Big Ben. Parliament.

We left Ireland from the Cork airport and took what seemed like a 20-minute flight to London. Hoped on the tube—taps, no oyster cards—and made our way to our Kensington AirBnB.

The West End

Apparently, we timed our trip with the annual West End Live weekend. It’s where all the shows playing in the West End—think London’s Broadway—come to Trafalgar Square and put on a few numbers. It’s all FREE, and it’s all amazing!

We gathered with the masses near the fountain, Lil G perched atop my shoulders, and watched some incredible talent. It started to rain a bit, temporarily clearing the crowds, but then let up. It actually added to the fun atmosphere of the whole thing.

I kept thinking, Wade and Jessie should be up on this stage. They’re every bit as talented as the performers, and they have great hair.

The only hiccup was when we left the square and inadvertently walked through what was left of an anti-Israeli protest down Whitehall. A few staunch supporters on both sides of the debate had stuck around to argue and freak out the kids, but we made it through and had a nice little discussion about the whole topic, including different freedoms in different countries.

Lil G said it best:

Westminster Abbey

Not only did we get to see Westminster, we got to attend a choral evensong. Beautiful. All these young voices echoing amongst the tombs of Rudyard Kipling, Isaac Newton, and Mary, Queen of Scots.

The choral route is the way to go. Instead of waiting in the sun with the masses throughout the day, wait in the much smaller line for the choral performance. We felt pretty smart. (We were near Stephen Hawkings grave marker, so it may have just been that, but still.)

Changing Of The Guard

It was the first time the kids had been to London, so of course we had to see the changing of the guard. We parked ourselves near the Wellington Barracks along the Bird Walk and watched as a young set of cadets made inspection and then trotted out the band.

We then sidled up to a small group tour guide on Spur road and listened and learned all about this particular guide’s feelings about the Royal family, with much to be said about Harry and Meghan—he wasn’t a fan. “Cheeky” was tossed about rather liberally, I might add.

Tower of London

We spent one afternoon checking out the Tower of London, telling the kids that’s where the crown jewels were kept. This immediately launched us into conversations about how The Minions and Gru had stolen the jewels, and pretty much a full recounting of the scenes in that movie. (If you haven’t seen The Minions movie, you really should.)

As we stood on the moving conveyor belt, it was clear that minions could easily steal these things. We attempted to hush the conversation, and luckily, no guards heard us. Or if they did, they didn’t move.