The Finale ~ Sad to see the Fun End

Wednesday was our last big day, and we finished the fun in London.  Our first stop was breakfast in Covent Garden. I had booked this as a "tea", but in London you do not have "tea" in the morning. Having said that, we had tea, but the pastry chef did not come in until after 11:00, so there were no scones and clotted cream.  So, it was pretty much an epic fail.  I was soooo bummed.  But, the food was good…light…but good.  And, now the Knepps can say they had tea in London…kind of.

The lovely ladies

And handsome gentlemen (and missing a pic of the moms)

Next up was the Tower of London. Leksi wasn't so keen on this idea, but I made her go. ;)  I should point out that we took the Tube to get there.  Due to incessant talking on the part of the moms, we lost Andy.  Oops!  We didn't realize that his Tube pass didn't work, and he was stuck back at the window attempting to reload his card.  We just carried on only to realize (once we were ON the Tube) that Andy wasn't with us.  We got off at the next stop (which was the plan if we got separated) only to find that stop was closed.  Then we had to walk to another stop to get back on.  Honestly, it has been so long since this happened that I'm not even sure what happened next.  But, we made it to the Tower of London and several minutes later (maybe 45?) Andy also made it there.  Phew!  Glad he found us!

Ready to see the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London.

And so was the rest of London, but it moved along rather quickly.

A shot with the Royal Guard (that's what he's called, right?)

The Vastine kids didn't get the memo that this was a "no smiling" picture with the Beefeater.

The Beefeater didn't get the memo that this was the "smiling" picture.  

Tower Bridge is so gorgeous!  This one's for you Christie!

And so are the Knepps!

The Tower of London

Shots in front of Tower Bridge!

Last stop was Hamleys Toy Store.  Hamleys is the oldest and largest toy store (and maybe the most miserable for parents.  Ha!) It reminds me of the movie Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, which is equally annoying.

Ilyse is practicing for her future role as HRH.

Ending our time in London with a photo with the (Lego) QUEEN of course!

Off we go…back to Brussels.  Farewell to the land of English.  We will miss you and hope to see you again!

And, the next morning, we had to say farewell to the Knepps.  We cannot thank them enough for coming to see us.  It meant the world to have them here with us, experiencing life in Belgium, and traveling to some of our favorite places in Europe. We love you!

(Even better…we really didn't have to say goodbye because we were going to see them in less than two weeks. Yay!)

Next up!  The Vastines head to the USA!!!

Until next time,

Wendy

A Jolly Good Time in Jolly Old England!

So, the girls didn't have much time to relax after arriving in Belgium because the next morning we were off to London! Nicole and Jenny had visited London before, so we really wanted to be sure Farah made it there.  Plus, Farah has a childhood friend who has lived in the city for over 20 years, and this gave the two of them the opportunity to see each other once again.  

Here is our whirlwind tour of London!

Taking the train to London!

First stop for these Harry Potter fans was Platform 9 3/4.  This was just a taste of what they would see later at the Harry Potter Studio Tour!

Seeing the London Eye and Big Ben!

 Westminster Abbey

Saturday afternoon we headed out to the lot for the studio tour.  Since our family has visited before, I will spare you all of the shots I took of the props and sets. :)  

Nicole was so excited I thought she would burst!

This was the first trip with my new wide angle lens.  I love being able to get a whole room in a shot!

In the great hall, she actually hugged the table.  Hahaha!

Super fan!

Thanks again to the wide angle lens!

Time for some butterbeer!  Yum!!!

Getting our pictures with all of the sets.

Diagon Alley

At the end of the tour, there is a replica of Hogwarts.  It's amazing!!!  I've cried both times as soon as I walked in the room.  It takes your breath away.

Saturday night, we had the most terrific dinner in Soho at a restaurant called inamo.  The website describes it like this....

inamo is a pioneering Oriental fusion restaurant and bar where the control of the dining experience is placed firmly in your hands. Our mission is to provide delicious cuisine with charming and timely service in a warm and vibrant atmosphere

At the core of Inamo is our interactive ordering system. Diners place orders from an illustrated food and drinks menu projected on to their table surface. You'll set the mood, discover the local neighbourhood, and even order a taxi home. Our dedicated and friendly staff are always on hand to help with whatever you need

I love this picture of Jenny and I together.  Truth be told, we are trying to get a picture without the weird vein sticking out in my neck.  LOL!  Yes, that is what we do for fun. :)

The AWESOME food!

Nicole is placing her order...or maybe changing the design on our table.  It was so much fun!

My steak cooking on a hot rock that is balancing on a bed of salt.  Ummm....that is just about the best thing EVER!

The menu

If you're planning a trip to London anytime soon, I highly recommend this restaurant!

Sunday morning, we had much to accomplish so we set off for the Tower of London (kind of) bright and early. ;)

Tubing it!

After seeing the Crown Jewels, we stopped for a few shots around the Tower of London.  I wish we had more time, but other London sites were calling....

These Beefeaters were so sweet.
Can you tell I live in Belgium...my legs have NEVER been this white.  And, if they were, I wouldn't wear a dress.  Yikes!

Getting some shots in front of Tower Bridge.

 Sunday afternoon, we had tea at St. Pancras Station in the Gilbert Scott bar.  It was delightful.  I ate more scones with clotted cream than I am sure is considered polite by the British high society.

We were thrilled Farah's friend and her darling little girl could join us for tea.

The hotel is gorgeous!  

After tea, we were off to Buckingham Palace.  It was very busy.  I think everyone was just hanging around and hoping the new prince/princess would be born while they were there.  The TV and news cameras were camped out around the palace grounds.  You could feel the anticipation.  We missed Prince George by ONE day!

Posing on the mall.

Selfie!

Before leaving, we had a few souvenirs to pick up.  We went back to Leicester Square where (as a surprise to us) they were having The Lone Ranger premier.  We were there when Johnny Depp's car pulled up.  We could see the photographers going crazy.  We could hear Johnny being interviewed, but we never actually saw Johnny or Armie.  All we could see was "Silver" the horse.  I guess that's better than nothing?!?

 And, that was our fun-filled weekend in London.  Check back for FIVE...yes...FIVE more countries over the next FIVE days!  Phew!

Cheerio!

Until next time,

Wendy