Friday, June 30 York when we were deciding on side trips I went back and forth on this lovely town because it is 2 hours north, a bit further than what most folks consider an optimal choice given time spent there. But, it holds a very special place in my daughter’s heart, so I surprised her with tickets for us. We arrived at 10:40 out of Kings Cross - a bit later than I had hoped bc of a need to change trains in Doncaster. It was all good though; once we arrived we covered a lot of ground. We saw the Minster - breathtaking- Clifford’s Tower, walked a good portion of the city walls, the Shambles, so much history packed into such a small place! The people there were very warm and friendly. We struck up numerous conversations with shopkeepers and really enjoyed their personalities. If anyone is interested in the ongoing conservation of the York Minster, I will share that on Mondays at 1:00 you can take part in a tour that involves walking the scaffolding where the work is taking place. My daughter was kicking herself for not looking into this sooner so we could have adjusted our visit date. It does look really interesting!
We had a full day there and got a return train back at 6 pm. We didn’t see the National Railway Museum, nor the Viking museum, which we heard were very good, and I’m sure another day would have been even better, but I do feel we saw a great deal in a day, so it was well worth it.
Saturday, July 1. Portobello Market. What a massive market this is! Blocks and blocks. We bought some cute gifts friends and family, and enjoyed the variety of the stalls, food and otherwise!
Took the tube back over to near the British museum to see my daughter’s old grad school stomping grounds and then headed to St. Regents Park to walk around. This park was my absolute favorite. So gorgeous- Queen Mary’s Gardens and the Avenue Gardens were spectacular. I think I must have taken 100 pictures there!
We headed back to our flat after grabbing a sandwich at Pret A Manger (we ate there a lot while in London to save $$!) and rested a bit before heading to the Sondheim Theatre to see Les Misérables. It was Pride in London parade day and the areas around Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square were crazy crowded, but we got into the show - thank God for the TFL app! Les Miz was soooo wonderful. None of us had seen it in the theatre and we were all spellbound. The acoustics in the Sondheim were the best I have ever heard. This cast, too, wow. I’m still humming the songs! What a night!
Sunday July 2. We slept in a bit, I was finally “hitting the wall” I think! We decided to take a boat ride on the Thames from the Westminster Pier to Tower Quay. It was a beautiful day, sunny, warm. What a fun surprise this excursion was! Real bang for the buck as they say. The “guide” was hysterical and added such fun to his description of all the London landmarks. It took about 30 minutes and we really liked it.
Many of the shops are closed on Sunday, so we poked around in the City again and then headed to Westminster Abbey for Evensong. I’d always wanted to be in the Abbey for the reason it exists and this service brought me so much joy. I felt so blessed to have been able to take this trip and experience so many amazing things with my children. The music and sermon were very impactful and I must admit I got a bit emotional at the end of the service.
So, home we headed on Monday. It was a glorious trip, but I feel that it wouldn’t have gone nearly as smoothly without the help of folks on this forum and the Rick Steves organization and guidebooks. I hope many others enjoy their future trips as much as we did! Cheers!