London Calling

We specifically travelled to London to witness the historic King Charles III coronation with our 12-year-old Kidsetter. We based ourselves in a Chelsea apartment which made everything we wanted to see and do accessible. We only had 6 days in London and didn’t want to miss a thing !

The first monument our Kidsetter saw was the impressive Big Ben. He was blown away. He has wanted to travel to the UK for many, many years now and finally he was here. The hustle and bustle and energy of London was exhilarating in the lead up to the King’s coronation.

Next, we walked to Westminster Abbey. Due to the coronation approaching security was exceptionally strict and access was not permitted, however the excitement was palpable.

We visited the Shakespeare Globe and watched an interactive performance of ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’. We stood in the stalls and the ‘Puk’ decided to poke fun at our Kidsetter, which was hilarious not to mention we loved the ticket price at only 5 pounds.

Prior to the show it was only fitting we visited a traditional English pub called The Anchor for a delicious meal.

The following day was King Charles’ III coronation. We awoke at 5am and made our way to The Mall to set up as close as we could to view the King.

We were very fortunate that it had rained so much as it deterred many people from camping out, which meant we were about to gain a great viewing. It was a long day but well worth absorbing the celebratory ambiance. Our Kidsetter met a fun German judge and they managed to muscle their way to the very front !

In the evening we headed to the Royal Albert Hall to watch the Coronation Proms. It was a splendid evening.

The following day we returned to Royal Albert Hall to watch the 150^th Choral Coronation and the Duke of Kent was even in attendance. A lovely performance.

In the evening we attended The Royal Festival Hall to listen to the Philharmonia Orchestra. It positively transported you to another world.

The venue has the most magical views of the London skyline lit for the coronation celebrations.

Our Kidsetter had on his London bucket list to ride in a Double Decker Bus which he loved. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to tick off his other London bucket list item which was to ride in a Black Taxi. Next time !

Our Kidsetter was fascinated by the Changing of the Gardens procedure. Elite soldiers have guarded the King or Queen since the reign of Henry VII who made the Royal Body Guard a permanent institution which was spanned over 520 years of history.

We were only able to view The King’s official London residence ‘Buckingham Palace’ from a distance due to the coronation. We will have to visit again for a guided tour at another time.

We then visited 10 Downing Street, the locale of British prime ministers since 1735. Our Kidsetter met Russell a friendly policeman telling him all the inner working of being a policeman.

Next, we visited the Imperial War Museum where we walked the top-secret corridors of Churchill War Rooms and gained a glimpse of what life would have been like during these tense days and nights of the Second World War. Our Kidsetter loves history so was in his element here going from room to room trying to absorb as much as he could.

Next, we went to Trafalgar Square unfortunately though it was still barricaded from the King’s Coronation. Trafalgar Square is a centre of national democracy and protest. Rallies and demonstrations are frequently held on weekends on different political, religious and general issues, supporting democratic tradition.

Naturally we had to visit the Lego Store beside Trafalgar Square. We refrained from buying more Lego for our Kidsetter as he had already bought his 1 Lego set in another UK town. We loved seeing all the London landmarks recreated in Lego.

Showing our Kidsetter the iconic beautiful department store Fortnum & Masons established 1707 was lovely. Takes me back to the TV series called ‘Paradise’.

We attended London’s West End to see ‘Back to the Future – the Musical’. The performance was spectacular. Our Kidsetter had never watched the movie and still loved it. Especially when the car projects over the audience and completes a 360 degree spin !

We visited the Natural History Museum and stepped into the world of the colossal titanosaur Patagotitan mayorum, one of the largest known creatures to have ever walked Earth. There were many interactive elements to the exhibition which our Kidsetter enjoyed. We literally had to drag him out of there – well not literally.

We visited Harrods, established 1849, London’s most famous luxury department store. Harrods have an impressive display of Lego which is where our Kidsetter spent most of his time.

We couldn’t wait to share with our Kidsetter one of our favourite London experiences – High Tea at The Ritz. The Ritz is the world’s first and only hotel to be awarded a Royal Warrant by HRH The Prince of Wales for Banqueting and Catering Services.

Our Kidsetter has been trained by us for occasions like this. He has a habit of sticking his elbows out to the side of him when he eats so to encourage him to have manners whilst eating, I’ve tried to make it fun by giving him a queue ‘T-Rex arms’ which essentially means elbows down.

Arriving at the Ritz instantly makes you feel welcomed by the staff. Our waiter named ‘Phillipa’ from Italy was very generous and thoughtful with our Kidsetter. They enjoyed some banter back and forth saying he would pass on our Kidsetter’s reviews of menu items to the King.

Next, we attended a beautiful choral concert at St Paul’s Cathedral with the Mayor of London in attendance.

We dined at one of our favourite Italian cuisine London restaurants, Clos Maggiore. Our Kidsetter had us amused all night with his constant source of entertainment enter ‘Jack Whitehall’. Our Kidsetter couldn’t stop telling us it must’ve been SO boring last time without him.

The following day we timed our walk across the Tower Bridge perfectly, as a tall boat needed to pass underneath which meant we were able to watch the bridge open. Amazing to see the Tower bridge in action.

We attended the ‘Guys & Doll’s Musical’ at Bridge Theatre. The musical is a romantic comedy involving the unlikeliest Manhattan pairings: a high-rolling gambler and a missionary. A fast moving, energetic musical that had our Kidsetter on the edge of his seat.

We had pre booked breakfast the Sky Garden 35th floor also known as the ‘Walkie Talkie’ building. The view is spectacular, however the atmosphere looks stunning, but the ambience felt cold. Perhaps it has a better vibe at night.

After breakfast it was time visit the Tower of London.

Beefeaters are one of the most iconic people in London and their job is to protect the Tower of London at night. Fascinating to learn the difficult process of becoming a Yeoman Warder akas ‘Beefeaters’. They must have had at least 22 years of military service, have reached the position of Warrant Officer or equivalent and have been awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct medal.

Beefeaters are amazing story tellers, they must learn to recite all of England’s history to the public. As of today, there have only ever been 422 Beefeaters, more people have travelled into space then become a Beefeater.

We viewed the Crown Jewels that King Charles III used for his coronation on Saturday 6^th May. They were returned to the tower the following morning at 11:15am to be precise. The Crown Jewels have been stored and displayed at the Tower of London since 1661.

Next it was time to travel back in time to 1605 to The Gunpowder Plot – Incredible history lesson using interactive actors and virtual reality. We didn’t just witness history we were living it. Absolutely exhilarating.

After the Gun Powder Plot we had worked up an appetite. We had pre-booked afternoon tea at The Shard. Inspired by the adventures of Peter Pan on the island of Neverland, Aqua Shard have created the Peter Pan Afternoon Tea. Served on a custom-made tea stand inspired by Captain Hook’s Pirate Ship. A fun Peter Pan themed afternoon tea with a view!