I guess the thing we've learnt about traveling with kids after six weeks on the road, is that less is mostly more. Last weekend we spent two days in London and totally smashed our own rule.
We woke early, wandered deserted streets, watched marketers setting up and looked longingly into closed coffee shops. Eventually the city started stirring and we found a cafe serving English breakfasts, which let me tell you are VERY different from the Middle Eastern breakfasts we'd become accustomed to. And the coffee...oh well....
After our bellies were full we walked all over town. We visited markets and clothes shops, we tried on vintage and new, we bought a ring, two old flannel shirts, a denim skirt, a lip balm, two European Sim cards, several skeins of sock yarn, a floral crown and a couple of tee-shirts.
We followed paper maps, we followed google maps, we got very lost and we eventually found our way.
We walked, we took a cute London taxi and we rode a double-decker bus.
We giggled at the English accents, we tried to make sense of the money, we found all kinds of public toilets and we froze our bums off in the cold wind and the rain (summer??!!).
Eventually when we could walk no more we climbed on top of a tour bus and visited the touristy landmarks.
And then that second night things fell apart. There were tears and tantrums and tired, aching legs.
But we came, we toured, we shopped and we did London.
I'm still not sure how we could do it differently next time.
Big love to you my friends, wherever you are reading this.
I hope you have the right shoes for the track your journey takes you on.
Love Kate xx
You've captured that neck of the woods so well with your images, Kate. I totally think that you couldn't possibly do London any other way - just smashing it out and loving it all and taking the tears and tanties where they fall. Your girls are glorious, though. Such troupers, I am so impressed. Also, with the always-neat plaits. x
ReplyDeleteGotta love London! It's country on it's own. Looking forward to you feedback on the Spoonfest.
ReplyDeleteSo inspiring, you have me very excited for travel!
ReplyDelete2 days in London is not enough. I live 20 minutes out of London by train and I struggle with a days worth of London at a time! I wore my fitness tracker last time, we arrived in London around midday and were there until 7pm, including two of those hours spent sat in restaurants... i still did 28000 steps and that was a relaxed 'go wherever we feel like' kind of day. It is tiring! i couldn't imagine trying to fit it into such a short time, I've lived so close for 25 years and there is still SO much I haven't seen
ReplyDeleteOMG, so many donuts!! You make me want to pack my bags and take a holiday! x
ReplyDeleteI love London so much that when I came here from France 11 years ago, I never left! :) Happy wanderings!
ReplyDeleteI've visited London twice and fell in love both times. I would love to visit again, but with children living every which direction, our vacation time is spent mostly visiting them. Your photos bring back many good memories. And those donuts. Yum!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
Welcome to the UK and to our glorious British 'summer' (this year's weather is particularly dire, in case you were wondering.) Sounds to me like you 'did' London really well - it always exhausts me and I've visited many times. Really looking forward to seeing more of your travels here, particularly Spoonfest.
ReplyDeleteLondon really does need several days!! We live in England and only do one or two things a visit. I guess with only two days how else would you do it? It looks as though you found an amazing doughnut Shop!! x
ReplyDeleteWow Kate, just loving your photos and stories. Those cakes and donuts... oh my x
ReplyDeleteWonderful post, Kate :) Yes, the older I get the more important having the right shoes is ;) Thanks for the London top up (my favourite place). From my experience of travelling with kids, I think it's good for them to have a snapshot of a place - they'll want to explore it for themselves when they are older. Have fun. Kx
ReplyDeleteGorgeous gorgeous photos Kate! I am DYING to go Beigel Bake in Brick Lane - the corned beef, pickle and hot mustard ones...oh my lord! I make them at home in an attempt to copy the original but hope to make the pilgrimage myself one day. Did you eat a bagel? And don't get me started on Ottolenghi.....
ReplyDeleteYou make London look so good! I almost miss it! Did you get a bagel at the 24hr place on Brick Lane? They are sooo good! Used to stop by on my way home after a big night out. 😀
ReplyDeleteLove the pics, especially of Brick lane. I used to live in a street off Brick lane and it brought it all back. I grew up in London (now live in Sydney) and you captured the streets so well. It almost made me homesick until I saw the rain!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing London through someone else's eyes! It looks like you did two chilly rainy days just about right. I had a few days away from the city last weekend and in my car boot I had: wellies, winter boots(!) and converse. Didn't even take my Birks....X
ReplyDeleteWe live 30 miles from London and visit often; your photos are fantastic! Yeah, the weather's a bit bum this year. It was great last year! Where IS that doughnut shop??? Jen
ReplyDeleteThe only pictures of London I have ever seen have been like tourist postcards and on the telly - all the landmarks - until I see yours. They are real life, real scenes with the colours and flavours of the neighbourhoods you visited. I love your photos; so detailed and vivid, I feel like I can almost touch those cobblestones and taste the Italian gelati or smell the bread and those donuts! What a magnificent photograph! I am still marvelling where on earth a shop can sell so many donuts and cakes in one day! They must do a huge trade...but what am I saying? That's London!
ReplyDeleteTake care and enjoy
Looks magnificent--all of it. Especially the bakeries and their delectable offerings. Thanks for taking us along for the ride !~!
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