Our time in London was too short but filled with as many of the highlights as possible. We arrived on the Eurostar (Chunnel) after delays in Paris due to “industrial delays.” Basically, French customs authorities aren’t happy about the possibility of Brexit and are slowing the boarding process down. We were about 90 minutes late getting into London but the smooth, peaceful ride made it not so bad.
Upon arrival we prepared for one of Zach’s top priorities for London: seeing Wicked in the West End. Zach has seen this show 13 times and said the London production was one of the very best. 
He’s an expert on all things Wicked and helped us understand many of the intricacies of the experience.
Our first full day found me exhausted, so I slept in and relaxed while the boys set out on a “Total London Experience” 10 hour tour. They visited St. Paul’s where Charles and Diana were wed and the Tower of London, where they saw the Crown Jewels. 
Both Steve and Zach said they picked out their crowns. They also visited Greenwich and took a boat ride on the Thames before I caught up with with for a pint and fish and chips at a traditional English pub.
Another highlight of a visit to London is Westminster Abbey. We toured the historic church, remembering Will and Kates’s wedding and imagining all the other historic events that had taken place here. Zach was most impressed to find the tomb of C.S. Lewis.
From the Abbey we watched the nearby Brexit protests and then walked across the Westminster Bridge to the London Eye where we took a spin on the big wheel. 
As part of the travel package we bought through Costco we got tour credits that allowed us access to the Hop On Hop Off bus, so we took a spin around the city, stopping at Oxford Street to check out the famed department store Selfridges, along with other big named retailers. Zach loves the finer things in life, and London is a perfect place to indulge.
We capped off the day with another fun show. This time we saw Katharine McPhee of American Idol and Smash fame, starring in Waitress.
On our final day in London we set our sites on the Victoria and Albert Museum’s sold out exhibit of Christian Dior’s work. The museum releases a limited number of tickets at 10:00 each morning and the crowds begin queuing up by 8:30. We were tickets 30, 31, and 32 of just 58 available. And the wait was SO worth it! (Even Steve says he enjoyed it). Our photos don’t do the beautiful clothes justice.
More shopping at Harrods, picnic lunch in Hyde Park, and another spin on the HoHo bus, another pint at a pub, and our time in London came to an end.
Here’s Zach’s take on London:
“London felt like a little taste of home after our time in Paris. I really enjoyed the city overall, and acclimated fairly quickly. Our hotel, The Montague on the Garden,was fantastic! I’ve never had such lovely service at a hotel. One of my favorite parts of the trip was the afternoon tea we had upon arriving at the hotel, before seeing Wicked (which was obviously a major highlight of the trip as well). I also really enjoyed visiting the Dior exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum. The experience was definitely worth the early morning commute and the wait in line. This leg of the trip definitely seemed to fly by, so I’m definitely looking forward to returning to London in the future and experiencing more of this amazing city.“
We followed our museum visit with a surprise meeting with our friend Nancy Bruce. We met Nancy while on our yacht charter trip with Lauren back in June. 
Nancy, who works for Ikea in Sweden, was in town for work. Thanks to Facebook we learned that we were close and just had to meet up. Lunch and a walk through Luxembourg Gardens gave us time to catch up.
French President Macron was welcoming Chinese President Xi to the country with all the pomp and circumstance you would expect when two leaders come together. 
The event closed down the roads and created a mess all around but it was fun to see the spectacle.
It’s bawdy, tacky, and a lot of fun! There were can can girls, ponies, and an act with live snakes! Champagne comes with the ticket, so it was a great night!
An early tour allowed us to avoid the biggest crowds and see the palace in all its glory. Of course, the Hall of Mirrors, site of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles was everyone’s favorite. 
Our waitress was from Nebraska, so Big Red was celebrated! 
Yes, too much is one way to describe our evening.
They don’t think it was anything from our travels south, but we really don’t know what took her from us. Nica gave us seven awesome years of fun. Her energy, personality, and sometimes annoying habits (anyone missing a sock?) are sadly missed. Sister Mia is helping us through the loss, and she’s loving the extra attention.
Marnie and Steve Travel 