London, Edinburgh and more of UK

 With my little one, not so little anymore we finally decided it was time for us to explore and travel more with her. Having restricted myself to not travel beyond 2 hours at a stretch since I found it extremely difficult to keep my little one engaged, I started having a lot of anxiety wondering how I was to manage her for a 10 hours plus flight journey! I prayed to all Gods possible for two things. One- to keep me healthy since I need all the energy to match with little A and Two- To give me Tons of Patience. Both were answered luckily. It was an added advantage that my husband was now in the UK for over a year and hence we kind of knew our itinerary. His task during the one year was to visit all possible places and finalise what works for little A and Big V (Me). The Husband did a commendable job in finalising the places. The HP fan in me wanted to visit Scotland but we also knew the highlands were out of question. But we decided Edinburgh will be added to the list and that was part of our itinerary too. It coincidentally happened that Little A got a book from her school library which was about a trip to London and hence she was very clear on the places she wanted to visit- Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, Thames river ride, London eye, Buckingham Palace. Every time we passed by a Brigade building in Bengaluru Little A will scream at the top of her lungs- 'Amma, look Big Ben!' pointing towards their tower clock. I knew for sure if nothing I have to definitely take her to Big Ben. 

It was a one month long trip which sure turned out to be the most memorable one I have ever had in my life. Not just for me but for Little A too who suddenly started saying she now loves Bengaluru and London. She is a true Bengaluru Hudugi and for her to say that sure meant the city worked its charm on her. Why wouldn't it with so many parks and kids friendly places all over! We travelled during the UK Summers- mid July to Mid August and hence the weather was too good. The late sunset post 9 pm helped us a lot with Little A since she is not so fond of going out in the dark.

In addition to covering all the places little A wanted which was our number one priority, we covered a lot more places too- planned and on the go. The ones I really loved in London was Regents Canal which was full of energy and a lot of positive vibes given it was summers with movie screening, books on boats, and everyone just relaxing all around- soaking in the sun and generally a happy vibe all around. With all the hustle and bustle that I was in back home, the whole scenario there made me relax and just breath in with a happy smile. And then there is Greenwich. I loved the place and just wanted to find a comfy home there and settle down for the rest of my life. Greenery and happy faces always stick with me and my husband warned this will not be the case when the ruthless winters are around in London. 

The top of the list outside of London without any second thoughts was Edinburgh. I totally fell in love with every single second that I got to spend there. The first halt itself I saw bagpipers playing music. I am a fan of the Crown series on Netflix and flashes of some of the Scotland scenes passed through my eyes right then. When we went to Victoria street- my mission of life was done with Elephant cafe and the HP store and the Diagon alley. I had happy tears and was grinning from ear to ear the entire time that I spent there. We also went to 'Camera Obscura' which was amazing and kept even Little A engaged. The museum of Scotland was yet another place that we found ourselves losing track of time. We also visited the country side thanks to my cousin and had a wonderful time at the Blackpool Beach. 

What I loved beyond the places- The Food. I could blindly trust the quality of food and happily eat whatever it is with loads of carbs without having to worry. The butter croissants were heaven! Thanks to the vegan meal option picking pace, I was able to find decent food options for myself though many a times it was just greens tossed in olive oil especially while at Edinburgh. Second- I loved the crude humour of Brits! The book or card stores I visited had so many funny stuff and love them for it. Third- while one section of the population is still very racist especially in Edinburgh there are a lot more people who are a lot more inclusive that they do stand up for you. Four- the priority they give for themselves! Imagine our plight if shops were to close at 5 pm on weekends. Doesn't matter if it is big malls or individual shops- 5 pm shutters are down. I love the true work life balance that they still maintain. Last but not the least- their infra/ connectivity. I was telling my husband that if we had the same kind of connectivity in Bengaluru alone- our country would progress like anything. Underground, over ground, rail, road, water- you name it- they have it and that too centuries ago!

Emirates team made it memorable for Little A's first International flight. We took a British Airways on the way back which was good too.

A View of Big Ben and Thames from the top of London Eye

The big wheel- London Eye

National Gallery 

Trafalgar Square

Regents Canal movie screening

Regents canal eateries

An actual Stegosaurus tail which we are asked to "Please touch"!

St Alberts

Edinburgh Palace

Loved this short poem found randomly in Edinburgh 

Edinburgh

Top view of Edinburgh

The first Baptist hospital

Blackpool Beach

Cutty Sark

Greenwich view

The biggest advantage for me personally was I had my husband too to take care and spend time with Little A. Well- she still didn't let me finish any of the books I carried to UK. I kinda over estimated her not to trouble me for long hours. In summary this was the bestest trips yet that we have had and am now sure that I can manage Little A's travel needs and hopefully travel more. Also, this just being her first international trip, all the more a reason for us to continue getting those stamping on her passport. 

Cheers

Me Myself