I can't believe we are on our way home right now.  These ten days have flown by so quickly.

This morning we packed up our bags, arranged for a slightly later check out, and set out for Baker Street.



We hopped off the train and found another talking statue!

Click picture to hear Sherlock Holmes speak

We had decided in advance not to take a tour of 221B Baker Street but to stop by, peruse the shop, and check the ambience. 

A peek up the stairs

Notice on the door

Right next door to 221B was the Beatles Store! Of course we waited around until it opened to check it out.


We whet our Beatles appetite at the shop before starting our walk toward Abbey Road.  We started walking the mile or so to get there and saw the statue of St George and the Dragon.


We also didn't realize when we decided to walk over that we would be walking right by Lord's Cricket Grounds just before a match was scheduled.  I've never felt so much like a trout swimming up stream.  There were tons of people, mostly men, dressed in crazy colors (think wild golf pants paired with bright solid colored jackets, and patterned ties in a completely different pattern than the pants).  I didn't have an opportunity to take pictures of any of this as I was trying to get the kids through the shoulder to shoulder crowds and not losing them!

We managed to get past the tube station and from there, there weren't any crowds.  We made it to Abbey Road and planned our walk across while we waited our turn.  It is a much more trafficked intersection than I'd envisioned so we needed to get across quickly and between traffic groups.  Chip opted to stand in the center of the small traffic circle, rather than the road (this was a good choice) and snapped a bunch of pictures as we crossed.

Here's the final product

We were quite satisfied with the results! We hiked back to the underground station, which was not as crowded as it had been 20 minutes before, grabbed the train back to Kensington Gardens, and went back to check out of the hotel.

We grabbed our luggage and walked back to Paddington Station, stopping to appreciate the flowers, roads, and sights on our way.

Wrong color phone box... :)

Getting to Paddington Station

Once we arrived, we returned our Oyster Cards to get our deposit back and found the Paddington Bear statue.


Alas, Paddington doesn't speak.  However, we did come across two other talking statues.

The Soldier

Scan this to hear The Soldier speak

And then there is Isambad Kingdom Brunel

Scan this to here Brumel speak.

We left Paddington on the Heathrow Express and were at the airport in minutes.  We made it through security and into the concourse, stopped for lunch at the pub, and found a quiet area of the airport to sit for a while.  Our gate was a separate waiting room that didn't open until 30 minutes before the plane is set to depart.  There was a giant astro-turf chair that the younger two decided to sit in.


Now we are about to board the flight and head home. And while I am sad to be saying goodbye to Europe, I won't be sad to be home - at least not for a few days!