Last week I found myself abroad in London alongside Ashley and our two girls, sightseeing in between my conference meetings. Were we a little anxious bringing our kids across five time zones on their first red-eye flight? I certainly was. But did we have an amazing time and already start talking about the next Europe trip? Absolutely.
Heading to Logan before the flight felt a little nerve-wracking, mostly because the girls kept asking us how you’re actually supposed to sleep on a plane. Anyone familiar with red-eyes knows there’s really no good answer to that question. Somehow, though, they crushed it and got enough sleep to power through the next day. Mom and Dad? Not quite as successful. But I still stand by the theory that a coffee every few hours can solve most problems.
As soon as we arrived, we started touring around the city. First on the list was all things Royal Family, which I had been heavily outvoted on. I wouldn’t say I knew a ton going in, but I have to admit, it ended up being fascinating. We saw all the major sites, but the Crown Jewels and Buckingham Palace definitely stood out the most and earned a spot on my personal “must-see” list. The opulence of the jewels, the precision of the changing of the guards, and the sheer amount of history attached to everything was incredible to experience in person.
We also ended up seeing something during the changing of the guards that apparently does not happen very often. The inspection was complete, the music was playing, and they were ready to march out toward Buckingham Palace… and then everything suddenly stopped. Long pause. Turns out they couldn’t open the gate. We never figured out whether someone forgot a key because it was a bank holiday, or if the gate itself just stopped working, but either way it caused a fairly major delay. The guards eventually had to adjust the route entirely. Oddly enough, because of the delay, we ended up seeing several parts of the process that normally don’t happen together, which actually made it even cooler.
Another major highlight was getting to go behind the scenes at Abbey Road Studios. Yes, that Abbey Road Studios. While The Beatles obviously dominate most of the conversation there, the history behind all the artists and iconic sounds recorded in that building is pretty incredible. Walking through the studio felt like stepping into a piece of music history.
We all had a blast and wanted to share a few pictures from the trip below.
And if you have something sitting on your “I’ll do it next year” list, don’t wait too long. Sometimes those quietly turn into the “I never got around to it” list instead.
