Day Four: Expensive Tastes and Amazing Places

 

Our amazing view from atop of the Garden at 120

We arrived at our second London hotel tonight. It is earlier than usual, but welcomed by many. Anyone reading who has traveled on a tight itinerary knows that there is never enough rest time. This hotel is part of the Ibis chain and we will be staying in a few more throughout the next couple of days. It is like a modern Holiday Inn. I am sitting in the lobby and it is bustling with tourists. This hotel serves Coca-Cola products, so I've replaced my Ginger Ale with Diet Coke. I am thrilled to see Diet Coke in England. Frequent readers of this blog might remember that I drank the last two diet cokes in Italy in the Spring of 2022...they exclusively sell Coke and Coke Zero now! (I cannot prove this with science only with the power of anecdote). 

A few of the kids are here in the lobby area, as well. There is a pool table and a place for them to hang out. I am sure, however, that many of them are pretty tired. I explained that we have a super long day tomorrow and encouraged a quick return to bed although lights out won't technically be until 10:30pm our time. 

Our day, today, started as most days do...with breakfast. I basically had the same plate as yesterday and a few of the students seemed to skip the morning meal in lieu of an extra minute or two of sleep. I strongly encourage breakfast every morning, but they were content with a quick croissant on the bus. We've experienced some fairly gnarly London traffic over the past two days and this morning was no exception. It delayed our arrival to the Garden at 120 and then again on our way to Knightsbridge and Kensington aka the Museum and Shopping district (at least, that's how I refer to it).  

120 Fenchurch St. There is a garden on the top floor!

When we first arrived to the Garden, Martin our driver stopped about a block away. None of us, (He or Maria) had been before and we were not sure about the availability to park the coach. We had a quick walk and it was quite windy. I thought the roof deck might be chilly.

In queue, there was a digital ceiling that amazed and perplexed many of us. 

The folks at 120 were very accommodating even though we were roughly thirty minutes past our reservation time. This is one of the huge benefits of traveling with a program like EFs. Maria had called ahead and let them know. The only difference in our ascension was that they wanted to break our group up into three...it was not noticeable on our end. 

Tower Bridge is seen off to the left of this photo.

London architecture is amazing. I think the kids were surpised to see so much construction going on in a city that seems ancient in their minds. The modern look of some of the buildings is almost cartoonish, but I also like the juxtaposition of old and new here.

This building is known as the Walkie Talkie...because it looks like a Walkie Talkie.

Maria spoke to the kids while we were at the garden today and I really appreciated her sentiment. She asked the kids to think of a new city the way that we would think of someone that we newly met. Sometimes, people meet and connect very quickly. Sometimes, you meet someone and they need to grow on you a bit. She reminded the kids that not every city will connect with someone right away...that sometimes, they need to grow on you a bit. It is a great analogy because I think it is very true. I have been to London several times now and it isn't really my favorite, but every time...it grows on me a little more. I am starting to understand its geography a bit more and I think I've finally mastered the language, lol.

A glimpse of the greenery of the Garden. It was actually warmer up there than on street level.

A beautiful reminder that Spring is on it's way. We should see more of these over the next few days.

A few more of the kids in front of the Walkie Talkie.

I think another one of the reasons why London is growing on me is because I am seeing it capture the heart of the people I am surrounded by. It is nice to see so many faces in awe of our surroundings and taking in all that the city has to offer. We caught a glimpse of the changing of the guards today, but not the whole ceremony. There was a little excitement as some of the kids saw the soldiers departing from Buckingham Palace. That vibe is infectious. 

The Gherkin is home to an insurance agency, but its also one of our favorite buildings

This water feature atop the garden added to the ambience. The water flowed slightly downhill (even though the building it level).

I am not the only photographer on this trip! We are always checking for the perfect shot!

Our group did a fantastic job of meeting on time today...some of us are gathering before the elevator ride down to the bus.

When we did return to the coach, we found Martin had parked right at the entrance to the Garden. It was a welcomed surprise. We departed the financial district and headed to the museum districts, but again faced heavy traffic. Martin was frustrated, on our behalf, because midday traffic in London isn't usually as bad as it was. For instance, our ride today took over an hour. It should have been half of that on any other typical day.

We arrived at Harrods and had a quick orientation meeting with the kids. We explained that there were a limited amount of restaurants nearby that would be good for lunch and that the Harrod's store had many spots as well. We also explained that a quick walk down Bromton Rd would bring them to three free museums. In small groups, we sent them off. I usually try to sneak around and catch the kids exploring the city during moments like this, but Harrods is massive. 

Maria is giving the lowdown for the area to the kids. 

It is six floors and each floor is roughly the size of the Saugus Middle High School (again not scientific, but anecdotal). There are numerous entrances, escalators, and lifts. I didn't see any of the kids inside the store and some of them spent their entire free time meandering the endless shops and boutiques. After my initial search concluded, I thought I would see if I could find them in the Natural History Museum or the Science Museum. I grabbed a quick kebab lunch and headed down the street.

