Woohoo! Last day and I’m finally heading home today! Perhaps it was the fatigue due to the pregnancy or the additional weight on me, this trip really kind of drained my energy.

Our flight was in the late afternoon. However, we had to check out of the apartment by 12pm. Hence, we deposited it at a shop nearby at a small fee. Although the shop looks like any ordinary minimart, they actually helped store luggage at a room which looks like their store. Of course, there were some security features, such as cable-tying every piece of our luggage with a number tag.

And before we left London, there was 1 more place to visit, which is the Fortnum and Mason Plc. I’ve heard about how the royal family likes the tea here. So I thought tea from this place would make good gifts for friends and family back at home! There’s really a huge variety of tea here, even those that were specially brewed for special occasions such as the wedding of Prince William as well as for the Christening of his child. Besides tea, there was also biscuits and cookies that supposedly goes well with the various tea. Talking about wine pairing, this is tea pairing at it’s finest!

Apart from loving the london ducks here, I loved the lobsters too. Hence, our final lunch here was dedicated to Burger & Lobster once again! This time, we tried the outlet at Chinatown which was nearer to our accommodation. However, my in-laws felt that the one at Knightsbridge was better.

We also visited a Lego shop and bought some Lego for keepsakes! There were many structures which were the icons of London! Finally we headed back to the shop to collect our luggage. The transport we had arranged also arranged at the shop to pick us up at the same time. We were really afraid to be caught in the massive jam again, hence we had arranged for the transport to come 2 hours earlier than the check-in time for some buffer and also for us to shop around the airport!!

Sadly, there was no jam and we arrived at the airport in about 30mins! We were too early to check in and spent some time loitering at a cafe at the Departure hall. We were hopeful that there would also be shopping for us at the transit area. But there was very few shops! I really missed Changi Airport at that moment. (cries!)

In summary, this was a very special trip for me. It was my 1st trip to UK, my babymoon, my 1st self-drive trip with in-laws and also the 1st trip that I really hoped would end fast because I was running out of energy. Would I visit England again? Perhaps. But would I choose to stay at such a central location and risk getting stuck in a massive jam in the midst of a demonstration? Not again!

It was our final day at London! Our main itinerary for the day was the Tower of London. When our bus went past it 2 days ago, I was deeply attracted by the scale of the building and knew we had to come! We took the train to the Tower Hill station and bought our discounted tickets (using our Rail Pass once again!) from the ticketing counter at the entrance. Once we went past the entrance, we paid to get a commentary for the introduction of the place. We could have gone without it. But we felt having it would let us understand the place better.

We climbed up the first flight of stairs and had a good view of the Tower Bridge which our tour bus had went past but did not climb. It was a good place for a photo with the Tower Bridge!

We continued to explore the other towers and gates, some of which were reconstructed to look like how it was in the past. There was also a popular building where the crown jewels were exhibited. There was already a queue from the outside of the building!

Another popular building was in the centre of the entire area where royal armouries were kept. There were alot of stairs to climb. For a self-proclaimed fit person like me, it was tiring to climb the steps even though we went up level by level slowly. Fortunately, there were seats/benches available for me and many others to take a break before continuing.

After spending half a day there, we then proceeded to Borough Market for lunch and shopping. Honestly, it was smaller than I expected. But nonetheless, we managed to find some nice food in the area.

Of course, being in London, I had to visit the London Bridge. Long before this trip, I had already found out that London Bridge was rather plain looking. So it always made me wonder why there was a song named after London Bridge. Maybe that’s why they said it was falling down as opposed to maybe the Tower Bridge. Nonetheless, a photo on the bridge was a must! It was just a short walk away from the Borough Market.

We went on for shopping back at Oxford Street. As it was the last night at London (and the entire trip), we decided to revisit the restaurant we liked best, which was the Gold Mine Restaurant at Bayswater! Having learnt our lesson few nights before, I called to book a table for us so that we do not have to wait in the cold outside the restaurant with other customers.

Today we decided to explore outside of London city. Train journey was about 1.5hours with free seating. We were glad that the train was clean and had ample seats. It was not crowded so we were free to choose our seats and move around in train.

The train went past some small towns. And very soon, we reached Cambridge station. One of the recommended food was SmokeWorks along Station Road, just 5 mins walk from the train station. The portion was huge. And to be honest, we had breakfast only about 2 hours ago, so we ordered a platter for 2 for sharing. Turns out to be just nice for 4 of us!

