Saige trip! Saige had been wanting to go to Paris. Me, not so much but that didn’t stop me from taking her. When I first started looking into a Paris trip, I wasn’t a fan of the direct flights to Paris. While cheap, it was the airline options that turned me off. I don’t like flying. But I like traveling. Go figure. To calm my already nervous nerves, I prefer to fly on airlines with the best safety records and no fatal crashes—or minimal fatal crashes, that happened a loooong time ago. Air France flies direct but is tied with American Airlines for the most fatal crashes. Flying Air France was a nope. Delta is the other direct to Paris flight from Seattle, and while they’re generally considered safe according to a Google search, they have too many fatal crashes for my liking. I realize I’m being irrational and all, but whatever it takes to calm my nerves. Xanax aside.
British Airways it was. But they don’t fly direct to Paris. To London we flew. Direct. It was the same flight I took last summer and I surprisingly enjoyed the flight. So smooth on the Dreamliner. Of course the Dreamliner just had its first ever crash a few weeks ago. But Air India, so I don’t really put it in the same category as first world airlines. My good friend’s husband is a pilot with a major American airline and while I haven’t asked about flying Air India, I’d bet he’d say nope. When I was selecting flights to the Bahamas a few years ago, I asked about Bahamasair. That was an avoid.
London is my new favorite city. I wouldn’t have said this after my trip there last summer, but now I’m all in. I’d move there if I could get the family on board. Especially for the next 3.5 years. And probably even longer given all the damage that fucker has caused to this country. I digress. London! Saige was all about Paris before we went but I think she likes London best now. My kid, haha. (And I realize all countries have flaws but England doesn’t have a despicable piece of human trash as their leader. I’m using nice words here.)
Seattle, Monday.
The trip was nine days. And jam-packed. We left Monday night and arrived in London Tuesday at noon. Let’s chat about the airport experience flying out. For us, it was smooth. We’re white. We’re blonde. We’re all the things racists leaders want for their country. But man, what an icky feeling at the airport. Our flight was two weeks after the inauguration and we didn’t know what was to come. Looking back, it was blatantly obvious. Booking the airline tickets online, I had to enter our passport information. Like everyone else. Through security, we had to show our passports and tickets. Like everyone else. At the gate we had to show our passports. Like everyone else. By this point, everyone should be cleared to board like no big deal. Any issues would have arisen by this point. But nope!
Upon boarding, we scanned our tickets with the gate agent and made our way to the air bridge to board the plane. This was where it felt incredibly icky. They had two bridges. I hadn’t seen this before, but I’ve rarely flown internationally so I though maybe it was normal. Until I looked down the line of people on the second bridge. Mostly men, none white. Then, while standing in line to board the plane, there must have been five or so border patrol agents. Trying to look tough, fuckers. I love when I’m taller than these kind of men, which is often. It’s a subtle feeling of power I get even if they couldn’t care less. Haha. Two agents had dogs and they were stopping all non-white folks asking to see their passports AGAIN. Not just those in the second bridge. People behind us. They walked past Saige and me as if we didn’t exist. Not that I wanted to interact with them. But It set me off in ways I didn’t know I could be set off. Appalling. And blatantly racist. Ugh, even thinking about it now gets my heart pumping.
Eventually we made it on the plane to our seats, in the back. I like the back because I get to watch the flight attendants and it helps calm my nerves. Xanax does also, which I took. It was an overnight flight and I only wanted to sleep, and Xanax passes me out on top of calming my fear of flying nerves. It wasn’t a full flight which was nice. We had a row of three seats all to ourselves, and Saige was able to lie down to sleep. I did tell Saige I had taken my flight medication and that she could wake me if she needed anything. That stuff knocks me out big time. I think of my friend, who isn’t afraid of flying but likes to take an Ambien when she flies. Her partner asked her if she’s ever concerned about being so passed out that anything could happen to her and she wouldn’t know. Her answer, she said, “Eh, I’ll be passed out, what do I care.” Haha. I love this, not that I want anything to happen to her (or me) but I appreciate the whatever mindset.
