Playing Tourist in London

Sunday night in Kensington is much quieter than Saturday, so we were all able to get some sleep before our big day exploring London. Hubster, Little Man, and I breakfasted in the flat, then met up with Unky Mark on the way to the tube station. Let me say that I was incredibly happy not to be navigating on this trip; I’ve been spoiled with the Helsinki metro and its one line, with no need to transfer. The London tube, quite frankly, gives me a headache just looking at the map.

We took whichever lines necessary to get from Gloucester Road to Westminster. Little Man, as usual, enjoyed every moment, from booping the Oyster card upon entering the station, to navigating the winding underground tunnels, to climbing the crowded stairs back to street level. Once we stepped back into the chilly January air (ah, fresh air!), we were standing directly across from Big Ben. I looked up excitedly, admiring the beautiful clock tower in all its scaffolded glory. Sigh. I could barely make out the clock face through the criss-crossing metal, and didn’t bother getting any pictures. I’m slightly regretting that now as it is amusing to look back at the disappointment.

We walked a little ways onto the Westminster Bridge, which passes over the River Thames, and admired the Houses of Parliament.

Such a pretty view!

Figuring out the best route to Buckingham Palace

After we all agreed to the route Hubster had suggested, we set off down Birdcage Walk, along St. James’ Park. Deciding to enter the park rather than stay along the street, we walked along the beautiful St. James’ Park Lake.

Little Man picking up some navigation skills

We walked the length of the park, ending up near Buckingham Palace. There were swarms of people gathered outside, and eventually we figured out that they were waiting for the changing of the guards. As cool as it would have been to see that, a nice older gentleman was going through the crowds, informing people that it would be at least a half an hour wait until the new guards arrived. Little Man was not about to stand still that long, and the rest of us weren’t too fussed about watching the ceremony from afar, so we continued walking back along The Mall, which runs along the opposite side of St. James’ Park to Birdcage Walk.

The streets around Buckingham Palace were closed in preparation for the changing of the guard

We lucked out on our choice of route as it brought us alongside the military barracks. We may not have seen the actual changing of the guard, but we did get to see this amazing procession of guards on horseback!

Such a cool sight to see!

We passed Clarence House, the Queen’s Chapel, and the Royal Society before passing under Admiralty Arch and arriving at the famed Trafalgar Square. Maybe I was expecting more people, or possibly more pigeons, I’m not sure. All I know is that Peppa Pig has a lot to answer for when it comes to how exciting Trafalgar Square is. Perhaps not much was happening as it was January and not the best weather, but I did find the whole place rather underwhelming.

Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery

We wasted no time in plotting the course to our next stop: The Royal Observatory in Greenwich. There’s a bit of a back story as to why we wanted to visit, and it’s so random, I feel I should share it. Little Man had become rather obsessed with watching airplane videos on YouTube. (It’s amazing how many people film themselves flying!) One video in particular was his favorite for quite awhile: Flying Around the World in 80 Hours. It’s done by Noel Philips, who lives in the UK, and it starts, you guessed it, at the Royal Observatory. So, because it’s a cool story, but mostly because we spoil the crap out of LM, we had to go. Besides, I thought it would be a great spot for an expectant family photo.

Entrance to the Charing Cross tube station

Back on the Underground we went! At least the entrance to Charing Cross was in  Trafalgar Square. Oh, but then we had to walk about a mile through the tunnels to actually get to the train. It was exhausting. (Perhaps I should mention here that the only pair of shoes I brought with me were one inch heels. They’re super comfortable, but holy cow, there’s a reason heels are not recommended during pregnancy! My lower back was killing me by the end of the day.) But of course, being in London has its perks. Not the least of which is making random Harry Potter connections to things you weren’t sure actually existed or not. (I was a little bummed that we didn’t go on a Harry Potter walking tour. Perhaps when the little ones are old enough to appreciate it…or at least humor me.)

This makes an appearance in the 7th HP book. I tried to contain my excitement. (It didn’t work.)

