Day 45: London

The day started with mad packing to get out of the apartment by 10 AM.  That was so never going to happen.  There was stuff everywhere and I felt overwhelmed and hung over yet again.  After being such a suitcase Nazi for the entire trip, I had let things get out of control in London and this morning I was paying for it.  There was stuff everywhere and I wasn't coping to say the least.  Three hours later, we were finally at Nottinghill Markets on Portobello Road and I was feeling rather exhausted.  There were people everywhere but the sun was shining and we were keen to enjoy our last day of summer (even if was only 24 degrees) and forget the trauma of the morning.  First stop, a falafel joint which proved to be the most memorable food moment of my entire trip, complete with strips of fried eggplant and mint.  The only downside was that I had to share it with Rick.  We walked for a few hours and enjoyed the food stalls more than anything.  Funny that.  The thought of braving the crowds inside shops was just all too much for everyone.  The kids had a smoothie inside a pineapple cup.  Zachie had some olives.  Max ate more sushi.  And Scarlett enjoyed a hamburger made by a funky African English lady who made us laugh and took a particular liking to Zachary Quack from "down under".  On to Chelsea to the food markets along Kings Street via another fabulous bus ride. These markets were a little more upmarket and more like a food and wine festival.  It was lovely and Rick enjoyed a slow roasted duck roll while the kids had coconut milk from a fresh coconut. Zachie claimed the coconut pretty quickly and cruised along Kings Road in his green shades with a straw and umbrella poking out the top, looking very cool to many who passed by. We walked along Kings Road for a good while and then jumped on the bus to Kensington Palace. It was lovely and the gardens were very pretty.  What a splendid place to kill time.  Next time I will treat myself to high tea and a bottle of bubbles in the gardens.   Sadly it was a bit too cold for my liking so we didn't hang around for too long.  The kids had a ride on the merry go round and ate an icecream as we walked around.  It was beautiful and I was hoping for a private viewing of Princess Charlotte but she was nowhere to be seen.  Back on the tube to Fulham to see Ricks old house that he shared with Vic DeBortoli. Sadly it was time to get back to the apartment to collect our goodies and head to the airport.  We caught the tube to the international airport and the train was packed.  It took about 40 minutes and was all very seamless. The English certainly do transport very well.  We were so bloody organised for a change that I think we were the first to check in.  On to the American Airlines Lounge which is affiliated with Qantas to fill in a few hours. The kids were happy scoffing the free food as was Rick with the booze.  I had a long shower to kill time and felt somewhat mentally prepared for the voyage ahead.  We left at 9.35 pm and so began 24 hours of no sleep. Sadly I had the unfortunate pleasure of sitting next to Zachary, which quickly proved a bad move.  He only slept for 3 hours the entire way and was bouncing on sugar for the rest of it.  5 movies later, I was square eyed and pretty cranky from the constant interruptions and questions from the Quack.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 44: London

Its unanimous.  The kids think Sally Martin is the best thing about London. And I would agree if I didn’t wake up with another thumping headache this morning.  So on to the Science Museum that a frightfully English grandmother in Hamelys insisted we must visit as it was “positively the most splendid thing to do with children whilst in London”.  Even her “50 year old son that lives in New York visits it every time he comes home”.  And she was right, it was fabulous. Best of all, it had no queues.  There were all things science to see including engines, planes, phones, inventions, computers, you name it.  There was a whole section on planets and space, earth, volcanoes and earthquakes.  It was five floors of science made cool for kids and Max and Zachie were like a sponge.  So there we stayed for hours watching a cool 3D movie in the largest IMAX cinema in Europe. Scarlett, Zachie and I flew to the moon in a simulated flight and Max and Rick flew a fighter jet.  It was pouring rain when we left so we opted for some sightseeing on the bus again. We are obsessed with the double decker buses and its fast becoming our preferred mode of transport in London. The traffic was at a standstill and we just happened to stop outside Harrods, so we thought we'd take a quick look in the much touted food hall.  It was pretty impressive (as were the prices) although I will make a big call and say I think DJ’s is better (well maybe just as good).  The rain really started and the $2 plastic rain coats just didn’t cut it. Rick kept saying that this was the real London and at that moment I longed for leafy Lindfield.  Sadly I had left Sally’s umbrella on the bus, so we decided to cut our losses and head home via the tube.  The kids were very pleased! They went home while I walked around trying to find a decent umbrella to replace the one I had lost.  I was soaked by the time I got home and couldn’t stop thinking about Australia. On to Miss Sally’s for dinner via the tube first and then a walk in the rain because we couldn’t get a cab. Salvation finally came in the form of a black cab and a divorce was adverted. The kids thought it was fabulous and very old fashioned aside from the TV screen in the back of the cab. Sally welcomed us in and smothered us with lots of TLC, delicious food, amazing wine and movies. We enjoyed our last “Spritiz” in Europe and dined on gorgeous Italian including a beautiful crab linguine.  Scarlett watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the first time while the boys played on their Ipads.  It was Nirvana for all concerned and the most like home we’d felt in nearly 7 weeks (clearly I am a little homesick).  It was very hard to say good bye and we lingered as long as we could.  Home at midnight via another black cab. We were happy to be home but even more happy that we are heading to our “real home” tomorrow night.

