Though you may not have guessed it, or missed me (since I still managed to keep my presence on here!) I have just arrived back from a lovely two-day break in London.
We’ve had a tough few weeks with work and life stuff, and all needed a break from these four walls, so as it was the children’s (and my) half term break, we rented an apartment in Canary Wharf for two nights.
An apartment is perfect when you have a family. Yes, room service is wonderful, but at least you have space to yourselves, access to a kitchen to cater for those fussy eaters, and more than one bathroom! Canary Wharf is a good location as we could drive in and not worry about the Congestion charge, then park up in the apartment for a minimal fee, and use the Tube to go in and out of Central London itself.
The apartment was pretty cool!
We were right on the riverside too, so the view was good. If you looked out, you could see the O2 (Millenium Dome) too!
We did a little Tesco shop, and grabbed lunch, then after an afternoon siesta, we jumped on the tube to Picadilly Circus. I love the West End! Had it been purely my choice, we would have caught a theatre show too, but not everyone is as into the arts as me!
The view at dusk near our apartment was so pretty! We saw the famous Eros statue, and the great scaffolded corner is where usually you’d see the bright lights of Picadilly, but they are shut (for the first time in, like, a bajillion years!) for refurbishment.
We were thinking of popping into Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Exhibition, where they had a Peculiar Happenings special exhibition, but at £80 for us all, it felt a little steep!
The Square, Leicester Square, brings back memories of our university life, and all the nights out we had here! Obviously, we couldn’t drag the kids to a club, but the general feel of the place is something all can enjoy!
The street artists were there, and the buskers too!
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Then we had to stop off at M & M World… naturally!
We had dinner in TGI Fridays (even though it was Thursday!) and then headed home, but not before I could check on the horses!
We got back and chilled together to watch a film on TV before heading to bed rather late.
A little drink to accompany the film!
The idea was to get up early and maybe go swimming or take in a museum or two…
Firstly, the late night meant no one wanted to get up, and secondly, as some of you already know, I had some sad news regarding the passing of my cousin. My mood wasn’t in it initially.
We just relaxed at the apartment, until the rest of the family woke, and after lunch, we popped back into the West End, but not before a visit to the iconic toy store Hamleys!
And a stroll down Carnaby Street!
There we found this little store which Lil Man described as a ‘Kitchen equivalent of Smiggle! Have you been to Smiggle? It’s an overpriced stationary store, very kitsch and all that, but secretly I love it… because stationary is my downfall!
The kids were starting to flag, as was Hubby Dearest, so we headed to China Town for dinner.
We ate at Wong Kei’s.
Have you heard of Wong Kei’s? It’s kind of an infamous Chinese restaurant. No frills, fantastic food, 4 floors which are usually always packed, and the customer service is to die for!
Who am I kidding? It is actually famous for its great food, and rude staff! They are hilarious! I have been several times in my life, and when I was at University, the first time we went, a waiter served us, never cracking a smile (and considering there were 10 attractive young ladies there, that was hard work!) until the end when we paid our bill! He piped up, as he handed the receipt to us, ” And I hope I never see you again!” and beamed at us!
Since then we have been served by staff who didn’t speak the whole time we were there, just using hand gestures, and we’ve been told off for requesting a spoon or fork to eat with…D’oh, that’s why the chopsticks are there, dummy!
The kids have been twice with us, and it was their request to go again, and we are but their humble servants, so off we went to Wong Kei’s!
After a very filling and tasty dinner, we went back to our apartment, and took in another family film before a slightly earlier night!
It was a 10.30am check out so by 11 am we were back home. The washing machine has been on, shopping done, homework sorted… now just one more day until school starts again…
I need another week off!
( I had so many more photos, but as you know, if the kids are in them, I don’t use them! But suffice to say, all enjoyed themselves !)
But I Smile Anyway... 