Elsa has lived and worked in England for two years after graduation. It is easy to see why we have tried to trace her footsteps in this country more than once through the years. Trade shows and business also brought us to the British shores. As an ultimate salute to a great country, we chose London as the very first international city to actually spend a whole holiday as a family.
Trip # 1 – 2004
London was the first major international trip which we thought Kyla would remember as a six-year old. We rented an apartment in the Kensington area for proximity to public transportation and the city. Revisiting Elsa’s favorite places and accommodate the desires of a child, we did the staple of London’s offerings:
Trip #2 – 2011
The town of Telford was the stage of an international conference where colleagues met up from Florida, California and New Castle, England. Our host, John Douglas went through a lot of trouble showing us the English country side and historical sites beyond city confines. The Roman Wall or Hadrian’s Wall as it is known, was by far the highlight. This defensive fortification was started in 122 AD and marked the northern border of the Roman Empire – painted in white! The Lake District is a mountainous region in Northwest England and famous for its lakes, forests and mountains. It is really well worth a drive through that part of the country.
Trip # 3 – 2014
In 2014 we wanted to try something different: Instead of getting on a bus or a car every day and try to see everything possible, we wanted to stay in one place and become ‘part’ of the neighborhood. Air B&B made this form of vacation possible and we rented an apartment for two weeks just two blocks away from Trafalgar Square. This proximity exposed us to:
Besides the obvious tourist sites, we explored various ‘neighborhoods’ and indoor/outdoor markets. There is something to be said about being so comfortable in a place that you choose not to take your camera with you after a while. Rylin joined us on this trip again and the teenage girls had a blast to revisit places they could barely remember from a stop-over in 2012. The UK and Europe offer so many great cities to explore. Consider this type of vacation to really relax in one vibrant destination.
STAY SAFE AND KEEP IT BRITISH!
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