Our Christmas Break Trip part 1: Travel, Hotel, Hay-on-Wye, & Hereford

After Boxing Day, Mummy, Daddy, and I rented a car and headed west. We visited parts of Wales and the towns along the border in England. It was a lot of fun!

In England, I'm already old enough to sit in a car seat that faces forward! I liked that a lot. I actually slept pretty well in it, though Mummy kept worrying that I would get a sore neck. She tried to help by snuggling the blanket up under my chin, which helped a little. At first, it was really weird that Daddy was driving on the other side of the car, but Mummy and I got used to it. He did such a good job!

 We got stuck in a lot of traffic on the way to Goodrich. So when we arrived, it was already dark. But that's ok--I was ready to be out of my car seat and play in our hotel! We stayed in "Ye Hostelrie" in Goodrich, just 400 meters from a really old castle! We had a really cool window in our room that Daddy really liked. They had a cot for me (we call it a crib in America) and housekeeping even made it for me every day! I thought that was really nice. There were a few ladies that are Mummy's age who ran the hotel. They made us breakfast every day, made our beds, and got us our dinner every night. I thought one of them, named Emily was really pretty...

We ate in the bar every day while we were there. We had English Breakfast in the morning. Eggs, toast, beans, bacon, tomatoes, and even a big mushroom! My favorite part was the eggs and the orange juice. For dinner every night, Mummy ordered chips to share. I LOVE chips! And I love ketchup, too.

Our first full day on holiday, we went and visited Hay-on-Wye, a town in Wales. Hay-on-Wye is a village on the border of England and Wales. They have the world's largest (and oldest) used bookstore! Of course when Mummy read about it she knew she had to visit. in 1961, a man named Richard Booth started buying books from all over the world an sending them home to his sister. Once they had a lot of books, they opened up their very first shop! Mummy bought a book at his shop--it's an hold book of English Carols.

Mummy and Daddy both really liked Hay-on-Wye. It had lots of windy streets, with a really cool clock tower, grocers, and antiques. Another fun thing, is that lots of the signs have both English and Welsh words!

There are 60 bookshops in Hay-on-Wye! Mummy and Daddy were in heaven! 

Mummy enjoyed taking pictures of me with her new camera. 

I really liked Hay-on-Wye, too! Mummy and Daddy said that maybe one day we should open up our own bookshop there. I could go for that!

After we went to Hay-on-Wye, we traveled to Hereford to see the cathedral. It was all decorated for Christmas still--which I really liked. It's a pretty old cathedral, and they still use the same heating system they used in the 1800s! Huge boilers on the either side of the nave (Daddy said that is the big open room in the cathedral) that get really hot. Mummy and I stood next to one and got warm.

The town of Hereford is really pretty, too. We wandered around the shops, looked at the river, and saw a REALLY old building--from the time of Shakespeare! By then, I was getting really tired and just wanted to go back to the hotel and get some chips for dinner, so we got packed up and headed to Goodrich.

When Walking Through Cheapside...

Mummy says that if you're walking down Cheapside, you must stop at St. Paul's. I think she's right!

This is us just before we got on the train, and then me and Mummy on the train in our Christmas jumpers!

Yesterday, we took the train down to London again. We visited St. Paul's Cathedral, which was really cool. We didn't spend a whole lot of time in the main part of the cathedral, cause Mummy and Daddy had been there before. But we did climb up to the top of the dome!

To get up to the Whispering Gallery, you have to climb 257 steps. Whew--that was a lot of steps! Luckily, Daddy carried me in the tummy pack, so it wasn't any work for me! The Whispering Gallery is really cool. They call it a Whispering Gallery because you can hear someone whispering from the opposite side the dome, no matter how big it is! In St. Paul's, the Whispering Gallery is huge and decorated with beautiful gold mosaics. I wish we could have taken pictures inside.

After the Whispering Gallery, we climbed up 119 more steps to the Stone Gallery. This is outside of the building, right at the base of the dome. I loved that part! The wind was blowing my hair all over the place, and we could see all of London from up there! It was also fun to look up at the dome. Did you know, that when Sir Christopher Wren first presented his idea of the design for St. Paul's in 1673 they told him he couldn't do a dome? So, he built things around the middle of the building while men were working on it, and built it in secret! Then when they were all done, there was nothing they could do!

Here we are on the Stone Gallery. Whew so windy, but so much fun! Can you spot the London Eye?

Mummy says a lot of people won't believe that, so I need to tell you where I learned that (she says that's called "citing your sources"). It's from a letter that Christopher Wren's son wrote. I think that is really cool, though.

