Back Going and Back in London

Life has come full circle.  I started writing these blogs when the kids were little, then they took over.  Now as the empty nest lies right in front of us (actually 3 weeks away) I am taking back over again as they are more interested in sharing their travels via snaps or stories.

Today we landed in London.  For Andy and I it was merely a cheap way to get to Europe directly from SFO.  For Alec though this is another country and place he has not been.  Well, let me back-up...we thought it was merely a cheap way, but what we have found in the 12 hours since we arrived is WOW London has changed in the 25 years since we were here last.  Really 25 years?  Seems like yesterday.

Back in 1999 there was not Uber so we trained in from Heathrow.  Now, at least for 3 people, it is more economical to Uber.  You pick-up the "Hail Rides" on the 4th floor outside the terminal.  Very well-marked and easy.  About an hour later and we had weaved our way to our first lodging.

To save money we have opted for hostels for stop #1 and #2.  We chose Wombats on Dock Street for its close proximity to a few major sites.  We were 2 hours before check-in so our room was not ready, but they had luggage lockers, so we quicky grabbed a few things, locked everything else away, and were off.

Only 15 minutes from the Tower of London and Tower Bridge we had grabbed tour tickets on-line at the airport and asked the front desk for a recommendation for lunch enroute there.  They suggested we check out St. Katherines Docks only a 10 minute stroll from the hotel.

Andy certainly enjoyed the walk as the docks were lined with beautiful boats as well as artworks and restaurants.  Once there we opted for this amazing building, The Dickens Inn, perched right on the water and 3 stories high.  "The Dickens Inn is an original warehouse building near Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, and The Shard. Dating back to the 18th century, it is thought to have been built in the early 1700s as a tea factory or a local brewery. Years later, it was converted into a local tavern, with sawdust strewn floors and no bottled or canned beer would have been stocked. Diners also enjoyed candlelit meals on the balconies; this practice has been phased out due to modern fire safety regulations! In May 1976, The Dickens Inn was opened by the grandson of Charles Dickens, Cedric Charles Dickens.Charles Dickens was particularly fond of Thameside and East London with his work being stocked with characters and scenes memorably linked with the area." Here Andy and Alec would have their first pints and I opted for a Pimms Spritz.  I love Pimms and will be recreating this one back home.  Andy also got his first fish and chips, while Alec opted for a burger and myself a salad.  It is an overcast day with showers off and on, but we managed to dine outside without a drop.

Next we followed the water to London Bridge and after a few pictures made our way to the Tower for our 2:30 entry time.  We got our tickets straight through the Historic Royal Palaces website versus all the 3rd party travel vendors like Viator, etc.. Once inside as grabbed our audio tour and were off.  The showers have now made it a little muggy, so we sped through our 2 hour highlight tour in 90 minutes.  We saw the Crown Jewels, alongside torture chambers, the famous ravens, and more.  The humidity and our jet-lagged state caught up to us and we called it quits after listening to a few funny tales by one of the Yaomen Warders.  These soldiers and lengthy and decorated service are now charged to guard the Tower and all of its prized possessions.  We loved seeing the mix of soldiers present that day...including women which we had not seen in 1999 as well as representatives of various ethnicites, also not seen 25 years ago.

A quick 15 minute walk back to the hostel we gave into a 1 hr power nap, then we went to the basement of our hostel to this amazing little place, the WomBar, which was bustling with people and affordable drinks.  We would catch up with family via wifi, play cards, and manage to stay awake until nearly 10PM.  We might have also enjoyed when the gal running the trivia night shut down a group of young Americans from the south when they attempted to chant USA when we were introducing where we were all from. We and another group from Cali were a little more subdued.  And you wonder why Americans get a bad rap as tourists.  Really!?!? That's how you introduce yourself to a hostel bar full of people from all around the world. After a quick exit from trivia we onboarded some melatonin on board and crawled into our bunk beds...yep that's how you get a private with ensuite bathroom in a hostel for a family...and are ready to crash out and awaken tomorrow to cramming as much of London as possible into one day.