From Erik – We once again started our day in the comfy confines of our AirBnB. The kids, and maybe the parents, were pretty zonked at this point, but we weren’t about to let that stop us from another day of exploration. We made the short walk to the Colliers Wood tube station and headed to the Waterloo station to catch the Hop On Hop Off bus tour.

On this particular day we got a bit of a late start, and so the bus was already pretty full. As we made our way on, we found that the upper deck of the bus was at capacity, and let’s face it, all of the kids wanted to sit on top (read that as Erik wanted to sit on top). We rode along for a few stops, realized it was pretty disappointing riding on the lower level, and decided to dismount and grab some lunch.

Yesterday, Alyssa and Duncan introduced us to the M&S where we were introduced to a huge selection of prepackaged food. Sandwiches, salads, sushi, fruit, and pretty much anything else you can think of was sitting there, ready to be eaten. After making some agonizing choices, as in some children still struggled to find something to eat, we headed out to the little common area to enjoy our food. Juliette, with her ball in tow, managed to play a little more soccer in between bites!

Refreshed, we headed toward the Thames to check out Tower Bridge. After snapping a few pics, we continued our walk, crossed the bridge, and found ourselves at the Tower of London. We picked up our tickets and quickly inserted ourselves into the Yeoman’s guided tour. These guys are hilarious, and in addition to the history lesson, we had a lot of laughs! The best tidbit was delivered in a spot-on Trump voice where we learned that King Henry III didn’t trust his barons, so he decided to build a wall around his castle, and he further decided that the barons would pay for it. There really are no new ideas in the world!

As some attention spans waned, we joined the very long queue to see the crown jewels, and when I say long, I mean about a 1/2 mile long line! We each took our turn holding our place – first Liz when I took the kids to the WC and to see the ravens, then it was my turn when Liz went to get the kids some ice cream, and then it was still my turn while Liz tracked down a coffee (which wasn’t even good). After waiting for our turn we had the pleasure of seeing the Crown Jewels in all of their splendor! The 530 carat Great Star of Africa diamond located in the head of the scepter, was my personal favorite, while the kids really enjoyed checking out the various crowns.

To end our Tower of London experience we explored the White Tower, which was built by William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The highlight of this castle was the armor of Henry the VIII, and from the photo, I’m sure you’ll figure out who thought it was funny and why!

After shutting down the Tower of London we headed over the Ye Olde Gifte Shoppe, where Charlie found wooden sword and shield that he absolutely needed. Up until this point he hadn’t asked for anything, so we got it for him. The best part was when Juliette removed the rubber band and showed him that the sword and shield were two separate items. He was so excited that it brought a tear to my eye!

Of course it was time to face our primary foe – time to eat! This time I had an ace up my sleeve, because earlier in the day I had spotted one of favorite restaurants from the last trip – Vapiano!! Everyone happily agreed and had dinner with an old friend. After we ate we made our way back to the Tube station and headed back to our flat near Colliers Wood.

At this point you may be saying to yourself, “Wait a minute, what about the Hop On Hop Off Bus! You guys rode it for like 3 stops!” Well, when we got on the bus there was no attendant exchanging our vouchers for actual tickets, so we didn’t end up ever actually activating the ticket and starting our 24 hour clock. The weather turned to rainy earlier in the day, so no one was dressed, or in the mood, to sit on an open top bus in the cold and the wet. We decided to hold off and actually ride the bus another day!

Favorite quote of the day: “Hey, that boy tried to touch my sword” – Charlie