We landed around 2 pm London time, middle of the night our time. Five of us slept for a fitful 2-4 hours, and two of us couldn’t sleep at all. It will be interesting to see how jet lag hits us all. We landed in Heathrow. We got through customs and passport check-in quickly, picked up some pounds at an ATM, and then found our way to the tube, London’s underground system. Heathrow is the end of one of the lines into London, so we had our 7 day travelcards already purchased. It covered busses, trains, and the tube anywhere in London in Zones 1-6 which is pretty much everywhere. It was so nice to already have the travel all covered here.
We had one hiccup when we had to make our one transfer to another tube line. Nicole forged on toward the other train but we didn’t see her go and lost sight of her. We were separated for 10 minutes, and then made a rule that before we head to a transfer we make sure we can see everyone. We got off at the Pimlico tube stop and headed for the Georgian House Hotel. It was a long 15 minute walk with all our bags. We were in a basement apartment, but a kind bellhop helped us bring all our luggage down and brought down an extra folding bed. We have beds for everyone, a kitchen, bathroom, and wifi!
We got settled and decided to head out to a bus that would take us over to the London Eye. We have tickets to go on it at 8 pm. We are feeling a little tired but excited to get out and see London! The bus stop wasn’t too far from our apartment.
When crossing the street, these signs definitely helped out since the cars come from the opposite direction than we are used to.
We were worried about long lines at the London Eye, but we checked in with our tickets we had printed at home, and then saw a short movie that showed some of the views from the London Eye. Then we walked over and got right on our 30 minute ride around on the giant ferris wheel. It goes very slowly and gives wonderful vistas of the city of London, with the Thames right below and the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben present right across. We love being in London!
Robin was nervous about going up so high. But she quickly got interested in the interactive guide that showed what sights we were seeing and she ended up loving it, and asked us many times if we could go on it again.
Nicole was in heaven taking pictures.
I was dealing with a little bit of fear of heights especially with the kids being up so high, so sitting down helps me with that. Still very excited to be in London, one of my favorite places on earth.
After we finished, we found a fun park to play on for awhile with great views of the London Eye behind it.
We decided to cross the Waterloo Bridge nearby and head toward Trafalgar Square. I am so excited to be in London with everyone. I can’t stop smiling.
The lions at Trafalgar Square
We got on a bus and headed back to our apartment. We passed Westminster Abbey and lots of views of the city.
We are ready for bed. It is still light at 9:30!
One of my great friends from study abroad in London stayed with us a couple nights this week. She was in town for a wedding. A few years ago, we also found out that she and Erik are third cousins. It was fun to catch up and have some time with her this week.