Upon our arrival in Greenwich, we realized it would be a good time for lunch. Deciding pizza was a safe bet for everyone, we found an amazing place called Franco Manca, which serves pizza with a sourdough crust. We each ordered a personal pizza (one off the kids menu for Little Man), beer or juice (I asked for a non-alcoholic cider and the waiter laughed at me, asking, “Isn’t that apple juice?”), and settled in at our cozy table. The food was ah-may-zing! I’m fairly certain it was the best pizza I’ve ever eaten, and we’ve ordered pizza in just about every country we’ve been to. Besides having the best crust I’ve ever tasted, it’s served with a choice of oils for dipping. I went with the chili oil since spice is sparse in Finland and, hello, cravings. But don’t take my word for it; the true test of how good food is, is how much of it Little Man eats. He ate his entire  pizza. The whole thing. Hubster and I were shocked. That was the most he’d eaten at one time in at least a month, if not ever. (He’s not a big eater at the best of times, but for him to eat that much of one thing goes to show how delicious it is.) Also, it was pretty big for a kids’ pizza.

The best pizza ever at Franco Manca

Completely stuffed, we heaved ourselves away from the table and began walking to the Royal Observatory. (At least we had a decent walk to help us digest!) It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, if a bit chilly, and Greenwich is a gorgeous place for a stroll. Hubster once again took the lead with navigating and we moseyed through a park full of dog walkers and squirrels, always a hilarious combination.

Eventually, we came to the base of a hill, atop which stood the Royal Observatory. There was a sign stating that it was a six minute hike up (I say “hike” because it was a steep hill), or you could take the handicap accessible trail, taking 18 minutes. I decided to brave the six minute path and go slowly. Luckily, I had the presence of mind to look back halfway up and was rewarded with a stunning view.

View of Greenwich on the way to the Royal Observatory

At last, we all made it to the top. Unfortunately, that’s when Hubster realized that we’d come to the Royal Observatory, when what we actually wanted to see was the Prime Meridian…at the bottom of the hill. Cue long-suffereing groan. The nice thing about this park is that there seemed to be no end to the number of paths, so we chose a different one for our descent. About ten minutes later, we reached our planned destination. (Looking at the map now, where we really went was the Millennium Sun Dial, next to the Greenwich Boating Pond. This was where Noel filmed his flight video and luckily, exactly where we wanted to be.)

Although the boating pond was empty, and being used as a playground for happy pups, we were not the only ones admiring the sundial, and had to wait our turn for a photo opp. It was well worth it.

Family photo at the Millennium Sun Dial in Greenwich

As Little Man was still fairly energetic (it takes quite a bit to wear him down), we stopped at the Children’s Playground next to the sundial. Another excellent play area, he had a blast and ran off the last of his pizza.

Ready to head home (and get cake at Fait Mason near our Air BnB), we made our way back to the tube, stopping briefly at a souvenir shop along the way. We had been telling LM all day that we would get cake on our way home. I was so excited to stop at the beautifully decorated cake place, with beautiful-looking cakes, not to mention eat some of that beautiful deliciousness. Alas, as I was getting ready to place our order, Hubster noticed the sign that said “Cash Only”. What a blow! Of course, none of us had cash, and we didn’t feel like finding an ATM and coming back. Seriously, why was this sign next to the cash register and not on the door?! I was heartbroken. Fait Mason, you will always have the cake that got away.

I’m sad every time I think about it

Slightly depressed (don’t come between a pregnant lady and cake!), we said farewell to Unky Mark for the final time, swung by a store for some form of dessert for LM since it was so constantly talked about, and went home. LM couldn’t have cared less about his dessert, and passed out close to 6 pm. (I guess we did wear him out.)

Apparently anxious to get home, he woke us up at 4:30 the next morning. Oy, kids. At least we weren’t rushing to get to the airport. While checking in, I was finally asked if I was expecting. I was so flattered that someone would ask that I’d completely forgotten about my Finnair form. Of course, it was on file, and the counter agent was simply doing her job by asking, but it made me happy nonetheless.

A friend of mine had upgraded LM and I to business class for the flight home, and Hubster had paid for his seat upgrade, so we all flew in style. (After also flying business class to Mexico in November, I’m getting used to this. It’s an amazing way to fly.) There’s so much leg room!

Other than Little Man having a complete screaming meltdown when he had to put his seat belt on for landing, it was a pretty good flight. Those last twenty minutes made me feel bad for everyone else in business class, but hey, at least it wasn’t the entire journey. Of course, as soon as we touched down, he passed out. That’s what happens when you wake up too early. One day he’ll learn…I hope.

