Italy by way of England

[snorkeld]

Hello MiceChatters,

This past February my wife and I took our kids (10yr old boy, 3yr old girl and 11 month boy) across the pond to visit their grandparents (My inlaws) in London(Virginia Water). Our plan included staying at the grandparents house for a night, leaving the 2 little ones with them and taking our 10yr old into London for some sightseeing for 2 days/nights.




Walking from grandmas to the train station






Here we board the train in Virginia Water about to head into London


Minding the Gap




One of our 1st stops is Kensington Palace-We really enjoyed it.




Leaving Kensington



Since it was Valentines Day we dropped the the boy off at the Hotel and went to a great French resturant in Covent Gardens called Boulevard Brasserie. The food and atmosphere was fantastic and also very romantic


My beautiful wife

Watch those cabs

Of course we had to stop by the Disney store, we picked up a great Snow White Dress for our 3 year old daughter. It was less expensive and way better quality of what we have in the US

After a wonderful walk and Tube ride back we stopped of for a pint




After a good night sleep and a great breakfast we jumped on the tube again and went to the Tower Bridge



A View from the top


After some cool views from the top we went below to the engine room




Under the bridge

Back on the bridge



Warming up in a bar below the bridge


Here are some more shots of the Tower Bridge while we walked to the Tower of London



Right outside the Tower



I hope the Ravens don't leave







After checking out the Tower and Crown jewels we boarded a double decker tour bus and went off to see more sights


It's late so I'll have to post more later......

[Roo719]

Excellence! What an education your kid is gettin'! Thank you very much for sharing!

Peace,
Roo

[mikeland]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing!

[davewasbaloo]

LOL, thank you for remindind me of the tourist view. I work in London once a week and hate it. I never used to feel like that when I first moved to the UK

[seenoevil]

Your son looks so sweet! What a great opportunity to spend some time with mom and dad without the little ones. I bet the grandparents really enjoyed spending time with their little sweeties!

[SusieP.]

We took our 10 year old son in June and had a blast. I can't wait to see the rest of your pictures!

[Mommyto4]

Wonderful wonderful trip report !! I love the pictures

[snorkeld]

Ok where did I leave off? O yeah, Bus tour...so we jumped on the bus tour and saw Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus and more










After a while we got off near Harrods and Ate at a Great Tavern




The next morning we checked out of the hotel went to the National Gallery here are some pics along the way




After seeing some amaizing works we jumped on a train to Windsor Castle

The Queen was at home














The Queen left


Got Mail








We had a great time then spent another day back at grandmas


Now it was time to leave all the kids with the grandparents and fly to Italy.We flew into Pisa and were greated with some rain.


But it did not put a damper on our fun, so we went to eat and I accidently ordered a bottle of wine instead of a glass. Oh well when in Rome Pisa

After finishing the bottle the Tower of Pisa did not lean so much





This is for Circarama






The sun started to shine


We had a blast in Pisa, sobered up and drove to the town of Certaldo where we were going to stay for a few days.

BTW thank god for our GPS, it was crazy but fun driving in Tuscany.

The next Morning we went to Florence and went to Piazza Del Duomo, and to see Michelangelo’s David. Also there are some random shots of Florence




Another great Cafe






Down the many small streets of Florence








Florence was so beautiful, I would love to go back

The next day we Drove to the Prada Outlet, and spent $$$ but as my wife says its on Sale....shoes were involved also


Later that afternoon we drove to San Gimignano


After parking outside the wall we did a bit of shopping and wine tasting




We also enjoyed some beautiful view













After some coffee and pasteries we called it a day


We loved Italy and would love to go back and spend some more time but it was time to go back to London and see the Kiddos



Thanks for looking I have one more small section but it will have to wait until later....I must sleep

[TikiRoomLiz]

I'm envious of such a great trip you all had, it is wonderful to see how many sights there are to check out and all the pictures you took were fantastic.

[All4dISNEY]

WONDERFUL pictures!! Love the pictures of Italy.

[snorkeld]

Ok last section....

On our last day we took our baby girl into london for a day of Train/Tube rides and shopping at Harrods!!

It was a bit cold so we bundled her up

On our way out we said hello to our son and his new England friends


After 45 minutes on the train we made it to the Waterloo Station


Since it was Lunch we went for a Pint and some Fish & Chips, we got a bit silly




She had a great time at Harrods and found herself a cute baby doll that speaks English and French


Back on the Tube Minding the gap we started to head home


After too much fun


Made it back to Grandma's


Thanks for taking the time to check out my pics and all the wonderful comments

[Stitchy]

great pictures. Looks like a great time....I have a few questions though.

was that a real raven?

They have crowns on the light posts at the castle?

Did the X in the sky mean the queen left? Do they do that every single time? And please tell me it's only if she left the castle for an extended period of time. I mean...does there need to be an X if she went out hat shopping?


thanks!

[davewasbaloo]

Originally Posted by Stitchy

great pictures. Looks like a great time....I have a few questions though.

was that a real raven?

They have crowns on the light posts at the castle?

Did the X in the sky mean the queen left? Do they do that every single time? And please tell me it's only if she left the castle for an extended period of time. I mean...does there need to be an X if she went out hat shopping?


thanks!

Indeed we have real ravens at the tower and in the wild too, there are several in the woods behind our house.

As for the crowns, yep, we have them there. And in fact there are many places in Europe that have Disney style adornments (where do you think he got a lot of ideas for DL?). Some places in England have utilitarian street furnature, but many places have wonderful decor.

There are two flags flown, the Union Standard (sometimes called the Union Jack) and the Royal Standard. One flies when the queen is in residence and the other flies when she is at another residence or on state business.

[snorkeld]

Originally Posted by Stitchy

great pictures. Looks like a great time....I have a few questions though.

was that a real raven?

They have crowns on the light posts at the castle?

Did the X in the sky mean the queen left? Do they do that every single time? And please tell me it's only if she left the castle for an extended period of time. I mean...does there need to be an X if she went out hat shopping?


thanks!

Dave covered the questions but I would like to add, yes the Ravens are real at the Tower but they cannot fly away, they have had their wings clipped, sounds harsh but they are VERY well taken care of. As for the X in the sky I think it was just a coincedence.

[Hayley B]

Great Trip Report. I went to England about 10 years ago. I had a wonderful time there. I stayed very close to where Kensington is. I stayed at this place called the Posthouse and it was in High Street Kensington (I wonder if it's still there. I don't see it with Travel agents nomore).

Anyway, I been in that very Underground Railroad and enjoyed my time in England. I went to Kensington Park as a first stop. I remember the palace. But they didn't seem to let people in, while I was there. Lucky! Also I went to the Hyde Park. I just wanted to find that Peter Pan Statue.

I saw alot while I was over England. Did you get to meet the friendly pigeons over there?

Thanks for giving me memories.

Your pictures of Italy are wonderful too.