Bon jour! Bon soir!

Today was long.

We left our apartment in Oxford around 9:45 and headed to the train station. Snafu. We apparently hadn't bought a ticket for Hollis from Oxford to London, but had bought her one from London to Paris. That was how my day started and it only unfolded from there.

I thought we had redeemed ourselves when snagged an earlier than expected train back to London. We did our transfer dance on over to St. Pancras and even helped some really confused Americans figure out the tube. I told you, I'm officially British.

Three...two...one. Done.

Our stay in Oxford was, in my humble opinion, two days too long. Wednesday and Thursday were really stretches to find something to do, which on one hand was nice because we could just relax a little after the hustle of London, but on the other hand, made for a bit of a boring time as we simply didn't know how to just immerse ourselves in the culture and be present. We tried, mind you, but with three kids, it was tough.

Since I'm a wee bit behind and there just isn't that much of interest to write about, I'm going
to go ahead and condense three days into one post.

Oxford wouldn't be complete without a little Potter...

As a middle school English teacher, it didn't feel right to visit Oxford and NOT acknowledge the role many of the buildings had in the Harry Potter movies. Plus, I have two kids who are Harry Potter crazy. We started our first full day in Oxford with a self guided walking tour of all things Harry Potter. This lovely trail was available online, so this is what we used to guide us.

We were also looking to build our knowledge of the things we saw yesterday, and surprisingly, this trail basically recounted our steps of the night before.

Tickets and Trains and Travel, Oh My!

Today was all about getting from point A (London) to point B (Oxford) without any major mishaps. We arrived at Paddington Station way too early and spent over two hours just hanging out, snacking and sipping coffee. Which was surprisingly fine. The kids were awesome and I was able to get some work done. The train was right on time. We snagged a six pack of seats all facing each other and were off without a hitch.

Bittersweet last day in London...

Today was our final day in London. I'm excited to explore a new place but sad to leave London as I really love it here. I love the big city feel, the accessibility of public transportation, the focus on green spaces, the respect for bikes and walking, the healthy food and the local emphasis. I love how a complete stranger will offer their seat on the tube and give it to you even when you decline. I love how a person on the street will hear you talking about what bus to take and immediately jump in to help. I want to live in a city where people value childhood and interaction. I want to live in a city with thriving culture and diversity. I want to live in a city where a stroll through a park will reveal five or more different languages being spoken around you.

Don't get me wrong. This isn't some idyllic city. There are things I didn't love. I didn't love having to pay for public bathrooms, although, I guess at least they had public bathrooms. It was weird not having available trashcans at every corner, although, there wasn't a huge amount of litter, so I guess it works for them. I'm struggling to find things not to love, in case that wasn't obvious.

On our final day, we started by walking down to the famous Portobello Road Market, touted as the world's largest antique market. It couldn't have been a more perfect day. The sun was shining. The air was warm. The crowds were packed, as promised.

Tate Modern! *insert celebration emoji*

I had been anticipating this moment our entire trip and there was actually a point where I feared we wouldn't be able to fit it in. Alas, we arrived and I was over the moon. Nothing was going to damper my excitement! Except...when we arrived, apparently, it had been evacuated. Well. Okay, so maybe that may have momentarily damped some excitement. Whatever had happened was over quickly, and we only waited seconds before we were cleared to go in.

The Tate is located just next to the Shakespeare Globe. Street performers crowd the waterfront entrance to entertain guests as they enjoy the view of the Thames and the city. The views inside rivaled anything we would see on the outside. Art dates back from 1900 to present, including exhibits for arts and society, materials and objects, performer and participant, and media networks. In this case, pictures speak louder than words, so I'll leave you to my favorite views in this mostly pictorial post.

Are we sure it is July?

London, with St. Paul's Cathedral in background.

Today was by far the coldest day we have had here. Not only was there a chill in the air, the rain was also intermittent and the wind was biting. But since we bought raincoats for everyone yesterday, we were well prepared (finally!) and marched on to our next destination.