The One Where The Morse's Go to London

December 22nd:

Cam and I arrived in London around 9:15 AM and my family was set to land around 10 AM. We got off the train at King's Cross and hopped on the Underground to go to Terminal 3 of the London Heathrow Airport. The ride took about an hour and we were headed towards the arrival gate. We had enough time to grab some breakfast and stood waiting at the gate to see my family come. When we met up with my family there was lots of hugs and then we were on our way to the Airbnb to drop off our bags.

My family didn't seem to enjoy using the Underground, which is understandable because it's fast and bumpy. But it was the quickest way to the Elephant and Castle district. We walked the short distance from the Underground station to the flat we were staying in to dop off all of our things before we headed to Elephant and Castle for lunch. Apparently the Elephant and Castle in DC is very high end, but in London, it's your traditional pub and was my family's first taste of authentic British food.

After lunch, we decided to head to Covent Garden to see the market and so my dad could get his airpods replaced. We saw shops with expensive chocolates, souvenir carts, different restaurants, and a variety of vendors. We grabbed coffee and watch a street performer do a magic show before stopping into Tesco to grab some snacks and heading to our next adventure.

We took a Black Cab Taxi Lights Tour around the city and saw all of the gorgeous decorations and twinkling lights. We learned about different spots in London and our driver, Stella, made sure to take plenty of pictures of our group. After a couple of hours, Stella dropped us off at the Airbnb and we headed in for the night.

December 23rd:

We were up bright and early to get breakfast and head to Tower Bridge, commonly referred to as London Bridge, but that's not what it's actually called. We got to walk on the top level, over all the cars and the water, see the engine that opens the bridge, and learn about how the bridge was built. It had rained the entire walk to the bridge, so all of us were wet and cold.

After the bridge, we headed to Borough Market where we saw a variety of fruits, wines, pies, cheeses, and pretty much everything else you could imagine. It was busy and beautiful. Borough Market is housed under railway, so you can occasionally hear the trains go overhead. If you're ever in the area, I would recommend going.

After the marketplace, we headed to the London Tower, which is home to the crown jewels. Before it was home to the crown jewels, it was a prison (famously known for where Anne Boleyn was kept prisoner and executed), but before that it was actually used as a palace. We got a tour of different walls and gates dating back to medieval times, heard some of the history the London Tower, and heard some fun facts.

We went to see the crown jewels and the displays housed in the main tower of armour and weapons used by the royal family throughout time. We saw the chapel where Anne Boleyn and Mary Tudor were buried. And we saw the old moats from when the castle/prison needed protection.

After leaving the London Tower, we went to Hung, Drawn, and Quartered for some food. My family tried Yorkshire Puddings for the first time. My mom and I split a pie plate and tried a variety of the different meat pies and a some traditional English sides (like mint peas). Then we headed walked the streets of London to see what we could see, which included stopping for a glass of wine at Vinoteca Wine and Food.

One of our last excursions for the night was taking a Jack the Ripper Walking Tour, where we walked around the Whitechapel district and learned more about Jack the Ripper, some theories about who they may have been, and reasons why they may have eluded the police. We also saw some of the oldest pubs in London and a white chapel (but not the one the district was named after).

After the tour, we made a quick stop at Tesco for some things to make a charcuterie board for our late night dinner before heading back to the Airbnb. We enjoyed wine from Italy and our DIY board before heading to bed.

December 24th:

We got up and went to breakfast before heading out on the Palace and Parliament tour, which was a three hour walking tour showing off the palace (of course) and other important buildings around London. We learned a lot about Queen Victoria and her reign and the history of Buckingham Palace. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and obviously loved his job, which made the overall experience better.

After the tour, we headed to an old church that had been converted into a food hall. We all ordered different things, from pasta, to raman, to pizza calzones. There was three stories full of different foods, beautiful stained glass, and a puppy sitting at the table next to us. We ended the meal with gelato, which tasted exactly like it did in Rome. After lunch, we went to Fortnum & Mason's, where we each got some sort of souvenir to remember our trip by.

We wrapped up the night by going to Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland, which is like a carnival met a Christmas Market, met a street food festival, met Oktoberfest. There were vendors selling everything from oil diffusers to ornaments to hot chocolates. We wove our way through the Christmas Market before splitting off to do our own separate activities. My mom and Jack went to ride a roller coaster (which was apparently very bumpy) and me, Cam, and my dad headed to a bar made out of ice - down to the cups.

We met up and Jack and Cam went to ride the haunted mansion while me and my parents got a drink and then headed to meet them. We got food in the German part of the park, mostly sausages and sweet onions, before we went to a Circus. There were professional roller bladers, motorcyclists, people doing jump rope tricks, and a lot of backflips. It was the coolest - and quite possibly only - circus I've been to.

Then, we headed towards the food vendors, where Cam and I each got an Aperol Spritz from the special Aperol Spritz truck, my dad and Jack got crepes, and me and my parents enjoyed Cadbury hot chocolate. We started towards the exit and played a couple carnival games on the way out before heading back to the Airbnb for our final night in London.

December 25th:

Because everything was closed, there was finally a day to sleep in for a bit. We had a late morning start, enjoyed bagels and instant coffee for breakfast, and my family and Cam opened the Christmas gifts I had gotten them. Then we all got dressed for Christmas lunch and packed our suitcases.

Christmas lunch was at the Mayflower Pub, which had been around since the 1500's. It was a delicious three-course, customizable meal. The pub was decorated to look like the inside of the Mayflower, stuffed rats and everything. We participated in the tradition of wearing paper crowns for Christmas, and me and my mom enjoyed some prosecco by the Thames River, where the Mayflower is sat.

After dinner, we walked down the street a bit to see a newer part of London before taking a car to Manchester, where our flight left from the next day. The ride was about 5 hours, long, and everybody slept for the most part. We had a quick dinner at the hotel bar before heading up to get some sleep before out early morning at the airport.

In order: Buckingham Palace and Queen Victoria's Memorial; My Parents in Covent Garden; Jack with the Louis Vuitton Lego Display; Family Photo with the Crown Lights; Christmas Day BeReal at The Mayflower Pub; Me, Jack, and my Dad at the Fortnum & Mason Photobooth; Tower Bridge from the Tower of London; Brussel Sprouts for Sale in Borough Market; Boat in the Thames Taken from the Top of Tower Bridge, Big Ben.