Bean and the Stalk

A Lifestyle Blog

  • About
  • Fashion
  • Lifestyle
  • Adventures
  • Happenings
  • Contact

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

Older
Newer
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Let's be besties,
(I'll go first...)

 

FOLLOW ALONG @jillbadlotto
Happy weekend. 🖤 Made it to the Van Gogh exhibi Happy weekend. 🖤 Made it to the Van Gogh exhibit in Miami yesterday. If it’s in your city, I highly recommend! #miami #darlingweekend #imaginevangogh #vangoghexperience
When I brought up driving to Florida with our two When I brought up driving to Florida with our two kids and two dogs to my husband, I was half kidding and half hoping he would say yes, because MY GOD did we need a change of scenery. We knew flying wasn’t an option, and we wanted to drive straight through in order to avoid people. Here are some things to make the journey easier on us:

- Organizing EVERYTHING with Amazon packing cubes. We packed things by category (one cube for small toys, one for snacks, one for pumping parts) so everything was easy to grab.

- We kept a ball in the car so when we stopped at rest stops, Jude could let out some energy and stretch his legs (Also, stopping at rest stops vs gas stations is ideal. There’s rarely any people and usually there’s outdoor space to run)

- We tried sticking to nap schedules by playing white noise via Spotify through the car. This helped the boys sleep!

- Investing in a good cooler was a MUST. Our @yeti cooler kept all the bottles cold, along with snacks like fruit and sandwiches. 

- To keep Jude busy, we raided the @target dollar section for new toys. I also binded flash cards together so they didn’t get lost in the car, and magic marker color books kept him entertained for awhile. 

And when all else failed, we used the trusty iPad for some screen time. All screen time limits go out the window on a road trip. Just make sure you download an app beforehand that locks the screen so you don’t have to fix it 100 times in an hour. 🤪 You can check out my recent blog post on more tips/tricks, and some photos from out time here so far. 🚗🌴#linkinbio #heyjudeharrison
Yesterday we celebrated Heathie boy’s 6 month bi Yesterday we celebrated Heathie boy’s 6 month birthday. ❤️ Can not believe it’s been half a year but also can’t believe there was a time where he wasn’t a part of our family. Heath has such a peaceful presence and calming nature. I love the way he takes the world in, a little skeptical and curious but still always smiling. He is so happy to be out on adventures and admires everything that Jude does. He’s constantly laughing, rarely gets upset, loves when we play music, and is turning into a little water baby. But nothing makes him happier than putting him in his sleep sack and taking a nap (just like his mama 😂). He is truly an angel on earth and we are so lucky he is ours. ❤️ #heyheathjoseph #6monthsold #babyboy #childhoodunplugged
Foolishly thought because I felt fine after my fir Foolishly thought because I felt fine after my first shot that the second #covidvacccine would be fine. Yeah... 😂😂. Had body aches and a bad headache all day yesterday that kept me in bed, with a fever last night and chills. Feeling so much better today, especially sitting outside in this beautiful weather we’re having. So excited to be fully vaccinated and hopefully pass along some antibodies to my children! #ᴠᴀᴄᴄɪɴᴇssᴀᴠᴇʟɪᴠᴇs #florida #darlingescapes
YAY for science! And vaccines! 💉 Received my 2n YAY for science! And vaccines! 💉 Received my 2nd dose of the #covidvaccine and it feels like Christmas in April. I know we still have a bit to go and it’s crucial to follow CDC guidelines, but this shot in the arm felt like that light at the end of the tunnel actually exists. This time last year I was sad that my job was put on hold (and eventually eliminated), we had all of our weddings for our coordination business postponed, and I had no idea when I’d see my family again. And now I can almost taste an overpriced glass of wine in a crowded bar with my friends. So grateful for science, doctors, nurses, essential workers, and all those who continue to carry our society through this pandemic. #WillSelfieForVaccines #covid_19 #ᴠᴀᴄᴄɪɴᴇssᴀᴠᴇʟɪᴠᴇs
Sharing some photos from our time in Florida so fa Sharing some photos from our time in Florida so far and some tips for road tripping with two kids on the blog today! 🚗 🌴 #linkinbio

