See London, Take the Kids!

What better place to start the adventure of a lifetime? Our first day of riding dawned bright and beautiful. The kids were cheerful. Jet-lag had been banished and all seemed right with the world. We met several lovely folks while assembling bikes in the lobby of the Sheraton, Heathrow (far too nice a hotel for this sort of behavior on their cool marble floors!) It was with great anticipation that we rolled out the front door and waved good-bye to our Philippine bellman who had "clarified" the directions we'd downloaded to our host family's house. Hmm.

The first ride had its ups and downs. Ups: lovely lilac scented air and overhanging greenery as we cycled along through quaint town after quaint town. Downs: difficulty balancing the full load on the new touring bikes and more than one little crash. However, all of the above were made even better by the presence of the wonderful paved cycle ways along every major road. We were safely removed from the traffic, which eased my mind greatly. It wasn't until about three hours into the ride that we entered Slough. Quite literally… it's the name of a town. While sitting at a crossing an Englishman with cigarette perched between two fingers looked incredulously at our little parade and said, "So, you've come on a cycling holiday to Slough, have you?" "Well yes, it's the center of the cultural universe, isn't it?" I replied. He bobbed his eyebrows in disbelief and took a long drag on his cig as we cycled off. Slough indeed. Two or so miles further down the road we pulled off at a McDonalds to let the boys use the facilities. Of course.if you've ever been anywhere with us you know our boys' need to test the cleanliness and efficiency of as many bathrooms as possible. It was at this same McDonalds that we made the fateful discovery: We were going the wrong way. Not just a little the wrong way, almost ten miles the wrong way. And it was four o'clock. This meant ten miles back to the Sheraton and THEN another eight or so to our hosts house. Despond. Needless to say, it was getting dark when we rolled into Ealing and found respite and a hot dinner awaiting us on Pitshanger Lane. Surely the trip would get better?

We decided to begin our adventure in this great city for a number of reasons: 1. Minimize the culture shock for the children. 2. The history. />3. Direct flights from the east coast of the US are easy and cheap! There is so much to see that a month would not do the city justice. With only a week, we barely scratched the surface. We overlooked some of the more traditional "touristy" spots, like Madame Tussauds, in favor of some of the lesser-known treasures, like the Imperial War Museum and the Victoria and Albert. London is an absolutely wonderful place to visit with children as many of the museums are free and they cater to families. Our children spent a long lunch hour in the garden of the Victoria and Albert splashing in the wading pool with kids speaking at least four languages - and they loved every minute. At the Imperial War Museum children can explore the trenches of WW1 along the Western Front and sit in a bunker in London during a Blitzkrieg bombing, or pilot a submarine while their older sisters take in the excellent holocaust memorial on the third floor as our little boys did.

If there is a free event not to be missed in London, it is hearing a service sung by the resident boys choir at Westminster Abbey. It is positively ethereal to sit beneath the high, vaulted ceiling surrounded by the kings and queens of yore listening to the angelic voices blended with the towering pipe organ in praise to God as they have been for centuries. The history alone within the Abbey warrants a return visit (the museum part is not open on Sundays.) />We stood at the tombs of Sir Isaac Newton, Queen Elizabeth 1 and her sister Mary, Edward the Confessor, and Charles Darwin, just to name a few, and told their stories to the children who were enthralled to be in the physical presence of such historical giants as these.

On the decidedly "not free" front, the children unanimously recommend The Tower of London. There is no substitute for a day spent exploring this castle-turned-prison that still houses an official residence of the Queen and the crown jewels, along with the etchings in the walls scratched there by prisoners over the ages. To stand at the spot where Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane were beheaded is somber to those who know the history, and thrilling to little boys with a romantic notion of the Middle Ages. In the armory your kids can actually touch the real thing, trying on parts of the armor, lifting the weapons and seeing the real suits of armor for men and horses. Of course, with three little boys, there was much twittering in front of King Henry IV's armor… complete with "cod piece." There are just enough re-enactors sprinkled about the grounds to make a kid feel as if the sands of time might just be flowing backwards for a few hours and he might really be in London in the Medieval era.

For a full list of places we visited and things we learned along the way, please feel free to visit our website: www.edventureproject.com and learn more about how you can join us for a Virtual Field Trip from the comfort of your home, or how you can create your own adventure of a lifetime for your family.