Sunday night in Kensington is much quieter than Saturday, so we were all able to get some sleep before our big day exploring London. Hubster, Little Man, and I breakfasted in the flat, then met up with Unky Mark on the way to the tube station. Let me say that I was incredibly happy not to be navigating on this trip; I’ve been spoiled with the Helsinki metro and its one line, with no need to transfer. The London tube, quite frankly, gives me a headache just looking at the map.
We took whichever lines necessary to get from Gloucester Road to Westminster. Little Man, as usual, enjoyed every moment, from booping the Oyster card upon entering the station, to navigating the winding underground tunnels, to climbing the crowded stairs back to street level. Once we stepped back into the chilly January air (ah, fresh air!), we were standing directly across from Big Ben. I looked up excitedly, admiring the beautiful clock tower in all its scaffolded glory. Sigh. I could barely make out the clock face through the criss-crossing metal, and didn’t bother getting any pictures. I’m slightly regretting that now as it is amusing to look back at the disappointment.
We walked a little ways onto the Westminster Bridge, which passes over the River Thames, and admired the Houses of Parliament.
After we all agreed to the route Hubster had suggested, we set off down Birdcage Walk, along St. James’ Park. Deciding to enter the park rather than stay along the street, we walked along the beautiful St. James’ Park Lake.
We walked the length of the park, ending up near Buckingham Palace. There were swarms of people gathered outside, and eventually we figured out that they were waiting for the changing of the guards. As cool as it would have been to see that, a nice older gentleman was going through the crowds, informing people that it would be at least a half an hour wait until the new guards arrived. Little Man was not about to stand still that long, and the rest of us weren’t too fussed about watching the ceremony from afar, so we continued walking back along The Mall, which runs along the opposite side of St. James’ Park to Birdcage Walk.
We lucked out on our choice of route as it brought us alongside the military barracks. We may not have seen the actual changing of the guard, but we did get to see this amazing procession of guards on horseback!
We passed Clarence House, the Queen’s Chapel, and the Royal Society before passing under Admiralty Arch and arriving at the famed Trafalgar Square. Maybe I was expecting more people, or possibly more pigeons, I’m not sure. All I know is that Peppa Pig has a lot to answer for when it comes to how exciting Trafalgar Square is. Perhaps not much was happening as it was January and not the best weather, but I did find the whole place rather underwhelming.
We wasted no time in plotting the course to our next stop: The Royal Observatory in Greenwich. There’s a bit of a back story as to why we wanted to visit, and it’s so random, I feel I should share it. Little Man had become rather obsessed with watching airplane videos on YouTube. (It’s amazing how many people film themselves flying!) One video in particular was his favorite for quite awhile: Flying Around the World in 80 Hours. It’s done by Noel Philips, who lives in the UK, and it starts, you guessed it, at the Royal Observatory. So, because it’s a cool story, but mostly because we spoil the crap out of LM, we had to go. Besides, I thought it would be a great spot for an expectant family photo.
Back on the Underground we went! At least the entrance to Charing Cross was in Trafalgar Square. Oh, but then we had to walk about a mile through the tunnels to actually get to the train. It was exhausting. (Perhaps I should mention here that the only pair of shoes I brought with me were one inch heels. They’re super comfortable, but holy cow, there’s a reason heels are not recommended during pregnancy! My lower back was killing me by the end of the day.) But of course, being in London has its perks. Not the least of which is making random Harry Potter connections to things you weren’t sure actually existed or not. (I was a little bummed that we didn’t go on a Harry Potter walking tour. Perhaps when the little ones are old enough to appreciate it…or at least humor me.)
