Day 25 - Covent Garden, Shake Shack, and Prince George's 3rd birthday

7/22/16

Today we decided to try the London Transport Museum at Covent Garden. A few people have recommended it so we thought we'd check it out. But as we've done a few times lately, we were distracted and having so much fun that we didn't make it there. I realized today that the kids would be happy if we came to Covent Garden every single day and just watched the street performers. I'm not much of a museum/touristy person either so I kind of agree with them. The energy at Covent Garden is really cool and makes it a great place to be!

Headed to Covent Garden on the tube. The kids are now pros at public transportation. William has even learned the custom that men offer their seats to women who are standing. Our little English gentleman!

 The Charing Cross tube stop is where we get off for Covent Garden and it lets you out in Trafalgar Square which is always breath-taking. I read that the smallest police station in the world is in Trafalgar Square and is big enough for one person. It was originally built there to keep an eye on protests in Trafalgar Square and its used by the police anymore. All the times we had been to Trafalgar Square and we had never seen it. Isn't it cute?

 They found a Yoda street performer in front of the National Gallery.

Once in Covent Garden, the distraction begins...

 

Kevin met us for lunch at Shake Shack in Covent Garden. Funny that I've never had Shake Shack in the States but just had it in London. It was SO good!

After lunch, the kids asked to watch another street performer. As the show is starting, the performer walks up to me and asks me to be in the show. The performer was hilarious (and had slightly inappropriate humor) but it was a fun 30 minutes!

Another show in the back of Covent Garden.

This makes me laugh because you can tell how tired William is.

Beautiful church on our walk to the tube station.

At the Charing Cross tube station, men were handing out the newspaper and its Prince George's third birthday. He is so cute!

Some light reading on the way home.

The tube stop by our house is Baker Street Station. There is a pedestrian underground to cross under Marylebone High Street to get to the Station. They have cool facts on the walls and we learned on the way home the Baker Street was named after William Baker who built it. Lots of Williams in this country but ours is our favorite.

 I reserved the book "Lake House" by Kate Morton from the library to read on my Kindle. I didn't know anything about it except it received high ratings on Goodreads. But...it takes place in England (in Cornwall and London) over three generations. Tonight I was reading it and it talks about the woman from the oldest generation coming through London to see the tigers at the zoo in 1911. The zoo is in Regent's Park which is in walking distance from our flat. The author talks about her going through Marylebone which is where we live. On the next page it talks about her walking up Baker Street to go to Baker Street Station. How cool is it to read about that while we are right here? Its also neat to read about what this area was like in 1911.