London, Tuesday.
Apparently we took off, flew nine hours, and landed. I don’t remember any of it. Last summer, I only remember boarding the flight and then standing in line for a taxi. Xanax is some powerful stuff. This time, I remember deplaning and going through customs, probably because I had Saige with me and I had to be alert. We opted to take the train into London instead of a taxi. It was much cheaper and also a bit more leisurely in my opinion.
Not to sound too full of myself, but I can plan a trip! Somewhore (I meant to type somehow but I kind of like that my fingers went with that?!), I managed to book a hotel in a great location. I had a rough idea of location form looking online when I booked but it was even better than I expected. We were one block from the Waterloo station and it worked out really well. Last year I stayed in a different part of London and while nice, it wasn’t the closest to things I wanted to do with Saige. We checked in and settled into the room for an hour or so, and then hit the town. We were exhausted but I wanted to acclimate to London time so we powered through our tiredness.
Before the trip, Saige looked through some travel guides. She found the graffiti tunnel that she wanted to check out. We decided we’d find this and grab a late lunch/early dinner, and call it a night around 8pm. Lucky for us, the tunnel is close to the hotel where we stayed. We set out on foot and found the tunnel. What a super fun place. I’m partial to graffiti though. I know it’s usually illegal and vandalism (not in the tunnel though), but I sure like the colors and usually, the statements. When I was a teenager, I had two bedrooms a with a bathroom in the middle, and my parents let my high school friends graffiti all over my walls. It was so colorful and fun, I wish this was back in the day of cell phone cameras because I don’t think I have any pictures of the walls. The same friends who graffiti’d my walls also made a mark on a street, similar to the markings PG&E makes. If I recall correctly, where they marked, a hole was dug. Haha, now that’s wrong I admit. But I still find it amazing that whomever the powers that be were like, eh, let’s dig a hole here where it’s marked without double-checking the marking.
Saige and I spent some time checking out all the artwork and watching a few folks who where there spray painting. That’s some talent. I’m always amazed at any kind of artist. Their minds are so creative. Impressive. We lollygagged our way through the tunnel before emerging close to the London Eye. We walked along the river and over the bridge to see Big Ben. We were so tired and we still needed to eat, so we made our way back through the tunnel close to our hotel to find a dinner joint. Saige picked out a pizza joint, sold. We went in and ordered, and the food was quick. And so much more reasonably priced than anything America. This was a common theme throughout our Europe trip. Because fuck American capitalism.
Fed but barely hanging on with our exhaustion, we went back to the hotel (N2Deep song in my head now) and called it a night. We slept hard. And we needed that; we had a busy week ahead!
London, Wednesday.
Also on Saige’s London list was the British Museum. I booked entry online for 11am, an hour after they opened. I wanted time to sleep in, eat breakfast, and mosey on over without feeling rushed. Love, love, love how several museums are free entry in England. Although I think I made a 10 pound donation when I booked online. It was suggested. We ended up getting up around 7am and went to the free hotel breakfast. Um, so much better. The food is actually food. Unlike American free hotel breakfasts, the eggs were actually eggs—not powdered. Eating outside of America actually feels healthy and not like poison. I felt this recently on our cruise also. This country likes to poison us with so-called food, and keep us sick so the health care companies can profit. Yeah, that’s a bit conspiracy theory but I’m not above thinking there’s some truth to it—not that they’re intentionally poisoning us, but to make the biggest profit, they make modifications that affect us and don’t give a fuck. It’s all about profit and shareholders. I digress. Again.