Doner Kebab is my favorite food while traveling. This Shoppe put everything into a tray instead of making the sandwich. I was sad. It was also made of lamb. I was happy.

The museums in London are free and while I didn't find a line in either, they were both fairly busy. I think the notion of a free museum is amazing. I have been to both of these before and I was really just trying to spot some kids, but I did snap some pictures along the way...I did not find the kids, however. Again, most of them stayed at Harrods for the entirety of the break...some ventured into nearby boutiques and souvenir shops...some to Starbucks too.

The entrance to the Natural History museum. 

Make no bones about, this museum was amazing!

I may have been a little petrified while exploring the museum.

This guy hanging around made me feel a little blue.

Wood I come back, of course, history is in my roots!

I'll go out on a limb and say this guy never had doner kebabs. 

After venturing into the past of our natural world, I left for the Science museum. It is next to the Natural History museum and across the street from the Victoria and Albert museum. The V and A is for fashion and architecture. I did not enter today, but it is equally amazing in its own right.

The Science museum is really unique and interesting too. I didn't spend as much time there as NatHist because our time was running short and I didn't want to be late, but I did grab some photos before I left.

Led Zepplin is English, but this was no stairway to heaven!

Tomorrow, we see the Globe Theater, but here I am acting under a globe! I look scared don't I?

Material science is kind of in my wheelhouse!

I obviously had a blast! It was out of this world!

I hope you feel the train of excitement that I had in the museum

It was plane to see that the Science museum had something for everyone.

It really bugged me that I couldn't find any of the kids today. 

After I finished my search for kids at the museum, I headed back to Harrods. There I met up with the other chaperones. We switched places...as they headed to the museums. 

Mrs. Hashem sent me this picture of the original model of the DNA sequence by Watson and Crick. I guess science is in her DNA!

Our group was scheduled to reconvene at 5pm. I was back to Harrods at about 4. At this time, I started catching glimpses of our groups. As I explained earlier, most of them stayed in the store. They were thoroughly entertained by the enormously high prices and outrageous selection. Some were so shocked that they actually bought stuff! I apologize in advance for anyone needing a cash advance after today's adventure!

Slightly before 5, all of our groups had met up as instructed and we headed to meet Martin. Again, he had a choice spot for all of us and we got onto the bus. I had anticipated rough traffic, but the streets were moving fairly well. Sometimes it goes that way, right! We arrived at the Ibis near Heathrow at roughly 6pm and were scheduled to eat dinner in about thirty minutes.

Dinner tonight was prepared by the hotel kitchen staff. It was a traditional fish and chips dinner. We did not get mushy peas. The hotel, and all of our restaurants, have been careful to meet the needs of all of our dietary choices and restrictions. Tonight, some alternatives were curry and pizza. I think everyone was happy and satisfied. 

Someone was not amused with me taking a picture of the food line. 

There was plenty for everyone tonight with many students getting seconds!

I don't like fish, but I can eat it. Last year, 2023, I actually based my New Years' Resolution on trying new seafood dishes to see if anything caught. After I botched smoking Octopus in October, my resolution snapped the line and swam away. That said, I opted to eat the fish as an example to picky eaters to try new things. I've had Fish and Chips several times now and even though this was hotel food, it was pretty similar to the Mom and Pop stuff that I had had previously. I liked seeing so many kids enjoying their dinner after a long day.

My plate. Plenty of chips, some peas, tartar sauce, freshly squeezed lemon atop a crispy piece of fish.

For dessert, we had a platter of cream filled chocolate drizzled puffs. No puffs lasted past the meal.

A day like today, on tour, can be tough. Lots of traffic means lots of unanticipated bus time. That said, our group did really well. As I write tonight's entry, I have noticed more and more of them disappearing to their rooms before bed time. I explained that we have a much longer and more challenging day ahead of us tomorrow. We will be in London all day. 

We will meet our city guide in the morning for a three hour bus/guided tour. Normally this happens early during a city visit, but ours is happening on the last day. You have probably seen pictures from the kids of other iconic British scenery, but not really from me. I am waiting until we see these places up close and with intention. It is supposed to be a nice day tomorrow. So, I am hoping for some great shots. 

After our guided tour, we will have lunch together and explore more of the city with Maria. We round out the night with tickets to see Les Miserables. I am happy to be seeing my favorite show and hope the kids enjoy it as much as I do. 

I made a terrible TikTok video today. If the link works, it should be here: www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLPkcWnA/ I have to work on my stability and transitions, but I have no idea how to do so, lol. Practice makes perfect. If you like the video, please hit the like button...and just like this blog, please share with anyone who might be interested. Also, feel free to comment on the blog or any other form of media. It helps motivate me to keep writing!

Don't tell the kids, but I've ordered some chicken tenders and chips. I ate my fish but wasn't really full. This is more my speed!

Mr. Lavoie, enjoying his buffalo tenders and fries tucked away from another EF group that just arrived from their day in London...I am wondering where they are from, my guess is Maine. (Again, not science, just a random guess)