Day Eight: Change in the Guards Schedule

From the mid point of our trip, it's been getting harder and harder to wake up early. Vacations sure are exhausting ventures. However, we got up anyway so we could get a good spot along the gate to watch the changing of the guards.

Guards at Buckingham Palace, London 2017

The Queen's Gates at Buckingham Palace 2017

The travel book suggests getting to Buckingham Palace by 10:30am to get a spot on the gate; so we did. Travel Tip: Once you get there, double check that the guards will be changing and what time; in the winter the guards only change every other day. This morning the sign said the guards would be changing at 11:30am so we took our places at the gates and began writing out our postcards to friends and family at home.

Apparently, it is wise to occasionally look behind you to be sure that sign does not suddenly change (seriously, what are the odds the sign will change from Today to Tomorrow for the changing of the guards?). A palace employee came along and spoke softly to us and others up against the gate saying the guards would actually not be changing today, they will be changing tomorrow, but to go along the road to see the queen's horses move down the road. So, we did that instead (not as grand, but not nothing). Moral of the Story: Don't wait until the last day of your trip to see the change of the guards, the schedule may change on you. Luckily, we have one or two more times we can catch this attraction.

Queen's Horses, London 2017

When your itinerary says: Buckingham Palace/Changing of the Guards in the morning and 2pm High Tea and it's only 11am; it's time for Plan B. (Take a deep breath: it will be okay)

Thumbs Up, it's all good, London 2017

Walk through Green Park (stop for hot chocolate and coffee, have only a minor translation issue when your husband tries to order a Cafe Ole and the lady gets frustrated and tells him it's just a Flat White--realize his simple drink goes by many names: Starbucks calls it a Cafe Misto; he calls it a Cafe Ole, and here it's just a Flat White--) then walk up to Piccadilly and buy tickets for the Hop-on-Hop-off Bus Tours because it seems like the thing to do to get a better idea of the city (Truly, the buses are iconic to the city, try to ride one at some point if you can). Travel Tip: Trust us, sit upstairs or downstairs, just make sure it's covered if you're going in January. The first half we were covered upstairs, the second half (different bus) we were uncovered and froze through the journey.

Up front on the London Tourist Bus, 2017

What you look like (and feel like) when you ride inside (covered).

What you look and feel like sitting outside in 34 degree London

Make Note: By day eight in your vacation, your children will take advantage of every WiFi opportunity and miss much of the history being spouted and most of the sights (it doesn't matter, you are on vacation too, let them busy themselves and take in as much as you would if you hadn't brought the children, and then tell them all about what you learned when you walk back to the hotel from Buckingham Palace in the afternoon).

It's not just a kid-vacation, it's your vacation too, take a moment and enjoy!

Travel Challenge: Sit on the bus for a bit. Try taking pictures from a new perspective. Maybe try to look around through the eyes of a Londoner, what would stand out to you? Tourists?

Tourists Flocking into London? Or, residents returning from holiday?

Travel Thought: Shouldn't a Technology and Research Institute appear more technologically advanced? It must be awesome inside.

London Institute of Technology & Research, 2017

Red Line/Blue Line: There are two different types of buses that run: the red and blue lines. The red line has a guide (actual person) speaking over microphone in English; the blue line requires headphones and has options for a variety of translations. We rode both. If you get on the blue line, pick up your headphones on the way to your seat. When you get off the bus do one of two things: either pocket the headphones like the audio guide says to do; or, place them on top of the bus stop as other tourists have done...(we kept ours).

Keep your headphones? Or, put them on the bus stop from the top deck? What would you do?

Get off the bus and make your way to your High Tea reservation at any lovely tea house or hotel (do research and make reservations in advance, if possible). We chose Le Meridien Hotel and ordered the afternoon tea for two and the kid's afternoon tea. Travel Tip: In London, the addresses are challenging to understand, we've learned. One side of the street is going up in numbers; the other side is going down (this is true for at least two streets we've been on while looking for addresses).

Le Meridien Hotel, High Tea, Piccadilly, London 2017

Travel Tip: each pick different flavored teas and enjoy taste testing what each other ordered. Realize that your afternoon tea felt a lot like an early dinner and prepare not to eat again until very late on this day. The kid's menu is very interactive and fun at Le Meridien. It is a jungle theme and the pastries are designed to be interactive. The boys frosted their pastries and assembled them into different types of creatures, as was expected by design.

Nolan sipping his Chamomile in London 2017

Even boys like High Tea in London 2017

Nolan's High Tea creature Piccadilly 2017

Fischer's High Tea Snake Pastry (Self Made), Piccadilly 2017

After tea time, you will want to walk off everything you've just ingested. You've only toured this section of town by bus in the daylight, by the time you are finished with tea it will be dark out and you'll have a chance to see the city all lit up and at it's liveliest this time of year. Take in the sights and sounds of the street performers; check your shopping list, go into a souvenir shop and find something fun and interesting.

Nolan intrigued by the street artists, London 2017

Realize the kids have no more energy as they keep asking you to flag a taxi down, until you come upon the M&M store--go inside and make it to all four levels of the store and wonder why the M&M store needs to be this big, but enjoy it at the same time (they pump chocolate scent through the ventilation to make it seem like a factory, if you grew up in the 1980s, it smells like a chocolate scratch and sniff sticker).

Our Fischer M&M, London 2017

Travel Tip: The M&M packing room is downstairs along with other interactive attractions; you will have fun with that area. Realize that your children no longer want a taxi and they no longer want to go back to the hotel (possibly, they never want to leave the M&M store).

M&M Packing Facility, London 2017

Walking down Abby Road with M&Ms, London 2017

Even though you didn't get to see the Changing of the Guards; you had a fun and interactive adventure with the kiddos and can now say you rode a double-decker bus through London.

Stay tuned, will we ever get to see the changing of the guards during this trip to London?