London - One of the World's Greatest Cities

So today we will depart London for Cardiff, Wales to see some family before heading off to France for another 6 weeks.  I had little preconceptions about the city before coming here but am glad I did and am sad to go.  I think Rick Steve's put it best when he talks about London and describes exactly the way I feel about the city:


"London is more than its museums and landmarks.  It's a living, breathing, thriving organism... a coral reek of humanity."


Construction is everywhere in anticipation of the 2012 Olympics.  It's funny - we went to Athens (2001) and Beijing (2006) before they hosted Olympics as well.  I guess the advertisers have done their job well!  I was surprised at how "un-English" it really is here.  English seems to be the city's second language and the visible minority population is vast.  The whole city seems foreign, yet comfortable for me.  I believe the diverse population had a big influence on this.  Although it is great to see the Big Ben's and Westminster Abbey's to say you've been there (and London has enough landmarks and museums to fill your plate non-stop for 2 weeks), like always though our fondest memories will be the sights and sounds of the people we have met during "normal life" that we will remember.


I've heard many reviews from people that have been to both London and Paris and each one seems to love one OR the other.  Never both.  I'm interested to find out the differences.  Well, I love London and have really high hopes for Paris.  I hope that I will be the first.


Siew and I have been fortunate enough to go to some of the world's "mega cities" which I consider metro areas of at least 5 million (or the top 50 metro areas in the world by population).  Here is a list that I like to refer to.  It's always interesting to see how each country and culture adapts to staggering numbers of people.  Some examples of places that Siew and I have been to together that fall into this category are: Tokyo, Osaka/Kobe, Shanghai, Beijing, L.A., and Toronto.  Right now - I'd rank London in my top 3 with Osaka/Kobe holding the top spot.  If there was one knock on London is that the food is mediocre, which is one area that I value a lot.  Not bad.  Not spectacular.  Just middle of the road.  Maybe it's because we're relying on Chowhound too much, but I've had better Indian in Calgary (yikes!) and better Asian in Richmond (which is world class).  On the flip side though - the traditional pub fare is truly remarkable.  That being said, there is only so much my stomach can take of constant deep fried food. 


Since I've been trying to be diligent in posting reviews, I thought I'd post two distinct top 5 lists.  One - if I were visiting without kids.  The other - if you do have little ones which really focuses on interesting things to keep the kids engaged while satisfying your craving for some culture at the same time.  Note that this includes only stuff that we actually got to do.


Top 5 of London Without Kids

1. Tower of London - The best all-around attraction in London steeped in history and a boat load of cool activities.
2. British Museum - The best museum in the world.  Period.
3. St.Paul's Cathedral - Da Vinci Codish atmosphere really adds to the impact of the place. 
4. Westminster Abbey - Organ recital will be one of my fond memories.  Stained glass work is out of this world.
5. Natural History Museum - The best of its kind and the second best museum I've seen in London.

Top 5 of London With Kids

1. Hyde Park - Between the wide open spaces, and the playgrounds and Palaces, it is the best way to enjoy a nice day out with your kids in London.
2. Tower of London - Jewels, Torture, Amour, Swords, and Cannons.  If this doesn't do the sell job for your kids nothing will.
3. London Eye - Impossible for the kids NOT to like an over-sized ferris wheel right?
4. Natural History Museum - Dinosaurs are the star, but there is something for every kid - and all displays are world class.
5. Science Museum - Despite it's confusing mish mash of stuff, all will keep your kids busy for a loooooooooong time.

