Welcome to our 19th edition of
Tales of the Traveling Tote, where
lovers of all things MacKenzie-Childs
pack up our checkered totes and take
you along with us.
Call me crazy or insane, but I had promised my family
(8 years and up) a trip to Europe when the Rome Temple
was completed
(the temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints).
Typical of most construction in Italy, it took years longer
than expected, but it was announced that it would open
in February of 2019, so we gave the family this trip
for a Christmas gift.
Then the craziness began as I had to make all the
plans, bookings, and reservations for a crowd.
My oldest son is expecting in a couple of weeks,
so they planned and went on their family's trip
in March - that was easy - they did all their own plans!!!
If you know European hotels as we do, you know
that the rooms tend to be small and many hotels
will not allow a family of two parents and three
children in a room, so we decided to try out Airbnb.
Our first stop was in London. I had stayed in the
Kings Cross train station area before, so I felt
comfortable that I could get us around London from there.
In the past, I haven't been the planner and navigator, so there
was definitely a lot more stress on me.
We chose The Princess Diana Home, so named
because she had planted the garden here.
The building dates from the 1600's so there
was a lot of charm with fireplaces in every room.
These doors lead out to the garden that
Princess Diana planted and are at the end of
a nice large kitchen.
We enjoyed gathering in the kitchen for breakfast,
treats, and late night snacking each day.
This was the master bedroom and it was
very charming and large.
Miss Madi K is my work horse when I travel.
She carries all of my comfort items that I
will want on the plane, and then returns with
fragile items that I don't want broken.
The master bedroom was also gorgeous and huge.
Needless to say, we loved being the "masters".
This bedroom accommodated our family with
three children really well. The remaining rooms
got smaller but it was so fun all being together
and having a kitchen.
After a quick nap of about 2 hours, we headed
straight to Platform 9 3/4 in Kings Cross Station,
and a taste of Cornish Pasties, since they had read about
pasties in Harry Potter. You can find them in the train stations
and we think they are delicious.
We were very lucky that our first day in
London was nice and clear as we all rode
in the London Eye. Our group of 13 was given
our own pod, so that was really nice.
We got a bird's eye view of London.
This little one turned 5 months old while
we were on our trip, and she was the star
everywhere we went. Big Ben was covered
up, but we got a nice view of Parliament.
Then we were off to Buckingham Palace
and Hyde Park. The parks were in full glory.
The birth of the newest royal baby took place
on the morning we flew out, so we got to see
the announcement of Archie's birth (who hadn't
been named yet) in front of Buckingham Palace.
(Kind of understated if you ask me!)
And of course we had to get photos in the iconic
red phone booths. We felt blessed to have such
nice weather for our first day in London.
Day two the weather changed!
(No, I didn't ride the bike in the rain, but it just
went so well with my MC's!)
Fortunately we were snuggled into our dry
Vintage Tea Bus for a tour of London.
We had the whole bottom floor to ourselves, which
made it very nice.
The tables are so cute and all set when you arrive
with both savory and sweet items. You can choose
a variety of teas, regular and herbal, or hot chocolate.
The majority of us went with the hot chocolate.
Ms. Angelina had her first big trip with Miss Madi K
and I, and she got to go out on all the day trips.
She even carried some MC plates along for the tea.
The tea was so fun and delicious. I have done it before,
but wanted the kids to experience it, and it worked
out perfectly for a rainy day.
By the end of the tea the rain had stopped
and we went Harrod's to see the Food Halls,
and do some shopping. Check out the couture
children's department in Harrod's!!! 4600 pounds
for a child's rabbit fur cape!!!
That night it was off to Phantom of the Opera.
Ms. Angelina came along and loved the floor in the entry
of Her Majesty's Theater.
She even snuck into the empty box next to us,
hoping that this was the box reserved for the Phantom.
My middle son is in love with Phantom, and none
of us had seen it for years - since the movie had
come out - so we chose to bring the whole family
to it while in London.
We had seats on the second and third rows, and
were blown away by the production. Carlotta had
the most amazing voice and being that close, you felt
like she was singing to you in your living room.
The management of Her Majesty's Theater
were amazing! They let us bring the infant into the
lounge and have someone switch off with her
during intermission. She slept the whole time and was
perfect.
Day three we headed out to The Tower of London.
We had another nice day, but brought our rain gear
with us, just in case.
Then we walked over to London Bridge,
and then on to Borough Market for our
favorite foods. They had moved Kappacaisein Dairy
across the street.
We love their raclette that they scrape onto
potatoes and pickles,
and their raclette cheese sandwiches.
My favorite filled donuts had moved too -
they are now out on the street between the
two covered buildings.
Yum!!! This was a huge highlight for the whole family
as they are all foodies.
That afternoon we went by Uber to see
the Harry Potter Studio Tour. We have a family full of
Harry Potter fans, so this had to be on our list.
The tour had doubled in size since I was there a few years ago,
and tickets were sold out a few months in advance,
so we were glad we had purchased them in February.
The Great Hall is spectacular, and hubby would love to
recreate that in our home. How about this table?
Going on the studio tour, it amazes you how many
props and details go into a movie. The costumes are
gorgeous and so fun to see.
Half way through the tour they have food, so
we stopped for lunch. Of course, Ms. Angelina
came along.
Then you go outside to see the Knight's Bus,
Number 4 Privet Drive, and the crooked bridge.
Spoiler alert, these photos are of the new additions.
They now have Gringotts Bank open.
And after posing with all of the gold and silver
in the dragon's lair, they have an animated dragon
that comes after you.
And you walk through the Forbidden Forest.
The end of the tour is the best though, as you come
upon the huge model of the castle and grounds used
for filming.
From there some of us went to Hamilton.
We got the tickets that day and sat on row L
for only 150 pounds. We could have purchased
matinee seats on the 4th row for 75 pounds.
I loved paying a reasonable price for Hamilton compared
to what we paid in New York.
London treated us well, and Miss Madi K and
Ms. Angelina traveled so well too.
Next they flew off to Rome, and then to Paris,
but those will be covered in following posts.
I felt so blessed to have had this opportunity
to have so many of my lovely family with me,
to have been safe, and to have had a wonderful time
in Europe.
Now after all of the fun, here is some fun for
you. We are giving away this MC wine tote.
leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway.
Then take a few minutes to visit all of our
Tales of The Traveling Tote bloggers to
see where they have been off to.
