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January 11, 2018

London Calling

I’m so excited to finally share this post and kick off my series of Europe posts!

If you follow me on Instagram you might have saw that I went to Europe for two weeks in August. One of my closest/longest friends got married in France (check out the Mehndi celebration I helped throw her here) and I was lucky enough to stand in her wedding. My husband and I have been wanting to plan a Europe trip, so it was the perfect timing to extend the stay and explore a few other places while we were over there.

We began our trip and ended it London. I had been out of the country before but this was the longest flight I had ever taken, so I was a bit nervous about how I’d deal with jet lag. We left the USA at night and landed in London at 6AM, and shockingly going and coming back I experienced no jet lag! When we arrived in London, we headed straight to the hotel to drop off our stuff. We stayed at the Avni Kensington Hotel and while the hotel was pretty standard and nothing fancy (although our room came with a HUGE balcony!) it was in such a great location. We took the train everywhere which was right around the block. Since I didn’t know how we would feel, I planned nothing for us that day and had our second day booked, but we happened to feel great and decided to walk around until we were tired – which turned up into us walking EVERYWHERE.

Our first stop, and one of my absolute favorite things we did in Europe (and one of my favorite memories from 2017) was at The George Inn Pub. We grabbed some beers, talked with the locals, and got to explore the historic pub (hello, Shakespeare!). From there, we walked off our buzz over to the Borough Market where we shopped and then over to the South Bank where we watched people build sand art by the Thames and skaters at the park. From there we walked to Big Ben and then over to Buckingham Palace. The next day we spent hours walking Hyde Park and making our way into Kensington Gardens – it was the the perfect weather to spend a day in the park. While we stayed in that area, we grabbed quick breakfasts at La Liaison, which had such good sandwiches, and had grabbed burgers that first night at Byron for a quick meal. That night we flew to Italy, but we made our way back to London at the end of our Europe trip.

When we got back to London after our trip, we stayed in Soho at the Z Hotel Soho – another great affordable options in such a great area. One of my bucket list items was always to go down to Apple Studios and take the cliche Abbey Road Beatle’s photo, which I got to do! I’m a huge Beatles fan but nobody compares to my mom and her love for the band. When my mom was 17 she traveled to London to have the ultimate Beatles experience and actually worked her way into Apple Studios (and has some original Beatles memorabilia to show for it). I loved hearing those stories as a kid, so it made going there extra special. You can see her picture from when she was 17 above mine below! We also had to try fish and chips at Poppie’s.

That night we had one last European celebration at Sketch – the most instagramable restaurant to exist. And you know I had to get a photo of that bathroom. Everything was delicious and the decor was perfection. I also plan on purchasing the tea set from the website! After dinner, we found ourselves roaming the West End and Carnaby.

My husband and I absolutely loved London and I’m so glad we got to begin and end our trip there. We found navigating the city so easy and their public transit so much less complicated than Chicago’s and New York’s.

 

Next up is Rome!