Day 11 - Final Day in London

No major attractions today - but we did do some interesting things.  First we took a double decker bus and traveled all the way to Picadilly Circus.  If you haven't been on a double decker before, I highly recommend it.  Seeing London from that vantage point was a lot of fun - and for 1.90 GBP a cheap way to see the city instead of one of those sightseeing bus tours.  After getting off, we headed to Hamley's.  For those who don't know, Hamley's celebrated their 250th birthday last year and (I believe) is the oldest toy store in the world.  I haven't been to F.A.O. Schwartz in NYC so I can't compare, but this place was pure fun with 5 complete floors of every toy you could imagine.  All the workers do a great job of keeping up the atmosphere here which was welcoming.  I don't expect to be posting too many reviews in Cardiff since there isn't a ton of attractions to do there, except for Cardiff Castle, so will have to think of some other things to post.  Hopefully we make it out to Bath or the Cotswold too - which would be cool.

Review on the Run: Kensington Palace (3 of 5)

Sorry all for the delay in the posts.  We're getting ready to head off tomorrow on our second leg of our trip - Cardiff, Wales to visit some of Siew's cousins for 9 days before trekking to Paris.  Day 10, we went to King's Road just a few blocks away to do some shopping and then had over to Kensington Palace to see their temporary attraction "Enchanted Palace" before having afternoon tea at the Orangery restaurant at Kensington Palace.  Here is a link to our itinerary.

Kensington Palace (3 of 5)
This is the former home of Princess Diana along with several other former princesses in England's history.  This fact plays a big part in their temporary attraction that they have on labelled "Enchanted Palace".  The reason for this temporary show is that Kensington Palace is going under an extensive renovation in time for the 2012 Olympics, which has caused most of the gardens to be closed and much of the palace itself.  The palace itself is situated in the NW corner of Hyde Park in Central London next to the Princess Diana's Playground.  The whole idea behind Enchanted Palace is that there the spirits of 7 deceased princesses throughout the palace.  It is your job to find out the names of each of the Princesses by searching for clues in each room.  It all plays out a bit like a haunted house and can be definitely scary for kids that get spooked out by the dark or ghosts.  Fortunately Chloe knows its all fake and Isaac is too young to understand.  Speaking of Chloe, she really loved this place - and we went through the house 3 times.  The most "modern artsy thing" we saw here but I can't help but feel though that my 12.50 GBP was more well spent at the Tower of London instead of here. [Cost: 12.50 GBP/Adult; Free/ Kids<5]

Review on the Run: Kew Gardens (3.5 of 5)

Day 9 brought about only one attraction - but it was a little out of the way from Central London.  When we first told Siew's cousins that we were going to Kew Gardens, their reaction gave me the impression that we were in for a long commute.  Perhaps its a combination of being by a great tube station (South Kensington) and that the underground is massively efficient, but the train to Kew only took 20 minutes - time well spent to an attraction well worth the visit.  Here is a map of where Kew Gardens is located relative to us.

Kew Gardens (3.5 of 5)
One thing we appreciated was as soon as we stepped off the train station - there was a "deafening silence" as Siew put it to the little town of Kew that was welcoming and immediately noticeable.  Kew looks to be a stunning town that is high on the income bracket.  Very reminiscent of Elbow Park or Mission in Calgary.  Also known as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Gardens is located in Kew which is a few miles south of Central London and the garden is a "mere" 300 acres.  What we were expecting and what we got were two different things but it was all good at the end.  I was really expecting a Butchart Gardens type place but I believe that it has stronger parallels to Balboa Park in San Diego vice the buildings.  Kew's real mission though is focused on plant conservation.  They've been successful in collecting 10% of all the world's flowering plants with a lofty goal of preserving seed samples from all the plants on Earth.  Unfortunately - I'm no botanist so much of the trees I see look all the same.  Make no mistake though the kids will have a great time here especially if they love the outdoors like our kids do.  They have a treetop walk, multiple atriums with different themes, vast areas for picnics, and a huge indoor/outdoor playground that is perfect for kids 6m - 6yrs.  We were a little disappointed with the lack of flowers etc, but the multiple activities and the chance to have some peace and quiet for a short while made it a great way to spend a nice weather day.

