Road. It was a good chance to get out and try to understand the transportation system. Lovely neighbourhood stroll from the subway station to the Abbey Road site.  It seemed so unusual to see all the flowers and trees in bloom already with palm trees lining the gardens on our walk as well. 

Abbey Road where we tried to get a photo of the infamous Beatles' cover but alas the site was under temporary construction. Mamma and Daddy P did their best though at getting the stride out. 

We made our way off of Abbey Road down to the Oxford Circus area of London by bus transit which was a pretty convenient way to get around. Then we meandered our way through the five storey Hamley's Toy Store and were completely overwhelmed. It was rather like being at a circus or carnival with all of the carney workers vying for our attention with their newly released products. We all agreed we collectively prefer the quiet sedateness of a traditional toy store, or even yet, perhaps a small independent bookstore (yes, Meg's bias is coming through). 

Sir IF, Little P and D couldn't resist the opportunity for a picture with the queen (and yes, she is crafted entirely out of lego pieces).

Our hotel has a pretty good view of the Thames River and Sir IF and his buddies got to spend most of the evening checking out all of the ships, barges, cruise ships, and tour boats gliding up the river. A significant number of police boats and helicopter activity were also a constant reminder and sign of the times. 

Sir IF relaxes after a full evening taking in the water views.