The Leon's Go To London!

April 17-21, 2014.  We had such a great 5 days in London.  So much to do there, we were on the go every day all day.

First stop: Hamley's Toy Store.  7 floors of toys, toys, and more toys!  This is a place where you have to plan to be there at least two hours, there is so much to see.  What I thought was really neat were all the toy demonstrations.  Not only was it a fun place to shop (we only left letting the kids pick out one or two small toys), but it was entertaining too!

Buckingham Palace:

 When the flag is up, the queen is in! (That's what they told us anyway).

The Changing of the Guards Ceremony.  Apparently a pretty big deal, but overall there was a lot of wait and anticipation, large crowds, etc., for about a 10-minute ceremony.  I wasn't THAT impressed.

 The London Eye:  Be able to see the city of London, and many of the main sights, from inside your capsule on the London Eye.  Very cool experience and the kids loved being up so high and looking out on the city.

 Isandro admiring the city below him.  ;)

Natural History Museum.  Very interesting and entertaining, and best part: FREE!

Princess Diana Memorial Park:

A stroll through St. James Park

 Manuel with his monkeys in front of the London Bridge

In front of the Tower of London, where all the royalty keep their jewels! 

We got a lot of use out of the backpack carrier we borrowed from a friend to use for Isandro.  Lots of walking, bus stops, and train rides.

This picture was just a few minutes after we put Isandro in the carrier for the first time.  He was all smiles once he realized it wasn't actually a torture device we were putting him into and he enjoyed being up high and being able to see everything.

Lina playing hide-and-seek as we waited for our first bus near the neighborhood we stayed in.

Our "bff" for the weekend: the London Underground.  Every bus and train we saw, Isandro would get so excited, shouting out, "Train! Train!" or "Big, big bus!" as if each one he saw was the first one he'd ever seen! 

A view walking around the bustling city of London.

Big Ben!

Lots of street entertainment while walking around.  Lina, Manuel, and Isandro were enjoying a group of guys dancing.

Time to take a break and eat!

 Kew Gardens on Easter Sunday.  Unfortunately it rained a lot, so we didn't get to enjoy the gardens as much as we would have liked to.  It was still really beautiful though.

A taste of home: Five Guys burgers and fries!  Soooo good.