Early 6 December 2021, we set off to the airport to catch our flight to London. This was Elyse's first trip to London and her first time meeting Uncle James and Aunt Agnes. She has been caught on video a few times expressing her desire to go visit them after we told her about our travel plans.
After 2 long years of travel restriction, we were apprehensive yet excited to travel again. The amount of paperwork we had to do just to get to this stage was pretty insane. The number of covid PCR tests I had done had surpassed the number of fingers on my hands. Even the night before the flight, I was still crossing out the final checklist to make sure we could actually get on the flight bound for Heathrow Airport. This was our 1st official trip as a family of 3. The last time we travelled to Perth, Sweet Pea was less than 3-month-old and completely oblivious to her surroundings. This time round, she understood the concept of an airport and an airplane. Dressed in dusty pink sweaters and stretch pant, hugging her little piggie toy, this little kid strutted around the airport confidently. Travelling was such a novelty for a toddler, everything was new and exciting to her. As her parting gift for Singapore, she left her palms prints and nose print on the windows as she glued herself to it while observing the airplane on the tarmac inquisitively.
We tried our best to keep Elyse entertained on the flight and I seriously had no idea how we survived a long haul flight with a young and active toddler. I could not remember the number of times we repeated the same story book and also how often I whipped out the washable crayons to play them with her. After a gruelling 15 hours, the aircraft began to descend, leaving behind the golden hued clouds illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun. It was my first time to the United Kingdom and the bird's eye view of London unfolded before me as I beheld this breath-taking sight.
We have not met James for close to 3 years and it all felt surreal when he came to pick us up. I thought Paul was close to tears when he finally saw his brother again after such a long separation. Elyse took to Uncle James and Aunt Agnes right away and was overjoyed to receive a gift pack containing a London stick book, an iconic red London bus puzzle, a Christmas jumper and reindeer headband! My lovely brother-in-law and soon-to-be sister in law have also specially prepared a survival pack filled with delicious snacks for us. This care package shall keep us company on our first day of quarantine until we receive our negative PCR results.
Once we were cleared of Covid 19, the first meal we had was the quintessential Fish and Chips at a local British pub, The Britannia. Hearty servings of young ale's battered cod paired with baked somerset camembert washed down with a pint of beer while accompanied by great conversations. The journey was all worth it. With that hearty feast, we were ready to start our London adventures!
We reserved our timed entry tickets to the Natural History Museum a couple of weeks in advance as this attraction is free to visit. Reserve your free tickets here. The Natural History Museum was a magical place during this festive season with the much anticipated vintage carousel and outdoor ice rink set up on the front lawn. I could not wait for the day to arrive when Elyse would be old enough to sit on one of the sparkly horses or ice skate round the rink with the help of a cute penguin skate aid. I often daydreamed about walking under the 25.2 metre-long blue whale skeleton suspended from the tall ceiling of the Museum. It was pretty amazing to walk underneath the largest creature ever to have lived with my daughter in tow. Elyse was drawn to Charles Darwin's statue overlooking the main hall while I enjoyed the exhibits at the Dinosaurs gallery, especially the animatronic T.rex sporting a giant Christmas jumper! It was the first time we saw so many prehistoric dinosaurs' fossils in one place!
The highlight of the trip was going to Harrods for me. Since young, I would receive Harrods shoppers bags from friends coming back from overseas trips and I would fall in love with the bags hoping that one day I could visit London myself. When Paul went to Malaysia for a work trip during our early days of dating, he bought me a Harrods plush bear and even though I was already in my 30s, I loved the bear to bits and named it " Duffy''.