Anyway, after the stone gallery, we climbed 152 more steps to the Golden Gallery, which is at the very top of the dome! I was amazed at everything we could see from there. We saw the London Eye, The Globe Theatre, the Houses of Parliament, the Gherkin, The Shard---lots of things! London is really a HUGE city.

On the Golden Gallery at the top. Do you see the London Eye again?

After we went to the tip top of St. Paul's (528 steps in all!), we went down to the very bottom: the crypt. They bury people in the crypt! I thought it was going to be creepy, but it wasn't--it was actually very beautiful. There are some very famous people buried in St. Paul's Crypt. Their graves in St. Paul's are really big and fancy. There were two that Mummy and Daddy told me about:

1. Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson
2. The Duke of Wellington

Do you know how they are? Well, Lord Nelson was the man that beat the French and Spanish Navies at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. He was injured in the battle, but kept on fighting--until he died in the middle of the battle. Mummy said that he is a great hero in England. Mostly, I think he's cool because he only had one arm and he was still fighting!

The Duke of Wellington is also a special guy--he defeated Napoleon! He is another important British Hero, that Mummy says I better not ever forget (I won't!). ***

After the Crypt, we bought some souvenirs, then headed out the door to the Museum of London!

The Lamp in the Victorian town. 

The Museum of London is seriously just down the street from St. Paul's. It is seriously an amazing museum! It tells you all about the history of London, the city, from before humans lived there, until today. I asked Mummy and Daddy what their favorite parts were:

1. Daddy: His favorite part was seeing a Roman Eagle that was recently discovered in London, in September actually! A lot of people say it is one of the best pieces of Roman art ever found--it's in almost perfect condition. (I wish we had a picture of it, but you can see it and read about it in the article I posted on here)

2. Mummy: Her favorite part was walking through the Victorian Street. The Museum set up a part to look just like a city would during Victorian Times! They had all different kinds of shops, a pump for water (that told you all about the gross things that were in it! EW!), and they also had a real lamp from that time. It was really cool.

3. Me: My favorite part was definitely the model of London's streets. They had a bus, a taxi, and a horse drawn carriage that you could drive along, and underneath they had a tube! It was so cool. I played with it for quite a while before Mummy and Daddy said it was time to go. Oh! And I also really enjoyed listening to the stories of people who lived in London during the Blitz, when the Nazis were bombing it. They had a big room where you could go and sit and watch a video, see pictures, and listen to the people tell what it was like.

By the way--another funny thing they had in the Victorian City part (Mummy's favorite part) was a urinal from the Victorian Times. Daddy explained what a urinal is to me.....huh.

So the Museum of London is definitely on our list of "best places in London." A lot of people don't go there, because it's not very well known outside of London. I Loved it!!

Anyway, after that, we went over to Harrods to see the lights and their Christmas windows. It was so crowded! We didn't stay very long before Mummy and Daddy decided we should go home. Which was good, because I was exhausted!!

Harrods all lit up for Christmas

Here we are on the Tube on our way home. 

***Mummy's note: We didn't get many pictures of us outside of St. Paul's, because it was getting dark by the time we left the Cathedral (it's pitch black outside by 4:30 p.m now) and we wanted to get to the Museum. Daddy promised me that we would go back and get photos outside of the Cathedral another time---we better!!!

Picking Out Our Christmas Tree!

While we were at Scottsdale's, we picked out our Christmas Tree!!

We looked, and looked, and looked for the best tree. Mummy found it right away, but she wanted to make sure, so we looked at a few other trees before deciding on that one. I helped Daddy look at them all! After a while, I think all the trees started to look the same to Daddy--good thing Mummy was there to help us pick one out!

 Our Christmas tree is BEAUTIFUL! Mummy said it's pretty small, but it looks big to me! It's green and smells really nice. Daddy said we'd get to take it home and put beautiful, sparkly things on it. The nice man at Scottsdale's put it in a bag for us to take home. Mummy was going to have them deliver it to our house, but Daddy and I decided we didn't want to wait a week for it to come--we could take it on the bus! What a great idea!!

This is our tree!!!

At the bus stop. It was really dark outside!

We paid £29.99 for our tree. Mummy was worried that was kind of a lot, but Daddy said "Hey, it's Henry's first tree." That's right! It is!! After we paid, we walked down to the bus stop. I was relieved, because on the sign, it said just 6 more minutes till the bus came. 

But if didn't come. 

Then the next bus didn't come, which was 20 minutes after that. Mummy sat down on the grass with me and I got a bottle. I was so tired that I fell asleep! I got to take a 25 minute nap on her lap out there before the bus came. I was glad that it took a while, because that meant I got a nap and I still got to be awake for the bus ride home!

I'm so excited to take it home and get it all covered in pretty lights and the sparkly things Daddy called ornaments!

