London, England 2019 | Day One
It was late afternoon when we arrived at our London hotel. I imagined the flight would be brutal, but it wasn’t at all! A red-eye, Weston and Daniel slept the entire time. I, on and off. But it was absolutely manageable and not terrible by any means. (The older little ones get, the easier it is to fly with them. Although, our Guy has been a great traveler from day one, really!)
Treasures from his “pack pack".” (One of my travel-mom-hacks is to keep Disposable Placemats handy to cover up surfaces for Little Guy as he plays and eats.)
Hello, London!
We stayed at The Millenium Hotel London Knightsbridge. It was clean and nice and we got a great deal on Booking. (The area is very high-end — like, Gucci and Louis Vuitton shops were our neighbors — so it wasn’t the most charming area. And you know this sentimental heart likes my charm ;) The only major drawback of the area was a random one — fancy, fast sports cars WHIPPED through the streets all.night.long. SO loud, which isn’t great when you have a toddler trying to sleep. The scary part was we nearly got run over by them a few nights after our dinner. Just my honest review for anyone planning a London trip! We both agreed that we enjoyed our last trip to London’s accommodation area more — we stayed near Notting Hill, and it was a lot more quiet/residential/quaint. Not complaining, just sharing our experience to help other travelers. Really anywhere in London is lovely and a pleasure. FYI!)
As we walked by Harrods (I’ll share about it in another post — what a breathtaking place!), all I could see in my mind was that scene from The Parent Trap when the mom says, “Let’s spend the day getting lost in Harrod’s.” It got me all choked up!!
The first morning, Weston woke early… before the sun rose, thanks to jet lag. But, oh how magical it was to lie in bed sipping a cappuccino (my saint of a hubby went and got me one!) watching the sunrise as it painted the sky all shades of pink, and to notice hot air balloons drifting through the clouds. One of them was even a HUNTER Rain Boot. I swooned!
I’ve been to London twice, in the spring. And London in spring means flowers. It’s a beautiful thing!
Spring in London is magical. The blooms covering all storefronts and shops, it’s just lovely!
Our first London stop: The Ivy, Chelsea! And it did NOT disappoint. Absolute beauty, lovely ambiance, and such yummy food and coffee.
We were the only ones seated on the patio that morning, and it felt like a garden greenhouse of my dreams. Cozy couches and fluffy pillows surrounded by potted plants and candles.
A delightful spread!
Daniel ordered The Detox Shot and loved it so much, he ordered a second! It’s a shot of Ginger, Lemon, and Cayenne Pepper — definitely has a kick to it, but it for sure wakes you up!
The decor felt luxurious — look at those delicious velvet seats!!
Seemed as though every time we turned a corner, another beautiful flower display or sidewalk flower shop appeared. Made me smile (and take pictures) all day long.
I spotted a sweet dollhouse in a floral shop!!
We spent the rest of our first day at The Tower of London and viewing The Crown Jewels!
We truly enjoyed taking a tour with The Beefeaters — they are warm, impressive, charming, witty! Quite the experience and so worth doing! My British-born dear friend Lisa and sister-in-law Kristen who recently took their family to London both recommended this and we’re so glad we did it. Worth it for sure!
When we saw The Crown Jewels, Weston said (loud and clear), “Mama, is that crown glass or is it plastic?”
Weston living his best life!
Toward the end of the day, it began pouring rain and we had forgotten our umbrella…. so, we bought a two at a tourist-shop and I’ll never forget tripping around in the rainy London streets with my boys under such “English” looking umbrellas ;)
We crashed early…. #JETLAG probs!! But, what a happy memory that day was.
Stay tuned for Day Two!