London during the summer Part 2

On day two of our London trip we got up early and headed straight for the Tower of London. This is something that did cost extra but we used our Clubcard Boost to get vouchers. We paid a little towards the cost but it wasn’t much.

Tower of London



There is so much to see at the Tower of London including the guards, and LP was very impressed when he could walk up to a rope and stand near one of the guards as he stood in place. It was almost empty when we were there so it was great to be able to get photos before the crowds gathered.



A guard in front of the Tower of London



For the majority of the rooms in the Tower of London you’re not allowed to take photos but I got what I could when we were walking around. We got to see the Crown Jewels and interestingly it’s not just one glass case with the Queen’s crown in it. There are lots of different ones, you get to see all the monarch’s crowns. The one I found most interesting was Queen Victoria’s Crown because it was so different to the rest. Her’s was lots smaller with no coloured gems on it at all - it was all diamonds.















We walked lots and climbed hundreds of steps. We learned about the history of animals at the Tower of London, finding out they used to keep lions, monkeys, and even a polar bear at one point! The Polar Bear was allowed to swim in the Thames to fish and it escaped from it’s chains and attacked someone. There were a lot of animal attacks back then and one person was “torn to shreds” by a lion. It was really interesting reading all the stories (for me, not so much for the boys) and I was thankful they didn’t keep animals there anymore.












In the room with lots of armour we saw a suit of armour for a five year old child! Most of the armour was obviously for adults but this little one stuck out - it was disturbing. Imagine a five year old having to put on a suit of armour!









After leaving the Tower of London we headed to Tower Bridge, another thing on LP’s list. We hadn’t planned on going inside Tower Bridge, but when we went inside and found out it wasn’t that expensive we decided to do it. We took the steps up (which tired me out) and once we reached the top LP was quite excited to look out of the windows. I had no idea but they have a glass floor that you can walk across. I couldn’t make myself do it - much like in Blackpool - but LP was very brave and even laid down on it looking down at the road beneath.


















From the top of Tower Bridge we went down the steps and walked across the bridge to the Engine Room where we got to see how it all works. It was quite interesting to see it is still operated the same way it was when it was first built. They have a schedule for when the bridge is raised now and we weren’t there at that time but I’m sure it’s quite a sight to see. 












As we walked away from Tower Bridge we asked LP how he thought the trip was going and despite lots of walking around he was so happy. 

More walking around London, while snapping lots of photos, took us along streets I’ve never seen before (I think it was South Bank). We came across musicians playing music in the street, and it wasn’t a guitar player either. Two young people, one playing a violin and one playing a cello, were playing classical music while standing in front of a mural. I LOVED it and the Hubby gave LP some money to put into their bag, it was such a lovely sight and the music was amazing, certainly not something you’d see in Nottingham. 






Our walking continued taking us towards Buckingham Palace, past Nelson’s Column. At this point we’d been walking for most of the day so we took a moment to sit in the park and rest our tired legs. We chatted about the trip, what the boys had enjoyed most, and what we would do next. I taught LP how to stretch his legs because he was complaining about sore legs. Once we’d rested a little we got up and started our walk towards Buckingham Palace.












Again this is something LP couldn’t wait to see and being able to get so close certainly made an impression on him. He watched the guards and they moved around inside the fence and smiled when they returned to their post.







More walking led us back towards the hotel going past St Paul’s Cathedral again. We had booked dinner at Bread Street Kitchen (review to follow) and decided to try to have our dinner early - we were worn out. When we went in we were so pleased when they said they could fit us in.

After our meal we headed back to the hotel, we were SO tired.




Day 3

We woke up on day 3 and we were all exhausted - none of us wanted to do the things we’d planned. But we got up, slowly, and headed out once more. We went to the National History Museum where we saw lots of dinosaur bones - something BP wanted to do. Then we visited the Science Museum and walked around looking at the historical things. It was funny actually because we came across an area where they had “historical phones” and the Hubby and I laughed. Most of the phones in their display we have here in our home. They’re packed away in a box but we definitely have them. I guess that’s what happens when you’re getting old!






We did spend a fair amount of time walking around the technology area of the Museum - it’s quite interesting to see how we used to communicate before computers and mobile phones, or even home telephones. Not to mention the Hubby found it interesting seeing really old computers, he couldn’t stop talking about big they used to be and telling me that the biggest one we saw probably held less information than our mobile phones these days.

We had planned on doing lots more looking around but before lunchtime the boys had had enough. The walking had done them in and to be honest it had got me too. We were all tired and wanted to come home so we headed back to Edgware and when we saw the car I think we all cheered a little.

All in all our trip to London was brilliant. Yes it was tiring but we saw everything we had planned to plus a little extra and LP was very pleased he got to see everything he’d wanted to. He even asked when our next trip to London will be.

You can see more photos from our trip over on my Facebook Page and feel free to connect with me over there. If you’d like to chat connect with me on Twitter. And if you’d like to see some of our family days out check out my YouTube Channel.

I do love to hear from my readers so please leave me a comment or say hello on social media! When was your last trip to London? What did you do?