So when we starting planning a spring break trip for this year we revisited the idea and decided it was time. We picked London because 1) english speaking 2) shorter flight 3)cheaper flight. It so affordable to travel around Europe once you are there so we knew we wanted to add on one other place. I googled "europe sunny in march" and Lisbon came up so Lisbon it was.
We stuck to our travel with kids motto of prepare, prepare, prepare and then go with the flow and it served us well. The part of the trip I was most unsure about was the overnight flight from Atlanta to London but they did great! It certainly wasnt a typical full nights sleep for any of us but it was enough. I brought their favorite blankets and stuffed animals, a small pillow and made a "fort" out of the airline blankets to give them extra quiet and dark.
 |
| such a little man |
We landed in London at 7am and headed to our apartment. We did carry on only and while it was a lot to carry around sometimes not having to pay for bags, worry about them getting lost and not having to wait at baggage claim after an 8 hour flight was worth it.
Our airbnb was in Notting Hill and so cute. The neighborhood was beautiful with huge white buildings that lined the street all with detailed architecture and fun colored doors. We went a few blocks over to Hyde Park and explored a bit. Unfortunately London weather was living up to its reputation and it was overcast, cool and very very windy. But we made the best of it and saw the swans, the kids go to run around the green space and we went through Kingston Palace which was pretty but not worth the price in my opinion but we needed to get inside and warm up and it did the trick.
 |
| loved door hunting in Notting Hill |
 |
| so windy |
 |
| snuggled up to stay warm, we were testing the weight limits on that stroller for sure ha! |
 |
| baby carrier save the day again |
Afterwards we went back to the apartment and warmed up and took a little nap. We headed into central London via the tube (which if you have ever done any sort of subway system is super easy to figure out and kids ride free!) We walked around and headed for our destination - Hamleys. A 5 story toy store that is amazingggggg. The kids did chores and saved up money to pick on thing from here on our trip. Cooper chose a construction set with kinetic sand rocks and Charlotte chose a pen that looks like Harry Potter's wand. We have been reading the first Harry Potter before bed and she loved the whole floor dedicated to it. She really wanted the flying snitch that came to your hand when you pressed a button but didnt quite have the $100 for it.
 |
| lego Hagrid |
Afterwards we wondered over for dinner to an Indian place that had been recommended to us but the wait was over an hour so we decided to gamble and choose a place as we walked by. It turned out great, it was a funky little taco place that was delicious and quick win-win because the kids (and us) were starting to lose steam.
We went back to the apartment and crashed :)
The next day was a yummy breakfast near our apartment, natural history museum, afternoon tea and Sunday roast. We also tried the science museum but it was much too old for our kiddos and focused on space, planes and trains. We loved the natural history museum, the dinosaur part was cool but so crowded. Once we got out of that area it opened up and we spent about 2 hours there. Afternoon tea was at the St.Ermin hotel and it was s lovely, a perfect mix up upscale (as you want afternoon tea to be) and laid back enough that we didnt feel like we had to shush the kids every 2 seconds. The tea and all the food was great, my favorite was the finger sandwiches with roasted veggies and the kids boxes were adorable and also delicious. We werent sure where we were going to have Sunday roast but passed a cute place on the way back to our place and went back. It was a great choice and we got a huge hearty dinner to warm us and end the day.
 |
| a London icon we awkwardly walked into and realized it was NOT kid friendly lol |
 |
| so many pretty pubs |
 |
| lobby of the St.Ermin |
 |
| we were on a balcony and had a heater to keep warm which made us all look red :) |
 |
| I had to wait almost 4 years for him to smile for the camera -WORTH IT |
On Monday we were total tourist and did a Hop On/ Hop Off bus to see all the sights. Overall it was worth it and a great experience, there was an unexpected taxi demonstration that caused some issue but we managed. We saw St.Pauls cathedral (favorite), Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abby, the London Eye, Parliament and Big Ben. The kids had a "misson London" book that gave them specific things to look for like a gargoyle with 3 heads, a painting of Jesus with bread, British flag etc. It kept them engaged and honestly helped Tony and I learn a few things too.
Highlights for the kids were riding the open double decker bus, finding all the red phone booths, climbing all 548 stairs to the top of St. Pauls (Cooper was on my back) and finding all the "silly faced gargoyles".
 |
| view from the top of St. Pauls |
 |
| SHE DID IT!!!! |
 |
| so.many.tourists |
We were pooped by the end of the day and got Indian take out for dinner and early to bed.
The next morning we did Borough Market which was so cool and so yummy.
 |
| so many pigeons everywhere |
From there we went to the airport to head for Lisbon......
xoxo
Ashlea
No comments:
Post a Comment