From Tennessee To Texas to Saudi Arabia

We woke up on Boxing Day ready to make our way back to London. The rental car had other ideas. The rear passenger tire was low, with a shiny screw head lodged in the tread. I turtled up the hill to the village, only to find everything closed. I looked in the back of the rental, and there was no spare. The flat repair can was no where to be found. I drove back down the hill to the cottage. We went to ask Anna if she had any other ideas for garages that may be open, and she said it was unlikely. She had some family and friends staying for Christmas, so we soon had a few gents swarming the car, confirming that there was no spare or goop. One of them had a small compressor, so we were able to air up so that I could get down the road to a more populated town or service area on the highway. We quickly loaded up and hit the road.

We stopped in Cirencester and looked around. We found a pharmacy that was open and stopped to replenish the motion sickness medicine the girls had been popping like candy. We decided to hit the highway and make for London. The traffic was light as we came in. I had prepaid for a night in a parking garage and had to do some improvising when the road right at the garage entrance was closed for construction.

We grabbed the luggage and headed towards our next flat. It was a short walk (mostly downhill) through the theaters and restaurants. We located the entrance and I typed in the code to open the door that had been provided to us by the rental company. No bueno. Tried a few more times, then tried the door next door, with no luck. I called another one of the contacts and was given another access number. I tried this with no luck. Greene called back and tried to determine if it was the black black door or the gray black door. While she was on the phone, I then went back to the first door I had tried, and the code worked. We made it through the key pickup and lugged the luggage up a narrow flight of steps. The lights on the stairs worked on a timer, so this turned into a fun game of beat the clock. Needless to say, the carrying the luggage meant we ended up in the dark. We made it to the flat and unpacked a bit, then rested up and enjoyed the view from the windows.

We decided to eat and shop around Covent Garden for the night. We went to Shake Shack and barely beat a big rush. Burgers and shakes for everyone, and we grabbed a seat outside to people watch. We did some shopping and then watched some more street performances. There was a juggler/acrobat/comedian between Covent Garden and St Paul’s Church that we watched for a few minutes. We then stopped and listened to a classical string quartet with a little pep. Drew asked for a CD, which they had set up in a basket in front of them. She walked up between two songs and dropped the money in the basket to pay for the CD, and one of the violinist asked her what she was doing. She froze and her eyes occupied 50% of her face. The guy then cracked a smile and let her off the hook. She scurried back to us and we watch for a few more songs. We headed back to the flat and turned in early.

The next morning at 4:30, we headed to the parking garage. That part of town was much nicer during the day. We passed a few guys who didn’t seem to be exactly obeying every law in place, but I never felt threatened or in danger. Not to say I would do that again. Greene was a wee bit nervous as we exited the garage, with tight turns and scarred concrete at every level. The car’s GPS decided it wanted me to drive in circles, asked me to make turns the wrong way onto one-way streets and just generally went haywire. I pulled out my phone and followed Google Maps out of the city. First stop was topping the air off in the tire (or tyre, if you’re feeling friskily British).

The early start was to make the drive to Amesbury and our Stone Circle Access visit to Stonehenge. We were to arrive at 8:00 A.M. and we would have 1 hour to visit the stones beyond the roped-off visitor area. Drew had done this with her Papaw and G on her birthday trip and said it was well worth it. They all slept on the drive in, which was mostly in the dark. I got a glimpse of the twilight silhouette of the stones as we drove by. We arrived about 30 minutes early. The guard at the gate told us that we could drive on to the parking lot and use the facilities, if needed. Greene and Drew walked up to the new visitor center and found that the facilities only referred to the restrooms and not the small cafe inside. It was being cleaned but wouldn’t open until regular hours. The misty, howling wind drove them back to the warm car to wait.

We braved the cold about 10 minutes before the bus was to pick us up. There were about 5 people waiting, and another 6 or 7 followed closely behind us. We loaded up on the bus and got a quick welcome from the driver. We made the drive from the visitor center to a parking area about 100 yards from the stones. We were accompanied by 2 security guards who’s only job was to make sure we didn’t touch the stones. They also provided some history if you wanted to hang out with them for a bit. And they took group pictures for you. Pleasant chaps all around.

We spent an hour wandering around, looking at the stones close up, and trying to wrap minds around the history of the site. In most directions, you can imagine what it was like 5000 years ago, while in other directions you watch traffic pass about 300 yards away. Despite luckily only having 5 minutes of rain, an hour was a little more than we wanted in the cold fields of Amesbury. We hid behind stones for a bit, realizing this may be the only time we are ever in this spot and wanting to maximize the time, then headed back to the bus.

We piled back in the car and made the short drive through farmland to Salisbury. We walked through town and out to the cathedral. The cathedral has the tallest spire in the UK, the oldest working clock and one of the four original Magna Carta copies. We arrived a little earlier than expected, and had to wait for the Magna Carta room to open. We grabbed some light snacks and drinks, then the girls made a quick shopping jaunt back into town while Cade and I walked around the cloisters.

