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Easing our way into London today. It's a little intimidating with the list of things to do. We relaxed in the apartment watching morning UK TV and the kids did some homework. I'm quite happy to sit and watch the weekday unfold through our bay window. Kids in suits and ties running late for the bus to school or people rushing for the tube to work.
Getting Deaks to finish his homework was a challenge as the kids were both very excited about our planned trip to Hamleys - the oldest toy shop in the world. And it's a big one! 7 floors of toys and games. And every floor has really cool toys to try. We spent a couple of hours there and the kids (and I) all walked away with a great souvenir of our trip.
Hamleys is in the heart of London on Regent St. and this is a retail hub. It's so vibrant and busy that you can easily overlook the architecture in the area. It's stunning and should not be taken for granted. These buildings are 100s of years old and have seen some amazing history. Now they are full of flagship stores for
the brands of the world but in the past they would have had many purposes and seen some historic events unfold. It's hard to do it justice but it is something special to walk these streets with the walls of stone around you and be surrounded by black cabs, red buses, bobbies on the beat and the hustle and bustle of one of the capitals of the world.
We had lunch in the Slug and Lettuce (great name) and took our time, so as to give the kids a break. The girls were keen to hit the shops and when I couldn't find a coat because all the winter stock has been prematurely replaced by polo shirts and shorts, the kids and I headed for the tube home and Hyde Park for some fresh air and open space. The underground is also amazing. It's a truly impressive peice of infrastructure and also feels taken for granted. The trains feel smaller than I remember and the posters on the long escalators have been upgraded to digital versions since we were last here, but the tube still smells the same and moves millions of people each day.
Hyde park was
fun and we found a playground to play in when the rain paused. The weather was mad today. Sun, showers, wind and storm clouds. I can't remember seeing clouds like this in London before and the sun is so bright when it shines. We played in the park in shirts but when the sun falls behind the clouds you definitely need a coat.
The kids are navigating the tube stations and cruising the streets of London like it's Albion. I don't think they really get where they are but it is so cool to see them rolling down Gloucester Terrace in Paddington laughing and playing together. They are having a ball.
It cost us 100 quid for dinner last night at the pub and keeping that up will bankrupt us. Dinner at home tonight and time for some home cooked veges for us and the kids. Dinner from Sainsburys cost us less the 15 quid and was a lot healthier than the pub grub. We haven't lost our backpacker mindset either. On the way back from Sainsburys we ducked into the Pride of Paddington (local pub) for a pint and knicked sachets of mayonaise and brown sauce to
accompany our chicken and veg dinner. This appartment is not really a home in the same sense as the previous two places and the one downside of this commercial version of AirBNB is the lack of condiments and supplies in the house - not to mention the lack of warmth. Don't worry we bought a pint and a wine while we stole the sauces.
We watched Eurovision on tele and of all places to see an Aussie it was Eurovison. But there was Guy Sebastian preparing for his performance tomorrow night. You can't escape Aussies in Europe.
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