The Schmidts Take London!

After a lovely Christmas here in Cheltenham, we piled back into the car on the 26th for our first visit to London! We stayed in a lovely flat in St John's Wood, a beautiful area in northwest London that was right across the street from the famous Lord's Cricket Ground.

Lord's Cricket Ground

We spent our first day there exploring St John's Wood and trying to figure out how to navigate London during a tube worker strike.  After waiting for a very long time with a ton of people to board a bus, we bit the bullet and took a very cool London taxi (they put NYC taxis to shame!) to Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland.

So choosing to forgo the bus crowds for a taxi to Hyde Park= Best. Decision. Ever. We had a great time at the festival, with Riley and Lyla riding lots of kiddie rides, Daddy enjoying potato pancakes and Mommy and Riley even getting to ride a scary ride!

Marble Arch

We see the lights!

The next day the tubes were back open and we managed to do some exploring! First stop was Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard, which was incredibly crowded but fun to watch. Most of our pictures are courtesy of Riley, who had the best view in the crowd on Daddy's shoulders while Mommy couldn't see a thing. It isn't easy being the only shorty in the family!

Buckingham Palace

Since we were so close (it was a coincidence, I swear!) we decided to head to the Hard Rock Cafe for some American food. Hooray! The girls even got giant ice cream sundaes. Yum!

Afterwards we headed to the Natural History Museum. Lyla LOVED the dinosaurs and Riley loved the explorer pack there. She took very detailed notes on what we saw and sported a very fancy hat.

The next day was jam packed with more fun...beginning with another trip on the Tube. Mind the gap!

Followed by lunch at Wagamama's...

and a visit to the Tower of London! Lyla fell asleep while waiting in a VERY long line despite the freezing temperature!

Riley didn't believe that Mommy would wear her hat in line!

Sleeping Beauty...or the Marshmallow Man?

Once we got inside the Tower, we started out on a tour led by a very funny Beefeater. Riley and him made fast friends and she left us in the dust!

Can you spot Riley?

 Lyla woke up in time to see the Crown Jewels and do some horsing around in the cold.

After leaving the Tower, we took some pictures by the Tower Bridge. Riley even got a really nice shot of Mommy and Daddy on their 15th Anniversary (we started dating on December 28, 1996). Man, we're old!

We left feeling cold but still energized so we decided to try our luck at the London Eye, a giant ferris wheel with great views of London. We waited awhile in the queue (more cold!) but it was worth it! 

The girls needed to lay down for a bit in the middle of the ride.... it was getting late!

On our last day in London, Wayne and Riley picked up a very special delivery from Heathrow Airport...GG and Gramps! The girls were so excited to see them and show them around London! We did a bus tour of London to keep them awake and everyone got to see all of London's most famous sites.

Those hats again!

What a great way to end a fabulous trip! The next day it was time to head back to Cheltenham...but first we had to fit in the car! 6 people + LOTS of luggage + car seats + pack and play + stroller= too much stuff for a British seven person car! Can you spot Mommy buried in the back row? ( :