We ate. We left the hotel. We walked on foot along the River Thames. Stopped to check out Westminster Abbey. Then Buckingham Palace. Which I really couldn’t care less about. England and their monarchy is such nonsense. Basically wealthy people who like to play dress up. I can’t help but laugh at all the guards and their silly hats and dance moves. I get that it’s history and all, but times change. I’m always amazed at people who idolize the whole English monarchy thing. The queen straight covered up for her rapist son for years. Yet she’s revered. Disgusting in my opinion. And not only covering up her rapist son, that’s small compared to all the colonialism the monarchy is guilty of over centuries! I was so appalled at the royal jewels when I saw them last year. People admiring all the stolen goods like it’s not big deal?! There was one stone that was gifted to the queen by a young gal in one country. I forgot the details but I know for damn sure it wasn’t gifted. I digress. AGAIN. Haha. This is becoming a pattern.
Eventually we made it to the British Museum. But it was a bit before our 11am entry time. There’s a Starbucks across the street that Saige spotted. Sure, why not. I’m not a Starbucks drinker but Saige appreciates some non-caffeinated caramel drink. I’m not up-to-date on anything Starbucks drinks. I’m a hot chocolate fan, anywhere. We ordered and sat while we enjoyed our drinks, and it was soon time to head to the museum.
People everywhere. Us included. We made our way inside and what a stunning building. It just feels historic. Not only the architecture but everything inside. It was overwhelming. We had no plan, other than to nose about. It’s the kind of museum where you can stay all day—maybe even two days—and still not see everything. Walking though each room, we’d stop at something here and there, but mostly we moseyed through each room. The Rosetta Stone was cool. Really, everything was cool in its own way. But I was particularly interested in the North America exhibit, curious to see how it’s portrayed. It was a interesting. Mostly focused on the Natives. Which is close to home, with Brian being Native and the kids having it in their DNA. We must have spent the most time there.
After navigating each room, we ended up at the Picasso exhibit. It was a paid exhibit that I happily shelled out however much for entry. I would say he’s one of my favorite artists art-wise, I’m not sure he was the best person. Then again, I would argue most artists have some sort of evil edge to them; it’s likely what makes them great artists. But he was an atheist and had a wiener dog, so bonus points for him. That was my favorite part of the British Museum. I must have spent a good chunk of our time there looking at all of his artwork. Saige was tired (probably overwhelmed) by this point, and enjoyed the bench in the Picasso exhibit. I’m pretty sure the guy was into beastiality or some freakish stuff. Some of the artwork was… interesting.
After a few hours, we left the museum for food. I can’t for the life of me remember what we did for food but I’m certain we ate. Maybe we just grabbed some snacks? We had Matilda the musical later this night, and I remember eating dinner at a cute little restaurant beforehand so I don’t remember an official lunch?! I know we stopped at Hatchards because Saige LOVES to read. She picked out several books for herself and a copy of Pride & Prejudice for Brian (probably his favorite book). Whatever the case, we went back to the hotel for a bit to rest up before hitting the town at night.
Matilda! Saige LOVES Matilda. She’s an avid reader and has probably read the book more times than I can count. As soon as I booked our flight to London back in the fall, I knew I’d book tickets to see Matilda. It was almost a requirement. We left the hotel for the Waterloo station, and took the train over to the West End. I’m an always early person, and we had ample time to take the train, grab dinner, nose around, and still be early to Matilda. Saige picked out a cute little restaurant that served Asian food but was run by Greek men. Super nice Greek men. Saige ordered something that was spicy, and she didn’t know. The chef came out and gave her a sample of the chicken to make sure she was okay with the spice. Sure enough, it was too spicy for her. He decided on something else for her, and she ended up liking it. After eating, we left and made our way over the the theatre. We were still early so we found an ice cream shop a block away, and Saige enjoyed some cancer-free ice cream (I tease that American food is cancer-causing) before the show.
