Our Finale: Christmas in London

Many have asked how our Christmas in London was, so I thought I'd better hurry and get this blog post published...

Initially, our plans were to take the Eurostar train into London on the 22nd. However, due to some extreme winter weather, trains travelling through the Euro Tunnel were unable to get through, causing a massive backup on the weekend before Christmas. Luckily, Ray had a backup plan and we flew to London instead.

We stayed at the Marriott Grosvenor Square, which was in a perfect location - just a short walk away to London's underground subway, which is quite impressive, I must say!! It is one of the most extensive, efficient, and easy-to-use modes of travel we have experienced in a busy city like this!

We arrived just in time for dinner, and by unanimous vote, ventured out for fish and chips. We found a nearby pub called The Hog and Pound, which was excellent!

When we first laid our eyes on the Christmas lights on Oxford Street, we knew it was definitely Christmas time!! The holiday lights were absolutely fabulous! This, along with the busy atmosphere with all the holiday shoppers was quite exciting!

The following day, we had tickets to see "The Snowman", a musical odyssey at the Peacock Theatre. After all, you can't go to London without seeing a show!

On our way to see "The Snowman"!

The girls absolutely loved it! And it was the perfect show to see during the Christmas holiday. Afterwards, as an additional Christmas treat, we took the girls to Hamley's where they each got to pick out something in the store for Christmas (within reason, of course).

Considered the largest and best toy store in London (similar to our FAO Schwarz), you can imagine how exciting and difficult it must have been for the girls to decide what to get!

On Christmas Eve, we went to Hyde Park to visit "Winter Wonderland", a holiday festival in a carnival-like setting. Although it was fun, I really missed the "European feel" of the German Christmas Markets we have grown to love.

PS and DS (my little dare-devils) had loads of fun riding the thrill rides. They each got to ride only one ride, since they cost about $15 a ride!!! Due to height restrictions, their choices were limited, so they were careful to find the fastest and biggest one possible!

That same evening, we ventured out to Covent Garden, where the girls visited Build-A-Bear and made a stuffed dog and cat, each in a cute London outfit.

For dinner, we tried the highly-recommended Porter's Restaurant, known for the "best pies in the world!" As it turned out, our Christmas Eve dinner was absolutely fantastic! A perfect English meal to ring in Christmas...

Porter's Restaurant...Ray's Turkey and Chestnut Pie was everyone's favorite

And if that wasn't enough, we took the girls over to Santa's Grotto, where they were able to meet Father Christmas himself and some of his elves.

That evening, DS and PS went to bed happy campers, filled with excitement and anticipation for what Santa would bring them on Christmas morning!!

DS finally scores a Nintendo DS!!!

But not everyone will get what they wished for...

All of London pretty much shuts down on Christmas Day. In fact, the entire public transportation system took the holiday off, which was perfectly fine with us since PS was a little under the weather. However, we should mention that she was feeling "just fine" while opening Christmas presents earlier in the morning!

Later that afternoon, PS made a "miraculous" recovery and wanted to get out! So, we headed to the London Hard Rock Cafe, the one that started it all. However, Hard Rock turned out to be Hard Luck instead, by being too busy to accept any more customers!

After a long walk back (remember no public transportation!), we came across a nice Italian Restaurant just down the block from our hotel which welcomed us for dinner. For a last minute find, it turned out to be a really nice dinner!

Bella Italia Restaurant (taken a few days later) was bustling on Christmas Day!

On Boxing Day (Dec. 26th), we made our way to Picadilly Circus to try another recommended restaurant, Fortnum and Mason's Cafe, but unfortunately, they were closed.

So we decided to give Hard Rock another chance, and what do you know!? They had plenty of seating available!

After some R&R at the hotel (and some PS nap time), we headed out later in the evening to Trafalgar Square to see the Christmas Tree. To thank England for their help during World War II, Norway sends a Christmas tree every year that is displayed in the square. We found the tree, but were a bit disappointed by the size and decorations on it. The square itself is beautiful, though.

Sometimes, I do get a great picture!!

After spending a little time at the Square, we headed out to Covent Garden again. And guess where we had our final meal of the trip? At Porters, of course! And again, another satisfying meal!

All too soon, it was time to leave Europe and finally head back for home. Early the next morning, our driver picked us up at the hotel to take us to Heathrow for our final flight back to L.A. The girls were excited, yet a bit sad to be closing this chapter of our lives.

And soon enough, we were back in 75 degree weather, overlooking the city of Los Angeles on another gorgeous California day. And wondering how two years had slipped by so quickly...

At Rocketship Park in South Torrance