DAY 7: A Final London Day

Observation of the day: London has it all -- history, culture, funk. And we love every moment of it!

Tube Masters!

Today, we truly mastered the Tube and bus system as we took it to criss-cross the city to visit a variety of spots. In the morning, we finally made it to Churchill War Rooms (http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms). And we were so glad we did. This museum, part of the Imperial War Museum, is quite amazing as it allows you to actually tour through Churchill’s bunker during World War II, where he and his staff essentially determined the British war strategy.

Wise words which are so timely.

Although a bit claustrophobic, the entire operation was simply fascinating. One of the main “nerve” centers was the Map Room that also included the top-secret phone bank including a scrambler. This room is supposedly displayed nearly just how they left it at the end of the war. You could really imagine the generals, advisors and supporting staff toiling away there in an attempt to defeat the Axis forces.

While Churchill retained a bedroom in the bunker, he rarely spent the night underground; according to the exhibit, he did so only three times. Much to the dismay of his security detail and his wife, he preferred to stay above the bunker at Downing Street (which was more vulnerable to bombing), the prime minister’s residence then and now.

Telephones were critical in maintaining transcontinental
communication during WWII, especially between Churchill & Roosevelt.

The three sugar cubes at the bottom of the picture were just as they were left in 1945. Upon the behest of his wife, one of Churchill's top advisors always kept these three cubes hidden in his desk "just in case." Years later, the cubes were found intact.

All the way to the end, Churchill displayed
his wit even as he planned his own funeral.

There is no doubt that Churchill was the most-loved hated man. In an oral testimony provided by one of his secretaries she said she couldn’t say she “enjoyed” working for him, but she could say she was completely “inspired” working for him & felt it was a privilege to do so. Interestingly, those who worked in the bunker -- from the top military advisors to the secretarial pool -- were sworn to secrecy about their work and/or military service so many of their own families had no idea of what a critical role they played during the war until many years later.

All in all, we would all call this a “must-do” if you visit London.

Quirky, but fun!

Camden was home to the late chanteuse
Amy Winehouse.

This literally used to be horse stables, hence the name.

After an impromptu stop to see the Horse Guard readying to march in the Changing of the Guard ceremony, we jumped on the Tube again to head north of the city to Camden Town. This quirky town is best described as New York’s East Village. Upon arrival we found a crazy amount of people and JM & EM together hit their wall. As HM was on a sixteen year-old’s quest for vintage shops, she and I stayed to explore what they refer to as a combination of shops, stalls and stables. Ultimately, HM found a few vintage Army jackets to add to her wardrobe including one from Her Majesty’s regiment, just like Prince Harry wore! Woo hoo!

Quintessential Camden Market - tourists mingle with funky Londoners.

We made our way home again to find JM & EM happily ensconced in the apartment with no plans of ever leaving again. Yes, we know what you’re thinking -- we each have mini-me’s.

As HM and I were hungry, we headed to a local, somewhat renowned eatery just 5 minutes from our apartment called The Ivy Chelsea Garden (https://theivychelseagarden.com). It was a fabulous final London linner and great people watching. Lots of beautiful Londoners enjoying an afternoon with family & friends.

The last indulgence was a double decker ride to Harrod’s as HM wanted to look for one last souvenir. As before, Harrod’s dazzled us, but I really couldn’t do any more shopping. I hit my wall. We took our bus back and called it a day.

This sweet, friendly duo was waiting patiently for their master outside
the local "boulangerie."

Final thoughts: London rocks! It is a vibrant metropolis full of friendly, gorgeous, fashionable people. We were blessed with gorgeous weather (not ONE day with rain!) and we were lucky to have many people allow us to get our doggie therapy with their pets. 

Tomorrow we are off to Ireland!

It was really, really neat to see an Enigma. The Germans
used these to send coded messages. The Brits worked tirelessly
to crack the code and succeeded. Photo creds: HM.

HM: We started the morning bright and early in the amazing Churchill War Rooms. We strolled through room after room delving deeper into the minds that won World War II. I loved looking through the old memorabilia and watching the old films. It was haunting to see the videos of Hitler and watch the thousands of people follow his command. Although all of this was impressive, my favorite item was the German Enigma (especially because The Imitation Game is one of my favorite movies).

Happy 16-year-old.

After a very eventful morning, VM and I mustered the troops and dragged them to the Camden Market. (JM would have much rather parted ways back at the War Rooms and his mini-me, EM, too.) After walking through the official “Camden Market” VM and I were worried as it seemed fairly shabby, but we were quickly ushered towards the “Camden Lock.” EM was on the hunt for a vintage camera and after looking at one stall, she decided to cut her losses and head home with JM. VM and I, on the other hand, chose to push through and continue exploring the Camden area. I was on the hunt for a vintage military jacket and maybe a pair of shorts. A sweet nail art vendor informed me we were in the wrong area and needed to head towards the “Camden Stables” (I know, it’s confusing).

VM and I pushed on and were quickly directed towards a plethora of vintage stores. After a few misses, we finally found a hit -- a curious vintage store in the heart of Camden Stables. I now patriotically sport Private Murphy’s U.S. Army jacket! In another shop, I also found an English jacket and now can proudly represent Her Majesty’s Armed Forces. 

Prior to leaving Camden Market, HM decided to support two
very cute Parisians who just had opened their "stall" two months ago.
The duo was peddling organic, homemade cookie dough mixed with
fresh berries and bananas. The sweet "pick-me-up" was delicious.

VM and I ended the day on a wonderful high. We enjoyed a delicious meal together, rode a “double-decker” bus (I just about ran over a woman for the front seat—makin’ my mama and all Americans proud), and took one more trip to Harrod’s.

Final Thoughts: I love London and I am blessed to have had such a wonderful week in this incredible city!

Very excited for Ireland!!

EM: Churchill Room was really cool. I liked seeing how they lived and worked during wartime. It was basically like a submarine underground. It was fun to see the “finale” of the changing of the Horse Guards, before they go to Buckingham Palace.

Final Thoughts: London was awesome because you could walk everywhere. It was fun seeing Big Ben even though it doesn’t look real. I also learned it’s actually called Queen Elizabeth’s Tower and the bell inside is called Big Ben. I also really liked doing the James Bond boat even though they also played Hawaii 5-O songs. My favorite restaurant was Zizzi and I had a delicious steak made by my dad today. I also liked going each morning to our local bakery for fresh croissants.

Can’t wait for Ireland!

Random Pic of The Day

London has every kind of "ethnic" food you can imagine, but we're pretty sure this schizophrenic spot
is not where to go for Cuban food.