Matilda is playing at the Cambridge Theatre. What a beautiful theatre. Of course it is because London. I’m a balcony kind of gal, and booked balcony front row center seats for the two of us. Before the show, Saige bought a Matilda shirt and changed into it for the show. It was so fun to watch! I’ve seen Matilda before and it’s always a fun musical to watch. The lead actress was wonderful, so fun to watch and listen to sing. And the man who played Miss Trunchbull, perfection. The entire cast was amazing. I love musical theatre, which makes no sense because I have no interest in doing theatre and can’t sing, but my goodness, the talent. I’m always walking away in awe of theatre folks. The show ended and it was time to call it a night. We had a train to catch the next morning!
London & Paris, Thursday.
After a packed two days in London, it was time to catch the train to Paris. I thought about flying from London to Paris, but airports can be a headache. And I had always wanted to take one of those fast European trains. Eurostar it was. And, it was under $50 each I think?! Although, flights are cheap around Europe also.
We checked out of our Waterloo hotel and took the train over to the Eurostar station. Smooth. We checked in and did have to wait in a packed station until boarding time. I was amazed at the amount of school children in uniforms traveling this day. You don’t realize how easy it is to get around Europe until you see it in action. I know Americans get made fun of for not being well-traveled, but that’s because it takes days to drive across some states—let alone the whole country—where it only takes hours to drive across countries in Europe. Those are some lucky European kiddos.
The train was smooth. It was on-time and we had ample space in our seats. And it was a quick two-ish hours. I think technically it’s two hours and 16 minutes, but it felt quick. The longest part was waiting in the taxi line in Paris. It was so long. I think it took well over an hour to get a taxi. I wasn’t confident with my public transportation skills in a foreign language. In the taxi line, there was a British couple in front of us whom we chatted with. About each of our travels and where we were all from. When I said America, they asked which state. I said Washington, not DC. They had some family on Vancouver Island and were familiar enough with the PNW. The man asked me if it ever snows in the Seattle area. I said it was actually snowing that week. He said, “Don’t let Trump know, he’ll tax Canada for the snow.” HAHAHA. This is where I felt completed to apologize on behalf of America for that fucker. I said I did NOT vote for him and that most rational people don’t agree with him being in office. He had some choice things to say, in a British humor kind of way. I found this to be a common thing in Paris, people making comments about him and me apologizing for whom is our president. Those Americas who support him are living in a bubble if the think the rest of the world thinks he’s great. What an embarrassment. I actually found it better to say I was from California—while true since I’m a native who lived there for my first 27 years—because when I’d say Washington, they’d think DC and then Trump. I wanted NO part of anyone thinking I would EVER support such a disgraceful human thing. Ugh. Can I go back to Europe now?! I’ll probably get ICE’d for these comments, haha.
Taxi, check. We made it to our hotel about 20 minutes after leaving the train station. I did okay picking out our Paris hotel. I had no reference but I think it worked out. Location-wise, it was great. One block from a train station and near busy streets. Also, a few blocks from the French president’s residence. I had to Google why there were so many armed guards around. The hotel was great but our room, that ended up being a problem. By the time we traveled, taxi’d, checked in, and found a dinner joint, it was bedtime. We were tired.
Our hotel room was on the first floor; turns out they gave it to us since it was a larger room. But the window was right on the street and it was SO noisy all night. I couldn’t sleep. Saige couldn’t sleep. And I think all the traveling caught up to here. We had a night. She thought the mirror was two-way and people were watching us. She thought the smoke alarm blinking light was a camera. Any time somebody would walk past our window, she freaked out. It was nearly 3am after she kept coming up with concern after concern. At one point, we went to the front desk in the night to ask if there was another room. I think there was a language barrier because we didn’t make any progress. Whatever, it’s one night. But my goodness, I was done with the irrational fears on top of being exhausted. And knowing we had a busy few days ahead of us. Finally, we slept. And we slept until close to noon the next day.
Paris, Friday.
Saige’s call to Paris was to see the Eiffel Tower. This was our big plan for the day. And later that night, I had booked tickets to the Moulin Rouge. We set out on foot to the train station a block away from our hotel. But first, we stopped at the hotel desk and asked about changing rooms. Thankfully the manager was there and was understanding, saying he gave us that room since it’s so spacious but agreed it can be loud being on the street. He said they’d get another room ready for us that afternoon. Phew.
