Day 24 – Paris, France to London, England

Today was a super-early day – we had a 9:15 train to London, so we were out of the Airbnb at 7:30. The train ride through the chunnel was uneventful – the adults slept while the kids read and played games. We arrived in London after 2.25 hours, but it was only 10:30am. The UK and Ireland are an hour behind Spain and France, so we gained an hour.

Because we couldn’t check into the Airbnb until 3pm, we stowed our luggage and ate lunch at a traditional English pub. Then we explored the British Museum! Evan and Kate read a great book series that featured Ancient Egyptian mythology and culture (The Kane Chronicles), so they were excited to see the Rosetta Stone. We went there first and then split into groups to explore the museum.

I took the twins to see the Greek and Roman exhibits, Kendra went upstairs with Addie to look at the Japanese Art, and Priscilla went to the Persian exhibit. The twins were fascinated by the sculptures of the Parthenon and the friezes from the Temple of Apollo Epikourios at Bassai. They learned about relief sculpture and the history behind the works.

After we explored the museum, we picked up our luggage and headed to our Airbnb. We were all so tired from the last few days that we napped, read, and rested. Dinner was incredible Thai food at a local restaurant. We stopped at Sainsbury’s (a grocery chain) for snacks and breakfast. I was thrilled to grab a pack of Hobnobs, my favorite cookies from when I lived in London in college. I love being back here – I have such fond memories of my semester abroad.

I am looking forward to showing the kids around my old stomping grounds! Tomorrow is going to be a relaxed day, and after a whirlwind visit to Paris, we are all looking forward to slowing down.