Five Countries Four Marlboroughs: 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.