From there, we took a taxi to the Rutherfords Punting counter next to River Cam. Once again, we bought the tickets at a discount using our rail pass! The thought of sitting in the boat and touring Cambridge in the cooling weather was extremely appealing to me. Very soon, we hopped on and our punting began. Warm blankets were provided to protect our legs from the cold!

The view of the university campus from the river was beautiful. We saw many others trying to steer their boat on their own. I though it was really fun and I might have attempted to do that if I was not pregnant! But at that moment, I was glad we had someone to do it for us and introduce us to the place as the boat floated on. Not only could he do the introduction, he also entertained us with his Mandarin which he picked up from tourists he ferried. Many of the buildings were century-old! In particular, I was looking out for the Mathematical Bridge as well as the Bridge of Sigh where Mr Lee Kuan Yew took a photo with his wife. We saw the bridge. But unfortunately, the exact spot where they took the photo was quite far to walk to. So, we could not take photo at the same spot. The entire punting was about 45mins and then we returned to the same spot we boarded.

Thereafter, we decided to explore the campus on foot. The buildings were pretty backdrops for photos. We had to pay for entrance tickets for some of the colleges. Guess apart from making money, it was also 1 of the ways they limit the number of tourists into the colleges.

First, we paid to enter the Trinity College because I actually wanted to find the Newton’s apple tree and thought it was inside. I later found out that the tree was right next to the entrance that we came in from! Honestly, it looked a little different from what I had expected. Hence, I did not notice it.

Fun fact: it is not the exact apple tree that Newton sat under. Based on my understanding, this tree was grown from the seed of that original tree. I guess you could call it a descendent tree!

We then visited the King’s College and the beautiful chapel. I wonder how it feels to be a student here. Would I feel more like a tourist instead? At this point, I also asked my baby if he/she would like to study here?!

By then, we had walked quite abit and it was about time we get a taxi to head back to the train station for our train back at 4pm. Dinner was finally at Four Season’s Duck at Chinatown now that we knew where it was. Among all the ducks we tried at England, our favourite was still Gold Mine at London Bayswater!

That evening, I didn’t want to rest early. Hence, I suggested to hubby to go for a stroll around the chinatown area. We found a chips place which a friend recommended. There were various sweet and savoury dips available. We decided to choose 1 sweet and 1 savoury dip to go with our chips.

We also happened to see the M&M’s World and customised our own M&M’s! 1st, we took our photos. Then, we filled a cup with M&M’s of different colours. According to the staff, the lighter colours would be better for the prints. We then poured our M&M’s into the machine. Very soon, they came out printed with our photos!

From our accommodation, we walked to The Original London Visitor Centre near Trafalgar Square. There, we bought our musical tickets as well as the tour bus tickets where we could hop on and off for the day at various attractions. Again, using the Rail Card, we had discounts!

So first stop, we took the Yellow Line and headed to the Natural History Museum. Because of the Night at the Museum movie (although the movie was not filmed in London), I was expecting a large skeleton of a dinosaur the moment I entered. Of course, there was a whole exhibition of dinosaurs, just not the one I expected.

The exhibition that I remembered most was the one on human anatomy. There was a whole room that showed how babies develop in the womb and a room which simulated the environment babies experienced in the womb. With a baby in mine, I felt a sense of connectedness with this particular exhibit.

Near the Knightsbridge Underground station, there was a Burger & Lobster outlet. I had earlier made a reservation because I heard it could get really crowded at the restaurants. Although most of the burger items were either beef or vegetarian, I was glad to find that they have a sandwich option with high chucks of lobster and super yummy topping. Even the sandwich was good enough to be eaten on it’s own!

With a full and satisfied belly, we hopped back onto the tour bus and decided to stay there for a complete round so that we can rest our legs and also explore the place at the same time. Our bus brought us past the Tower Bridge and several other attractions. It was also during this tour that we decided on our remaining itinerary.

We head back to our apartment for a rest before heading out once again for dinner and Aladdin musical! It was really exciting to catch a musical at London! Every now and then, we walked past theatres and saw different musicals played there. Finally, it was our turn to sit in one! Having watched The Lion King and Wicked, as well as some others in Singapore, I had high expectations for Aladdin! However, not sure if it was due to jet lag (after so many days???), I was sleepy during the first part of the show, until the lead actor and actress started flying on the carpet. That was the prettiest scene! So magical! It was really ‘a whole new world’!

