Paddington Station to Victoria Station, then a ten-minute walk to Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guards. Nailed the timing, it was starting right as we arrived. We'd wanted to book one of those Airbnb experiences with a local who knows the best viewing spot and can actually explain what's happening, but our dates weren't available. So we just watched. And honestly, we still don't understand why all the marching back and forth is necessary. Just seems like overkill 😅.

Westminster & Big Ben

Westminster Abbey was next, and Sofie had SO many questions. The Royal Family, Princess Diana, all of it. Her interest in history is really starting to show, and it made me realize I need to read more about it. (If anyone has great book recs, send them over.) Then we walked to Big Ben, where I almost got hit by a turning vehicle while taking a photo of Cheryl and the kids. Ok that sounds dramatic, but Cheryl was concerned. Lukas, meanwhile, brings allll the vibes.

Jumped back on the Circle line and made our way to London Bridge, then walked over to Tower Bridge. It looked far but it was actually a nice little stroll along the Thames. The Tube was packed today but the whole crew conquered it like pros.

Finished off our last day in London at a pub. Traditional pub food, a Guinness, a few more pints, the England vs. Congo match on the screens with a bunch of locals. And the kids? They were absolutely thrilled to be drinking Fanta out of a glass. Priorities.

After breakfast we headed to Camden Market. Cool to see but wouldn't have been upset if we'd skipped it. The area felt a lot different than the other parts of London we've been to. Immediately a "carry your purse on the front" kind of situation. We walked around for a couple hours, had gelato, grabbed a German donair (yum), and went searching for Pokémon packs.

Back to the Airbnb to chill, then out again because the only camera lens smashed on day two 😩 so we had to grab a replacement. Ended up wandering through Soho and near Piccadilly Circus. We've fully mastered the Tube at this point. Changing lines, reading the map, all of it just clicks now.

Found a pub that was highly recommended for having the best Guinness in London. They didn't lie. It was great. The whole place was packed at 5:30 with people in suits and work clothes grabbing pints with their colleagues before heading home. Seems like a pretty simple life. But I keep coming back to how anyone affords $15 Guinness on a regular basis. That's wild.

Snuck out mid-morning for a coffee date with my mom while the crew chilled at the crib.

Then the big one. Harry Potter at Warner Bros. Studios. It was an amazing experience. For any movie lover it's worth the trip. The sets, the props, the poster designs. We went through the whole thing and took approximately one million photos.

Back at the Airbnb we ordered pizzas for everyone, then headed out to a nearby pub to catch the Germany vs. Paraguay World Cup match. Found a table beside a group of German fans, grabbed a couple of Guinnesses, and settled in. It didn't take long before the occasional "Scheiße!" started erupting from the next table every time Germany missed a chance. At 11:00 p.m. the bartender called last orders, so I wisely picked up a couple more Guinnesses to get us through the rest of the match. Or so we thought. At 11:30, right as the game was heading into stoppage time with the score tied, the bartender flipped on the lights and shut off every TV in the pub. Game over for the customers. We hustled back to the Airbnb, calling Eddie on the walk so he could keep us updated. Made it back just in time to watch the rest of stoppage time, only to see what looked like Germany's winning goal called back. It went to penalties and Germany came up short. Won't be watching the final surrounded by German fans when we get there on the 19th. 😞

Got up early and picked up the rental car. First stop: Windsor Castle. We explored the grounds, wandered through the staterooms, and saw Queen Mary's Dollhouse. No photos allowed inside but we snuck a few 🤫 The dollhouse has running water and electricity, everything built to 1/12th scale. The books in the library actually have real passages written in them. The Long Walk leading up to the castle is about 4km and looked like it goes on forever.

Then came the polo situation. The grounds we'd originally picked had hosted their match the day before. We pulled into the parking lot, immediately questioned why there were barely any cars, but someone swore they could hear people, so we carried on. Out came the sunscreen, around the corner we went... and found a children's birthday party with a giant bouncy castle. Without saying much, we all quietly turned around, marched back to the car, and pretended we had never been there. Found another polo club a short drive away. £30 per car to enter. We wandered through the pro shop, found a little coffee cart and ice cream stand, and claimed a table out on the lawn. The schedule said 2:30 but the match didn't start until 3:30. In the meantime we tried to find a washroom in the clubhouse and got asked for our wristbands. Wristbands? That's when it clicked. The seating chart. The curious looks. The guests in fascinators dressed to the nines. We hadn't wandered into a polo match. We'd wandered into a private event. Sofie had actually suspected this the moment we walked in, but naturally we didn't listen. So we made our graceful exit with our oversized Yeti water bottles in hand, looking every bit like we'd packed for a public park. The opposite side of the field had a spot where you could just pull up your car and watch. Ended up being perfect. Locals had the whole thing dialed: tablecloths, proper silverware, wine glasses, enough food to rival a dinner party. Just before the match started, the announcer gave a special welcome to the former President of Laos and all his guests. We slowly looked at each other. Pretty sure we had just crashed the former President of Laos' polo party. 😬 We fixed divots at halftime and the finish was intense. A crackin' good time.

On the way back we stopped in Richmond. Beautiful little place. If you've watched Ted Lasso, you'd recognize a few of the spots. Mental note for next time: skip the private event, bring a picnic, and maybe double-check whether we're actually invited.

Landed around lunch, made our way through Paddington Station, and hauled everything up to the Airbnb on the 7th floor. In Europe that means a LOT of stairs. No AC either, and it's hot. Then we just went for it. Walked to Notting Hill, hit Portobello Road Market. Great spot for antiques and vintage stuff. Got Grandma to the Notting Hill bookstore. Had coffee and gelato to warm up at some point. Grabbed groceries, fresh bread, and produce on the way back.

All day we kept seeing people in cowboy hats and cowboy boots everywhere. We wanted to ask but were worried we'd offend someone's everyday style. Eventually we caved and asked. Garth Brooks is playing at Hyde Park. We definitely debated trying to get tickets but opted for an early bedtime instead. Dropped the kids off at the flat and split a Guinness to kick off the big vacay. Exhausting day from the red eye but we got after it.

The boys are out on the balcony doing some drawing. I never thought this trip would actually happen. Chad's mom making her way across the big pond to see what Europe has to offer.