We arrived in London in the midst of their coldest winter in years. Aileen & Christine very kindly offered our little family a place to stay until we had found a place of our own. And so it was that we spent the first 2 weeks of our time in London in their cosy little apartment very conveniently located near the Westferry DLR. On our first few nights, we were too tired to do anything at all, but Christine & Aileen fed us well.
After moving in to our place in Schooner Close in the Isle of Dogs, about 10-15 minutes' drive from their place, we had a little celebratory dim sum the following weekend. Actually, it was just an excuse to go out and eat. The restaurant was built like a boat, and located right next to the Thames River with nice views of the ultra-modern skyscrapers at Canary Wharf.
Next on our agenda was to visit Windsor Castle located about 2 hours' drive from central London. The highlights of the castle were the Queen Mary's Dollhouse (my choice) and St George's Room (Aileen's choice), where official dinners were held. St George's Chapel also held me in awe, especially the quaire (sp?). The town of Windsor was small and quaint, with cosy houses scattered around the outskirts of the main thoroughfare. There was a light drizzle in the late afternoon, but it simply added to the charm of the place.
In front of Windsor Castle & statue of Queen Victoria
When spring finally arrived bringing warmer weather and an infinite list of things to do, we decided to head out to Greenwich to join Christine & her friends for a leisurely stroll along the Thames. From our house, YL & I decided to walk to Greenwich using the Victorian foot tunnel that goes beneath the river Thames. Seemed like many others shared the same sentiments about Greenwich. Cutty Sark, the last of the 19th century tea-clipper sailing ships, was awashed with families, tourists, colourful vendors and and the smile-inducing smell of sausages....yumm.... Sophie seemed to enjoy the walk as much as the attention that she was getting from everyone around her. Maybe they have never seen such a fat Chinese baby before... :)
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