Last Leg
Reporting from Jinqiao
06.08.2011 - 11.08.2011
20 °C
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European Vacation
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So we left Wales and headed back to London for the last five days of our holiday, this was a little longer than anticipated, but my little sister was having a party on the Saturday night, so we wanted to be able to join in the fun! We arrived pretty much in time just to join in the party, and Marns had bought Jie Jie a party dress! Was lovely to meet a few more friends of Marns and James, especially ahead of their big day next April!
The following morning we left Marns and James to sleep off the after effects of the party and took the kids into the city, on the trusty number 19 bus from Islington all the way into the city and explored Piccadilly and Green Park. We got caught in the rain and so ducked into the Trocadero, just near Piccadilly Circus where we found an indoor performance space where some 'kids' (twenty-somethings) were practising their dance moves, which involved a lot of acrobatics... Didi decided he wanted to join in, and was going through the motions copying them, and collected quite an audience himself because he was so cute... especially when he put his head on the ground and then walked his legs around it, as if he were spinning on it!
The next day we went to the British Museum, while Marns and James returned to work. Jie Jie was fascinated in the Egypt section looking at the mummies, and in particular became quite vocal about death discussions. She was a bit disturbed at some of the tiny mummies, when she realised they were likely to have been children. It was quite easy to tell we have been on the go for quite some time, because although we were enjoying the things we saw, including the Greek Marbles, the Rosetta Stone, an exhibition of Australian Indigenous Art, both kids were shattered - Didi nodded off in the ergo carrier and Jie Jie, well check this out:
Mike sat holding her for about 40 minutes!!! Incredible!!!
Now, although I am writing this well after the event, this was the week of the London Riots... the initial night, and the night we were unaware of what was going on was Saturday, and we first heard about it on the Sunday night news. On the way home on Monday afternoon, we stopped in at the Sainsburys in Angel, near the Tube station, and bought a few things, but something I needed for dinner wasn't available and so while Mike and the kids were paying in Sainsburys, I ducked in next door to Waitrose... while I was in there an announcement came over asking customers to finalise their purchases as the shop was closing early. On exiting, there were police at the door, and across the road at the entrance to the Tube station, police in riot gear were assembling and forming an even line... of course I asked, and they said that they had had word that the riots were heading our way... advice was for all shops in the mainstreet to close... Now we didn't have a pram with us, we'd just bought a stack of groceries to carry and the kids were exhausted... and we were about 3km from Marns' house. "Keep moving guys, we have to get home!!!!" Fortunately made it home without incident, and reports that night were that Islington was safe.
Tuesday, we had our last hurrah catching up with friends. Lunch at Carluccio's in Covent Garden with another friend of Mike's from uni and dinner with a friend of Mike's from nursery school and his partner. Lunch was delicious, but dinner was a bit of a drama as many of the restaurants had been advised not to open due to the riots. Didn't see any action in the taxi on the trip home either, thank goodness!!
Our last full day we were relaxed and didn't venture too far from home. We walked up to Islington again, and then went out for a final farewell dinner with Marns and James.
It was a good holiday, but after 6 weeks we were ready to head home to Shanghai again. Look at our hand carry:
And I have to admit they were great little travellers on the flight home! Bye bye UK... see you again in April!!
Posted by aboo10 02:01 Archived in England Tagged family_travel Comments (0)