The train station was not my thing. I like the London stations. Maybe because I’m used to them but I also think they’re more technologically advanced since I can use my phone to tap and pay. This station we had to use a kiosk to print a ticket, and then insert the ticket into the gate to get into the train area. Eh, it’s all doable but I didn’t like this. Then, the train was jam-packed. I appreciate American personal space more than I thought. This was our first and only train experience in Paris. Whatever the case, we made it to the station I wanted. Right outside of the Arc de Triomphe. From back when Brian and I religiously watched the Tour de France.
Saige and I took some pictures of the Arc de Triomphe and then made our way down the street in search of a restaurant. We hadn’t eaten breakfast since we slept so late. On the corner of two streets is a cute little restaurant, looking all French. We decided to eat there and they seated us right away. Man, they seat people close in Paris. I felt like we were dining with the two tables on either side of us. I was not a fan but also aware enough to know that I’m out of place feeling this way. Also everyone is so skinny in Paris. Not American skinny but like rail thin, although healthy looking. I suppose that’s what all the walking and clean food does for the body. Saige ordered a crepe and I ordered something, I can’t remember what. I’m not a foodie. After finishing, it was Eiffel Tower time.
We footed it to the Eiffel Tower. We probably didn’t take the most direct route but we made it there nonetheless. We walked probably 11 miles each day. I’m thankful for that TikTok a few years ago from an American women traveling in Europe, who said to buy the Dr. Scholl’s sneakers. She’s spot on with that recommendation. The Eiffel Tower is much bigger than I imagined. Like way bigger than I was expecting. We took some pictures around the outside before heading through security to the official grounds. I was pretty impressed. I was indifferent about seeing it but of course I wanted to because, when in Paris, of course it’s something to check off the list. At first we weren’t going to go up the tower because the top viewing deck was closed. But turns out there is a lower viewing deck so we decided to get tickets. Or maybe I’m wrong here and there is only one viewing deck? Either way, we bought tickets and took the elevator up.
This was an experience. People suck. All around the world. Thankfully the lines weren’t long for the elevator but we still had to wait one round. Once in the elevator, they cram everyone inside. There was this one lady, UGH, who decided on to watch a video on her phone with the sound ON inside the crammed elevator. Like, lady, nobody wants to hear your video. The audacity of some people.
On the viewing deck, we checked out the views from all around. Saige was all smiles. This was what she was in Paris to see. We took our time looking around and even made it to the gift shop to buy an Eiffel Tower snow globe. That I had to buy another one online and pay double the cost for shipping when were got home because I forgot about it and it had too much liquid to carry on the flight. Doh. We spent nearly an hour up there before getting in line to take the elevator down. Thankfully there were no videos being watched on the way down. We nosed about the grounds awhile before exiting the gates.
Walking away from the Eiffel tower, we found a busy street with a group of young men singing. We stopped to watch them a bit before we continued on. Saige was snacky and we found a kiosk with some drinks and snacks. We walked around a bit more but I think the long night and excitement of the day caught up with Saige and she was ready for some downtime at the hotel. We caught a taxi back to the hotel and chilled in our new room before Moulin Rouge that night.
The hotel desk suggested we not walk to the Moulin Rouge and ordered us a taxi. I wanted to walk but whatever. It was fun to see the busy Paris streets at night. Lights and people everywhere. At the Moulin Rouge, we checked in and were seated about an hour before the show. Eventually our table filled with two couples, Americans. They were probably late thirties if I had to guess? And totally gave off midwest vibes. We didn’t talk at all but one of the men was an embarrassment. His poor wife although she seemed to be okay with his behavior throughout the night. The men talked about their work and how hot some of the young gals they work with are, and then talked about how they’re hard to work with. This was just the icing on the cake.
