The Munce Family: A British Christmas, Part 1

Upon our return from London 3 years ago, we decided we would make all efforts to do it again, between dates and logistics and life, the soonest we could pull it together was three years later, its amazing how much of a difference three years can make... so, here goes, this is a (sort of) quick recap of our adventure, with way too many photos.

Friday, December 16, departure day is here! We had all of the details ironed out and then the kids had a snow day at school which resulted in a long long wait to leave town. Fortunately, all connections were on time, everyone slept on the plane, some more than others...Sully hardly a wink.

We arrived in London on Saturday, Dec 17, collected bags and got our bearings. We had booked the Heathrow Express train to central London, which took us to Paddington Station, just one tube stop from Maida Vale and a 5 minute walk to our flat, good moods all around and everyone’s excited. Upon the first impression (and once we figured out which way to walk) we discovered our charming neighborhood, quiet but connected. Our flat was perfect for us, two bedrooms and two bathrooms with all of the essentials, including a lovely garden view from our room. Greta and I set out for some basic food needs while the others lay down for a nap. Greta and I wake everyone at 4 to set out, Sully really struggles to wake up, the short flight nap really caught up to him. We jump right in, take the tube to Notting Hill Gate for Pizza Express, satisfied and ready for a walk to Portobello Market Road for Christmas decor and finally we make our way home. We found our previous flat while we were there, it was fun to walk by, lots of familiar things and memories from last time which everyone enjoys. We hit the sheets hard.

We all slept until noon on Sunday, it was amazing to just let ourselves sleep. We got up and toured the Natural History Museum with its gems, Hope, the dinosaurs, and plentiful gift shop items, we agreed to each purchase an ornament for the Portobello Road Christmas tree. We walked out into pouring rain and walked back in for umbrellas. We were finally all moving in the right direction when 5 Guys was spotted and forced a detour (Sully). We arrived home to regroup and went to a neighborhood spot for dinner, Tokyo Pizza, pizza and Japanese food, win win for everyone. We discovered Chu Lo sparkling apple juice and was a hit. This was the exact time and location that Greta began working on her 'British.' We popped into the neighborhood Tesco for taste test items and experimented back at the flat- Hoops vs Quavers. Greta is in heaven seeing all of her taste test You Tube videos come to life.

Monday brought a Hyde Park outing for Winterland, which included a Santa line, hot chocolates with flakes, a Santa photo screw up, beer gardens, food stalls, Apres Ski, games and treats. It was wet and raining on and off most of the day, we were all so cold. Much to our delight, we found warm table at Harvey Nichols for an afternoon Happy Hour, after, we entertained ourselves with their fun fashion. This 45 minute regroup set the right tone for the rest of the day. We made our way back to the flat and went out for late night Thai from Thai Rice in our neighborhood.

Tuesday 12/20. We took the time to explore the gardens behind the flat. The gardens provide a nice reprieve from the hustle and bustle of central London, almost a magic garden feel with benches and a playground and plenty of green space, plus it has back yard access to many of the surrounding flats, so it was fun to see everyone's backyard life. After, we walked through Little Venice near the canals, found lunch and then a much anticipated double decker ride to Camden Market. This was such a lively and fun area with shops and restaurants and interesting things to look at. We walked by a beat boxer which was super cool for all and then made our way back to our place for dinner nearby. Due to circumstances. we ended up at Prince Edward Tavern, a pub, for dinner which was sort of a flop (quail egg and pheasant aren't typical menu items for our kids ;))but we made the most of it. We had fun people watching from our little private table (although the couple at the bar were definitely acting more than PG), but it made for a memorable experience for all.

Wednesday 12/21. We started the day with Greta’s pants locked in the dryer. Panic ensued, but it worked out. We had lunch at Toast, followed by a walk through Notting Hill and dinner at Seven Dials in the theatre district. It was a cafeteria style place with lively music and conversations and lots of food options and twinkling lights. The kids were all starving and finished pizza slices the size of their heads. We found this most delicious ice cream shop called Udderlicious and it was the talk of the day. We saw The Lion, Which and the Wardrobe that evening and it was really well done. It was less musical than we had anticipated, but because we had recently read it as a family, the story line was easy to follow and interesting and well done. Greta's 'British' is coming along nicely.

We ventured to York on Thursday. We woke early to catch the train and were all so tired, by the time we arrived in York, it was raining. We found an ok spot for lunch (and warmth) and then found a Christmas market. We walked around in the rain, the charming streets making the cold worth it. We opted for ice skating plans, which was, well, wet, but fun, until a woman fell and cracked (open, according to the kids :/) on the ice. Everyone had to standby while they removed her from ice, a memory my kids wont soon forget. We had a major fiasco securing Lyfts back to the train station, and arrived hungry so decided to grab dinner across the street from the train station before checking in (first mistake). We had good warm food and plenty of time, let's get a bottle of wine (second mistake). We wandered over to grab our train and OH NO! our train was cancelled, It was a long 55 minute wait fo the final train of the day which got us home at midnight. The good news? We got home just in time to catch a few minutes of Connelly family Christmas remotely. It was an adventure, and a good day.

Friday 12/23- We went to a church near Trafalger's Square for Christmas carols, it was really nice and good family fun, we had powdered sugar pancakes and sausages after in the Square. Piper made it her mission catch or scare every single pigeon, it was entertaining for us all, a blue sky day. We returned to regroup and I took a much needed nap, we have been moving nonstop. We had a sitter that evening, Yasmin, the kids were extra crazy for her, yikes. We went to Carnaby street, found wine, followed by Notting Hill, and finished it off with a drink at the pub next to our flat. It was great to get out and explore without the kids.

Saturday 12/24 Christmas Eve- we had a slow start to the day with lunch at the flat, followed by Christmas views on Bond Street and Piccadilly Square. We had reservations at Kew Gardens for Christmas at Kew and were greeted with a closed tube station which meant we had to bus instead (it was the fullest bus). We made it to Kew, and again, it exceeded our expectation; lasers and fire and hot chocolate and mulled wine, rickshaws and swings at the carnival area for the kids and Dave, it was fun for all. We followed with dinner at Antipodea, it was delicious and a favorite meal for all. We took the train back to the flat to prepare for Christmas, and a day off ;)!