FOLLOW ALONG! @JILLBADLOTTO

Happy weekend. 🖤 Made it to the Van Gogh exhibi Happy weekend. 🖤 Made it to the Van Gogh exhibit in Miami yesterday. If it’s in your city, I highly recommend! #miami #darlingweekend #imaginevangogh #vangoghexperience
When I brought up driving to Florida with our two When I brought up driving to Florida with our two kids and two dogs to my husband, I was half kidding and half hoping he would say yes, because MY GOD did we need a change of scenery. We knew flying wasn’t an option, and we wanted to drive straight through in order to avoid people. Here are some things to make the journey easier on us:

- Organizing EVERYTHING with Amazon packing cubes. We packed things by category (one cube for small toys, one for snacks, one for pumping parts) so everything was easy to grab.

- We kept a ball in the car so when we stopped at rest stops, Jude could let out some energy and stretch his legs (Also, stopping at rest stops vs gas stations is ideal. There’s rarely any people and usually there’s outdoor space to run)

- We tried sticking to nap schedules by playing white noise via Spotify through the car. This helped the boys sleep!

- Investing in a good cooler was a MUST. Our @yeti cooler kept all the bottles cold, along with snacks like fruit and sandwiches. 

- To keep Jude busy, we raided the @target dollar section for new toys. I also binded flash cards together so they didn’t get lost in the car, and magic marker color books kept him entertained for awhile. 

And when all else failed, we used the trusty iPad for some screen time. All screen time limits go out the window on a road trip. Just make sure you download an app beforehand that locks the screen so you don’t have to fix it 100 times in an hour. 🤪 You can check out my recent blog post on more tips/tricks, and some photos from out time here so far. 🚗🌴#linkinbio #heyjudeharrison
Yesterday we celebrated Heathie boy’s 6 month bi Yesterday we celebrated Heathie boy’s 6 month birthday. ❤️ Can not believe it’s been half a year but also can’t believe there was a time where he wasn’t a part of our family. Heath has such a peaceful presence and calming nature. I love the way he takes the world in, a little skeptical and curious but still always smiling. He is so happy to be out on adventures and admires everything that Jude does. He’s constantly laughing, rarely gets upset, loves when we play music, and is turning into a little water baby. But nothing makes him happier than putting him in his sleep sack and taking a nap (just like his mama 😂). He is truly an angel on earth and we are so lucky he is ours. ❤️ #heyheathjoseph #6monthsold #babyboy #childhoodunplugged
Foolishly thought because I felt fine after my fir Foolishly thought because I felt fine after my first shot that the second #covidvacccine would be fine. Yeah... 😂😂. Had body aches and a bad headache all day yesterday that kept me in bed, with a fever last night and chills. Feeling so much better today, especially sitting outside in this beautiful weather we’re having. So excited to be fully vaccinated and hopefully pass along some antibodies to my children! #ᴠᴀᴄᴄɪɴᴇssᴀᴠᴇʟɪᴠᴇs #florida #darlingescapes
YAY for science! And vaccines! 💉 Received my 2n YAY for science! And vaccines! 💉 Received my 2nd dose of the #covidvaccine and it feels like Christmas in April. I know we still have a bit to go and it’s crucial to follow CDC guidelines, but this shot in the arm felt like that light at the end of the tunnel actually exists. This time last year I was sad that my job was put on hold (and eventually eliminated), we had all of our weddings for our coordination business postponed, and I had no idea when I’d see my family again. And now I can almost taste an overpriced glass of wine in a crowded bar with my friends. So grateful for science, doctors, nurses, essential workers, and all those who continue to carry our society through this pandemic. #WillSelfieForVaccines #covid_19 #ᴠᴀᴄᴄɪɴᴇssᴀᴠᴇʟɪᴠᴇs
Sharing some photos from our time in Florida so fa Sharing some photos from our time in Florida so far and some tips for road tripping with two kids on the blog today! 🚗 🌴 #linkinbio

The Links

  • Home
  • Contact

Categories

  • Home
  • Fashion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Happenings
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 · Bean and the Stalk · Hello You Designs