The show started and Saige was almost horrified I took her here, haha. She was not expecting topless dancers. She said, “I don’t think this is kid-friendly.” I think she ended up enjoying the dancing but never got past the boobs. The man next to us, so crass. Not only about the women dancing but the men dancing also. Making gay jokes left and right. There were two incredibly athletic male gymnasts, who did amazing teamwork showing their strength. This fucker couldn’t appreciate it without making terrible jokes. The other man didn’t make any comments but the fact that he didn’t call his friend out makes him just as awful of a person. Men need to hold other men accountable! I enjoyed the show, minus the fuckers sitting next to us. I think Saige ultimately enjoyed it also, but was also ready to not look at boobs anymore. Haha. Those performers are so freaking talented. I’m in awe of them also.
It was nearing midnight and we needed to get back to the hotel. Looking back, it was probably safer to take a taxi but we footed it. I somehow managed to make our way back to the hotel. My dad used to say, “If I’ve been there once, I can get there again,” I felt that this night. I had no idea street names or which direction we were walking, but I had a good feeling I could get us to our hotel. And I did. Go, me, haha. Although there were a few questionable streets but my spidey senses were on high alert. Then again, all women always have these senses turned on.
We made it safely back to our hotel and called it a night. We slept well in our new, quiet room. Although, I totally get why they gave us the ground floor room under the it’s spacious reasoning. The third floor room was literally two beds and maybe a few inches of walking space. It felt cramped but we didn’t care. We just wanted to sleep there.
Paris, Saturday.
This is the day I think Saige crashed. But we still had things to do! After checking of the Eiffel Tower the day before, we had to check off seeing the Mona Lisa. This was second on Saige’s list. To the Louvre we went! We had tickets to enter at 11:30am. The hotel ordered us a taxi again, and after a quick 10 minute drive, we were dropped off at the Louvre. We found a sign that had our entry time and lined up. It was cold! And I was so impressed by how well everyone dresses. There was a British family in front of us, mom, dad, and two teenage girls. The mom looked like she was dressed for a business meeting and the two teenage gals were wearing skirts, nylons, and kitten heels. The dad, he looked like a dad. But still, to look so put together for a vacation outing was impressive. A far cry from us Americans and our athleisure wear (guilty but not in Europe, I wear actual clothes, haha). We must have stood in line for nearly an hour before we finally made in inside.
Saige was kind of over it by now. But we had to see the Mona Lisa. We made our way through the museum fairly quickly, only stopping for a few paintings before we found the room with the Mona Lisa. With everyone else. It was like a mosh pit. Crazy. We got in the clusterfuck and eventually made it the the front. Saige had her camera out and was taking pictures when were were kind of ushered out of the mosh pit. She was in tears; she didn’t get this pictures she wanted. I suggested we go back around and do it again but I could tell she was done.
Our time at the Louvre was short but at least she was able to see the Mona Lisa in person. It wasn’t that impressive to me. I mean, sure, it’s a globally-known painting. But it’s small and hard to see with the plexiglass in front and the distance it’s kept from spectators. I would have liked more time to explore the museum but it wasn’t the time given Saige’s state. From the paintings we did see, I was amazed at how freaking large several of them are. I guess I missed the memo in my art history class on the size of some of the paintings. Such talented artists. Then again, there probably wasn’t much to do back in the day and people had ample time. We did stop at the gift shop and bought a few things, and then found a snack bar with some yogurt for Saige. She needed more energy.
Saige offered to stay so I could look around some more but I know my kid, and she needed to get out of there. We left the main museum and found a Starbucks. So American of us. We ordered drinks and sat upstairs in the quiet for a bit to unwind. This helped Saige’s mood. We enjoyed the calm and left on foot to explore outside.
Paris is always talked about as such a wonderful city. And I’m sure it is to many. I can appreciate the history and beauty but it’s not for me. It feels very bland?! There’s not much greenery and while the architecture is full of history, it’s just not my style. I can appreciate it and not like it, right?! We had taken enough in and Saige was itching to get back to the hotel to have some downtime. I was in agreement.
