2 months, 2 kids, 2 continents (technically)

[MattA]

Absolutely brilliant tr, will be sorry when your holiday finishes.

Ha. So will I!

I have really been enjoying writing things up here—my morning/evening ritual—so glad that people seem to be enjoying reading about it.

 

[RooFlyer]

Lovely to read a good old-fashioned Trip Report on good old fashion London highlights. I intend to do much the same when I go back next year - not London but the rest of the UK which I’ve ignored for about 10 years while I've concentrated on eastern and central Asian Islamic places.

Many thanks for the enjoyment.

 

[MattA]

So. We have arrived at our last day in London. There’s still some fun stuff to go on this trip, but we’re definitely on the home stretch now.

We kick off with bacon and egg rolls from the greasy spoon on Lambeth Bridge opposite our hotel. Somewhat incongruously, Pierce Brosnan and Lady Gaga are both pictured on the wall as former guests of this establishment. Full English for the Gargs I assume.



A slow start and then into the west end: we’re off to see a show today: Frozen at Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

The Grade I listed building is the oldest working theatre in the world at nearly 360 years old. Fully restored and renovated, it reopened in July last year and it is absolutely stunning. Possibly the most beautiful theatre I’ve ever been in.

 

[craven morehead]

Ha. So will I!

I have really been enjoying writing things up here—my morning/evening ritual—so glad that people seem to be enjoying reading about it.

We certainly do enjoy a good TR here at AFF and do appreciate the effort it takes, so thank you.

 

[MattA]

After the show we sought out somewhere for a quick pint: pub over the road from the theatre flat out refused (“sorry, no children allowed”) and the next one we tried would only let them in until 5pm (it was 4:30). So instead we headed back towards our hotel where we knew of a reliable alternative: The White Hart, a lovely little boozer in a residential street round the back of Waterloo. We’ve been there a few times before and we know the food’s always good.





Sadly they were all out of Scotch eggs so we didn’t get to show the children a unique example of British cuisine…



I had the steak and ale pie. Delicious.

 

[Pushka]

Ha. So will I!

I have really been enjoying writing things up here—my morning/evening ritual—so glad that people seem to be enjoying reading about it.

Can't believe after all this time you are still up to date. Impressive.
What did you think of Frozen?

 

[MattA]

Can't believe after all this time you are still up to date. Impressive.
What did you think of Frozen?

Really enjoyed it. Very slick as you would expect and the staging is impressive. There’s quite a lot of new material, though, particularly at the start, and I don’t think all of the new stuff is quite as strong as the songs from the movie. Our kids loved it and that’s the main thing (even 8yo who despite loving Frozen when she was younger has grown out of it now and thought it was all going to be a bit beneath her—then sat mesmerised throughout).

 

[MattA]

One last trip across the river for brekkie. Until next time London.

 

[VPS]

One last trip across the river for brekkie. Until next time London.

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Can’t you stay longer. I’m enjoying this until I can travel again

 

[rginoz]

One last trip across the river for brekkie. Until next time London.

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I'm loving your trip report, MattA. I'm impressed that you are posting updates regularly, while travelling with a young family too. Well done!

 

[MattA]

Can’t you stay longer. I’m enjoying this until I can travel again

We’re leaving London, but still just over 2 weeks to go. Under normal circumstances that’d be a whole holiday for us!

 

[MattA]

I'm loving your trip report, MattA. I'm impressed that you are posting updates regularly, while travelling with a young family too. Well done!

Well you need a break from the munchkins from time to time…

 

[Nukie]

Have so enjoyed your trip report and great photos. Enjoy the rest of your holiday.

 

[ellen10]

Still travelling along with you and the family, enjoying your updates

 

[MattA]

So as I say, we’ve left London, but it’s not quite the end just yet.

Checked out of the hotel and jumped in a cab to a nearby branch of Europcar in Kennington. Our route there took us past the Oval. England got smashed by India there the other day in an ODI.



A bit of a faff with the car—they didn’t have the category we booked and gave us a smaller one, which is a bit of a pain when we’ve got all our cases and 4 people; my wife successfully got them to knock some ££ off though (lesson here: don’t argue with my wife when she’s trying to get what she wants…)

Never really driven in London before (like many Londoners we didn’t have a car when we lived here) but traffic so slow moving that it’s really quite straightforward, even with all the bikes/mopeds zipping in and out around you. We stopped in Clapham for another good coffee and lunch at Birdhouse: Login • Instagram



Then hit the road proper. A bit of traffic on the Hammersmith flyover, but after that relatively smooth going on the M4. We’re spending the weekend in Somerset with friends: we were at Bristol Uni together so looking forward to seeing how the place has changed since I lived there.

They live in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere. We met them round the corner from their place at their local cider barn. A lovely spot on a lovely summer evening where we enjoyed a drink and the children blew off some car journey steam running around on the grass.

 

[MattA]

To Glastonbury. Not for the festival, sadly, as that was three weeks ago, but to the town itself.

We begin with lunch at a lovely little country pub on the way. Saw some cows.



Glastonbury is famous for its New Age community—lots of shops selling crystals and so on. Not my thing but a nice place to wander through. Afterwards we climbed Glastonbury Tor, an ancient hill on the edge of town that is named in Arthurian legend. The views from the top are stunning.









Speaking of the festival, my wife and I went every year during the early 2000s when we lived in London. The farm where it takes place is actually located in nearby Pilton, but you can just make out the site from the top of the Tor—shiny triangle in the middle about 1/3 of the way from the top here is the Pyramid Stage, where Paul McCartney headlined a couple of weeks ago.

 

[MattA]

And yesterday we had a day out in Bristol. It was Harbour Festival, so lots of stalls, live music, circus performers and so on, as well as boats and even a train down on the docks you could ride on.







Afterwards we did a little drive around where I used to live when I was at uni here, to the complete disinterest of the children, then headed back out to our friends’ house. The route back took us under the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

 

[MattA]

A small break in proceedings here, as we’ve been having some family time before the next leg: drove up north on Monday to spend some time with my family before we leave the UK. I’ll pick things up again here in a few days when we head for Barcelona.

Some family artefacts have been unearthed for my entertainment. Turns out I’ve been writing trip reports for longer than I realised…

 

[Pushka]

A small break in proceedings here, as we’ve been having some family time before the next leg: drove up north on Monday to spend some time with my family before we leave the UK. I’ll pick things up again here in a few days when we head for Barcelona.

Some family artefacts have been unearthed for my entertainment. Turns out I’ve been writing trip reports for longer than I realised…

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Priceless.

 

[ellen10]

A small break in proceedings here, as we’ve been having some family time before the next leg: drove up north on Monday to spend some time with my family before we leave the UK. I’ll pick things up again here in a few days when we head for Barcelona.

Some family artefacts have been unearthed for my entertainment. Turns out I’ve been writing trip reports for longer than I realised…

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Some very special keepsakes