Review on the Run: Tower of London (5 of 5), St. Paul's Cathedral, Millennium Bridge (2 of 5)

After an unbelievable day of sightseeing the day before, I really didn't believe it could be topped - but I was proven wrong once again.  Day 8 brought on the Tower of London in the morning, and St. Paul's Cathedral in the afternoon.  Afterward we crossed the Millennium Bridge and walked along the Thames (pronounced "Tems") to try and find the Borough Market.  We were denied though since the Borough Market is only open from Fri - Sun.  Determined to end off on a good note though we stopped at The Mudlark Pub for the best fish and chips I've ever had in my life before heading home via London Bridge station.  Here is a link to our itinerary.


Tower of London (5 of 5)
Did the kids love the Tower?  Absolutely!  What's not to like?  We saw the Crown Jewels, dungeons, torture chambers, cannon firings, beefeaters - the list goes on.  The Tower of London is a World Heritage Site and was commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1078 after taking over England.  The centerpiece of the place though is the White Tower in the center.  When it was first build, apparently it was quite revolutionary.  It was the only building in London that was higher than 2 storeys, so it could be seen from miles away.  It now consists of 5 floors of interactive displays and artifacts that are pretty neat like different types of armour and weapns.  I'll admit though, when I first approached the Tower, I wasn't that impressed from the exterior.  This is one of those things though that you really do have to go inside to get engaged.  The Crown Jewel exhibit is quite a sight.  Seriously impressive bling in there so we bought a mini Crown to place on top of our X-mas tree!  If you go to London this site should be on your top 3 things to do.  [Cost: 18.70 GBP/Adult; 10.45 GBP/Child]


St.Paul's Cathedral [5 of 5]
If you've seen Mary Poppins, you've seen this Cathedral as "Feed the Birds" was shot here.  Although the original burned down in the great fire in 1666, it is still just as cool as the Abbey.  Dare I say it, but I really liked St. Paul's more than the Abbey.  I think it all comes down to presentation and access of the materials much like the British Museum.  At the Abbey, there was a sense of "Oh, don't touch that - and you can't go here."  At St. Paul's you get to get up close to the tombs and climb up to 3 different levels of galleries.  For the galleries, the first level is 30m up and 294 steps away.  Chloe made it up 289 before asking for Daddy's help ;)  We weren't gonna attempt the 2nd and 3rd levels since they were 56m and 87m above ground respectively.  So one word of caution to parents. Don't go up unless your kid can make it up at least 75% of the way since there is no way buggies are making it up there.  As the for Crypt in the basement, I told Siew that Dan Brown should have used St. Paul's instead of the Abbey for his book.  It had a very mysterious vibe that made me want to hunt for conspiracy inscriptions hidden underneath some guys tomb (which you can do... and I tried).  Outside, there is a nice picnic area in the rose gardens that is quite popular.  [Cost: 12.50 GBP/Adult; 4.50 GBP/Child>5]


Millennium Bridge [2 of 5]
Built as part of the Millennium celebrations, what can I say?  It is a fancy pedestrian bridge that connects the North and South bank and looks like a metal spider web - but walking across it there is nothing really special.  It does give you direct access to the Globe and Tate Modern which proves useful.  However, after crossing the bridge and heading East to setup and take a picture, there was a good contrast that put things in perspective.  To my left was the Millennium Bridge.  To my right was Tower Bridge.  Hmm... what was the point of this thing again?

Weekly Wackies - Week 1

I've decided to start a series that captures all the wacky, funny tidbits or quotes that happened throughout the week that isn't enough to blog about each day, but important enought it should be written somewhere.

Day 1: Arrival in London

- We instantly fell in love with our London home. It is in a quiet cul-de-sac in a very busy location. Vic and I love the sunroom dining room. Chloe was amused by the mail slot on the door, just like in Harry Potter, and the roof top terrace just like in Mary Poppins. Isaac was amused by the texture of the wallpapers, and the switches at his crawling eye level at every electrical outlet.

