On our way home to the US this summer, we stopped by in London for five days to enjoy a family trip and to break up the long flight from Qatar. We weren't quite sure how the girls would like London with lots of walking and museums, but we were pleasantly surprised at how much they absolutely loved the city!
First, we checked in to a cute little apartment closed to Regent's Park where we soon walked over to the London Zoo at the park. The girls certainly enjoyed the huge open space and green grass in the park on the way to the zoo since we rarely see that in Doha. They even decided that they were going to do a little "workout" (jog) on their way to the zoo. We all had a great time seeing the various animals at the zoo as well.
The next day, we were quite busy visiting the Globe Theatre and St. Paul's Cathedral. We took a tour of the Globe and saw many of the costumes and props that are used in Shakespeare's plays at the Globe today. We also got to see the stage set up for the most recent play, Richard III. Taelyn was most excited about the trap door in the center of the stage and asked questions about it to the tour guide in front of the entire tour group.
Then we got a chance to meet up with my sister who took a train from Manchester to visit us. This is the first time that the girls got to meet Aunt Heather, and they had a great time getting to know her! Heather came with us to several hot tourist spots, including the Tower of London. This has always been my favorite site in London, and it ended up at the favorite attraction for the entire family. We learned about the security system that was once used around the tower (a moat and wild animals likes bears, crocodiles, and lions), Anne Boleyn's beheading in the center of the city walls along with her tomb in the church next door, and the princes that went missing and were later found 200 years later under a stone stairwell. Taelyn really took all of this knowledge in and has been telling everyone she sees about what she learned at the Tower!
Other sites we visited were Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. The girls already knew a bit about Big Ben prior to the trip, so anytime they saw a big building, they would ask if it was Big Ben. They finally saw the actually clock tower and never mistook another building for it again. At Westminster Abbey, the girls went on a children's scavenger hunt to learn about the people buried there. At the end, they got a huge chocolate coin to eat.
One of the biggest highlights of the trip, however, was seeing some musicals at the theatre. We took the girls to both Wicked and The Lion King - my two favorite professional plays. Both girls were so excited going in to the plays because we had been listening to their soundtracks everyday in the car ride to school during the last month.For The Lion King, we made sure to get seats right on the aisle so the girls could see the animals as they enter in during the opening scene. They loved the show! Kaelia kept reaching out to touch the animals in the aisle and was so excited to have touched an elephant. Taelyn really loved Wicked and was intrigued by the story line of the Wizard of Oz told from the Wicked Witch's perspective.
To end the trip, we went to the Harry Potter Warner Brother's studio where we saw the entire set used to make all of the Harry Potter movies. From Harry's bedroom under the stairs to Hogworts Express to Diagon Alley, we saw it all. We also saw the costumes, wigs, masks, and wands. Then the girls got a chance to ride a broom stick in front of a green screen just like the actors. They were filmed and produced into a film. See the final productions below. To top off the Harry Potter experience, we also enjoyed some butter beer!
First, we checked in to a cute little apartment closed to Regent's Park where we soon walked over to the London Zoo at the park. The girls certainly enjoyed the huge open space and green grass in the park on the way to the zoo since we rarely see that in Doha. They even decided that they were going to do a little "workout" (jog) on their way to the zoo. We all had a great time seeing the various animals at the zoo as well.
The next day, we were quite busy visiting the Globe Theatre and St. Paul's Cathedral. We took a tour of the Globe and saw many of the costumes and props that are used in Shakespeare's plays at the Globe today. We also got to see the stage set up for the most recent play, Richard III. Taelyn was most excited about the trap door in the center of the stage and asked questions about it to the tour guide in front of the entire tour group.
Then we got a chance to meet up with my sister who took a train from Manchester to visit us. This is the first time that the girls got to meet Aunt Heather, and they had a great time getting to know her! Heather came with us to several hot tourist spots, including the Tower of London. This has always been my favorite site in London, and it ended up at the favorite attraction for the entire family. We learned about the security system that was once used around the tower (a moat and wild animals likes bears, crocodiles, and lions), Anne Boleyn's beheading in the center of the city walls along with her tomb in the church next door, and the princes that went missing and were later found 200 years later under a stone stairwell. Taelyn really took all of this knowledge in and has been telling everyone she sees about what she learned at the Tower!
Other sites we visited were Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. The girls already knew a bit about Big Ben prior to the trip, so anytime they saw a big building, they would ask if it was Big Ben. They finally saw the actually clock tower and never mistook another building for it again. At Westminster Abbey, the girls went on a children's scavenger hunt to learn about the people buried there. At the end, they got a huge chocolate coin to eat.
One of the biggest highlights of the trip, however, was seeing some musicals at the theatre. We took the girls to both Wicked and The Lion King - my two favorite professional plays. Both girls were so excited going in to the plays because we had been listening to their soundtracks everyday in the car ride to school during the last month.For The Lion King, we made sure to get seats right on the aisle so the girls could see the animals as they enter in during the opening scene. They loved the show! Kaelia kept reaching out to touch the animals in the aisle and was so excited to have touched an elephant. Taelyn really loved Wicked and was intrigued by the story line of the Wizard of Oz told from the Wicked Witch's perspective.
To end the trip, we went to the Harry Potter Warner Brother's studio where we saw the entire set used to make all of the Harry Potter movies. From Harry's bedroom under the stairs to Hogworts Express to Diagon Alley, we saw it all. We also saw the costumes, wigs, masks, and wands. Then the girls got a chance to ride a broom stick in front of a green screen just like the actors. They were filmed and produced into a film. See the final productions below. To top off the Harry Potter experience, we also enjoyed some butter beer!
Kaelia's Broom Experience
Taelyn's Broom Experience
Our time in London was amazing for the entire family. The girls did another photo scavenger hunt of the city and learned so much about this impressive historical place. Justin and I also got a chance to run in the beautiful Regent's Park every day with fresh air, rivers, and green all around us. It was the perfect way to start the summer!
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