Saturday afternoon was mostly spent in the hotel. I was okay with this for an hour or so but after three hours, I needed to get out. I corralled Saige and suggested we hit the streets to check out the surrounding areas. We found a nail shop and Saige wanted to get her nails done, sure. That made her happy and gave her enough energy to continue on. We walked all around, from our hotel to some main, major street with shopping galore. Saige was getting hungry for dinner and while not very Parisian, we found a Burger King. Haha. We rarely even eat Burger King here in America. But I was fine with this, it made her happy. Probably gave her a sense of being back home. I could tell she was getting homesick.
After eating, we walked around and found a Sephora. Saige wanted to check out some products but decided they were still to expensive for her. We must have spent a few hours walking around before it got dark. We were ready for bed. And I was ready to be finished with Paris. I already liked London better and I was ready to be back there. Our train back was the next morning. We were both over Paris. And I realize we barely scratched the surface of things to do in Paris. Maybe I’ll go back one day. I would like to see the Catacombs but I didn’t think Saige was at a good age for this quite yet. Heck. I didn’t like London much the first time. Perhaps I feel the same way about Paris. But it does need more greenery. I blame living in the PNW for this preference, haha.
Paris & London, Sunday.
Back to the train station! We were up early. Before checking out, we walked up a few blocks to a grocery store to get some breakfast. I imagine because it was Sunday, things opened later. It felt like a ghost town at 8am on a Sunday morning. Even the restaurants we had walked past several times and were hopping the other days were closed. Whatever. We found food and called it breakfast before checking out of the hotel. We took a taxi to the train station and started the back to London process. Smooth, as expected.
The train was on time and such an easy way to travel. It was early afternoon when we were back in London. We checked back into the same hotel and settled in before our next adventure. Afternoon tea, I booked it for 4pm to give us enough time in case the train was late or there were any hiccups in our travel. All was well. We even had some quiet time at the hotel before heading over to Piccadilly Circus.
Before our afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason, we did some shopping in the store. Saige wanted to pick out a few things for siblings and friends, and they had several goodies that caught her attention. We made our purchases and went upstairs for afternoon tea. It’s such a lovely place. Using lovely feels very British. I think Saige enjoyed the tea time?! Rather hot chocolate for her. We both enjoyed the treats that came on our stacked plates, and the server packed up what we didn’t eat. Which worked out to take back home since we were flying out Tuesday.
Sunday night was calm after our afternoon tea. We walked around more and then ate dinner at the hotel restaurant. The only restaurant that had a tip line on the receipt. They must be used to Americans since it was an American-brand hotel. It was a relaxing evening and we were tired. It was our last night to sleep hard before our journey home Tuesday. I was especially looking forward to a good sleep because I was tired from Paris and not sleeping the best there.
London, Monday.
So much for a good night of sleep, haha. It started out well. We went to bed around 10pm and I hadn’t set an alarm so we could sleep in however long our bodies would allow. At 3am we were woken up to the fire alarm going off. I was dead asleep and all I could think of was get my kid out and safe. To the point I left without a jacket, shoes, or my hotel key. Dumb. I blame being asleep. I did manage to get Saige shoes and a jacket, and I grabbed my phone. We exited the stairs which took us to the street. There are other stairs that go to the lobby but in my half-sleep state, I had no fucking clue which stairs we were on. I just wanted to get out of the building in case it was a true emergency.
Outside, barefoot, and cold, I was awake now. And we were safe. We walked to the hotel entrance only to discover you need your room key to enter in the middle of the night. Thankfully another person had their card and we were able to get back inside. I went to the front desk, we were one of the first ones in the lobby, and was told it was a false alarm. Phew. They reissued me a room key, which I’m thankful but they had no idea who I was and went ahead and gave me a key to our room without any verification. I mean, we were all in new situation so I don’t blame them but probably not the best business decision. We went back up to our room and eventually fell back asleep. Talk about an eventful night!
