London calling
The end of our time with Desmond in Paris was quickly approaching and we were getting ready to say our goodbyes. Houman was taking Desmond to Toronto to get him set up at university. Imagining the day when it was time for them to get on that flight, and I was left in Paris with two desperately sad and teary girls, I decided we needed a distraction plan.
The girls agreed that a getaway from Paris would help them to cope better with Desmond’s departure. I looked at trains to Normandy where we could stay in a small hotel on the beach. Then Mavis suggested London. Yes, agreed Sophia, and we could go to a show. “I’ll search them up!”, said Mavis. Then quickly afterwards, “we could go see Kinky Boots and The Play That Goes Wrong”.
Both Sophia and Mavis were thrilled at the idea of a trip to London. Better than Normandy, they thought. We could take the Eurostar from Gare du Nord, just a metro stop away from our apartment. Two hours later we would arrive in the centre of London. And they would speak English there.
It was an action packed three days. Saturday morning we got up at 7AM: about two hours earlier than the girls were used to waking. We had a quick and tearful goodbye with Desmond. He and Houman would leave for the airport a couple of hours later and catch a flight to Toronto to set Desmond up to start life at Ryerson University. After a quick metro ride, we arrived at Gare du Nord and joined the line for the Eurostar. We went through line-ups for passport control for France and then the UK and then security but it all took a fraction of the time needed to get on an airplane. Bonus, we didn’t have to take liquids and gels out of our suitcase, or take off our shoes.
Two hours later we arrived. I was proud of how quickly we figured out how to use the London Tube to get to our hotel. I had purchased a Visitor Oyster card onboard the Eurostar so we were able to bypass the massive lineups of everyone else waiting to buy Tube tickets.
Our first afternoon we did the Harry Potter walking tour with Richard Walker of London Walks. We would not have time this trip to go to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour of Harry Potter and this was our compromise. We saw some London sights through the lens of the Harry Potter movies including The London Eye, The New Scotland Yard, and some cool little streets. It was the guide, Richard Walker, who made the tour worthwhile. He shared some Harry Potter trivia bits that I didn’t know before such as Voldemort is “fly from death” in French! He quizzed the group on their knowledge of Harry Potter and was suitably impressed when Mavis offered a very detailed and accurate definition of a horcrux after also answering his previous three questions. He looked at her quizzically, “How old are you?”. She and Sophia walked with the guide for the whole of the tour while I followed on behind.
The highlight of the weekend was Saturday night at Kinky Boots. The girls knew the story and the songs through their big brother but nothing could prepare them for being in the third row of the theatre while eight drag queens strutted their stuff. Mavis could not quite believe they were actually men and there were quite a few questions after the show.
Complete change of direction the following day: we went to go see the state rooms inside Buckingham Palace. I had to talk the girls into this one as I really wanted to see the palace after watching the Netflix show: The Queen. We were given an audio guide and there was an adult and a family version. Both were excellent and the girls listened to every minute of their recordings while walking through the rooms for over two hours. I was impressed by how warm the rooms actually were even though they were the height of formal.
That night we saw The Play That Goes Wrong and it was hilarious. It was slightly less funny than it should have been because Desmond had told us all about it after he saw it in New York and so we knew a lot of the funny parts before they happened.
Our last day we wandered down Marylbone High Street just to look at the pretty shops and cafes on our way to our true destination: the basement level of the Hamley’s Toystore which they had turned into a dreamland for lovers of Harry Potter. They had the wands for every possible character on display, and replicas for all the important objects from the books including the lost diadum of Ravenclaw, and many others.
Mavis chose some Top Trumps cards that she loves as she can read about the characters, Sophia got a book that talks about all of the magical places in the movies and how they created them. I bought our family the trivia game that I thought would give us hours of entertainment. I might be wrong though as the girls went through the first 50 cards, or so, without missing an answer. I wonder if they have an advanced version?
Being in London had me wondering how our sabbatical year would have been different if we had ended up there instead of Paris. I admit that I enjoyed being able to speak the language and not always wonder before every human interaction how I will find the words. The girls loved the burgers and pizza which were more like home. I was astounded by how far away from Paris we felt when it had taken so little time and effort to get there. I definitely want to return to London this year and if I can get us tickets to The Cursed Child we will definitely go back. We’ve also promised the girls a visit to the Warner Bros. Studio. Next time, Houman will be with us and we can also try some of the restaurants that looked so inviting but didn’t have the comfort food the girls craved.
Our three days in London were the bridge between old and new. Behind us: English, including all of the comfort that goes with knowing a language, familiar food, summer holidays and having Desmond with us. Ahead of us: French, including all of the discomfort that goes with not knowing a language, start of school, work and life as a family of just four. I am happy that we marked the transition with a trip away and it is good to know that if we find ourselves needing a break again, London is just a train ride away.
