After an overnight stay in Lille, we gathered our backpacks and headed for one of the city's two train stations to catch the Eurostar to London. Traveling through Europe by train really is the convenient, efficient experience it's made out to be. Our departure and arrival times were nearly always spot on, and though the nuances of our regional Eurail passes were next to impossible to understand, the trains themselves were a delight to travel aboard. After all, if a family of weary Americans can figure out the Paris Metro at 5:00 am, you know they're doing something right over there.
The Eurostar connects England to the continent via the Channel Tunnel, and we were delivered directly to St. Pancras station in the heart of London. Over the next few days, we walked approximately 20 miles (thank you, Google Fit), jostling for space in what has to be one of the world's most hectic cities. Gone were our relaxed days of French strolling; London was a beehive of people in a hurry. Locals battled with tourists simply for a spot on a sidewalk, and major sites like the Tower of London, the London Eye, Westminster, Piccadilly, Buckingham, and Regent Street were elbow-to-elbow with a swarm of humanity. To make matters worse, we showed up on the weekend of a massive bicycle event, which saw 50,000 riders pedaling on streets closed to vehicles. It was fun to watch, but only heightened the sense of severe crowding, as getting nearly anywhere around town was a struggle. In fact, London has become so crowded, and housing costs have risen so sharply there, that one man realized he could save money by living in Barcelona and commuting to London by air.
Still, we enjoyed ourselves. We covered the obligatory stops, marveled at the Edwardian, Georgian, and Victorian architecture (never have buildings so stern and cold looked so beautiful), survived a visit to Europe's largest toy store, even took the kids to a pub for some fish and chips and a plate of bangers and mash. One highlight was the Natural History Museum, and Malcolm was excited when he spotted the statue of Charles Darwin in its place of honor.
London is one of the world's truly great cities, and definitely worth visiting at least once, perhaps especially for Americans. But shy travelers beware: it is not for the timid.
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A proper tour of London begins in Trafalgar Square... ...and no visit to Trafalgar Square is complete without saying hello to the lions  They may be obsolete, but they're still iconic  Near the London Eye, where a kind local family helped us with one of our few group photos  Europe's tallest ferris wheel and Calvin's Union Jack jester cap posing for a photo together  The views from the top are absolutely stunning  Buckingham Palace, in all its splendor  The kids appear less impressed with the Queen's pad  Some views in London catch the eye and won't let go  Another hop-on-hop-off bus, this one motoring across the Tower Bridge  A better view of the magnificent bridge, taken from the Tower of London  The Tower grounds, a city within a city, with the Shard skyscraper in the distance  The Yeoman Warders (aka "beefeaters") are caretakers, guides, and always happy to pose for a picture (this gentleman was actually stationed in Alaska while with the Royal Air Force)  Members of the Queen's Guard, however, are not to be trifled with  The Natural History Museum, home to specimens collected by Darwin  The great man himself, and a young admirer  The easiest way to inspect a blue whale |
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