Good thing he’s cute.

And just like that, Little Man had completed his 59th flight. This was also my 14th flight while pregnant, the same number as with LM. These two were born with wanderlust in their veins.

 

London Called, So We Called at London

It transpired that in January this year, Hubster made a business trip to Bristol. As I was desperate to see London, and Hubster’s brother was also there on business, Little Man and I flew out to meet them on a Saturday.

At this point in time, I was 31 weeks pregnant. We were flying on Finnair, who, at the 28th week of pregnancy, require a doctor’s certificate to prove that the pregnancy is progressing normally. You’re required to send the certificate to Finnair prior to your flight, and they will send you an approval, which you must have in order to board. In Finland, this certificate can be signed by a midwife, but when I asked mine about it, she said that only private clinics will provide them. So I made an appointment at the Terveystalo (literally “health house”; this is the private clinic), saw a doctor for about 15 minutes, and obtained my certificate for a whopping 154€. (Insurance did eventually cover it, but it took being submitted twice before that happened.)

For Finnairs requirements for flying while pregnant, click here.

The day of our flight to London, no one asked to see my certificate or, indeed, asked if I was pregnant at all. I had been emailed an approval from Finnair, so I wasn’t worried, but after all the hassle, it would’ve been nice to know that it was needed. All the same, Little Man and I boarded the flight, and spent an enjoyable three hours on the airplane. It was probably one of his best ever flights, behaviour wise, other than the ones where he slept the entire time. Lucky for me, since being so pregnant is not comfortable at the best of times, but especially not on an airplane.

This was Little Man’s 58th flight!

We landed safely in London, breezed through immigration, and made our way to the train that would take us to Paddington Station. I love Paddington Station. It’s so iconically British and has everything the harried traveler could need, and then some. We had timed it perfectly so LM and I had only about a ten minute wait for Hubster’s train from Bristol. I managed to find which track it would be arriving on and planted LM in front of it while pointing out various dogs to keep him occupied. Soon enough, Hubster appeared, and we all made our way to a nearby cafe for a quick coffee and snack before catching the tube to our Air BnB in Kensington.

We picked up the keys from a hotel, then decided to stop at Waitrose for a few essentials. We then proceeded to walk from the Gloucester Road tube station to Queens Gate. Turns out, that’s where a lot of Embassy’s are, and it felt very fancy, walking through Kensington, surrounded by high end cars and gorgeous buildings.

Our accommodations were a small but nice ground floor flat, with drafty windows and the noisiest neighbors I’ve ever encountered. Little Man had started running back and forth around 6 pm, causing (I’m guessing) the neighbors below us to slide a note under the door asking that we not run “noisily”. I felt bad for disturbing them, but then again, it was 6 pm on a Saturday! I really wanted to know if they had a word with any of the people coming and going between 10 pm and 3 am who decided that yelling up the stairway (directly in front of our door) was the best possible way to communicate for extended periods of time. I doubt it. At least LM managed to sleep through all the ruckus.

Sunday morning dawned bright and crisp. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the flat, before setting out to explore Hyde Park. I was thrilled to finally see it. After reading all the Jane Austen novels, and so many others that reference this marvelous green space, my romantic teenage heart was swooning. With the sun shining through the trees onto the frost-covered grass, the smell of the fresh air, and the lovely English accents surrounding us, I felt like I’d walked right into one of those novels. Little Man found no end of enjoyment in chasing after the various dogs taking their morning constitutionals, and we slowly wound our way to Round Pond. Here, we marveled at the geese and innumerable swans floating merrily on the still water.

We continued our explorations by passing Kensington Palace (OMG, that’s where Will and Kate live!!), and admiring the pretty, if not yet in bloom, gardens.

Kensington Palace and the statue of Queen Victoria (she’s my favorite)

From there, we walked to the Diana Memorial Playground. We picked up a coffee and pastries from the little coffee shop outside, before entering the most amazing play area. Any adult entering must be accompanying a child, and the gate is unlocked by someone inside. This place is indescribably fantastic. All the play structures are made out of wood, with the exception of the metal slides, and there are numerous little areas, all with different themes, and separated by foliage. (One area is filled with a huge ship. It was incredible, and clearly a favorite of the kids.) You could easily spend an entire day there, but we called it quits after about two hours of nonstop running by LM.

