Happy Monday, friends!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
I’m kicking off our week here in blog world with PART TWO of our trip to London this month 🙂 .
If you missed…
…PART ONE, go ahead and catch that one HERE.
Last Saturday, we woke up, got dressed and headed off to…
…Portobello Road in Notting Hill.
Now, if you’ve seen the Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant movie, let me assure you…it’s even more magical in person. We try to visit Notting Hill every time we go to London, but if you can visit on a Saturday morning when the street is blocked off and the vendors and food trucks are out, that’s ideal. This is what I love about traveling with kids…you *think* you know what they’ll love and you *think* you know what they won’t love and you JUST NEVER REALLY KNOW. I thought we were stopping by Portobello Road for the grownups, but my kids LOVED IT! They loved it so much that we ended up spending way more time here than we had allotted on our schedule. Later on in the trip, we do something we just *knew* they would love that ended up being a disappointment (to come in a future post), so seriously, don’t overthink traveling with your kids. You’ll often be surprised by what they really enjoy.
It’s just the most charming, most eclectic, best way to spend a Saturday morning.
We strolled, popped into shops, looked through what the vendors had that morning…
…stopped for coffee and goodies at Sally Clarke…
…delish!
And then continued on…
…the little girls bought jewelry from this vendor. See Mades’ ring and Ashby’s new earrings? They were so proud!
Smith thoroughly enjoyed eating his way down the street. He said this was the best donut he’s ever had.
Mades found the perfect jacket. If you know Madeley, then you know this girls LOVES a denim jacket.
Love spending a slow Saturday morning with my peeps.
The food vendors alone are worth a trip down there on Saturdays. There truly is something for everyone!
After we left Portobello Road, we headed over to…
…Westminster Abbey where we had tickets to go inside.
I mean…THE HISTORY! I’ve been inside many times, and it gets me every single time. It’s not only gorgeous, but it’s so rich in history. Weddings, funerals, coronations…this is one of my favorite stops in London.
Gang’s all here 🙂
That quote though.
After we toured the Abbey, we walked over to say hello to…
…Big Ben!
It was just a gorgeous day to be outside in London!
We strolled by Downing Street…
…over to The Guards Museum to see the horses…
…and then to our lunch on the Thames! We had lunch here at this restaurant on a boat!
And bonus…
…it was decorated for Halloween too which meant great food, amazing views and FALL!
Our table was right next to the window, so we had a great view of The London Eye, the river annnnnd a fun skeleton 🙂 .
Two thumbs up for the Tattershall!
The food was insanely good too!
After lunch, we made a trip over to…
…James Smith and Sons because I have always wanted to purchase an umbrella from this shop but never have stopped until this trip. This time, I was determined to bring home a hand-made umbrella from this very famous umbrella shop.
My family went to humor me…
…but once inside they were fascinated. They make the umbrellas right there in the shop. The quality, the history…it’s all so special!
Andrew and I both left with new umbrellas, and now, I’m just sitting here waiting for it to rain in McKinney.
After we left James Smith and Sons, we headed back to…
…the London Eye because we had tickets to go up!
We purchased advanced private tickets so that our family was the only family in our carriage for the 30 minute ride.
If you go to London, you really should do this at least once. The view of the city is incredible plus, as you go around, it’s educational too. There is a recording that pops in intermittently and explains to you what you’re seeing from the different angles.
The last time Andrew and I rode around in the Eye was…
…2006. Oh bless us. We were such babies!
Older, wiser and now with four kids in the Eye with us.
Look at all of these *extras* we brought back to the Eye with us 🙂 .
Views for days.
After the Eye we slowly made our way, stopping to explore, back to our hotel in time to freshen up for dinner…
…at 34 Mayfair.
This was our favorite meal of the entire trip!
And that wraps up PART 2.
You guys, sending you so much love! I hope you have the best start to your week! xx
Elspeth says
What an exciting and fun day 2! Thanks for sharing!
http://www.Elspethsdaybyday.com
Emilee says
An umbrella souvenir is so fun! I still have one from a trip to Italy that was bought out of necessity, but it reminds me of the trip every time I use it.
Sarah C says
My favorite is to time doing the London Eye right at sunset so that when you get on it’s still daylight but then as you go around you get to watch the sun set and the city lights come on! 😍 Love that city so much!!!
Erika Slaughter says
Please tell me you guys talked about what happened the last time Andrew strolled that area!!! 😂😂😂
Mix and Match Mama says
Of course we did! Hahahaha!
Sheaffer says
What great memories and pictures!
