Last day in London.....San Francisco here we come!

Yesterday was our last day in London - we've had an amazing time but we are ready for the US!  We didn't do a lot today, went down to Regent St for one last shop.  All we keep saying is - 'we'll buy it in America'.  The kids have wanted to buy shoes and me telling them this is driving them nuts!  I did buy another dress though at Monsoon - I'm sure they are only in the UK.

The kids were told if they were really good while Terry and I shopped (OK so while I shopped) we would take them to M&M's world.  They were trying so hard to behave - Will walked hand in hand with me.  When I left a shop he asked, 'Did anything catch your eye?'  Cute!

So off to M&M's world we went - chocolate heaven.  The kids little faces were so excited - up and down the four levels they raced.  There was every colour of M&M's you could think of, row after row.

We then spent the afternoon getting ready for our flight, packing bags and washing clothes (thanks Terry).  I will miss our little apartment - it has been in the most convenient location.  Tube 30m from our hotel, Sainsburys around the corner, restaurants all around, park across the street, coffee shop across the road.  I was sitting here the other day and heard 'clip clop clip clop' and out the window flanked by policeman was a horse and carriage and i swear it was Sophie of Wessex.

Some things for me to remember:

* I don't think I've met anyone in London who is from London.  I actually don't think I've met anyone who's English in London at all.  Even the taxi driver was Scottish.

* The money here is unbelievable. We've seen the odd Ferrari, Lamborgini, and a million rich Arabs.

* It is only dark from 11pm til 430am - no wonder there are so many people asleep on the Tube.  I still can't get over this.

* Speaking of the tube it is my favourite mode of transport - I'm still amazed i didn't get lost once.

* People on the street walk on the right side, not the left.  This is on escalators too.

* This has been the only place I've never had to spell Marlborough.

* Apparently we bought the weather with us - we only had half a day of really light rain in the whole two weeks we've been here.  Not the norm - the sun really only came out 4 days out of 14 though.  I missed it.

* Lots of berries readily available and cheap - raspberries, strawberries and blackberries.

* Sainsbury's sell the best crumpets ever.

It was funny when i arrived here - I was wide-eyed, excited but felt completely out of my depth in what was only my second time out of Australia and the first time in nearly 20 years.  For goodness sake we thought there was a bomb out the front of our hotel on the first day! Now as i push my way through the crowds, knowing my way around, I see the new tourists with their maps standing on the corner each day.  Exactly like i was.

We are all really looking forward to our trip to the US.  Neither Terry or I have been there before so it will be great to explore together and as a family.  Terry hasn't found anyone in the whole of London to talk golf with - hopefully there will be in the US (I think he may be missing you Reg!)

 Anyway - we are ready for the US - let's hope the US is ready for the Marlboroughs!

Not the best pic but i love this one!

Our station, Marble Arch

James always first on the tube and always scammed a seat!

 M&M's world

Blue skies - and sun!

Tower of London, (Bel Marl) Borough Markets and Theatre

Yesterday morning we hung our in the apartment for the morning, chilling out from the Paris trip.  I have gotten used to apartment life and certainly this hotel.  The room is serviced every day, fresh sheets daily - what a luxury.  There is an endless supply of bottled sparkling and still water, and there are loads of little bottles of bathroom stuff everywhere its nearly an overkill.  They don't even leave stuff to wash up with so every morning we leave our breakfast dishes and head out for the day - come back in the afternoon and everything is done.  Isn't it funny how i can't stand washing up at home - then I missed it when i first got here - and now i feel like i don't ever want to wash up again!

After lunch we went to the Tower of London.  The boys were highly impressed as everything there  reminded them of the Minecraft game they are obsessed with.  We lined up for 30 minutes to see the Crown Jewels and they were worth the wait.  I have seen them before when i was 21 but I don't remember being as impressed back then.  The kids liked the Bloody Tower where they saw the torturer's tools and all of the armour in the White Tower.  There was a machine where you got to see how you would go as an archer - James managed to get his 'dead on target'.

