London Calling

Ah London. It used to be one of my favorite cities to visit. It still is, but for different reasons now. 20 years ago, we took a family trip to Europe. It was my sister and my first time and we loved it, despite being cramped in a small motorhome for 6 weeks. It was during this trip we experienced London for the first time and fell in love.

However, several trips and years later, it doesn't hold the same magic it used to. Now, the things I found so fascinating before annoy me. The places that were so magical, look dirty and crowded. And the shops I thought were to die for, are overpriced and mundane. Instead, I find that the things I love have nothing to do with London itself, but rather the family we have that lives there.

Having family in any town definitely makes a difference in your travels. You get an insider perspective on seeing things that aren't always highly-reviewed or advertised. You can find places to eat that don't cater to tourists more easily. And you get to visit and share your lives with family. Things which are much more important to me now that I'm not a 16 year old.

In May, Adam had to return to the US for 5 days and G and I didn't return with him. The price of flights and the hectic schedule seemed too overwhelming to deal with if it wasn't necessary. But I certainly wasn't going to sit at home in Finland in the cold either! So G and I decided to book a trip to London. I wanted to show him a bit of the town and see our family. We got round-trip tickets for less than $200- yet another reason to love Europe.

We arrived early on a Wednesday morning and decided to hit the Natural History Museum - I knew G would love the dinosaurs. This museum is HUGE and we spent about 2 hours in the dinosaur exhibit alone. It's one of London's free attractions and worth the stop if you're in town with or without kids. The dinosaur exhibit is by far one of the best we've seen, it even has a live-action T-Rex! This guy was a little scary for G at first, but once he warmed up we couldn't pull him away.

We tried to go to the Science Museum after this since it's just around the corner, but for some reason, it had closed early that day. Instead, we opted for tea at the Victoria and Albert Museum Cafe. This museum is one I had never been to in all my visits, but walking through to get to the cafe looked like one I'd enjoy. They had a special exhibit on that I would have loved to see: Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains. The tea room was incredible, these are the things I love about Europe. Sitting in a room several hundred years old, enjoying a classic English tea, imagining who came before me. It's always a bit overwhelming.

We enjoyed our tea then headed to Temple Church for Evensong. I was hoping to catch the boys' choir, but unfortunately it was the adult choir performance. Even so, it was beautiful. G lasted for about half the performance before we headed home to dinner and visiting.

The next day, G, my cousin, and I walked up to Greenwich Park heading to the Maritime Museum. On the way, we were accosted by squirrels! They climbed up and down our legs, and after swallowing the fear of contamination and germs, it was actually pretty neat. We did wash hands THOROUGHLY afterward though! We stopped at a great park and G had a blast playing. But the best part of the day was the Maritime Museum. Another free London attraction (see, you don't have to spend a fortune in London!), this museum has a fabulous kids area. G built a ship, caught fish, and heard English-speaking children for the first time in a while! We headed up to the cafe for lunch where G met a little boy. They played for an hour on the floor map! He really didn't want to leave.

On Friday, we relaxed. We walked around town and had tea at a cafe in Blackheath with my cousins in the morning. For lunch, we met more cousins at a pub. I got to break out my camera for a portrait session with my cousin, his wife, and their 6 month old! It was such a treat to photograph their gorgeous family!

G and I flew home Saturday, eagerly awaiting Adam the next morning. Unfortunately, his flight was delayed so he didn't get home until early evening, but G was just as excited to tell him all about London. I'm not sure when we will be back, but on my list for next time are the Cotswolds and Lake District.

Have you been to the Cotswolds? What should we plan to do while there?

#London #FamilyTravel #England