Katie Compton says
Happy Monday, Shay! I have to share… my birthday was on the 12th and my work bestie gave me a gift bag filled with all things pumpkin from Trader Joe’s!! The closest one to me is about an hour away so this was such a treat. Pumpkin bars, pretzels, Joe Joes, pasta, pasta sauce!! I kept pulling stuff out thinking “Oh Shay showed us this!!” Ha! Needless to say, I was a happy girl.
Mix and Match Mama says
What a sweet, sweet, sweet and thoughtful gift idea!!
Hallie Yanez says
loved this post! It looks like you guys had an amazing time. do you have a link to K’s black pants? Thanks!
Mix and Match Mama says
They’re Lulu!
Kristen says
Looks like an amazing day. So funny w/ the teen sightseeing in Crocs all day!
Mix and Match Mama says
Much to his father’s chagrin…
Jessica Miller says
I want to recreate this entire trip! I studied abroad in London and it made me so nostalgic. We went to Portobello Market every Saturday! Next time you need to stop and get Lebanese food at the market, so good! Question – how do you get large souvenir items like the umbrellas home? Do you ship them or fit them in luggage? Thanks for sharing all the trip details.
Mix and Match Mama says
It depends on what the item is…but typically, we are able to bring it home ourselves. This umbrella shop custom fits your umbrella to your size, so after we selected and paid for our umbrellas, they were going to make our adjustments and ship them home for us.
Kelly says
Your trip looks amazing and the weather—wow! It really cooperated for you this trip.
Shron says
I was looking at the 34 Mayfair menu. I couldn’t decide what I would order. What did you guys have?
Mix and Match Mama says
We had a variety of appetizers, K and Andrew had steaks (maybe Smith too???), I had their burger…it was all so delish!
Andrea says
Our son lives in England now, and he has an umbrella from James Smith and Sons! The craftsmanship is perfection. Now that I know how easy it is to have them shipped, we will definitely need to go in next time we’re there!
Jess says
Did you have any issues finding GF food when exploring?
Mix and Match Mama says
We did not! We did our research in advance which helped a lot. We have found that Europe is very g-free friendly.
Sarah says
Your trip looks amazing but let’s talk about your hair! Seriously it has never looked better- updated routine coming soon?
Mix and Match Mama says
You are too sweet, and the answer is YES! Thank you!!
Karah Stracener says
It looks like yall had a great trip. Thank you for sharing. That market looks like so much fun and so many great finds. I love that you picked out a custom umbrella. What a fun souvenir.
Lynn T says
When we were in London in June we went to Notting Hill on Saturday. It was great. My daughter bought jewelry too and it was so fun to go in and out of the shops. We also went to Westminster Abbey. I think there was mass going on while we had our tour. It was such a fun trip In all of your posts about London, that I looked at before our trip, Next tripI want to stay in the city, we stayed in Wimbledon and while it was cheaper it was a ride into the city each day on the metro. I will reference this post on our next trip…just my husband and I, for the restaurants. We ate at Cheshire Cheese in June based on your recommendation. It is such a great city. Next time you should make a trip to Wimbledon and Richmond. There is a great park in Richmond, that has deer everywhere. And Wimbledon is neat to see since you see it on tv every year. Love your posts…it makes me longing for a trip overseas..but not with my grown children, just my husband, didn’t I already say that?
Mix and Match Mama says
You should take that trip, Lynn! xx
SS says
WOW! What have you been doing to your hair? It looks AMAZING!!!!!! Postpartum mama here, (with all the thinning hair annd now the weird regrowth) and I’d love to know! 🩷
Mix and Match Mama says
You are SO SWEET! Hair post coming up soon!!
Cristina says
Thank you so much for sharing. My fam and I are going over New Year’s to celebrate my hubby’s 50th. How far in advance did you book your Eye and dinner reservations?
Mix and Match Mama says
I book so many things that it’s hard to remember exactly when I booked my own vacation details, but I think I booked the Eye in August and dinner reservations beginning of September?
Kristin Lungaas says
What a fantastic trip. 🇬🇧 I hope your kids know how lucky they are! ❤️🙏 have a fantastic week back.
Rebecca (Becky) Day says
The trip looks magical! I’m bookmarking this so I’ll know all the things to do when I make it there! Is it just me, or is K now taller than you? My daughter, turning 20 tomorrow (😁😅) has me beat by an inch!
Mix and Match Mama says
She is taller than me! It happened over night!
Jordan says
Your tennis shoes look so comfortable – do you have a link? 🙂
Mix and Match Mama says
VERY comfy! https://shopstyle.it/l/b2HaA