Last night we found a new Italian restaurant for dinner, then the boys went back to bed and I hit the shops in Oxford Street.  Didn't buy much as waiting for shopping in the US and Oxford St is no where near as good for shopping as Regent Street.

Today I woke up determined to stop eating the amount of food I've been eating.  I'd planned to go to the Borough Markets and then head to the theatre to see the Lion King.

We arrived at the markets and being a former market girl I know my stuff - this was without doubt THE best market I have ever been to.  This was the place to be.  The freshest of fruit and veg, choice cuts of meat, seafood, juices, cheeses but the best thing of all was all the cooked meat.  There went all my hopes of not eating much today!

Will has been trying some new foods on the trip, I am so proud of him - he had some giant pretzel, tried a brownie and a sausage roll.  James went straight for a watermelon juice, flapjack and fudge.  I had heard from Kylie there was a stall that sells toasted cheese sandwiches and there is a chef from the US who flies over just to eat them.  I tracked them down and OMG they were to die for.  3 different cheeses loaded into bread with onions and leeks then toasted - Terry and I shared bite for bite.  The same stall also had another dish where they melt cheese over potatoes.  This looked great too but I had to leave room for the pulled pork bun with coleslaw i had spied - but then there was the roast pork with crackling and apple sauce, which one to choose?  I asked the girl if i could have half and half as i just couldn't have chosen.  Best crackling ever.  Best pulled pork.  Then i spied the salted beef but thought i'd be sick if i ate anymore.  The kids were on there best behaviour while we were there - I was in market heaven.  As we left Terry said, 'they were the best markets I'd ever been to.' Totally agree!

Then off to the West End for the Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre which was brilliant - afternoon enjoyed by all.

Terry has just cracked a beer - feeling better thank goodness - and I'm debating whether to hit Regent Street for more shopping tonight.  Definitely there will be no eating.

Tower of London

Outside the Tower at London Bridge

(Bel Marl) Borough Markets 

 Brownie!

About to scoff cherries

Trying a giant pretzel

Found - 3 cheese toasted sanga

It's mine!

Cheese melting under a hot plate will be put on potatoes

Pork rolls at Hobbs

Couldn't fit in the duck - sampled though!

Heirloom tomatoes

One for you Mick Applebee

Lion King

To Paris with .......sons!

Yesterday was a huge day - another trip on the Eurostar, this time to Paris.  Terry hadn't been feeling well the day before and when we woke up in the morning he just wasn't feeling well enough to go.  I decided I'd go with the boys by myself.  I packed our trusty backpack and set off to catch the 730 train feeling full of adventure.  We took a taxi to the station and this is when i started feeling full of fear.  OMG - could i do it?  I get lost going past Hexham - Crap.  Will could see the fear in my face - he started trying to make me feel better, "how exciting Mum, can you believe we are going to Paris?"  No I could not!

The train ride went quickly, the kids were brilliant (it was 2.5 hours).   It felt like a croissant and a latte later we were at Gare du Nord Station.  Confidence back I was ready to take on Paris for the day.

We took a taxi and in my best French said, "Bonjour, Place de la Concorde." He started talking French - clearly I was clueless - then I added, "From Australia".  I know how much the French dislike the English so the Australia bit surely would give me a few points.  We arrived at Place de la Concorde which is one of the major public squares in Paris.  (Good suggestion Mum!)  I'd filled the kids with fear before we arrived, telling them to stick close - I didn't want to lose them in Paris - and told them to be wary of beggars, trickers, scammers, sellers - and they all really were just about on every corner.  We sat down and James and I shared a 'chocolat du part'.  It was the most amazing chocolate cake ever so I then just had to try the 'citrus  part' and James had another piece of the chocolate 'part'. Amazing.  We walked around the square checking out the gardens, the Obelisk of Luxor and all of the statues.

We went to see about a river cruise but the next one was 45 minutes away and we just didn't have time to waste.  We decided to bail but it was worth the walk as the kids got to see all of the locks on the bridge which they thought were pretty cool.