Here we are on our way to the bus stop and then on the bus. 

Father Christmas, Santa Claus--Same Guy.

This is me and Mummy in the winter wonderland!

Today, Mummy and Daddy took me to meet Father Christmas! We took a bus for a long time to get to a place called Scottsdales. They sell plants and flowers there. Daddy called it a nursery (thought that was where babies slept, but he says baby plants sleep in nurseries, too. Thank makes sense). When we got there, we got to walk through a winter wonderland! There were other kids with us, and they were really excited to see the polar bears and the penguins that were in the snow. Then, we took a fun sleigh ride, pulled by Rudolph, to go see Santa Claus! (oh, Mummy says here in England they usually call him Father Christmas. She likes Santa Claus better--so do I). We sat on a little bench for the sleigh ride and sang "Jingle Bells" and "Rudolph" while we traveled to the North Pole.*

When we got to the North Pole, we went in Santa's house! He was there, waiting to see us!

This is my new truck!

I really liked watching all the kids go up and meet Santa. He also had a bunch of benches just my size that I enjoyed playing with while I waited for my turn.

When I met Santa, I wasn't really sure about him. But, I figured I'd be a good boy and let Mummy take a picture or two. I didn't even cry! Santa said I was so good, that I could choose a toy from his cupboard to take home! Mummy and Daddy helped me pick out a really awesome monster truck! When you push down on it, it goes all by itself!

I had such a fun time visiting Santa Claus. I cant' wait for him to come to my house!

*Mummy's Note: Just FYI, the "sleigh ride" was actually us sitting in a wooden box, with a fake reindeer at the front. On either side off the box, were large canvases with beautiful snow scenes hand painted on it. And don't worry--the canvases they scrolled through as we went. Seriously. Derek says they "tredmilled".  I was rather disappointed, as the advert we saw promised a real sleigh ride with Rudolph. Oh well---the little kids we were with, and Henry had a good time. A good story, right? :)

**Mother's Note 2: In England, you must pay to meet Santa. Scottsdale's was the cheapest we could find--we paid £8  for the 3 of us to see Santa. 

Locked in the Tower

We went to London again yesterday! We took the train again, which is so much fun. Daddy fed me my breakfast while Mommy held me--I love doing that. And I got to look out the window and see England go by really fast.

This time, we went to a place called The Tower of London. Daddy has been wanting to go there for a while, and since the weather was perfect for being outside yesterday, Mummy decided it was time she and I took him to see the Tower!

The Tower of London is actually a whole bunch of towers, 21 actually. The oldest tower, the White Tower, was built in 1078 by William the Conqueror. At first, it was actually a castle, where William lived. Then it became a prison. The English held prisoners there until 1952--not that long ago!

A man called a "Beefeater" gave us a tour. Beefeaters used to be the body guards of the kings and queens. Now, they guard the Tower and tell everybody that comes to see it all different funny stories. Our Beefeater, Dickey, told us about people who had their heads cut off just outside the tower, and then a couple Queens who were killed inside! It sounded pretty gross to me.

Mummy and Daddy told me about the Ravens that live in the Tower. They are really big black birds that make kind of a croaky squawk. Mummy said that there are always six ravens at the Tower. British people are really superstitious (Daddy says that means they believe in things that might not be logical, but are important to them. Huh.), and that they believe if there aren't six ravens at the Tower at all times, then the Crown will fall!! I'm not sure if he meant the Crown with the big diamonds we saw or what, but it sounds pretty scary.

Mummy carried me in the tummy pack for most of the time we were in the Tower. There are lots of stairs, and I was pretty tired. Plus, I'm just a lot happier when I can be up high to see things. I did get really tired after our Beefeater tour though, and so I got a bottle and took a nap while Mummy carried me. Ah! That's the life!!

In one of the towers we went in, we read about a few prisoners that were kept there. Usually, prisoners that were kept in the Tower were really important people. Mummy said they must have been really important because they were still allowed to get Amazon deliveries (oh Mum...).

When we go out and see new things, I always want to touch whatever I can. The Tower had lots of really cool brick walls, railings on the twisty staircases, and funny iron soldiers. Mummy and Daddy let me touch as much as I could reach! I almost got to touch some of the graffiti prisoners made in the walls. They must have been really bored, because some of the things carved into the walls were amazing!

The soldiers that protected the Tower a long time ago were pretty amazing. But, we did read about one time when the poor people got really mad at the King, and actually invaded the Tower! If Daddy had been a soldier back then, I bet they wouldn't have gotten in. He's way too tough. 

Just outside the Tower is the Tower Bridge, one of the most recognizable bridges in the world! Lots of people call it the London Bridge, but Mummy said THEY ARE WRONG!

