London - day one...

So much to tell and not enough time to tell it all in :-))

It will have to be mainly pictures of each day to give you a flavour of the sites we saw and the things we did.

Five days full of activity in a very packed and always moving London.

 The whole experience was, at times exhilarating, and at others debilitating.

 There were moments of joy and laughter and there were moments of tension, with all of us at one time or another succumbing to short tempers.

Just a typical family holiday ;-)) 

Waiting at the station brought back many memories of our trip last year.

Nervous and excited we stood waiting for the train.

This time the added benefit was having Alan with us :-) 

On our return last year Milly had been so keen to show him the sights. Alan hadn't been overly keen on visiting London last year ( not really his cup of tea and he hadn't had any holiday left to take anyway ) but he had been very keen to make her happy and to visit this year to see the sights with her. The planning started shortly after our last trip.

She was still quite keen on having me with her too :-)

Morning train journeys and I do not mix. Alan and Milly enjoyed it, whilst I sat with my head in my hands, sitting quite still and willing the nausea to pass.

Across London on the tube to check in at our hotel.

All the experience Milly and I had last year payed benefits in the ease we navigated the tube. Getting from the tube to the Travelodge proved a little trickier ;-) Got there in the end though and after a quick cuppa we headed off to find Hamleys. On the list were Monster high dolls, Sylvanian families and a green pig from Angry pigs.

Full on search of all the shelves with no luck.

Quite liked the blue one but decided to wait to see if a green one could be found elsewhere.

A new sylvanian cat family was found to add to the ones she had and we left happy.

On the tube again to go back to St Pancras so Milly could show Alan the Youth hostel we had stayed in last year. It was also a good excuse to sample the caramel hot chocolate, crispy chicken and chips that she had enjoyed so much whilst we were there.

 We managed to have another look round the amazing architecture at St Pancras and revisit the statue of the lovers. 

We also saw Sir John Betjemens statue. Reading the verse around the base.

Walking back in the dark amazed at how busy it still was with the steady stream of people and traffic. Finding shiny granite to clamber on and slide off .....

Very pleased to be back at the hotel.

Tenth floor room with a stunning view of the night sights - sorry not the best picture but gives an idea :-)

Winter Seascape by John Betjeman

The sea runs back against itself
With scarcely time for breaking wave
To cannonade a slatey shelf
And thunder under in a cave.

Before the next can fully burst
The headwind, blowing harder still,
Smooths it to what it was at first -
A slowly rolling water-hill.

Against the breeze the breakers haste,
Against the tide their ridges run
And all the sea's a dappled waste
Criss-crossing underneath the sun.

Far down the beach the ripples drag
Blown backward, rearing from the shore,
And wailing gull and shrieking shag
Alone can pierce the ocean roar.

Unheard, a mongrel hound gives tongue,
Unheard are shouts of little boys;
What chance has any inland lung
Against this multi-water noise?

Here where the cliffs alone prevail
I stand exultant, neutral, free,
And from the cushion of the gale
Behold a huge consoling sea.