- My uncle's family visited us that night. I had not seen them for about 25 years. How cool is it to work at a company whose name can spell Ta Ma De. They have beautiful accents. "That's fantastic!" with a British accent is contagious -- Chloe's been saying that ever since.

Day 2: Hyde Park
- Chloe was really excited about riding the tube and still is, after a week. For the first 5 days, she insisted on standing (mostly because she can twirl around the post and freak out daddy by falling all over)
- I like the "Man-size" kleenex. It's like Kleenex napkin.

- Baby food selection sucks in the grocery stores. You can choose from 5 products. Alcohol, on the other hand, takes up at least 1 full aisle.
- Eerie how there are no babies or dogs around. When people see Isaac, their faces light up like they've never seen babies before.

Day 3: The museums
- Museum food is pretty good!
- Pigeons pigeons everywhere! Instant entertainment and chance to burn off steam!
- London has so many French people in London. Will there be lots of Brits in Paris?

Day 4: National Gallery
- Big Ben was as grand as in Peter Pan
- Thank goodness for scavenger hunts. Can't believe we went through almost the entire museum and found paintings from 13th to 19th century, within 45 minutes. There wasn't quite enough time read more than 3 words at each painting, but hey we found all the paintings on the map.
- Afternoon tea at the National Gallery was fun. Chloe: "Mommy, eating this tart is like licking bubbles!"
- One lady couldn't tear her eyes off Isaac until her friend told her Henri Rousseau is the exhibit, not Isaac. Isaac has been a real lady magnet, especially when he claps and laughs!

Day 5: London Transport Museum/ Covent Garden/ Harrods
- We hung out with our cousins and found that growing up in London may not be that different from in Canada. Lots of TV, playing in the yard, eating rice with everything, watching Mr. Bean...
- Considering the size of Harrods, their nursing room is a lousy chair in a tiny tiled cell by the diaper change area, behind the 1900 pound stuffed elephants, 700 pound baby dresses... The lady who worked there didn't even know where a baby can be fed and had to seek help. Babies are to be dressed, not fed??
- Chloe made her first purchase at Harrods -- Hello Kitty stickers for 50p!
- Isaac gets to explore in more places than we thought -- like on dirty carpets, stone pathways... That's what hand sanitizers are for. Just kick off the garbage in sight! Maybe that's why he can stand really well now and climb up stairs on his own, just within days of being here. Welcome out of the bubble Isaac!

Day 6: Westminster Abbey Organ Recital
- which was worse - me making Chloe sit through a 30-min organ recital at Westminister Abbey, or her doing the hokey pokey dance to Stravinsky's Firebird out of sheer boredom? Yes, I put away the iTouch too -- am I mean?

Day 7: London Eye, British Museum, Fortnum & Mason
- Isaac is fearless as long as he is held. He survived the deafening London Eye 4D experience, though the 3D glasses wouldn't stay on.
- It's eerie how many tourists have pictures of Isaac.

- Chloe about London Eye: "It's like riding in an airplane!"
- Chloe's highlight was the man in tuxedo giving her an owl chocolate at Fortnum & Mason

Day 8: Tower of London, St Pauls Cathedral, Pub Grub
- Pub food is surprisingly baby friendly (no not the ale). Isaac could have the fish, mashed peas, mashed potatoes, stewed beef, steamed veggies.
- Chloe: "Mommy I love you and Isaac very much. Should I marry you or Isaac when I grow up?"

Review on the Run: London Eye (5 of 5), British Museum (5 of 5), Fortnum & Mason's (3 of 5)

Day 7 and I think that this is the first official day that the entire gang is over the jet-lag.  We had a different itinerary in mind but looking at the forecast we switched it up a bit since there is rain coming on Th, F, Sa.  The kids got up early so we were able to start our day early and headed off to the London Eye, the top-notch British Museum, and Fortnum & Mason's to try to indulge in afternoon tea.  Here is a link of our itinerary.


