London, England

We left my mom and the kids behind in Paris and took the train to London for a four day/three night jaunt. It was our first time there and I fell in love. With London, and with my husband again. I can’t explain how happy it makes me to wander the streets of a new destination, arm in arm with my husband, exploring and discovering an unfamiliar city. I loved looking at the architecture (evident in my pictures — the majority of which are random buildings — found here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117364714322873137486/albums/5967448634114615345?sort=1) and seeing the mix of old and new, a modern city with such a rich history.

I’m not really into visiting museums when traveling to a foreign country, especially a country I’ve never visited before (I’d rather be out and about exploring the town), but London has some of the most amazing museum collections in the world, on par with Paris’ Louvre, and because admission was, unbelievably, FREE for all of these incredible museums, we couldn’t resist spending an hour or two wandering through a few of the most impressive: V&A Museum, National Gallery, and British Museum. I can’t wait to bring my kids to London when they’re older to spend at least a couple of weeks just touring its superb museums.

Per Tripadvisor’s recommended three-day itinerary, we also saw the musical Billy Elliot, which was not my cup of tea. It relied so heavily on children’s performances (the starring character is an 11-year-old boy) that I felt like I was watching a talent show, not a professional musical. It also brought to mind London’s unsavory past of relying heavily on child labor. I am such a mom for not enjoying a performance because I was worried about how intensive rehearsals must be for the children and how late they get to bed after each show ends. I also don’t find it remotely funny or entertaining when children swear or use crass language for comedic or shock value, but the rest of the audience didn’t seem to agree with me.

Despite the steak and kidney pie that tasted like ass, and the fact that I nearly had a heart attack when I realized we spent US$60 on a fairly standard breakfast, and US$50 on afternoon tea consisting of some pastries, bland finger sandwiches, and tea, London was absolutely fantastic, and I know for sure we’ll be returning.