Upon our arrival in Greenwich, we realized it would be a good time for lunch. Deciding pizza was a safe bet for everyone, we found an amazing place called Franco Manca, which serves pizza with a sourdough crust. We each ordered a personal pizza (one off the kids menu for Little Man), beer or juice (I asked for a non-alcoholic cider and the waiter laughed at me, asking, “Isn’t that apple juice?”), and settled in at our cozy table. The food was ah-may-zing! I’m fairly certain it was the best pizza I’ve ever eaten, and we’ve ordered pizza in just about every country we’ve been to. Besides having the best crust I’ve ever tasted, it’s served with a choice of oils for dipping. I went with the chili oil since spice is sparse in Finland and, hello, cravings. But don’t take my word for it; the true test of how good food is, is how much of it Little Man eats. He ate his entire pizza. The whole thing. Hubster and I were shocked. That was the most he’d eaten at one time in at least a month, if not ever. (He’s not a big eater at the best of times, but for him to eat that much of one thing goes to show how delicious it is.) Also, it was pretty big for a kids’ pizza.
Completely stuffed, we heaved ourselves away from the table and began walking to the Royal Observatory. (At least we had a decent walk to help us digest!) It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, if a bit chilly, and Greenwich is a gorgeous place for a stroll. Hubster once again took the lead with navigating and we moseyed through a park full of dog walkers and squirrels, always a hilarious combination.
Eventually, we came to the base of a hill, atop which stood the Royal Observatory. There was a sign stating that it was a six minute hike up (I say “hike” because it was a steep hill), or you could take the handicap accessible trail, taking 18 minutes. I decided to brave the six minute path and go slowly. Luckily, I had the presence of mind to look back halfway up and was rewarded with a stunning view.
At last, we all made it to the top. Unfortunately, that’s when Hubster realized that we’d come to the Royal Observatory, when what we actually wanted to see was the Prime Meridian…at the bottom of the hill. Cue long-suffereing groan. The nice thing about this park is that there seemed to be no end to the number of paths, so we chose a different one for our descent. About ten minutes later, we reached our planned destination. (Looking at the map now, where we really went was the Millennium Sun Dial, next to the Greenwich Boating Pond. This was where Noel filmed his flight video and luckily, exactly where we wanted to be.)
Although the boating pond was empty, and being used as a playground for happy pups, we were not the only ones admiring the sundial, and had to wait our turn for a photo opp. It was well worth it.
As Little Man was still fairly energetic (it takes quite a bit to wear him down), we stopped at the Children’s Playground next to the sundial. Another excellent play area, he had a blast and ran off the last of his pizza.
Ready to head home (and get cake at Fait Mason near our Air BnB), we made our way back to the tube, stopping briefly at a souvenir shop along the way. We had been telling LM all day that we would get cake on our way home. I was so excited to stop at the beautifully decorated cake place, with beautiful-looking cakes, not to mention eat some of that beautiful deliciousness. Alas, as I was getting ready to place our order, Hubster noticed the sign that said “Cash Only”. What a blow! Of course, none of us had cash, and we didn’t feel like finding an ATM and coming back. Seriously, why was this sign next to the cash register and not on the door?! I was heartbroken. Fait Mason, you will always have the cake that got away.
Slightly depressed (don’t come between a pregnant lady and cake!), we said farewell to Unky Mark for the final time, swung by a store for some form of dessert for LM since it was so constantly talked about, and went home. LM couldn’t have cared less about his dessert, and passed out close to 6 pm. (I guess we did wear him out.)
Apparently anxious to get home, he woke us up at 4:30 the next morning. Oy, kids. At least we weren’t rushing to get to the airport. While checking in, I was finally asked if I was expecting. I was so flattered that someone would ask that I’d completely forgotten about my Finnair form. Of course, it was on file, and the counter agent was simply doing her job by asking, but it made me happy nonetheless.
A friend of mine had upgraded LM and I to business class for the flight home, and Hubster had paid for his seat upgrade, so we all flew in style. (After also flying business class to Mexico in November, I’m getting used to this. It’s an amazing way to fly.) There’s so much leg room!
Other than Little Man having a complete screaming meltdown when he had to put his seat belt on for landing, it was a pretty good flight. Those last twenty minutes made me feel bad for everyone else in business class, but hey, at least it wasn’t the entire journey. Of course, as soon as we touched down, he passed out. That’s what happens when you wake up too early. One day he’ll learn…I hope.
And just like that, Little Man had completed his 59th flight. This was also my 14th flight while pregnant, the same number as with LM. These two were born with wanderlust in their veins.
Adventures Abroad 