London Eye (5 of 5)
Word of advice, book online ahead of time (even the morning of the same day) and you will save yourself a lot of waiting time.  We did just that, went to the kiosk, printed our tickets and went straight to line-up.  We heard some people were lining up for 30 minutes just to buy tickets.  With each ticket though, two attractions are included: the London Eye, and the 4D London Eye Experience.  For those that don't know, the London Eye was constructed in the year 2000 to mark the Millennium celebrations.  It is essentially a huge ferris wheel that takes 30 minutes to traverse an entire cycle.  There are many enclosed "capsules" that house up to 15 people and are entirely made of glass.  The ride is extremely smooth as people load/unload while the capsules are moving.  The reason for my rating is that you get to see a bird's eye view of London which is spectacular. What I've heard is that we should really try the London Eye at night time too.  There you will get an entirely different view of London which is even more fantastic.  Can't describe the view from above - but my pictures can ;)  The kids will love it! [Cost: 19.50 GBP/Adult; 11.90 GBP/Kids 4-11; Free/ Kids<4; for Flexi-Standard Tickets that allow any time during for a specific date]


The British Museum [5 of 5]
Quite simply put, the British Museum is the best museum I've ever been to.  If there is another museum in the world that can top the artifacts, the presentation, and the sheer volume, please let me know.  I posted something on my Facebook recently stating something to the effect: "One advantage of conquering 4 civilizations?  Is that you get to take all their stuff and put it in your museums!"  Back in 2001, Siew and I were in Greece for our honeymoon.  We went to countless sights and museums in that country and there was a common theme that was often told to us: "Oh, btw this is a replica.  The real artifact is in <insert country name that has conquered us>".  What a shame it was to see back then since the Greeks have been conquered, pillaged, and plundered 3 or 4 times in their history with the English and French taking turns.  Greece's loss is Britain's gain as the British Museum containing more significant pieces of Greek artifacts than Greece itself.  They hauled back huge pieces of the Parthenon just for fun apparently.  For the Egyptian exhibit, they have the friggin' Rosetta Stone.  The list goes on.  I think the biggest difference though, was the presentation of the materials.  Ninety-five percent of the artifacts were not behind glass.  They were just displayed like coffee table books since they had so many.  You could really get close to them and study the intricate details... which is about the time we lost the interest from the kids.  Thank goodness for scavenger hunts. [Cost: Free]


Fortnum & Mason's [3 of 5]
Established in 1707, this department store is uber-luxury with a weird product line.  They mostly specialize in food items but they also have two floors dedicated to stuff like stationary and pajamas.  They have 5 restaurants and the St. Jame's restaurant is supposed to be the premier spot for Afternoon Tea in London according to Siew's cousin.  We flip-flopped on trying to go there the day before, but decided not to.  For Afternoon Tea though, there is a strict dress code that needs to be adhered to - jackets as a minimum for the men.  Somehow I don't think my Columbia rain jacket would've made the cut :)  

Review on the Run: Churchill War Rooms (4 of 5), Westminster Abbey (5 of 5), Parliament Houses (3 of 5)

Day 6 started out as laundry day in the morning and letting the kids (and mommy) catch up on some sleep :)  By the afternoon though, a carrot was thrown out to go see the Churchill War Rooms which I pounced on.  After visiting this attraction we took a quick stroll through St. James's Park, which is across the street, on our way to to catch an organ recital at Westminster Abbey.  Finally, to end our day, we had a good view of the Parliament Houses before taking the Tube home from Westminster station.  Here is a link to our itinerary.