x Jill

Filed Under: Travel

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FOLLOW ALONG @jillbadlotto
If you don’t take a photo of palm trees, are you If you don’t take a photo of palm trees, are you even in Florida? 🌴 Just realized today is Monday, not Sunday, which means it’s Bachelor night. I’m all in this season and fully invested, because what else do I have to do on a Monday night other than judge a ton of people on a reality show? Also, what is up with Queen Victoria?
We are HUGE @DisneyPlus fans in this family and no We are HUGE @DisneyPlus fans in this family and now that Jude is getting older, we’re really loving family movie nights! So we’re SO excited for Disney+’s new original movie Flora & Ulysses, streaming February 19th! Flora & Ulysses is about a girl named who befriends a squirrel she rescues named Ulysses, and learns he possesses unique superhero powers that take them on an adventure that changes Flora’s life. I also love that it’s based on a book, and I can’t wait for Jude to watch it since he’s obsessed with the squirrels in our neighborhood. 😂 You can swipe right to check or visit the link in my bio to watch the full trailer for @Floraandulysses, streaming exclusively on Disney+ February 19th! @DisneyStudios #FloraAndUlysses #DisneyPlus #ad #hbtfloraulysses
Got a little weather FOMO when I saw it was snowin Got a little weather FOMO when I saw it was snowing in Chicago, but we took the boys to a nearby botanical garden (we were the only people there) and enjoyed the 70 degree weather so much, I stopped missing the snow reaaaal quick. 😉 Also the @sollybaby wrap may be our most used baby product. It’s so comfortable, easy to put on, and Heath absolutely loves it. I may start carrying Olive in it when he’s too big for it.
Hooray for 3 months! 💙We’re officially out of Hooray for 3 months! 💙We’re officially out of the fourth trimester and we’re really starting to see his little personality come through. He gives the most hilarious judgmental looks (who can blame him? He’s a 2020 baby), smiles when anyone talks to him, and loves to watch his big brother play.  He’s only been here for a few days but he’s loving the Florida sunshine! ☀️ #heyheathjoseph #childhoodunplugged #babyboy #lifewithlittles
After driving 24 hours we finally made it to paren After driving 24 hours we finally made it to parents’ house in Florida! Driving with two kids under two, two dogs, and enough suitcases to dress an army was hectic to say the least, but it’s always the crazy ideas that make the best memories. And even though we’re not going anywhere, the change of scenery and ability to be outside is going to be such a treat for us. Jude is already living his best life in nothing but a diaper while Olive has already traumatized the ducks in the backyard. 😂 Side note: this gallery wall at their house is my favorite, and I can’t believe how much Jude looks like my dad as a baby (third photo from the top left!) #heyjudeharrison
Proof I own sneakers. Also proof I don’t really Proof I own sneakers. Also proof I don’t really know what to do with them because I wore them in wet snow. 🥴 Took this guy to his 2 year appointment today. I can’t believe we have an almost 2 year old! #heyjudeharrison

FOLLOW ALONG! @JILLBADLOTTO

If you don’t take a photo of palm trees, are you If you don’t take a photo of palm trees, are you even in Florida? 🌴 Just realized today is Monday, not Sunday, which means it’s Bachelor night. I’m all in this season and fully invested, because what else do I have to do on a Monday night other than judge a ton of people on a reality show? Also, what is up with Queen Victoria?
We are HUGE @DisneyPlus fans in this family and no We are HUGE @DisneyPlus fans in this family and now that Jude is getting older, we’re really loving family movie nights! So we’re SO excited for Disney+’s new original movie Flora & Ulysses, streaming February 19th! Flora & Ulysses is about a girl named who befriends a squirrel she rescues named Ulysses, and learns he possesses unique superhero powers that take them on an adventure that changes Flora’s life. I also love that it’s based on a book, and I can’t wait for Jude to watch it since he’s obsessed with the squirrels in our neighborhood. 😂 You can swipe right to check or visit the link in my bio to watch the full trailer for @Floraandulysses, streaming exclusively on Disney+ February 19th! @DisneyStudios #FloraAndUlysses #DisneyPlus #ad #hbtfloraulysses
Got a little weather FOMO when I saw it was snowin Got a little weather FOMO when I saw it was snowing in Chicago, but we took the boys to a nearby botanical garden (we were the only people there) and enjoyed the 70 degree weather so much, I stopped missing the snow reaaaal quick. 😉 Also the @sollybaby wrap may be our most used baby product. It’s so comfortable, easy to put on, and Heath absolutely loves it. I may start carrying Olive in it when he’s too big for it.
Hooray for 3 months! 💙We’re officially out of Hooray for 3 months! 💙We’re officially out of the fourth trimester and we’re really starting to see his little personality come through. He gives the most hilarious judgmental looks (who can blame him? He’s a 2020 baby), smiles when anyone talks to him, and loves to watch his big brother play.  He’s only been here for a few days but he’s loving the Florida sunshine! ☀️ #heyheathjoseph #childhoodunplugged #babyboy #lifewithlittles
After driving 24 hours we finally made it to paren After driving 24 hours we finally made it to parents’ house in Florida! Driving with two kids under two, two dogs, and enough suitcases to dress an army was hectic to say the least, but it’s always the crazy ideas that make the best memories. And even though we’re not going anywhere, the change of scenery and ability to be outside is going to be such a treat for us. Jude is already living his best life in nothing but a diaper while Olive has already traumatized the ducks in the backyard. 😂 Side note: this gallery wall at their house is my favorite, and I can’t believe how much Jude looks like my dad as a baby (third photo from the top left!) #heyjudeharrison
Proof I own sneakers. Also proof I don’t really Proof I own sneakers. Also proof I don’t really know what to do with them because I wore them in wet snow. 🥴 Took this guy to his 2 year appointment today. I can’t believe we have an almost 2 year old! #heyjudeharrison

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