We started off our tour of London with the changing of guards ceremony at Buckingham Palace that took place at 10.45am every morning. From our accommodation, it was only a few stations away. We took a short walk across Green Park after alighting at the Green Park station and joined the large crowd who were there way earlier than us. I liked being part of such parades, especially when I’m overseas. So, hubby accompanied me to squeeze nearer to the palace gates to try get a better view while my in laws waited for us at the park. Guards come and go along The Mall street so you could consider standing along that stretch of road or on the steps of the Victoria Memorial to catch a glimpse of them. Me being in the crowd near the gate was looking at the procession through the screens of other tourists’ cameras most of the time.

From the palace, we took a 10mins walk towards Victoria station for the Shake Shack. Before I came, I knew there were some food that I had to try in London. Lobster & Burger was one, Shake Shack was the other. Most of the items were beef. Luckily, there was a chicken sausage which I could try and I have to say I love the fried onions on top of the sausage. Too bad, the Shake Shack in Singapore did not serve any non-beef item!

Following that, we took a train to Westminster to visit the Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Sadly, the Big Ben was still under renovation which I understood had been ongoing for months. As it was a Sunday, the Westminster Abbey was also not open to visitors. We could only take a tour to admire its exterior and take photos with the red letter boxes and telephone booths around (haha!).

We took a walk across the Westminster Bridge and headed for the London Eye. I was pleased to know that the Singapore Flyer was taller than the London Eye (proud Singaporean moment! haha). Using the Rail Card, there were discounts at various attractions. So, we decided to give it a go since we had plenty of time to spare. From the cabin, we had a good view of the surroundings and spotted our accommodation at Leicester Square!

We then decided head to Oxford Street for shopping. Glad to see that the shops open till late on weekends. Hubby and I had a fun time exploring Selfridges although the items there were not cheap. That’s why we only explored, not shop. haha.

Dinner was at Bayswater Gold Mine restaurant. Of all the ducks we tried at Manchester and London, this was the best! The chilli alone was already good enough to go with rice! Do expect a long queue though!

It was our final day with the car! We are finally heading back to London after making a trip down south in England. We took an hour drive to Stonehenge, an iconic landmark that was not to be missed.

From the ticketing counter, we took a shuttle bus further in to the open area and started to see the stone formation. It was quite a majestic sight! Although there were many tourists, it was not difficult to find a good spot for photos. That was where my new handphone came into good use! We could also see a line of cars by the road because all the cars slowed down to have a look at the formation. After we left, we joined those cars as we drove back towards London.

We stopped by Windsor for lunch at Wagamama, a Japanese resturant. Time was tight as we had to rush back to London to collect our keys for our final Airbnb accommodation and also return our car. So apart from lunch, the highlight at Windsor was a photo with the castle!

As we reached London, I was really glad we decided to go without car. We were stuck in super terrible traffic jams. First, we were stuck in a jam on our way to pick up our apartment keys from the office. Then, we were stuck on our way to drop off our luggage at the apartment before we return our car. And finally, a 20mins journey on google map took us more than an hour to reach the car rental office because we happened to stay at Leicester Square, the heart of the Brexit demonstration (cries).

Relief, relief, relief!! A load was off my shoulder the moment we dropped the car off. The self-drive journey this time was not without stress. Kudos to my hubby who did all the driving!

That night, we had a quick Chinese dinner at Chinatown and headed back to rest. Somehow, we couldn’t find the Four Seasons duck that friends recommended and ended up at another Chinese restaurant beside. It was only after dinner that we realise the Four Seasons duck signboard showed its Chinese’s name and that was why we missed it! The traffic jams must have worn us out!

This morning, we left Cotswold and continued our journey to Bath which was famous for the Roman bath area that was well-preserved and turned into a tourist attraction. We drove for about 2 hours before reaching our hotel (yes the only hotel accommodation for the entire trip!). We were slightly delayed along the way as there was a traffic accident along the way and all traffic were diverted into a small mud path where cars, vans and trucks came from both directions. Eventually, all cars came to a complete standstill. Fortunately, there were more cars from our direction, so cars from the other direction had to reverse all the way so that we could pass. Talking about strength in numbers! Phew, so glad I wasn’t the one behind the wheels.

