As we approached our last few days in London, we got the itch to hit our favorites one last time.
We started our Friday with LOTS of walking: to our beloved Rotten Row playground, and then across Hyde Park to Marble Arch…I think my Garmin chimed 10,000 steps by lunch that day!
We have photos of Maelle on this very rope ladder from both our previous trips: click to see our sweet girl in 2022 and 2023.
One place we’ve never visited while in London is the Docklands, which is a built-up, modernized business and residential area, built on the site of the former Port of London. You can access the area via cable car, which we did on the way over. This view is a set of high-rise apartments as you leave North Greenwich:
Here’s our view upon arriving at Canary Wharf, near One Canada Square:
I loved all the modern architecture and rainbow colors!
We walked along the North Dock to get to the Museum of the London Docklands.
It was a fantastic museum with lots of kid-friendly options; we closed it down and I wished we’d had more time. Maelle enjoyed building a tunnel with blocks, walking through a makeshift dock and serving food 1900s-style.
We took the tube back to London proper and ended up at Koya, another line-only dinner place. They had kid chopsticks for Maelle! (We actually have that same set at home.) She ate her pho with the best of them and we all slurped away after a long day of walking.
That evening, we popped into Foyle’s bookstore, the oldest book shop in London, and I *almost* bought a book on Queen Victoria. Except that it was ENORMOUS and I could not justify that kind of weight in my carry-on bag. It’s on my Kindle to-read list.
The following day, we did another new thing: the Puppet Theater Barge in Little Venice! We saw a version of ‘the princess and the pea,’ and despite her grouchy face, she had a great time. I thought it was entertaining and especially enjoyed their modern take on the story, encouraging youngsters to use their imaginations and face their fears.
We ate lunch on another barge and then waited in a long but steadily advancing line for the British Museum, despite having timed-entry tickets. Le sigh. They have a ‘please touch’ version of the Rosetta Stone. (They also have the real one, too.) It’s an incredible museum and you could truly spend all day there and not see it all. The mummies are a favorite for sure–they are always crowded–but we made sure to see some other highlights, too.
After exiting the museum, we found a small playground around the corner (Bloomsbury Square) for a quick run around. We ate dinner at another favorite, Franco Manca, where Maelle said next time she’d like the pizza with mushrooms, like me. (Noting this here for next time.) While Rudy’s might be our *most* favorite pizza in London, there’s a Franco Manca in South Kensington, where we stay, and it’s such an easy stop when you want something quick and easy.
Also, I LOVE LOVE LOVE that Maelle draws me with purple hair. (She saw a photo of Agrigento at the British Museum, and I told her that mommy and daddy went there when she was in my tummy. She immediately requested that I take a photo so ‘she could draw it later.’)
The next day was our last day in London. We hadn’t yet hit the Natural History Museum, so we braved yet another line in order to get in. I vowed this time we would see more than just the dinosaurs and earthquakes! We saw gems, minerals, meteorites, a ring of a giant sequoia and a room full of bottled specimens. And the dinosaurs and earthquakes. Ha!
After being cooped up for so long, we enjoyed walking around Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus and Carnaby Streets, on the hunt for last-minute souvenirs.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the adidas sneakers I’d been crushing on, so we headed to our last dinner: a Sunday roast! Apparently a Sunday roast is a ‘thing’ in England–not sure how or why I’ve never done this in all my trips here–and Andrew found us a great place to go. The Jugged Hare is in East London, not in our usual stomping grounds, but it was worth the trip! We each got our own roast (they had a kid’s portion for Maelle), which included roasted veggies, Yorkshire pudding and a choice of meat.
We got a sticky toffee pudding for dessert and you can see Maelle gave it a thumbs up!
The next morning, we had just enough time to visit the pirate playground one last time before leaving for the airport. We can’t wait to go back again!
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