Day Eleven: One Last Look Around England Before We Go

On the final tourist day of your European vacation you might want to consider checking off some items you failed to achieve in the previous days (if you've managed to check off everything on your list before the last day, kudos to you, or, not, maybe you should have considered straying from your guidebooks, recommendations, and previously created itinerary every now and then). If you're using our brilliant (note the British word here) guide to planning your next European family vacation, then...Travel Tip: Leave the last tourist day of your trip fairly open to get back on track with your itinerary. Note: Use the night before this day to pack...trust me, if you've been following along, one of us said not to start packing because there were still two days left, meanwhile, everyone is rushing to get packed up before bedtime the night before our early flight. 

So, you've packed all but the essentials two nights before you leave town (I'm so jealous); it's your final tourist day, what's on the schedule?

1. You didn't get to see the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace (because they flaked...there...I said it...the Queen's guards flaked on us the first time and we've been trying to check this off our list all week).  

Changing of the Guards: The guidebook says to get a place at the fence by 10:30am. But, because their scheduling was wonky, and because it is now a Friday (more crowds), you show up at about this recommended time and join more than a few onlookers:

Travel Tip:  I don't want to say get there earlier because, it really isn't necessary. But don't get there any later than 10:30am. You have to stand around for about an hour and then the whole process lasts for 45 minutes to 1-hour. Best place to stand, by far, is nowhere near where we stood. We took a spot at the fence facing the palace to the right. You'll want to take a spot at the gates off to the side of the palace. It will make sense when you get here. However, if you took the spot we took, do your best to see what you can see, and then after the guard on your side has changed out, then find a spot along the road, you will be able to see the marching band leaving (there are two marching bands that go each direction away from the palace so it doesn't matter which place you go to near the road). This also means that if you were at the gate feeling like you missed the marching band and you can hardly see what's going on, don't fret, you can see the marching band leave. You cannot be in both places at once so see one thing and then go see the other.

Note: The kids didn't enjoy being smashed up against the gates at all. And, if you try to stand up on the gates, the guards will yell at you to get down. I would put this event down as a see it if you can but if you don't, it's okay. Maybe just go for the marching band, they are far more entertaining: they played many songs including Thriller by Michael Jackson and Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars. 

Move on from here, you still have more to see and do and one last scheduled event this evening. 

2. You pre-bought fast track passes to The London Eye; better go use them. 

Travel Tip: You might think, should we buy the fast track passes? They cost more money. Well, the line is really long, so it's really up to how you enjoy spending your time in Europe. If you still aren't sure if you should go for the pricier ticket consider this: you can use it any day and time of your trip to England. 

Travel Challenge: Get at least one more perspective photo before leaving town.

Big Ben from London Eye

3. Remember that you promised yourself to take an iconic type of photo of each kid in each country and that one child still needs his picture taken. You waited until now because you planned on getting a good image of this child at the phone booth with something great in the background:

4. You didn't get to go inside Big Ben or inside Westminster Abbey, so you'll have to settle for photos outside (remember you have a deadline for an event this evening). Travel Tip: Once you set yourself to a dwindling clock, you can't help but feel rushed to get everything done in a hurry. So, when your husband says, "There's Westminster Abbey," and takes you to the corner for what you all think will be a great photo; he is taking a picture of the monument while you and the kids are organizing yourself for the picture. You only realize he didn't want everyone in the picture when he says, "Got it, let's go." If that happens, just say, "Okay, now should we get one with all of us in it?" Then he'll say,"Oh yeah, sorry about that." 

5. You keep saying you will eat fish and chips in a pub. New Plan: You think it will be a good idea to eat lunch, do last minute shopping, and then go back to the hotel and pack before going to the last event (which won't get you back to the hotel until 10pm)--be certain, you won't have time to pack even with the new plan. Travel Tip: The pubs do cater to families. You want to try to get out to at least one of these because they are historic and traditional. Note: If you have a family of five and it's a Friday and you're rushed, good luck getting a seat for lunch at the pub. You may be turned away or just walk away from one or two pubs before settling on the one that's been right next to your hotel all along: Punch & Judy (established in 1787). Eat here and then have fun making the sign politically incorrect:

6. Get rid of:

Enjoy British humor for one last night

7. Find one last unique trinket to take home (this is just a disposable cup; don't go looking around for this trinket. But do make your unique thing better than a blank cup): 

8. Go to your final event: Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour. Travel Tip: If you are traveling with kids who are Harry Potter fans; or, you are a Harry Potter fan, then this is a must see. 

Note: This is actually really far away from London considering most everything you've done so far is fairly close or within walking distance from your hotel. From The Strand Palace hotel you will need to walk a quarter mile to the Underground, take it to Euston, get off and then get onto the Overground, take it to Watford which is about a fifteen minute long ride, then get off and run to the Harry Potter bus (literally a bus that goes to the event) which is another fifteen minute ride to the location. Recap: Travel is by feet, two subways (under and over ground), and a bus and then in reverse. 

This is the official bus to the Harry Potter Tour

Travel Challenge: Don't get caught sleeping on The McGehee's Abroad European vacation:

Keep in Mind: The tour is no less than 3 hours long. There are interactive things to do they may take longer depending on the length of the line; the tube stops running at a certain time of night and you have to catch the bus to the tube station so you may have to spend less time than you want to if you book a late night ticket. 

Nolan & James at Harry Potter Tour 2017

Best Time: Our tickets were for 6pm because we didn't realize how exhausted we would be by this point in our trip; or, how long the journey would be out of London; or, the length of the tour. However, it was dark and raining so it added to the mystique of the experience especially in the outdoor section.

The kids hanging off the back of the Knight Bus, England 2017

Giggle: When the British children attending the event are speaking around you with what we perceive are accents; they make you feel like you're in the movie even though they are just visitors to this event too. Photos: Warner Bros. wants you to take a lot of photos and to check-in at the event in different areas. Have fun with it. 

Travel Tip: Halfway through the tour you get dumped into the restaurant/cafe. This is where you get your Butter Beer (it's worth it). The hot food is good but keep in mind: you will think you need to get into two lines: one for food and one for Butter Beer; this is not true. Get in the food line because everyone else thinks they can't get Butter Beer in this line. Get food. You'll be hungry by now. You started your journey to Harry Potter at 4pm and now it is 7:30pm. The hot food is really good and it doesn't take much time for them to call your name when it's ready (stand nearby and send your family to snag a table). 

Butter Beer

Travel Note: The bag check is very thorough, they go through every pocket and unzip everything and then thoroughly wand you afterwards. It's more detailed than the Louvre without exaggeration. 

 

Hopefully you didn't spend all your money, you'll also get dumped into the big store at the end of the tour and it's really fun!!!

Make your way back to your hotel on the very last trains of the night and of your trip...

Last ride up from the Underground, London 2017

...you've got some packing to do!!!

Wishing we had packed the night before the night before we leave