We arrived at Bailbrook House Hotel safely. Our rooms were not yet ready. Hence, we decided to leave our luggage there and took a taxi to the town centre under the advise of the hotel staff because they said there the jam could get quite bad and parking fees were expensive!

We alighted at No. 1 Royal Crescent. It is a crescent shaped building that currently houses hotels and museums. There is also a large park in front of the building. My initial plan was to talk a walk around the building, but I realised it was much bigger than what I had expected. We decided to give it a miss and head to other attractions.

As we walked down the street, we saw many other groups of students/tourists led by local guides. It was part of the suggested itinerary online if you are interested in museums and the history of the place.

We found a place for quick lunch and took a walk in the Guildhall. From there, we crossed Pulteney Bridge that had shops on both sides of the bridge and gives a nice view of the river. Unfortunately, the coffee house was full. We took a stroll along the path along River Avon and then walked past the Bath Abbey on our way to the Roman Bath.

The Roman Bath museum was larger than I expected. Every entrance ticket came with a commentary. As we walked, we listened to the introduction in various languages. There was even the kid version to make it more interactive and less boring for the young tourists! There were pools of water still present. As we walked deeper into the museum, we saw separate baths for the different genders. I was really interesting to imagine the life of the Romans in the olden days! The walk took longer than we expected too.

We also saw a modern hot spring/bath area not too far from the museum. However, it was rather expensive and I couldn’t do hot spring because of my pregnancy. We had a quick dinner at McDonald’s before heading back to our hotel for a rest. For me, it was still too early for bed. Hence, hubby and I decided to have a drink at the lounge (non-alcoholic, of course!)

Thankfully, we had nothing planned for today. So, instead of going other towns for their attractions, we decided to head to Cheltenham (about an hour away) to visit their car workshop! Haha! Our temporary tyres were only enough to get us back to our accommodation last night but unsafe to go on long distance due to the different size from the other 3 tyres. After breakfast, we made our way there slowly and carefully. The first workshop we went to told us that they had too many jobs for the day and that we had to wait for 4 hours before they could attend to our car. Fortunately, there was another workshop down the road and they recommended we go there. The workers told us we could collect our car in about an hour. We decided to leave our car there and then proceed to explore the town. That’s the interesting thing about self-drive, isn’t it?! Something unexpected happens and you’ll just had to adapt and adjust! Most importantly, be open-minded!

There was a McDonald’s and Primark slightly down the road. There were also other restaurants but they were only open for lunch. Hubby and I then decided to go on another shopping spree at Primark while my in-laws waited for us at Mac. Soon enough, our car was ready for collection. We then continued on the rest of our itinerary. After the ‘scare’ from last night, we decided to keep things simple and chill for the day. The roads were narrow and hubby drove very carefully.

We headed to the Cotswold Farm Park which was along the way back to Bourton-on-the-water. Its a rather family friendly park with indoor sheds and outdoor area for larger animals. There is also a retail shop selling dairy products made from milk from the farm.

Inside the shed, there were small animals like rabbits and chicks that were recently hatched. There was another area where sheep that has just given birth or are about to give birth are kept. There was a notice to say that it was unsafe for pregnant ladies to enter the area because some of the discharge by the animals could lead to miscarriage. Hence, I waited outside while hubby and my in-laws went to see. Hubby came out with photos for me and told me that there were some that were just born that morning! As I waited, I went to the children’s play area. There, I found interesting games for children to have a feel of working in the farm and helping to ‘turn the babies’ in the mother’s womb if they were stuck during delivery!

At the outdoor area, we took a tractor ride around the farm while the staff introduced us to the difference animals they had. There were many different species of goats, horses and pigs. It was a very nice area to take a stroll because of the weather too. At least, I don’t feel sweaty like I always do in Singapore’s zoo! Hubby had a fun time feeding the animals while I happily took photos of him doing that! As we strolled on, we also saw an elderly couple in front of us holding their hands as they strolled on. How sweet! After we had a late lunch at the farm, we headed back to Bourton-on-the-water for a rest before heading out again to explore the very town we stay in!

Bournton-on-the-water is known as the little Venice in the Cotswold area. There was a stream that cuts across the town and bridges built across it. I chose to stay there also because it was very pretty in pictures. The town could be covered in 20mins on foot. Yes, it was that small! But that also meant that I had plenty of time to take photos with the cottages and along the stream! After dinner in an Italian restaurant, we decided to call it a day and returned to our accommodation as there were some packing to do before we continued with our journey.