We are back home after a lovely long weekend in London and man, are we tired. Traveling with a baby is exhausting. But Charlotte was a trouper. After five days in a hotel room with a bike and a baby, being home felt so spacious. It’s all relative isn’t it?
Finishing this up as I sip my afternoon tea-a ritual that’s always reinforced after a trip across the pond. My mind has been in quite a daze since we’ve been back, but writing to-do lists with alarmingly simple tasks and checking them off is how we’re getting through.
We had a weekend full of exciting activities. A lovely high tea at the Wolseley and many strolls through Hyde park. A jaunt through Notting Hill, and a trip through the Chanel exhibit at the Victoria & Albert museum. We saw La Strada at sadlers wells, enjoyed some sushi and celebrated my grandparents’ 91st and 92nd birthdays.
I rounded up on ShopMy some of my favorite finds in London. The rixo flagship, varley store, ganni, arket, liberty, onitsuka tiger to name a few. There’s something about getting to see pieces in person that is so different than browsing an extensive online catalogue. And I always discover new brands popping up on the Kings Road which hadn’t been brought to my attention before. On days when I had the energy to remove every layer of clothing to try something on I did, but realistically most of my shopping was for Charlotte. Some children’s favorites-caramel, trotters, peter jones, the little white company.
I’ve tried giving myself grace as I adjust to traveling with a baby and all my personal priorities being a bit shifted. I always travel with a film camera, and after toting it around for a day and taking one photo I decided to leave it in the room the next day. Especially when traveling, I feel this need to document everything and remember it all. The reality while pushing a stroller is that my priority is not stopping to smell the roses and snap pictures. But I did take a day towards the end to walk a little slower, sip coffee a little more leisurely and not get swept up in the hustle and bustle of the big city.
Optimizing travel is probably one of the weirdest, most satisfying fascinations I have in life. The mirth team did a roundup of some travel favorites and I totally nerded out on everyone else’s picks. The two most useful additions to my travel entourage this trip were a medium sized, long handle longchamp which served as a diaper bag and purse on the daily, and a large, short handled longchamp folded up in a suitcase on the way there, but expanded to use as a laundry bin and additional carry-on for treasures on the trip back. I recommend buying their bags if you’re ever shopping duty-free in an airport in Europe for the best prices.
eating:
daylesford market
hagen espresso
kat coffee
chungdam
high tea-might turn into a scone with clotted cream but so worth it
mina’s
buying:
restock on pg tips and mcvities
a sweet paddington book
muji & uniqlo basics-underwear, tshirts, bras needed a refresh postpartum
paper goods at choosing keeping-a mix of a harry potter wand store with japanese goodies
liberty london fabric to make charlotte a quilt
traveling with:
longchamp medium long handle bag
longchamp foldable large travel bag
gone are the days where I needlepoint or read a kindle on the plane, for now getting an airpod or two in seems to be the best I can do
muji packing cubes
full sized aquaphor tube always
Staying put for the foreseeable future and thinking of a valentines day gift guide next week. Hopefully getting some quilting under my belt as well. Until then! xx
So jealous you had tea at The Wolseley! Sometimes I just like sitting there with a pot of tea watching the comings and goings. I'm sure that didn't happen with Charlotte! And can't wait to see the Liberty fabrics you chose for her quilt. Another favorite FAVORITE of mine!