We stayed in the Paddington area, which made for an easy journey from airport to train station to our accommodations. We stayed in some apartments I had found on Booking.com thinking that we’d use the kitchen and have more of a homey feel during our time in the city. Honestly, we didn’t use the kitchen once (English food is actually pretty great, despite what you hear) and we got stuck on the 4th floor with no lift. Hey, at least we had a washer and dryer.
Fortunately, we had very little rain for Springtime, but plenty of moody skies that made for especially picturesque backdrops. The first part of our London days were spent gawking at the storybook sites and taking a daring ride on the London Eye. Nothing disappointed and visiting the little Starbucks tucked at the edge of the Tower Bridge made my day complete. Have I mentioned that I love coffee and bridges???
I found that keeping the kiddo interested in the long travel days started in preparation before the trip. I had a customized shirt made for her to make the trip feel special and to give other passengers a heads up in the case she was a bit restless. We also hyped up the first stamp in her passport, which she was so excited about. We bought a couple books about London and of course, watched some favorite movies that take place there. It paid off in some wide-eyed moments (“There’s Peter Pan’s clock!”) that are now our favorite memories.
It was worth the effort- she is the best little international traveler and has racked up quite a few stamps in two years on trips that you can see here and here. We’ve also kept up the tradition of taking another family member with us and plan to do that this year too. I highly recommend it!
Stay tuned to Part 2 to see awesome places we visited in London to keep everyone happy during our trip!
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