We then hopped on one of the open air buses and went to Notre Dame Cathedral.  We walked around and the boys lit a candle for Terry's Mum and Dad and my grandfather.  James got really emotional - it was a bit overwhelming, especially as we rarely go into a church.  There was a choir singing, the music was kind of haunting and the stained glass windows were amazing.   Jesus on the cross - it was all too much for young Jim!

We headed to the Champ Elysees and the kids were happy to find McDonalds.  I was desperate to shop but with only 3 hours left in Paris decided to take on the Arc De Triomphe.  The line to get in went fairly quickly - we walked up the 284 stairs to the top - with my heavy back pack on it was no easy feat!  Certainly helped to walk off the 'Royale with Cheese' I scoffed at Maccas (Quarter Pounder)

The kids were busting to get to the Eiffel Tower and I am so glad we saved it til last.  Back on the bus and finally we made it - my selling point to the kids for the trip - the Eiffel Tower!

We took photo after photo - the lines were so long and thankfully the kids weren't really interested in going up the top, they were just happy we'd finally made it.  When we were taking photos, a gorilla came along and started posing with us - then it hit me, how much is this gonna cost me?  In all my trip advisor researching I hadn't heard about gorillas!  I put a couple of euro into the gorillas tin and by this stage the kids were fed up with the scammers.  Will especially in his words was 'crapped off'.

We then made it back to the station, six hours in Paris over.  It had been forecast to rain and we had sunshine all day - huge bonus.  The only three words/phrases we knew had helped us out throughout the day - Bonjour, Merci and Parlez-vous Anglais!

Together, the kids and i were a great team.  We had caught trains, taxis, buses, the tube and made it around Paris without getting lost or wasting anytime.  A huge success and damn amazing as I was the leader - my goodness if i can do all that with two kids in tow is there anything i can't do?!

The day couldn't have gone any better,  and yes my beautiful friend Rainee I was thinking of you all day - I know you have a thing for Paris xxx

Back on the Eurostar again

First up - Place de la Concorde

Eating our 'parts'

Impressed with the locks

Notre Dame

Thinking of Pup, Nan and Pa.

Good old Maccas - it's everywhere you go

We made it

Crazy James

My little mate

Team Marlborough

Time to go......

A couple of down days - or were they?

After our huge day after the Cotswolds we decided to have a down day.

After chilling out in the apartment in the morning I decided to take the kids to Hyde Park - not a down day for long!

The kids and I walked around the park for 4 hours and had fun feeding the chipmunks again.  This is their favourite thing to do!  We walked to the Diana Memorial, Peter Pan, found Marlborough gate and walked all around Kensington Gardens.  Finally made it back - exhausted again!  While we were doing this, Terry was cruising Park Lane, checking out all the car shops, Aston Martin was the fav.

Then Terry and I went out for a special kid-free dinner (mum and Phil had the boys) Being a foodie all i wanted to do was go for fancy dinner at a Michelin Starred Restaurant.  I booked us in to Galvin at Windows (modern French) which is at the top of the Hilton and had a great view over London.  Starting with my first glass ever of Dom Perignon - oh yum - we had the degustation with matching wines and i was VERY proud of Terry who ate things that were green, soupy, unpronouncable and were no where close to meat and three veg!  The waiters were all French with strong accents.  The Sommelier we could hardly understand - when he served us our first wine all we heard was, 'blah blah blah blah blah, petrol, blah blah blah."  When he left i looked at Terry and said, 'petrol?'.  Yep - that was all he could make out too.

The next day we went to the Natural History Museum with the kids - lots of dinosaurs, animals, etc.  We then had a farewell dinner with Mum and Phil as they were leaving for Germany.  Mum and I then went shopping for the last time on Regent Street.

All things Marlborough in London - first place i haven't had to spell it for people!

 Playing in the park

 Peter Pan

Having a skip

 Starting to fool

 Fooling

 More fooling

Love those chipmunks

Just before the chipmunk bit James

Fooling on the way home - he ain't heavy, he's my brother!

Look what i found in the lobby at our hotel - Salesforce seminars!! No!!

Museum

Will keeping his eye on the dinosaur!