Well, he did stop to eat a chocolate pastry in a play house

As we left, we met up with Hubster’s brother or, as Little Man calls him, Unky Mark. At this point, Little Man was pretty worn out, not to mention hungry (he does this great thing where he gets too distracted by playing to realize how hungry he is or, indeed, eat), and showed all the signs of an impending meltdown. It was nearing lunchtime anyway, so we made our way to a pub for a classic British lunch. I had a chicken and mushroom pie (not at all the type of “pie” Americans think of, more like chicken pot pie), and the boys had pub food and beer. It was all delicious. I have no clue where the idea that British food is awful comes from, but I love it. Of course, it could have been the pregnancy hormones (give me all of the food!), but I’d recommend trying it before writing it off. 

Happily full, our little group then trekked to the nearest tube station (the riding of the train being the highlight of Little Man’s day), and headed to Vauxhall City Farm. Hubster and I had taken LM to a city farm on our trip to Bristol two years previously, and thought he might enjoy it this time as well. We had also tried to plan things specifically that he would like, hence the Diana Memorial Playground. Honestly, he would’ve been happy riding the tube all day long, but it was nice to have a destination.

We chose Vauxhall City Farm over a few others for a couple of reasons: First, it was close to a tube station (about a ten minute walk), and convenient to get to from our flat; second, it was open on a day and time that we could visit; and third, it was free! (London is expensive, so any free activities are a total bonus.) It wasn’t very big, but the farm had alpacas, goats, chickens, rabbits, and horses. The people are friendly, and they ask for a donation, if you’d like to give one, at the entrance. We managed about twenty minutes there before Little Man tried making his way back to the tube station, so we gave in and headed home. Unky Mark had some more work to do, so we said “see you tomorrow” after disembarking from the Underground, stopped again for groceries, and had a quiet dinner in. LM fell asleep at 8:30, I’m assuming in order to recharge for the next day which, unbeknownst to us at the time, would be the most jam-packed of the trip. But I’ll save that for the next post…which I promise I’ll publish much quicker than this one!

This place had gorgeous cakes. Find out in my next post why that makes me so sad!

 

 

A Morning in Bath

Monday in Bristol was spent mostly in the hotel and wandering around a bit. Little Man was not much better, so I decided to postpone our excursion to Bath until Tuesday. We did manage to have a nice dinner at a canal-side Italian restaurant Monday evening.

Determined to get to Bath on this trip, I packed up Little Man after breakfast on Tuesday and headed to the train station. Though navigable with a pram, I opted to test out our new back carrier; it certainly made maneuvering through the station much easier, since I could take the stairs.

The train ride from Bristol to Bath took about 20 minutes. Just like that, I was in a city I’d only read about, and wanted to visit, my entire life. After getting my bearings, I made my way toward the Roman Baths. I walked along a street lined with shops, Little Man ensconced on my back, until I rounded a corner and saw a most welcome sight.

I was almost giddy with delight. At the same time, I was struck with the realization that I’d failed to plan anything for this outing. So we roamed a bit, taking in the sights and just reveling in being in Bath. Tourist groups abound, but it was still fairly early so there weren’t any lines. Our first stop was the cathedral. I wanted to climb the 502 steps for stunning views that they advertised, but they wouldn’t allow Little Man to go, so instead we admired the beautiful stained glass. Entrance into the cathedral is free, so that was a bonus.

 

Next stop was the Roman Baths. I’d heard too much and seen too many pictures to not go myself, so I paid the 16.50£ for an adult ticket. (Little Man, as usual, was free.) There’s actually quite a bit more to the bath house than most people talk about. Inside is a whole museum. Not that I got to see a whole lot of it; I was bribing the monkey on my back with gummies to keep quiet long enough to go through the entire building. It was totally worth it.

 

The architecture alone is mesmerizing. I really enjoyed being in such a historic place. So much has happened here, it was amazing to see it for myself. One of my favorite architectural aspects was this rounded bit:

Turns out that’s the Pump Room! Any other Jane Austen fans will know that this was a pivotal place in Northanger Abbey. (And very possibly the entire reason I’ve always wanted to visit.) Satisfied that I’d seen everything there was at the baths, LM and I went in search of lunch.