We left Salisbury and got started back towards London. We had planned a surprise for the kids on the way back…after being subjected to historical sites all day, we decided they might enjoy some indoor skydiving. We drove to Basingstoke and grabbed a quick bite at Beefeaters Spruce Goose. Quite the varied clientele, and our first disappointment in a restaurant. Bad food, good memories. We then went on a fruitless search for hairbands. There is something to be said for having a Walgreens and CVS on every corner. I thought this several times through this trip, and during Saudi life in general.

We arrived early for the kids “flight time” so we got to watch a few groups go in front of us. The kids were called for their briefing and the excitement was palpable. They would each have 2 flight of 90 seconds and then a high fly at the end. The grins did not let up until well into the next day.

The drive back into London was pleasant, with a route along the Thames for some nice nighttime viewing. We dropped the car off at Avis (lots of good times in that car, but I was glad to have me driving duties behind me) and headed back to the flat from Waterloo.

The next morning, we hopped on the tube for a trip up to King’s Cross/St. Pancras stations. The idea was to grab breakfast at a small restaurant in the area, make a stop at the British Library, visit Platform 9 3/4 and head back towards Kensington. The restaurant was closed, so we opted for a quick McDonalds breakfast (again, they had pig, don’t judge) and walked to the Library. Strike 2. The website had them open today, but the sign outside had them closed for the next two days. We walked back past St. Pancras (more Harry Potter sights) and into King’s Cross. The shop in the station has set up a half cart for a picture opportunity, then they funnel you into the store. The line was impressive, but we had some spare time. The kids took a group picture and individual pictures and had a lot of fun with the assistants.

We then hopped back on the tube and headed for Kensington. We emerged right next to Harrods. We visited a few of the departments and I escaped with minimal damage to the wallet. We all picked out some chocolate, Drew got some make-up, and Greene picked up some jelly belly bean boozled (caught on video). The market departments were amazing, and the food selections were very tempting. The price tags made avoiding temptation rather easy. I’m pretty sure we saw some famous people, but I don’t know who they were.

We had lunch at Osini (lucking into a table despite not having booked) and enjoyed some good Italian. We walked across the street and spent about an hour in the Victoria and Albert Museum. We could have spent much more time here but had a lot to accomplish. We walked down to the Natural History Museum and waited in a huge queue that moved quickly. After a quick walk through, we made a somewhat lengthy walk around the block to get a picture of the Royal Albert Hall. Unfortunately, Clapton wasn’t performing.

We walked down to Cafe Floris for a light dinner. Afterwards, it was finally time for the whole reason we had come to London – Star Wars. The IMAX at the Science Museum was one of only 15 IMAX showing the full 70mm version. We got in line about 30 minutes before showtime. The gate opened and we made our way up escalators to stand in another line. I picked up some snacks and drinks (they ask if you want sweet or salty popcorn, did I mention that?) and joined the rest of the fam in line. The theater opened and we picked our seats out, then scrunched in. The house was full. The lead up to the movie was unique, not standard theater ads and previews. The Science Museum basically owned it, with Darth Vader telling you to turn your cell phone off as the kicker. The movie took me back to seeing The Return of the Jedi with my dad in the theater, the only one I can remember seeing in the theater. I still recall making the comparison of cheeseless Pizza Hut pizza to Darth Vader’s head. I digress.

The tube stations had all closed by the time the movie was over. We headed back in the general direction of the flat, passing through a heavily Arabic area. We spotted a few abayas and niqabis and some shisha being enjoyed on the sidewalk. It felt normal to us, just set in a modern city rather than old Yanbu. We decided to grab a taxi back since we were all pretty well walked out.

The next morning was slow. We grabbed breakfast at Bill’s, a restaurant across from the flat. We then trekked to Waterloo to catch a train out to Windsor. We arrived at the Riverside Station and made the walk up the hill to the castle. I had purchased tickets online, so we got to avoid a line that stretched out far enough that I would have caused me to reconsider otherwise. Maybe it was a case of history/castle/royalty exhaustion, but we hurried through Queen Anne’s Dollhouse and the rest of the castle. We did enjoy a photographic display of the Queen’s 63 year reign set up on the North Wall.

We headed back to Peascod Street to do some shopping. We enjoyed some more pasties and picked up some knick knacks from the souvenir shops. We believe those knick knacks are currently in the lost and found at Starbucks in Windsor, so if you’re in the area, could you claim those?

We hopped the train back to Waterloo (upon which discovery of said missing knick knacks was discovered) and, in true Ketron fashion, caused a ruckus in the “Quiet” car of the train. The girls did a bit of shopping around the flat and then went for haircuts. Cade and I considered Star Wars again, but the times were inconvenient. We all decide an early night was best. The hectic schedule we had maintained was catching up with all of us. More after the video.

