LONDON
Time flies, but before our trip to London fades out of memory, I better recap the fun we had! It feel like a lifetime ago, especially seeing how much Rhys has grown since then. He had just learned to walk before this trip and wanted to practice every chance he got!
We decided on London because it was a direct flight with good prices. The boys has a week off from school leading up to Easter, so we wanted to take advantage of the time off. I worried it would rain the whole time, but the weather was perfect almost the entire trip. I am convinced that’s because I packed rain boots and raincoats for all.
Our trip began on a high note as we booked 3 seats but were able to use the whole row of 4 so Quinn and Rhys could sleep comfortably. We arrived (sort of) refreshed and headed into the city toward our hotel. Steve last minute booked the hotel for the previous night so we could check in first thing in the morning and get some rest. Smart move!
Speaking of where to stay, we initially had a great hotel discount rate at The Rosewood, but Steve did not account for a place for the kids to sleep… thankfully we realized this with enough time to change hotels, but getting 4 in a room required us to get adjoining rooms. Not cheap, but it had enough beds for all.
After resting up, we forced everyone to wake up to not throw off the rest of the day. We took a little stroll over to My old Dutch pancake for lunch. They had gluten free pancakes that were basically giant crepes in both sweet and savory varieties.
For dinner, we stayed nearby and really enjoyed Franco Manca pizza. Love how GOOD gluten free pizza is easy to find outside the U.S. and how cute is the bunny pizza for Rhys?!
On our second day, Steve had a work breakfast meeting to attend so I took the boys to the hotel breakfast. Always an adventure being outnumbered.
Once Steve returned, it was time for fresh air! We stayed very close to the natural history museum. Unfortunately we didn’t book ahead and it appeared it was all sold out for the duration of our trip. Thankfully there were dinosaur statues outside that satisfied Quinn. We had really talked up the dinos ahead of time, oops! We walked toward our next destination and came across the Victoria and Albert Museum which happened to be free. That was a very convenient stop along the way.
We continued on our journey and took another pit stop en route to see Park. Then, we finally made it to Mercato Mayfair, a food hall in a former church for lunch. A unique setting and good food. Then, on to the main event!
Ever since Quinn’s first trip as a little 3 month old, we’ve collected jellycat stuffed animals on our travels. So when I found out there’s a jellycat fish and chips experience in Selfridge’s, I knew we had to do it! The staff act as cooks in the diner and whip up stuffed toy meals. Quinn ordered Lily fish and then asked to get Rhys Jellycat Jack. I hope these are souvenirs that last a long time with a fun backstory.
Since both Steve and Quinn wanted to rest while Rhys napped, I snuck out for a solo coffee at Kobenhavn which had cozy seats outside to watch the world go by. I now really appreciate getting a moment to myself and sitting in silence. Add in caffeine and people watching for a lovely afternoon.
After everyone woke up, it was time to find dinner. Something Steve and I appreciate is a nice meal out. Harder to do with busy schedules and even harder to do while traveling with kids. But we tried. We had a (mostly) enjoyable dinner at the Orange Pub. Food and drink was great! Our dining companions had a lot to say! Hope the other diners enjoyed their commentary…
On our next day, we went to Battersea Station, a huge complex of restaurants, shops and entertainment. We went for the Lego store and stayed for food and fun. Quinn went for ice cream, we went for coffee and then we all hit the playground. Quinn picked out the iconic double decker bus kit from the Lego store which we enjoyed building later that day while Rhys napped.
After we recharged, we went to dinner at Darjeeling Express. This was upscale Indian food and really hit the spot!
The following day, we found ourselves back in Battersea station, this time to get on a boat.
When in London, one must do the touristy things! We took the Thames Clipper boat to Tower bridge. It was a fun boat ride with a unique view of the sights from the water. We saw the London Eye from afar and that was enough. No desire to go up on that!
We also visited Buckingham Palace and an old phone booth.
To balance sightseeing, we made an afternoon stop at Holland Park to play on their awesome playground. Once sufficiently tired, we headed over to Megan’s for dinner. Rhys fought hard to skip nap and make it through dinners. He finally gave in on the bus ride home and passed out in the stroller. He didn’t want to miss out on any fun.
All in all, a successful trip! Wish I could say the same for our scheduled trip to Switzerland this August, but that’s a story for another day. Stay tuned for that when I recap our second attempt at Switzerland, happening this December (I hope).