Remembering The Fallen-November Saturday in London.

One of the main reasons why we came to London on this particular Saturday (Nov. 9th) is because we wanted to see a magnificent display of ceramic red poppies arranged near the Tower of London to commemorate those who died in WWI-888,246 to be exact.

We walked from London Bridge tube station, across the famous London Bridge (and thankfully it did not fall down).

And along river Thames.

…enjoying the iconic view of the Tower Bridge and HMS Belfast (we still need to visit it).

The Shard, of course.

It’s fun to travel with friends for many reasons, one of them being the ability to get great family pictures taken.

Are you prepared for a lot of red?

There were thousands of red little flowers. And hundreds of people crowding to view them. This was the weekend right before the Remembrance Day (November 11th), thus a lot more people than normal were here. Those flowers were going to only stay there till November 11th.

I think the display’s idea is genius. All those flowers did look like blood, a reminder of those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

Barely made room for a family picture.

It took a while to walk all around the Tower of London. The flowers were truly special. Beautiful!

Here is  a close up. They sold each one of these flowers online for 25 pounds. By the time we thought of getting one they were sold out. It took a couple of weeks for people to collect these after November 11th to package and ship them to those who purchased them.

Love this picture.

And this one.

It was hard enough to get a picture from above…and then my two kids decide to make monster grins.

This is the back side of the Tower of London. More poppies, more people.

And another favorite picture for which we fought the crowds.

This was a beautiful sight to commemorate a hundred years since World War I. Let us never forget.

Lyana.

Churchill War Rooms-November Saturday In London.

Churchill War Rooms are located right in Westminster area. So we took the tube to Westminster, happy to get away from the crowds, said “hello” to Big Ben and found our way to the museum.
I waited for a long time to see this place. Ever since living in England, I discovered a whole new look at the WWII events from a British perspective. I remember watching dozens of war movies growing up, but not the ones that Robert grew up with. Mine were centered on the Soviet side, the heroism of the soldiers fighting the Russians on the Eastern front and the government that was doing a great job in everything. I learned very little about how things went on in Western Europe (that’s why our trip to Normandy was so eye-opening to me). Since living here, I read a lot of things about how the British coped with London’s bombing (the Blitz) and how tough these people have become because of it (as a nation, especially that generation). I have also learned many great things about Churchill and his actions during the war. Being so close to London, it was obviously a crime to miss the opportunity to see the actual war rooms where the prime minister worked.

Adult tickets were around 16 pounds a person, kids were free. Everyone was given an audio guide and we followed it as we went on exploring this great museum.

Shortly after becoming Prime Minister in May 1940, Winston Churchill visited the Cabinet War Rooms to see for himself what preparations had been made to allow him and his War Cabinet to continue working throughout the expected air raids on London. It was there, in the underground Cabinet Room, he announced ‘This is the room from which I will direct the war’.

We saw how the war rooms were set up for receiving messages, for working, for staying there overnight, for dining, and for mapping out strategies.

 

One interesting fact is that when the end of war was announced, all these people working underground just left everything as it was and went home. Their job was done. For a few years no one came down to these rooms.

One big exhibit was set up in a huge dark room with all sorts of visual and audio information. No guide needed here—lots of information on screens, inside glass displays, on hands-on display tables. We spent a good chunk of time here, even kids were learning historical facts. I enjoyed reading about Churchill’s personal life, his daily routines, some reasoning behind the decisions he made and about his drive to stay in politics. It was hard to take pictures there.
After almost two hours inside the museum, we found our kids and got back to the real world, managing to narrowly escape a huge downpour by finding last minute cover. After a few minutes, it seemed that the rain was stopping, so we started walking to Covent Garden to find Five Guys. Well, the rain started pouring again…we were soaked! But we kept walking. Lucky for us, there was no wait at Five Guys so we were able to get yummy junky food super fast. I must admit I love their hamburgers and fries…in moderation. I can’t believe that they have so many choices of soda flavors!!!
Anyway, we had a great time in London with our friends. Learned a lot about history and found good food--all in good company.
Until next time.
Lyana.

Camden Market-November Saturday In London

One day we asked our friends, the E family if they wanted to come to London with us. I told them our plan of what we were planning to see, and they somehow agreed to go hang out with us for a whole day.
Our itinerary included:
1. Camden Market.
2. Tower of London poppies display.
3. Churchill’s War Rooms.

The kids were most excited for the first part. We got to Camden market at around 10:30.

There are several parts to the market—you can find stuff like clothes and bags and souvenirs in one part, and you can find some old second-hand presents and handmade things in another part.

We forewent all of those though and headed straight to the FOOD market. And what a great place that was!!

 

Imagine forty or so stalls with international authentic food from all over the world. We wondered around for a while not knowing what to choose! Finally, some of us got some Indian wraps, others got falafel and things, and Italian pizza wraps. It was fun! To top it off, we had the most amazing churros EVER! They were filled with caramel and chocolate…and therefore we were too busy eating them and not taking any pictures.

We were full of food when we got on the tube and took the metro to London Bridge. This is what taking six children on the tube looks like.

Lyana.