London, Amsterdam, and Paris – Jennifer and Zach's Adventures

After turning in our boat (see our previous post on boating on the Kennet and Avon Canal), Zach, his mom Virginia, his sister Valinda, and Jennifer headed for London by train, with a stop in Salisbury to see the Magna Carta at the Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge.

We stopped at Stonehenge, where we marveled at how the people who built it got such large stones there and on top of each other, without machinery, cranes, wheels, etc.

Rainy day in London — Our first few days in London were rather cold and rainy, but we had fun wandering the downtown area and seeing the sights

It was hard to get a picture of Virginia sometimes, because she was always busy taking pictures, such as here at Trafalgar Square.

Borough Market, London — We visited Borough Market, which was very crowded, and had some good food.

The Thames — Zach, the London Eye, Big Ben, and Westminster parliament buildings

St. Dunstan's Church, London — One place we visited was St. Dunstan in the East Church, which was bombed during WWII and later turned into a garden

Greenwich wharf sculpture — Zach stood among some brass people at the Greenwich wharf

After a few days in London, Jennifer took the train to the mainland to see a couple of friends, and Zach, Virginia, and Valinda stayed in London to take in more of the sights and experiences.

Boat hotel in Amsterdam — Jennifer didn’t get enough boating in England, apparently, so she and her friend Renate stayed in a floating hotel in Amsterdam

Draw bridge in Amsterdam — The boat took a one-hour canal cruise each day, sometimes needing to go through draw bridges, and moored at a different dock each night

Amsterdam canal — Amsterdam is characterized by its canals, not-quite-vertical buildings, and lots and lots of bicycles

small electric cars — We also saw a lot of different mini electric cars in Amsterdam

stroop waffle — One typical food in the Netherlands is the stroopwaffle [honey waffle]. Zach had bought some in the US, but the fresh ones in Amsterdam were way better! Jennifer probably had a year’s supply of sugar from this one though!

Puteaux, France — From Amsterdam, Jennifer went on to visit her friend Audrey in the Paris suburb of Puteaux. You can see the Eifel Tower even from this suburb.

The Seine River in Paris — Audrey took Jennifer on a lovely guided walking tour of the main sights of downtown Paris

While Jennifer was off on the mainland, Zach, Virginia, and Valinda stayed in London. One afternoon they had an English tea with really yummy scones

Royal parade, London — Valinda found out that it was King Charles’ birthday, marked by a parade called “Trooping the Colour”

Royal family on their balcony, London — After the parade, the royal family came out onto their balcony in Buckingham Palace to view…

Air show, London — … an air show in honor of the King

As we write this, Zach has said goodbye to Valinda and Virginia, and Zach and Jennifer are headed up to Scotland for the next leg of our journey… stay tuned!

Useful Apps

City Mapper — very good for figuring out public transportation in London, Paris, and Amsterdam
Trainline — for booking and checking timetables for inter-city trains

Useful Apps

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