Being Tourists {London and Bath}

We took advantage of the long Labor Day weekend to cross off a few things from our "tourists" list.  There are so many great things about my parents living in London, least of which is their willingness to love on our kids.  We used their home as a starting point for a sight-seeing/eating day in London and then left the kids in their loving arms to venture off on our own for a night in Bath.  

Bridgette napped at Kaye K's while Ryan and I took the gingers to check out the Tower of London.  The visit did not disappoint.  While admission is pricy, I'm so glad we went for it.  And the weather could not have been better!

The changing of the guard outside the building which holds the crown jewels happens every hour and was interesting to watch.

This was my favorite part by far.  Oh my goodness!  Those jewels!  There is just no way to tell how elaborately decorated with incredible detail the crowns and scepters and other jewels are until you see them up close.  There was a punch bowl that would have been big enough for Gretchen to bathe it!

Can you guess what this little room used to be used for?!

The view of the Tower Bridge from one of the Tower of London windows

After touring through the Tower, we met up with my mom and Bridgette to eat our way through the Borough Market.  Some poor navigating on my part put us there later than we planned, so everyone was beyond ready to eat.  We grabbed a fresh fruit smoothie and shared that while standing in line for the amazing "toasted cheese sandwich".  I've been wanting to try this since we were here in 2008 and was not disappointed!

We also shared a chicken and leek pie, Rooke asked for a doughy salt pretzel and we followed it all up with a slice of caramel cheesecake. 

We ended up walking across the Millenium Bridge, heading towards St. Paul to catch the Tube home.  I love getting to tour through London as a family.  The kids are learning how to be great travelers and the city is just amazing.

The next morning, Ryan and I left after breakfast for an overnight stay in Bath.  We headed straight to the city center, grabbed some lunch, walked the streets and then stopped for a coffee while waiting for the Abbey to open.  This was our view from the outdoor coffee shop seating:

This was the first abbey/cathedral (there is a difference) I've been in without the kids and I relished the opportunity to quietly read about everything we were seeing.  I was so blessed by the pamphlet they handed everyone that explained clearly who Jesus was and why He died on the cross.  Each of the sections in this window illustrate part of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.   

We checked in to our B&B, took a nap, then headed back out for a romantic dinner.  In the summer, the Roman Baths stay open later, so we took advantage of the lovely summer evening weather and toured the Roman baths at night without the crowds.  It was a neat experience.  The audio guide (without snack requests/potty breaks/whining interuptions) was interesting.

After sleeping in the next morning and enjoying a full breakfast, we met up for a free 2-hour walking tour that was great.  We walked past the Royal Crescent among many other highlights that our guide did a great job of pointing out and explaining.

On the drive back to London, we stopped at Avebury to see the Stonehenge-like rock formations.  And then back to hear about all the fun the kids had without us!