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Wednesday, 13 April 2022
London
At the end of last week I took Lily on a long train journey to visit big sister. It had been a good few years since I had been to the city and this was Lily's first ever time in London, so it was very exciting for both of us. Luckily we were being met at the station, so I didn't need to concern myself with navigating the underground, complete with our bags, to where we were staying.
After a large cup of coffee (to recover from the journey) we enjoyed an afternoon walk on Clapham Common. It was a beautiful day, and although the wind made it feel incredibly chilly, it was good to stretch our legs after being sat down for much of the day.
The following morning, after a delicious breakfast of scrambled egg on toast, we travelled to Charing Cross station, where we would begin our sightseeing for the day, starting with Trafalgar Square. Here, I'm sure Lily would quite likely have paddled in the fountain had it not been forbidden. Instead, we took an obligatory photograph if her sat in front of one of the Lions at the base of Nelson's Column.
From there, we walked down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace, where we could see lots of activity and, as luck would have it, we were just in time to see The Changing of the Guard. I think it takes place only several times a week at the moment, so we had unknowingly timed our visit perfectly. Following the ceremony, we walked through St. James's Park, and on towards Downing Street (disappointingly, we didn't see Larry🐈), The Cenotaph, Big Ben and The London Eye. Then on to the underground, once again, to see The Tower of London and Tower Bridge, stopping to enjoy a picnic lunch at St. Katherine's Dock. Pretty much most of the familiar tourist destinations that Lily would recognise. Then, as a special treat, we visited Hamleys toy store :)
By this time, I was feeling quite tired - climbing Helevllyn a few weeks ago had been a breeze compared to this 🤣 - so a relaxing evening spent back at the flat was very welcome.
The next day we would return home, but before catching our train, I had booked tickets for us all to go on the London Eye. It was ridiculously expensive but definitely worthwhile, especially on such a clear day. We could see right across London.
J. X