The next morning started with Krispy Kreme and pain au chocloat from the Tesco Express. We hopped the bus to head to the Tower of London. The bus was on a diverted route, so we got to hike a little further than expected, but that also meant we got to see a little more of London at our pace. We arrived early enough to avoid any lines. We entered the gates and checked the time for the next Yeoman Warder’s tour. We had enough time to explore some, so we headed for the Crown Jewels. We walked back down to catch the tour and spent 30 minutes listening to jokes that just seem to be even funnier and haunting stories that just seem to be even ghastlier when delivered with a British accent. We spent extra time in the Bloody Tower and the White Tower. The kids really enjoyed the history and stories attached to the various spots. Greene enjoyed sharing knowledge from the documentary she had watched before the trip. Three hours flew by, and we had to make for our next stop.

We headed out along the Thames and crossed Tower Bridge, stopping for 3,472 selfies. We stopped at Jamie’s Italian for lunch (again, without a booking, gasps all around – even if a place wasn’t busy, they couldn’t believe we didn’t have a booking). The dishes were excellent, and the kids got adventurous. Cade and Drew went for the squid and mussel spaghetti nero, Macy had some spicy pasta, and Greene had Turkey Milanese with a huge side of polenta chips. I had…wait for it…pig. Pork Belly to be precise. Covered up the last box on my pork BINGO card.

We walked up the hill to meet the tour guide for our Muggles Tour (a muggle is a non-wizard in the Harry Potter world). We had a little time to kill, so we stopped at a Pret A Manger for some coffee. We had stopped at few, but the staff here took the award for funnest 5 minute stretch in London. It started with the guy at the next register asking where we were from while making googly eyes at my daughters. My hackles adequately risen, he then offered free hot chocolate and cookies. The girl at our register commented on how beautiful our girls were, giving the guy the opportunity to agree “while not looking so creepy by saying it myself.” He kept the entertainment up while our coffees and hot chocolates were made.

We walked up to the meeting location for the tour and a group slowly coalesced around a guy with a Gryffindor scarf on. He approached us, as Cade and Macy both had their house garb on, introduced himself around the group and we set off for our tour. We passed through Burrough Market, by the Clink Museum, by the Hinde, took a tube ride to Westminster Station, by Parliament, Scotland Yard, Trafalgar Square and eventually to a few alleys that served as inspiration for the books. Several filming locations were pointed out and the kids enjoyed trying to answer questions posed by the tour guide. Cade is the most recent to have read the books, so his recall was best. Macy and Drew always had answers at the tip of their tongues, but the tour guide wasn’t asking easy questions that any fake fan could answer.

We arrived back at the flat and decided to go pick up some pizza. I ordered online from a joint a short walk away. Drew and I went to pick it up. The guy at the front said they were running behind and that it would be another 30 minutes. We took advantage of this time to grab some more Krispy Kreme. When we returned, I set the box on a small shelf that passed through the other side to one of the tables in the restaurant. I glanced through the gap and noticed a lady eyeing the box. Her husband leaned around the corner and advised me that I probably wanted to move those, lest they be stolen.

The next day was more Harry Potter at the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. We caught the tour bus at Trafalgar Square. The kids had a ton of fun and we took a ton of pictures. The tour bus rushed us a bit, but we may still be there if not for the deadline. We discussed catching a play, but decided just to go for fish and chips again. We napped and woke up in time to watch the crowds ring in the New Year. We opened the windows and could hear the booms to accompany the broadcast on the TV.

After another Bill’s breakfast, we headed for the London Eye. I picked up our tickets at a self serve kiosk and we jumped in line. After a quick 20 minute wait, we loaded up and began the 30 minute trip. The best part was the slight rock caused by stopping for some reason. It was such a smooth ride that you almost felt like you were on solid ground. The rock wasn’t the best part, but the look on Greene’s face was the best part.

We walked across Westminster Bridge to Westminster Station and rode up to Abbey Road Studios. There is a webcam permanently trained on the famous crosswalk. We texted Mom to get online and watch. We stood in line to get our crossing picture then stood on the sidewalk waving at the webcam. The kids were absolutely thrilled with that part. I then lost the popular vote for the afternoon activity, and we headed to London Dungeon. Unfortunately, Warwick Castle had pretty much copied London Dungeon, so we had seen most of the scenes and heard most of the gags. It was a better production and what else was I going to spend a couple hundred dollars on, anyway?

My original plan was to take the Gatwick Express to the airport the next morning, but luckily I had heard on the radio that the line was out of service during the holidays for repairs. We then switched to a coach transfer to the airport, along with everyone else in London. We made our way across London by bus, with all of our luggage, to Victoria Coach Station. We then purchased our tickets for Gatwick and waited in the terminal. The trip was interesting, seeing parts of London that we would have otherwise missed. We made it to the airport in one piece, checked in, and proceeded to security. We had a close call with a few snow globes in our carry on that were questioned. Security tested for residue and then allowed us to keep them. We grabbed some Nando’s in the airport, forgetting we were going to be fed on both of the return flights. Snow in Istanbul had delayed things slightly, but we ended up arriving in Yanbu at our scheduled time.