Monday we slept well past the free hotel breakfast. It was close to noon when we woke up and we were hungry. We readied and set out on foot to find food before hitting the Tate Modern Museum. A block up from our hotel, we found the cutest little restaurant. It’s small, no bigger than a few tables. We ordered at the counter and the man, whom I’m guessing owns the joint, made our breakfast fresh. And it was so cheap! We both had full egg breakfasts and drinks for under $17. That’s about how much one breakfast dish costs here, and that’s without a drink. And the food was fresh. We ate at chatted briefly with the owner and other patron about the Superbowl, which I guess was the day before. I think they figured since we were American we’d know football?! Eh, I don’t think they knew much of it either.
To the Tate Modern Museum next. This is my kind of museum. Not that the Louvre isn’t stunning and full of beautiful art, but it’s not the kind of art I’m drawn to. I have to laugh, all those beautiful, large detailed paintings lining the walls of the Louvre, my favorite piece of art I saw on this trip is the blue square at the Tate. Haha, maybe I’m boring but I like color and clean lines. Again with the free museum entries, so nice! Saige was ready to be back home. It was hard to get her motivated to be out but she was a champ. We spent a few hours at the Tate before going back to our hotel.
It was nearly dinner time by now, since we had slept in so late. We spent about an hour at the hotel before our final outing in London. I bought tickets to see Mamma Mia that night. And we still had some sibling shopping to do. We left for Covent Garden to buy stuff. Saige wanted more macaroons on top of sibling gifts. We shopped and shopped, and found a burger restaurant before Mamma Mia. It was a smooth outing, although it started to rain a bit. Nothing we’re not used to in the PNW.
Mamma Mia was a hit. And how great was our experience. Firstly, when buying tickets online, there are no ridiculous fees. Fuck you, Ticketmaster. I think the online fee was maybe one pound?! Secondly, when we got to the theatre, I realized the seats I bought were probably not the best for Saige to see well. I looked online and found two front row balcony seats, which I should have bought at first but I don’t know why I didn’t? I went to the ticket desk and asked if I could swap our seats and pay the difference. Which would have been about 100 pounds. (Maybe this is why I didn’t book them originally?) The gal at the desk said sure, and printed me new tickets. When I handed her my card to charge the difference, she said not to worry. That I had already bought tickets and the show was about to start anyway. Um, this would NEVER happen in America. It’s always about milking customers for everything they can. Amazing.
The show was a success! I think Saige enjoyed it because who doesn’t like ABBA?! The show ended pretty late and it was time to sleep our last night in London. Back at the hotel, I packed up and readied for the morning so we could have a smooth departure. Our flight wasn’t super early but I wanted to be sure we were up for breakfast and with enough travel time to the airport. Saige was fast asleep and I wasn’t much longer.
London & Seattle, Tuesday.
Later, London. We ate, packed up the last few things, and hit the Waterloo station for the last time. On to Heathrow to catch our flight. Everything went smooth, other than me forgetting about the Eiffel Tower snow globe and having to give it up through security. We waited at our gate until boarding and that was that. I love how we left London Tuesday afternoon and landed in Seattle Tuesday afternoon. Does this make us time travelers?! Haha. We were READY to be home. Instead of Brian driving us to the airport and picking us up, I went ahead and left one of our cars at an airport parking lot. It made it easier not to disrupt everyone else’s schedule.
It felt great to be home. We had the rest of the day to rest up before getting back to real life the next day. It was so great having solo time with Saige. She’s an amazing kid and so much fun to be around. I’m so proud of her ability to go with the flow and how well she traveled. We must have walked about 11 miles each day and all the coming and going, she is a champ. And I know for a fact she can get herself around anywhere in London on her own if needed. Now it’s time to convince everyone else we need a family trip to London. Or to move there. Wishful thinking.
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