July & August 2015 - London, Amsterdam & Boston
Day 2 - July 29th - Dublin & London
Arrive at Dublin at 5:00am (midnight east coast time) and 90 minutes later are on another Aer Lingus flight headed for London
Emily and Sarah in Dublin
We arrived at Heathrow at 8:00am (3:00am east coast) and promptly collected our luggage and found the tube station, we had already purchased Oyster cards - so it was a simple swipe and go. However we could not check into our apartment until 3:30pm. So we went to Victoria station and checked our luggage at the left luggage facility there.
We then walked the few blocks to Westminster Abbey paid our admission and went inside. Now some issues started to arise - we were all sleep deprived and short tempered, and the abbey was incredibly crowded and it was very difficult for me to keep an eye on everyone. For whatever reason only two of our phones we working and only I had the contact information for our apartment. I had visions of us losing our daughters and them not having any way of contacting us. We did make a plan for meeting if separated - but I still could not relax about this, just how my sleep deprivation was manifesting itself. I did see some of the Abby but mainly spent my time tracking family members.
Emily is holding Sarah inside the phone box, after Sarah told her it "stinks"
Sarah in the cloisters at Westminster Abbey
Charter House at Westminster Abbey
After the abbey we walked down Whitehall - took pictures with the horse guard and ended up at Trafalgar Square. It too was very crowded and I can not stop obsessively worring about losing a family member.
After a brief look around we took the subway to Victoria Station and got some lunch. Then collected our luggage and headed for our apartment in Bethnal Green.
Map of Bethnal Green area - blue spot is the apartment
Bethnal Green tube station
We arrive outside the fenced housing complex a few minutes early and see no sign of our hosts. We waited and waited so more but still no one to meet us.. At this point I am getting a bit panicked - this is our first Airbnb experience, what if we have been ripped off in some way and there was no apartment (remember I am still running on a real lack of sleep), I find a telephone number and it turns out there had been some communication breakdown, our host was inside and expecting us to buzz him.
So we are soon inside in a beautifully remodeled two bedroom apartment, spread over the fourth and fifth floors of 1950s apartment complex - all very comfortable and well appointed. We unpacked and by 5pm everyone one else in the family was asleep.
Apartment was through Airbnb and was called Architecture Gem - highly recommended
I always try to tough out the first day in Europe, so I can get synched with local time from that point forward
So I went for a walk to nearby Regents canal and followed it to Victoria Park. After exploring the park for a while I returned to the apartment and took a nice hot shower. At 7pm (2pm East coast) was too exhausted to go any further and went to bed.
Pub near our apartment
Regent's Canal
Victoria Park