London Adventure attempt 1

So we've been in our house for 2 weeks and we FINALLY got internet. So much has happened so I am going to be breaking it into multiple blogs instead of one huge one that is super daunting to write.

First lets start with London Adventure attempt 1. We decided we would go to London and see all the sights. So we started driving and Matt had found this underground station to ride the tube in from Epping. But we saw that we would have to drive an hour to Epping and then still ride the tube for an hour. I started looking and found park and rides that seemed close to all the sights but outside of the congestion charge zone. (to deter people from driving into the city center the government charges people 10 pounds to drive within a specified zone) Problem with my idea was there wasn't an address for the park and ride. So I was using our GPS and my iphone to try to find it. I thought my iphone had found it and so we decided to go for the park and ride. This one decision changed a day of potential fun to...a day of DOOM!!!!

So we're following the directions and we start getting excited because we're getting so close to everything. We start seeing signs that say turn off to avoid congestion charge and nothing that mentions a park and ride. Also, the closer we get to the city center the more chaotic and congested the roads become. Matt is just a little frazzled (understatement) and I begin to realize that we are going to be going through the congestion zone to get to the park and ride. I had found a park and ride that would've worked if we were coming from the other side of the city. So we drive through the center of London passing the tower of London, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and we see the Eye of London. Problem is we are in the worst traffic ever and nobody drives well in England. They all drive like maniacs. Plus there are people walking everywhere across the road with no care of being hit! Matt is frantically asking me, where do I go and getting a little frustrated at me for putting him in this situation.

Big Ben from our car.

Then to make things even more interesting Matt sees smoke coming out of our Engine and the heat gauge is maxed out. (Just a side note, it was supposed to get to 90 degrees that day). Lets just say he loses it and he really starts putting the pressure on me to find the park and ride or just some place to pull over. In case you didnt know. There is no place to park in downtown London. You can't just pull over cause there is no place to pull over. So I am still guiding him to this alleged park and ride and we make it to where my iphone says it should be but, IT'S NOT THERE!!! So we drive around in a few circles with Matt making some very difficult right turns that almost end with us dead and all I can think is find a place to park, find a place to park. We drive on through the traffic and finally find a place to pull over. We park for a half hour or so and put some water in the engine (not in the right spot) and then start off looking for a place to park or just to get home.

We begin driving and run into a huge traffic jam because of an accident ahead of us. London is HUGE by the way and it's not easy to get anywhere (in a car atleast). Then Ty starts in and since we had to turn off the A/C and turn on the heater to try to keep the engine cool he is burning hot. I was sitting in the back with him wiping water all over him to keep him cool. Up to this point Ty had been a little trooper and had been Mr. Perfect but he was getting hungry and he was sick of being in his seat and he was hot. The car starts overheating again and we are at a stand still  in traffic. We start moving and we make our way towards the outskirts of London. We pass by a huge mall called Westfield and I suggest to Matt that we should go there and park and let the car cool down again. Unfortunately we missed the turn off. Ty is still screaming and the car starts shaking (literally shaking feeling like its gonna blow or something) and we start to have the feeling like it will just die. We get off of the motorway on the next exit. Again, traffic is at a stand still and just inching forward. We are sitting in this car and Matt starts saying, what do we do, what can I do, This car can't break down now, we'll completely block traffic. There were no shoulders, no parking spaces, nothing. And I told him, all we can do is pray. We finally start moving forward as we are praying over and over that we'll make it to a place to park and we see this side street that has a sign for Westfield parking. We turn in and follow this random car into what we think is a parking facility but is actually this huge complex of car mechanics.

We drive past a few garages and Matt hops out to ask if they can help us out and as he is asking the car dies. We find a mechanic that can help us and Matt is able to start the car again and drive it to this man's garage. We then walk to that mall, Westfield and eat some food and just walk around enjoying the air conditioning.

double decker bus by mall

We ate at the worst Italian restaurant on the face of the planet where I ordered a caesar salad and asked them to not put anchovies on it; but it was so terrible and bland that I think the anchovies would've made it better.

Ty and I at the restaurant

Happy cause I didn't know my food was going to be terrible.

We picked up our car and though it took several more hours we drove home safely and the car didn't overheat again until we got through the gate on base.

Though it definitely was a failed attempt to go see London and it was a day that neither of us would wish to repeat it was a testimony builder. It truly was a miracle to drive into that auto mechanic complex when we did.

One cute thing that happened on the way home was Ty was making silly noises and making funny faces. Here are a couple videos of the action.