Saturday, June 28, 2014

Tag goes to the Temple

Today seven of us (plus Tag) bundled into the car, and set off for the London Temple an hour away.


We'd packed a lovely picnic, but this being England it was raining heavily, so we had to eat our picnic in the Visitors Centre.

Luckily the rain stopped for a few minutes, so the children and our non-member friends were able to have a quick walk around the Temple grounds while we were in the Temple.

It started raining again while they were outside, so Tag looks a bit bedraggled in these photographs, but despite being cold and wet he enjoyed checking out the exhibits at the Visitors Centre.




After three hours at the Temple we drove to Lakeside, one of the largest shopping centres in the UK. It was raining a lot all the way and it was very difficult to see where we were going. Tag was very glad he was in the passenger seat and not driving.

But on the way we did pass through Dartford Tunnel which you may recognise from the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Harry and Hagrid go through it, mostly upside-down on Hagrid's motorbike.

Lakeside is one of our favourite places to shop and eat because it has lots of American food stands. There are only four Cinnabon outlets in the UK and one of them is at Lakeside. There is also a pretzel stand which we haven't seen anywhere else, and one of only three Taco Bells in the UK. Guess where we went for tea!

Then Hari and Ceri went to the Apple shop and had lots of fun playing with the computers.
 

Tag loved looking at the giant biscuits at Miss Millie's cookies, and meeting the bears who live there!

What a fun day we all had! Pity about the weather, but this is England, and it rains a LOT. Better get used to it, Tag!

3 comments:

  1. Great photos! We were curious about your picnic photos- we noticed the cans of chips (aka, “crisps” for you Brits) and it looked like the kind we have here (Pringles) but the name appeared to be different. What did it say on those cans?

    We are also a big fan of Taco Bell- we have one about 5 minutes away and several more within 15 minutes! What did you guys order? (I’ve heard that American fast food chains have different menu options in other countries so I’m curious.)

    I had to explain to the kids that y’all call cookies “biscuits.” Good thing I’ve read all those Sophie Kinsella books. ;-)

    I love the girls’ outfits, by the way. You’ve got some stylish young ladies there! :-)

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    1. Yes, those were Pringles, we have those here.

      Our Taco Bell serves Burritos, Quesadillas, Tacos (soft or crunchy) and the "crunchwrap" which has nachos in it. I know one difference is that you can order (and we always do) Mexican fries, which are so delicious!

      In fairness, Ceri only dresses stylishly when Hari or Gwen choose her outfit. On Sunday she picked out a purple and blue checked shirt with a white and turquiose floral skirt. Gwen refused to let her out of the house until she'd changed.

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    2. Oh...I just noticed the “goals” on the cans and then I thought, “Hmm, soccer?” I Googled it and saw they’re making cans that say “Pringoals”, probably in honor of the World Cup. :-)

      Tell Ceri she’s lovely. Doesn't matter what she wears! But I am usually like her sisters with my daughters... ;-)

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