While Paul went suit shopping with Uncle James, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to head to the 150-year-old department store with Elyse. We could indulge in some shopping and I could perhaps get her a toy. This could not be further than the truth since she was already getting quite cranky with jet lag setting in before we set off. While we were walking around the store, Elyse told me she needed to go to the washroom and thus began our search for one within the maze-like Harrods. We were literally 3 seconds away from the washroom when she pulled down her pants (along with her nappies) and peed, in the middle of the aisle. I wished there was a hole nearby where I could jump into. I quickly pulled up the pants and grabbed her into the nearest handicapped toilet to survey the damage. Each layer of clothing was wet. As for me, I too had perspiration dripping down every part of my body partly due to embarassment, mostly due to the layers I was wearing and how stuffy the washroom was. Unfortunately, I did not bring a change of pants for Elyse and had to wrap her little bum up in a winter coat and sprinted across the streets to get a new pair of trousers. By the time this whole drama was over, I was beyond exhausted and decided to go back to the hotel. In short, you could say it was a harrowing experience for me.
We did managed to return to Harrods a couple of days later with Paul to replace these abominable memories. Elyse was clearly a very happy kid as she indulged in buttery croissants in the Harrods cafe and took plenty of pictures with the gigantic Harrods bear dressed in the classic green Harrods uniform.
We took an early morning stroll to the Kensington Palace on 9 December. There were many joggers and early birds taking their morning stroll. There was a light fog in the air and we felt invigorated by the fresh crisp air. We were fortunate to be able to see the statue of Diana, Princess of Wales, in the garden as it was only unveiled in July 2021. It was absolutely stunning around the peaceful grounds of the Palace in the early hours of a light breezy morning. At one point, Elyse looked at me and said, "Mama, you take a picture. Mama, you take a camera". And then, she stood very still and posed for that very camera you had requested for. This was hilarious! After the early morning workout, we spent the rest of the day at James and Agnes' wedding. That deserved a post on its own!
We could not miss out on the key iconic sights of London so we spent the next few days visiting the Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square and the London Eye as well as shopping at the Borough Market, Regent street, Knightsbridge and Covent Garden Market. Elyse took to all the Christmas decorations around London, hugging gigantic teddy bears found in hotel lobbies and attempted to claim the presents under Christmas trees. We walked a lot during this trip and were very proud of the little one for being so sporting and not cranky most of the days. At one point, I felt like I was trying to cover all the locations on the Monopoly board game especially when we were at Mayfair. I was also finally able to trace the footsteps of Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant in Notting Hill. I did not forget to take a picture in front of an iconic red phone booth that could be found dotted all over London, dressed in a cheesy Christmas jumper.
We were mesmerized by the Regent Street Christmas Lights Display, the largest in the United Kingdom. Thousands of twinkling LED lights illuminating angels installations soaring high up above us as we strolled along the streets. The Carnaby Kaleidoscope featured iridescent neon butterflies fluttering above the Carnaby street all the way to our dinner spot at Bodean's BBQ. We took turns carrying Elyse in our arms and on our shoulders and as we watched her face lit up as she passed over all the glittering lights above her.
The highlight of the trip was going to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland with the family. Elyse sat on her first carousel, waving to her dad enthusiastically each time she passed him. It was freezing cold at the Magical Kingdom as we were transported into a frost-covered land of fantasies. The ice sculptures of mythical creatures like gnomes, wizards, trolls and dragons were magnificent and we each took turns to sit on the ice thrones in the enchanted ice palace. We sat on the Ferris Wheel to admire the sweeping view of London and played traditional carnival games where James won a pink pony for Elyse that was treasured and remembered even weeks later.
It was such a treat to be able to see family members again and I hope we would not need to wait too long to be reunited again!
On a side note, Elyse discovered her love to be swung around by her Daddy and had learnt to say Cheers to propose a toast (of plain water) to us. A headache presented itself each meal time as it was difficult for Elyse to get used to western cuisine. We encouraged, coaxed and threatened just so she could eat more than a few morsels at the dining table .
P.s. Shortly after we arrived in Singapore, we were picked up and sent into quarantine because someone on our flight had Omicron! The flight back from London was on a designated vaccinated travel lane! We no longer need to wonder how it must be like to be stuck in a hotel room with a toddler. We got to live it now!
Wish us luck!
