London calling – and a road trip with the in-laws

There is a kind of magic to London that calls out to me repeatedly. Being English by birth and at heart, I can’t help but want to get back to the country as often as possible.

And arriving in London is always like coming home, but this time we would be travelling with the in-laws. 

This would be an interesting adventure.

We had booked a couple of rooms at a hotel in Earl’s Court – fantastic location, but the hotel was a little dodgy. Ade’s mum and dad were already there when we arrived, and his mum was in tears the place was so bad. We calmed her down, assured her it was only for a couple of nights and we would be out most of the time, then headed out for some dinner.

On our first morning in London, we were up and out to see Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard.

There were so many tourists. This is one of the things I often forget when travelling. How many tourists there are at these tourist hotspots. The Changing of the Guard seemed to take forever. It was great to see, but it went on and on and on…. 

In the afternoon we visited Tower Hill, which was even more impressive than I had expected it to be.

Last time we were in London I had missed out on visiting the Tower because we ran out of time, so this time it was on my wish list of places to visit and I’m so glad we made the effort.

It was so much bigger than I had expected, I really thought it was just a tower – I didn’t realise it was a full fortification. The three hours we had set aside for our visit wasn’t nearly long enough.

We also tried to take the parents to see Piccadilly Circus, unfortunately it was Canada Day so the Nelson Memorial was covered with Canadian flags and the square was fenced off for the celebrations. 

Never mind, we walked over to the Houses of Parliament instead just as dusk was beginning to settle, it’s such a beautiful time to see the river and Big Ben.

The next morning, we picked up the car and prepared for our road trip with the in-laws… it’s amazing how much you can fit in a Peugeot if you really try.

We’d organised a medium-sized car to get the four of us around England and Scotland. But we’d forgotten that medium in the UK and medium in Australia are two very different things, particularly when it comes to car size.

One extra-large suitcase, two medium sized cases, one small case, a 65-litre backpack, large camera bag, two-day packs and four adults all in a Peugeot 308.

Fortunately travel distances in the UK are relatively short. We used our Tetris skills to get everything in and made a mental note of where it all fit. This was how the car would need to be packed for the rest of the trip.

Fast facts

We travelled in 2011.

We stayed at the Earls Court Aquarius Hotel; it was very basic.

We stayed for two nights.

Was it long enough? No, there is so much to see in London that you need weeks to cover it all, not days.

Highlights: There are just too many highlights to mention in London from walking the streets and identifying all those famous landmarks, and watching the sun set on the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, oh and of course London Tower – don’t miss it, it’s awesome.

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