Christmas vacation - Cliffs of Dover

We said our goodbyes to Grandma and Grandpa in the hotel. Then we headed for Dover. We booked a ferry across to France, and from there we drove home. Luckily, we got to Dover with enough time to hike along the cliffs. I was only terrified a couple of times, and it was not for my own safety. I can't handle the kids getting close to the edge. It makes me physically ill. Luckily, no one fell over the edge, so that's good.

The wind was very cold, but eventually the sun peeked out from behind the clouds.  We couldn't explore for long because we were on a schedule, but I'm so glad we got to see the famous white cliffs of Dover.

Christmas vacation - London by night

Now remember, I have young kids. When I write "by night" I actually mean late afternoon and evening. By actual night, I was back at the hotel in my bed. Ha ha!

In the afternoon, we headed off to King's Cross Station. The kids wanted to see Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter. In fact, it was the top destination on their list of this entire Christmas vacation. That is the only reason we were willing to stand in the super long line to take a picture. I probably would have walked away at the sight of the line otherwise. But now, looking at the photos, I believe it was worth the effort. The kids were in heaven!

After King's Cross Station, we took a little detour to Baker Street. Joey has become a huge fan of Sherlock Holms. This was truly a highlight for her. We went into the Sherlock Holms gift shop, and Joey came away with a t-shirt and a few other fun items.

We finished off the evening eating dinner at a nice pizza place on Baker Street. By that time, we were all wiped out.

Christmas vacation - London by day

We attended church Sunday with Grandma and Grandpa. Their cute chapel is only about a block away from their home. It was fun to see the ward where they have been serving as missionaries for nearly a year. After church, we drove two hours down to London, where we spent the night in a hotel.

Joey and Bailey bunked with Grandma and Grandpa, and TJ and David bunked with me and Erick. The girls LOVED getting one-on-one time with the grandparents.

The next morning TJ felt a bit sick and puked all over the floor at the breakfast buffet. He and Grandpa stayed at the hotel for a few hours to see if TJ improved. Luckily, he did.

Grandma joined the rest of us at Buckingham Palace and a quick look at the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. We did not go inside any of them. What can I say? We're cheap. Plus we were trying to fit quite a lot into one day.

TJ and Grandpa missed Buckingham Palace, but TJ was well enough for them to join us for the London Eye and a walk by Big Ben.