Churchill War Rooms (4 of 5)
"Never was so much owed by so many to so few" is probably one of my favorite quotes of Churchill.  If you are interested in WWII history, this is an absolute must.  If you have kids however - you may want to get a couple of hours to go through the museum yourself instead of dragging them through this place for 90 minutes.  The Churchill War Rooms is one of 5 branches of the Imperial War Museum and first opened in 1939 until the end of WWII in 1945.  The PM practically lived here and it served as an emergency bomb shelter for many statesmen to discuss strategy.  They are preserved perfectly but the real gem in this whole place is the Churchill Museum that was opened in 2005.  It is an interactive high-tech experience that takes you through the entire timeline of the War Room and consists of many artifacts.  I just wish I could've spent more time here - so in lieu of that I got the guidebook! [Cost: 13.50 GBP/Adult; Free/Kids<5]


Westminster Abbey (5 of 5)
What a treat and unique experience that I will remember for a long time.  Instead of going with the usual throng of tourists during the day, we went to a free 30 minute organ recital that they have year round at 17:45 every Sunday.  Not only do you get access to the church, but you get to listen to some world class organists work that puppy and really take in the scenery.  The stain glass work is nothing short of amazing and I couldn't imagine a better way to view the place. [Cost: Free; Normally: 15 GBP]


Parliament Houses (3 of 5)
Waking towards the Westminster station from the Abbey, we stopped by the Parliament Houses.  Now I've been to Ottawa to Parliament Hill - which I admit looks pretty cool.  But these Parliament buildings are what government buildings are meant to look like.  If you go the right times, you can actually go in to observe a House of Commons session and get your fill of all the wig wearing politicians.

Review on the Run: Covent Garden (3 of 5), London Transport Museum (3 of 5), Harrod's (3.5 of 5)

Day 5 we headed a little further East to the Covent Garden area to see the London Transport Museum.  On our way home, we went to the world famous Harrod's!  Here is a link to view a map of our itinerary.

Covent Garden (3 of 5)

A blend of shops, cafes, restaurants, buskers, and markets, this place was super crowded yesterday since it was the weekend.  Just imagine Eau Claire in Calgary - but successful ;)  Seriously though a good comparison  would be Granville Island in Vancouver.  Has the same vibe to it which I didn't mind.  Word of caution for all families - when you take the Tube here take the lifts up to the street level and not the stairs.  There are 194 steps to the top.  A 4 year old can usually last 30 before asking for a lift from Daddy - which we then proceeded back downstairs to take the real lift... there is no way I was balancing a backpack, stroller, and 40 lbs weight for 164 more steps.  I'm too old for that.

London Transport Museum (3 of 5)
Old trams, buses, and trains are on deck in the recently renovated (2007) museum that showcases London's rich history in all things transport located in Covent Garden.  It really takes you on a journey starting from the 1800s through to the modern era and there are a ton of interactive things for the kids to play with including a virtual journey in a Tube station where they can be behind the wheel.  The stamp collection activity will keep the kids engaged and motivated to complete the journey.  My only wish is to have more access to the buses instead of letting you take the first few steps inside only to be barricaded from going any further. [Cost: 13.50/Adult; Free/Kids < 5]


Harrod's (3.5 of 5)
If shopping is your thing - you must see Harrod's.  But even if shopping isn't your thing (which we fall into this category), Harrod's is still worth a visit just to see over the top luxury.  Unlike every Asian that comes here, we didn't go hunting for a Harrod's canvas bag.  Besides, we have one already from the last time my Mom was here ;)  We just took a stroll looking at all the neat and eccentric things they had there.  Want a "Harrod's certified bred" dog?  The toy department reminded was Yodobashi-esque where a whole floor was dedicated to the likes of Barbie, Hello Kitty, Lego etc.  Chloe pointed out the 4x5x3 ft elephant that she found at a cool 1495 GBP.  I laughed until she pointed out the 6 ft teddy bear sentry going for 1900 GBP.  The food market on the ground floor was quite extravagant too.  We picked up some things to take home for dinner.  There they have every type of cuisine you could imagine - but stuck with British fare such as Beef Wellington and a variety of baked pies... all of which were yummy!