 

 

 

Day 43: London

We have been credit scammed.  Can you believe it!  Some low life from Bali has swiped $2000 from our card and basically bled it dry.  We noticed something wasn’t right last night when our card bounced at dinner.  Rick checked this morning and sure enough “it” has been making cash withdrawals since we arrived here in London.  Rick spent a good hour sorting it out with Macquarie Bank in Australia and the upside is we should get our money back (hopefully).  Consequently it soured the mood and we were late to get moving yet again.  So today we had the great pleasure of hanging out at the Natural History Museum which we realised was the incredible building at the end of Paddington where Nicole Kidman kidnaps Paddington and takes him to be stuffed for display. It was a visual splendour and probably my favourite building in London. It had awesome displays on all things nature including a super dinosaur exhibition, gigantic whale that covered the entire ceiling of another great hall and every stuffed creature known to man. It was pumping with kids and families and sadly stared with a very long entrance queue that snaked out the door and around the corner.  Not happy Jan, and even less so when it started to rain. Crowds, rain and kids just do not mix and it proved to be a low point in the day as was the constant badgering by the kids about getting to Hamleys. Thankfully Rick had pre-booked tickets to the dinosaur exhibition so that queue was the only one we suffered. Our experience was momentarily blackened later in the day by a very unfriendly staff member who smugly told us the kids were not permitted into a pre-booked virtual exhibition as they were younger than 13 years.  Clearly we had missed that when we booked online this morning. When I suggested that Rick go on his own, her colleague joined in and promptly told us he was too late.  The conversation proceeded into great detail about how he had missed the important briefing required to use the equipment in the exhibition. Rick said he was pretty tech savvy but they were not backing down.  When I asked for the time, she said it was 1.35pm.  The session started at 1.30pm.  What the? In the time they had spent being difficult, he could have joined in.  I was not happy to say the least so on I marched through the crowds on a mission to the front desk and promptly told a nice man how disappointed we were.  5 minutes later we were back upstairs, with Rick getting a personalised briefing on the equipment. The two smug staff didn’t look so smug anymore.  Back on the bus for a bit more sightseeing on the way to the much anticipated Hamleys.  Finally. The kids have been waiting weeks for this moment and Rick and I were bracing ourselves for the onslaught.  Sally had generously given the kids £20 each to buy something. The were cashed up and hyped up and it was pumping. Six floors of toys, games, technology and all things kids.  Help.  There were demonstrations, balloons and frenzied kids galore. The M&M shop seemed sedate in comparison to this joint. First stop, the Lego department complete with life sized Kate, Will, Harry and Charles. Sadly it didn’t stock any of the latest range of Ninjago, Chima or Friends. I could feel the tears welling and braced for the fallout, but to my surprise it didn’t come. Maxie maturely opted to keep his pounds to buy something bigger when he gets home to Australia.  Zachie bought one little Lego that cost 10 pounds so he could keep some for home also, and my dear Scarlett spent her cash on another stuffed dog and some funky nail polish.  They were well considered purchases and I felt pretty chuffed with their efforts.  Two hours later, “I” was done and ready for some sanity which is ironic because we then lost Scarlett shortly thereafter for close to 30 minutes and I have never felt so panicked in my life. “Lost and Found” had claimed her thankfully and we both sobbed uncontrollably when we were reunited. Holy traumatic.  We opted to head home via Tesco for some groceries, where the kids ran wild through the isles. Breathe Dianna. Sal came over for dinner and of course we couldn’t help ourselves with the wine.  Four bottles (including the cooking wine) and a fabulous plate of risotto later (thanks to Rick) we were all rocking away with much to say about life. It was another late night that felt like old times and I wished Miss Sally just lived down the road in Lindfield.  Somehow, I don’t think she would feel the same.