For the first time, the Heimanns took separate flights to start our voyage to the beginning of our trek. Lara left early in the morning so she could get to London in time to give a couple of lectures at a veterinarian festival - she was brought in as a wellness expert. And Jonah, Olivia, and Mark took a red-eye Friday night arriving at 9 am on Saturday.

We managed a few hours of sleep - the on board movies were too tempting to sleep through!  And the vegan eats were great on this international United flight. Thrilled that vegan options are becoming more regular throughout the world!

We took the tube to our accommodations for the next two nights; The Premier Inn near the Shakespeare Globe and Tate Museum.  We usually choose the Premier Inn when we stay in UK cities for two reasons: 1) Sounds so fancy even though it’s pretty basic. 2) Great family room option so the 4 of us can stay together!

Though the kids were pretty tired when we got to the Inn at 11, we still had 3 hours before our rooms would be ready so we dropped off our bags and ventured out. We found a great vegan restaurant for lunch- Stem and Glory. As we walked in to the empty restaurant, the hostess asked us if we had reservations. When we replied, “No” she said to just give her a moment to make sure there would be room for us.  

We found this quite amusing as there were literally two other people in the whole place!

By the time we finished and made our way back to our lodging, our room was ready so we got our luggage and went up to our room. Within minutes we were all passed out. I woke at 5, but the kids were still sound asleep.

Since Lara wouldn’t be joining us from her day of lectures until 8, I took the opportunity to walk around. I walked over to the Globe - right down the road. I love it there - feels like home!  And then spent some time exploring the Tate Museum. Beautiful and thought provoking galleries.

On the way back to check on the kids, I found a plethora of vegan options with advertisements out front. London is definitely vegan friendly!

Lara got back from her conference at 8:30. The kids were still asleep so Lara and I went to Leon’s down the street to try their veggie burgers and catch up. She had a great time at the festival and made many new friends. She was a powerhouse, giving 3 separate in 3 hours!I have been informed that from now on I am not supposed to refer to her as Lara, but rather “International Wellness Guru” as she was introduced at the festival. 

Dinner hit the spot! We got take out for the kids so that they could eat whenever they woke up! Full day for all of us. Looking forward to one more day in London before heading to Wales!