We’ve been so busy going place to place that today we decided was going to be an easy day.  We took our time getting up.  Chris made pancakes, our typical Sunday breakfast.  But pancake mix here is more like crepes.  The boys still liked them though!

We headed into Jubilee Gardens to go to the London Eye. The London Eye is the huge ferris wheel that opened in 2000.  It was not intentionally going to be permanent, but rather part of the millennium celebrations in London (it took 7 years to build!).  But it is now part of tourist London.  There is a short 4-D experience before getting in line.  The line looks endless but goes by very quickly- it only took us about 30 minutes (coincidentally the same mount of time it takes to go around)!  On a clear day you can see up to 25 miles.  We had great views!

Part of the park is a playground.  The kids had lots of fun playing there.  When then went on to walk to Cleopatra’s needle- by Aidan’s request.  We passed it the other day on the bus tour.  It is amazing that there are statues that date back thousands of years ago in the city!

We then walked through Covenant Gardens and Leister Square- both busy with people and street performers.  We bough some candy to enjoy- there isn’t a picture because it went pretty quickly!

The rest of the afternoon/early evening was spent relaxing and getting ready for tomorrow’s adventure- we are heading off on another all day trip that includes Stonehenge!

Today was a really fun day!  We went on a guided tour day trip of Kent.  There were several stops along the way.  It was relaxed and enjoyable and the kids said it was one of their favorite days (Harry Potter and Matilda are still their faves of course).

We started early and headed to Leeds Castle.  It is a beautiful castle.  We hopped off the bus and were greeted with drinks of meed!  The kids were given “eye spy” cards to look for things in the various rooms.  It’s amazing how long ago things were built!  After the castle tour we took a walk outside and got to wander in a maze.  It was harder than you might think!  There was also a play ground.  It was a very family friendly place.  There was a ride that looked like fun that I suggested we all join in on.  Chris warned me that it was for kids, but we tried it anyway.  I fell off.  I think I may now have a broken or badly bruised finger.  Oh well.  Lots of laughs!

The next stop was the Canterbury Cathedral.  We started by having lunch in Canterbury.  Chris finally had his fish and chips!  The Cathedral was beautiful.  The boys loved exploring and seeing how old things were – thousands of years old!! 

Dover Beach and the White Cliffs were next.  On a clear day you can see to France.  It is the start point to swim the English Channel.  The boys put their feet in and skipped rocks.  Thankfully no one fell in!

We drove through Greenwich to catch a ferry boat back to the city.  It was a cool way to see the city!  The boat was super nice!

It was a long day but the drive between places and seeing the English countryside was so relaxing!

There is so much to see in London and places to go.  We decided the best way to see it all was to take a tour- a “Hop on, Hop off” tour.  We went through the whole tour (a little over two hours).  We all enjoyed the fun facts and interesting information our great tour guide had.  We were even able to decide which things we want to go back to see!  It may have been a little too long for the kids, but it was a fun time and a great way to see the city and learn more.  We hopped off at Trafalgar Square and had our lunch.

We walked/took the tube to the American Embassy which we had seen on our tour.  No one was there but we were able to see some American statues- Roosevelt, John Adams…and Ronald Regan.  There was also a tribute garden those who died on  9/11 with the listings of names of UK residents.

Next up was ice cream! It’s been beautiful weather, but lots of sun and walking makes for hot kids!  There are some minor sunburns!

Then we headed off to Buckingham Palace.  Where else on the 4th of July!  Lots of other Americans had the same idea!  There were lots of people we saw throughout the day with festive clothes.  A few people even said Happy Independence Day to us.  It may have had to do with the boys choosing to wear their American Flag shirts!

Happy 4th to everyone at home!  We hope the impending storm passes!!