We had a really fun day at the Tower of London. There were lots of things to see, lots of things to learn about, and we even got to see the crown jewels (lots of sparkly things that I think Mummy would like to wear). When we left the Tower at 4:30, it was already starting to get dark. But, we did get to see the sunset over the Thames and look at some of the really cool buildings in London. 

This is the Tower of London

Just outside the Tower, is a statue of the Roman Emperor Trajan. He built a huge wall around the city of Londinium when he was Emperor (well, he made other people build it). Mummy said lots of people get confused and think it's Hadrian's Wall, but Emperor Hadrian built his wall on the border between Scotland and England. I can see how that would be confusing, but you just need to have a really smart Mummy with you to tell you those kind of things when you're traveling.

After we grabbed some dinner at Subway, we went shopping on Oxford Street. They have all their Christmas Lights up--it was beautiful.

 On the way home, Mummy let me have a piece of a Ben's Cookie on the Train. WOW--those are delicious! Mummy told Daddy we can't go in to London without having Ben's Cookies--good thing there's one near Oxford Street!

The Tube is a Great Place for a Nap. And so is Parliament Square.

I found some amazing places to take naps and scenic places to eat while we were in London yesterday. Mum wanted me to sleep while we were on the train, but there were just too many things to see and look at outside the window.

But once we got on the Tube, it was just too long since I woke up--I fell asleep right before our stop at Westminster. 

Mummy carried me for a while, then put me in my stroller with my blanket. I took a nice nap while she and Daddy got through the crowds around the Houses of Parliament. 

I think Mummy was a little bit disappointed that I wasn't awake for when Big Ben told us it was noon, so I decided I better open my eyes so we could take a family picture. 

Mum has told me all about Big Ben and how much she loves to hear the bells. I liked to look around at all the people while they took pictures and ate their lunches at Parliament Square. Watching them made me really hungry through, so Mum and Dad stopped at McDonalds and got food for them, then we headed to St. James' Park for lunch. 

Did you know that St. James' Park is right in front of Buckingham Palace? That's where the Queen lives. Mummy and Daddy said if I want to live there I'm going to have to marry a Princess. I guess that would be ok.

Just as we went through the gates into Green Park, it started to rain. I decided I was tired of being in my stroller and just wanted Mummy to hold me, so I got to ride in the tummy pack and see her pretty umbrella! 

We walked and walked and walked and walked until we finally found the Victoria and Albert Museum, Mummy's favorite Museum in London. I liked it because I got a bottle once we went inside. We wandered around and looked at some of the amazing things in the museum. My favorite part was probably all the silver they have in a big long hallway. 

The Victoria and Albert Museum is HUGE though. Mummy said that we went into parts that she had never seen before--and she's been there dozens of times! One of the places we went that she'd never seen was the baby changing room. I felt very pampered getting changed in there--the changing table is polished marble! All of the tiles in the bathroom are white marble with green in between. The white ones have a V&A on them--it was REALLY fancy. Mummy said she wants her bathroom to look like that someday, except have a D&J. I think that's a good idea!

We were pretty tired after that, so Mummy and Daddy found a bench and sat down. I got a bottle and that put me right to sleep! I'm telling you--there are lots of great places to sleep and eat in London.

After the museum, we looked outside and saw that it had stopped raining! We stopped at the Hyde Park Chapel and then Mummy said she really wanted me to meet Peter Pan, so we headed back to the park. This time, it was to Kensington Gardens. 

Peter Pan was so cool! We were lucky that there weren't a lot of people around, so got to touch the animals and talk to Peter all by myself.

Look at me! I can fly!!

I was hungry again after that (naturally), so Daddy and I sat by the Long Water and had some dinner. Well, I had dinner, anyway.

While I was eating, the craziest thing happened! The tree that was right above us decided that I needed a branch full of beautiful yellow leaves to play with. So, it dropped one right next to me in my stroller. Thanks, tree!!

I pulled of the leaves and examined them one by one. Every leaf is different, did you know that? Then I chewed on the branch. Mummy and Daddy were nice enough to let me do that. I know lots of Mummy and Daddy's aren't that cool.

After that, we went to get dinner for Mum and Dad at a place called Whole Foods. Then, we headed back to Kings' Cross Station, tried to get in to Hogwarts (see my previous post about that), then headed home. 

I was exhausted after such a long day! Mummy gave me a nice bottle on the train and snuggled up with me. The train was very full, though, with lots of interesting people to watch. So, I ate my bottle and kept myself awake. 

Overall, I really enjoyed London. I can see why Mummy loves it so much and why she talks about it all the time. I can't wait to go back!!