Day 7-King's Cross and Piccadilly Circus (Sept 22) Part 2

For the most part, Chris, Eric and Austin were just along for the ride in London whereas Jen and I had mapped out all the places that we wanted to see, but Chris did have a least one destination on his London list and that was a stop at Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station. 

Many people (including Eric) have no idea what Platform 9 3/4 is all about. But if you are, by chance, a Harry Potter fan, then you know exactly what I am talking about. https://youtu.be/KWcxgrg4eQI 

We made it to King's Cross Station and when we saw the huge crowd of people, we knew we had found the spot. Right next to the platform is a gift shop filled with all kinds of Potter merchandise. While the rest of us waited in the gift shop line, Chris got his "express" ticket to get his picture taken at the Platform. 

The shop was super crowded but Austin as able to find a great souvenir. He and my older son have both read all of the Potter books and seen the movies (as have I) and he bought a 20th anniversary edition of the first Harry Potter book. Good choice, Austin!

Chris' "express" ticket still had a wait of at least 30 minutes. So Eric, Austin and I went upstairs to Fuller's Parcel Yard Pub for a spot of tea and a pint. From upstairs we had a perfect view of Chris in line. When Chris reached the front of the line, he waved his magic wand and flew through Platform 9 3/4. 

Great job Chris! (Now just don't think about all the other people that put on that scarf before you, lol)

Once we wrapped up our time at Platform 3/4, Chris and Jen were ready to grab some dinner (as they had not had a late lunch like the three of us). Chris had mapped out a vegan restaurant in the Covent Garden area so we hopped back on the Tube in search of "By Chloe". 

Covent Garden is in the West End area of London, between Charing Cross and Drury Lane (home of the Muffin Man, lol). It's home to the Royal Opera House and is a very popular shopping area. We didn't get to see too much as it was already getting dark as we walked towards the restaurant. We did, however, find a fun little candy shop, called Sugar Sin, so we had to pop in there and fill up a bag with candy for later. So many great types of black licorice, yum!!

Great place to satisfy your sweet tooth!

So much black licorice!!

As we rounded the corner from Sugar Sin, we saw a row of the iconic London red photos booths, so Jen and I had to stop of a picture. 

Sisters in London

After getting a bite to eat, I suggested that we take a quick tube ride over to Piccadilly Circus as we weren't too far away. I knew that the best time to visit Piccadilly is at night, as it is a lot like New York's Times Square, with tons of video displays and neon lights. Piccadilly Circus is really just a road junction between the West End and the City of Westminster, however, it has become a very popular meeting place and tourist attraction. 

Piccadilly Circus Underground Station

There is a reason why they call the Tube, "The Underground" Every station that we went into was underground, but some were further underground than others. That was definitely the case with the Piccadilly Station. We arrived at the destination and were funnelled into a lift (that's Brit for elevator) that would take us up to the stairs or escalators and back up to street level. We crammed into the overly full lift (at this point, Austin leaned over at said to me, if any of us get sick during this  trip, I'm blaming it on this moment, lol), and the doors began to close. And then the "out of service" sign came on. I don't know if it was from too many people (though I think they are always that crowded) or just a malfunction, but what a bummer. 

We got back off the lift and were funneled again to a staircase leading to the top. Truth is that you don't really realized how far underground you are until you have to walk all the way back up. It was about 15 flights of stairs. Ugh! And we were already tired from so much walking. Oh well, what can you do unless you want to be stuck down there...no thanks! So we hoofed it back out (at least we weren't wearing high heels like a few ladies I saw) and were very thankful to make it to the top. 

We popped up out of the tube station building and into a world of lights, people, noise, music, cars, etc. A feast for the senses (or maybe a little overload after a long day). We decided to walk a few blocks to take in the sights. On one corner we saw a really amazing statue, known as the The Four Bronze Horses of Helios. The four horses appear to be bursting from the water fountain. 

The Four Bronze Horses of Helios

A little farther down the street with found the TWG tea store and decided to take a peek inside. So many different types of tea that all smelled wonderful. My favorite was the Moroccan Mint.

Google photo

It had been a long day of exploring and walking (and stair climbing), so we decided to head back to our rooms and call it a night.