Family Adventure in London and Shopping in Notting Hill

This is a guest post by Nancy Solomon of Ciao Bambino. Nancy has generously shared her story about a dramatic trip to London with kids.

The Injury
Our trip to London had an ominous start. I ruptured my calf a week before we were due to leave. Although this was not part of the plan, everything was booked and we were not about to cancel our trip. So, I found a “roll-a-bout”—think razor scooter with a knee pad— which allowed me to have much more mobility in London than crutches.

By Nancy Solomon

"Riding" a Scooter in London

This scooter basically gave me celebrity status (can you imagine how ridiculous I looked— a grown-up on a scooter!) throughout London as curious people (particularly those in the orthopedic field) stopped to take pictures.

This was all great, except my disability doubled husband’s workload and his patience wore thin.

The Flight
We love Virgin Atlantic! We traded American Express points in for “upper class” pods, the best-spent miles to date. Lying flat wrapped in down comforters after a delicious meal was truly luxurious. As I watched my wonderful older children drift off to sleep, I noticed my toddler was getting increasingly hyper. Not unusual when she is tired. Unfortunately, her activity level grew just as all the adults around us were grabbing eye masks and getting ready to sleep.

After an hour of pushing every possible button in the vicinity, she burst into screams. This is our fourth child. You’d think we’d stay calm. But no, I started sweating, stepped on my injured foot—which cannot bear weight—and was in agony. Finally, I hopped to the bathroom where I flip-flop from nice mom to psycho mom with alarming ease.

FYI, covering your child’s mouth doesn’t work.

The kind stewardess came to our rescue with food for her. Could she really have just been hungry? At long last, she doses off to sleep. We all get about 3 hours of rest and arrive just as the morning started in London.

The First Day
I had an idea that the first day would be tough, however, I was lulled into a false sense of security by thinking that my kids were experienced travelers. Pulling an all-nighter is tough on anyone. Add kids to the equation and you have a nightmare!

Driven by the excitement of being in London, we had a strong start, but then we all faded quickly. Literally, by nightfall, four out of six of us were ready to go home. My husband and I decided that we were just plain stupid to travel internationally with kids.

Fortunately, a good night’s rest cures all woes. The next day we started fresh and all went well. I have to thank a thoughtful colleague who sent me an article about that horrible first night when traveling abroad with kids—it enabled me work through the desire to go home and move on with our trip.

We ended up sleeping in every day and then stayed up late together. Although we gave up some sightseeing time on this schedule, it worked well as we were always rested.

By Nancy Solomon

Dining in London

The Shopping
On Ciao Bambino I’ve covered kid-friendly activities in London, and a London food tour and then did tips for visiting London with kids on PeterGreenberg.com. What I didn’t include in those articles is shopping highlights. I usually don’t get a chance to shop when traveling, but this trip it just seemed to work out because the antique markets had a little something for everyone.

Our favorite street was Portobello Road, located in Notting Hill. My husband and boys looked for war memorabilia and antiques. My daughter and I had fun at the boutiques. London has a well-earned reputation for being expensive, but we were able to find many stores that were reasonable and unique. I loved the shopkeepers as well; we met quite a few characters.

Portobello Market on Saturday, offered a ton of items, but it was incredibly crowded. I recommended visiting this neighborhood during the week.

By Nancy Solomon

Shopping with Kids in London

Here’s a list our favorite stores and stops on Portobello Road:

Appletree Boutique (164 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London W11 2EB): A trendy collection of women’s clothes, accessories and shoes. Very reasonably priced. My daughter and I both loved this store.

Their Nibs: (214 Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill Gate, London, W11 1NR) We couldn’t resist some of these retro-inspired designer children clothes.

Hummingbird Bakery (133 Portobello Road, London, W11 2DY): Capitalizing on the cupcake craze, this bakery is a wonderful stop with children.

Bangers Bros (225a Portobello Road London W11 1LU): An inexpensive and easy stop for breakfast sandwiches.

Electric Brasserie: (191 Portobello Road London W11 2ED) Yummy milkshakes.

Gail’s Bakery: (138 Portobello Road, London, W11 2DZ) Perfect for delicious muffins and healthy snacks for refueling.

Nancy Solomon lives outside Boston with her husband and four kids under 10. She enjoys traveling the world and sharing helpful tips for finding fun family activities on the road. She writes about travel with kids on Ciao Bambino, a guide to the best kid friendly hotels and family travel blog.

Filed Under: travel-stories

6 comments | Posted on December 9, 2009 | Save to del.icio.us

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