Next to the museum entrance was a door leading to a restaurant: The Pump Room! Oh my goodness, I was in heaven. Feeling entirely under dressed and incredibly out of place, I walked in. Having been told that it would be a few minutes for a table, I attempted to sit down while simultaneously removing the back carrier. A near-impossible task on ones own, but I managed with no injuries. Looking around, I saw that most people were very casually dressed, so I had nothing to worry about.

The hostess sat us at a table in the back of the Pump Room (which means we walked through the entire place! It was gorgeous), near a pianist who lightly played in the background. She said she hoped it would keep Little Man distracted and, while she probably had no clue, this small action put me instantly at ease.

It worked to a point, but he was more interested in food. We had a light lunch of berry scones and eggs benedict with Scottish smoked ham. Complete with coffee. (I realized how American that made me sound after the waitress suggested tea and I went for coffee. Hey, I’ve been living in Finland for over a year, what else would I drink?) It was all very delightful. I couldn’t bring myself to take a picture of the food, so you’ll have to believe me when I say that it was as delicious as it looked.

Knowing that Little Man wouldn’t be able to take much more now that he’d eaten, I found the most glaringly obvious souvenir shop and made a quick stop. I had picked up a mug for myself the day before, but I always get my dad a shot glass, and I couldn’t miss this opportunity. Nothing that I found in Bristol was very touristy, so I figured this was my best bet. That complete, my tag-a-long and I made our way back to the train station, LM insisting on carrying the souvenir bag for me.

 

I bought another ticket, not realizing that the one I’d purchased that morning was a return. (I’m still not convinced of that as I only received one ticket and a receipt.) So I spent another 7.90£ for another (return) ticket. WTF, ticket machine? I’m still confused by this. The trip back to Bristol was quicker, with fewer stops, and we made it back to the hotel around one o’clock.

Little Man attempted, with no avail, to nap, then we hung out until Hubster was done with work. We met up and walked to a restaurant, during which time LM finally passed out. Amazingly, he stayed sleeping long enough for us to order food and drinks, finally waking just before the food arrived.

We had a nice dinner, meandered back to the hotel, then managed to get everything packed before going to bed. Our early flight Wednesday morning meant that we were up earlier than I ever like to be unless I’m going fishing. We caught our train from Paddington station, but instead of sitting in our reserved seats, I spied three open seats at a table and insisted we sit there. The table seats aren’t as common, but offer more room to spread out. This way, Little Man even had his own seat! After seeing that people had eventually taken our reserved seats, we stayed where we were. Good thing too; by the second to last stop before the airport, there was standing room only on the train. It was a bit crazy.

The aircraft back to Helsinki was an A350, the largest plane I’d ever been on. It wasn’t completely full, which means that, once again, Little Man had his own seat, if he wished. He didn’t. As soon as we pushed back from the gate, he climbed into my lap, fell asleep, and stayed there until we landed. It was the first flight since he was born that I was able to watch an entire movie! (I watched “Joy”. I’d never heard of it, but it stars Jennifer Lawrence and I like her, so I gave it a chance. I recommend it.)

Buckling his seat belt like a boss

Hey presto! We were home again. We leave this Sunday for Croatia, so the adventure keeps going. We’ll be there for a week (plenty of things to write about!), then my parents arrive in Helsinki the day after we do. We’re planning to go to Stockholm for three days and do a day trip to Tallinn. My apologies in advance if there’s a bit of a gap before the next post. I’ll do my best!

Happy summer, All!

 

Exploring Bristol

Sunday morning, we all slept in. Bristol is only two hours behind Helsinki, but with travel and getting settled into a hotel, Little Man was thrown off pretty good. Luckily, the hotel breakfast is served until 11.30 on weekends. The staff were all very accommodating, providing a high chair right away, and we were able to enjoy a lovely breakfast. I quite like seeing the variety provided by different hotels across Europe as it usually highlights the typical food of the region. The standout food at this buffet (for me) was the blood sausage. They also offered poached and scrambled eggs, (normal) sausage, hash browns, toast, pastries, fruit, yogurt (three flavors!), granola, cold cereal, porridge (or oatmeal), and a make-your-own waffle machine. If you desired something other than these options, there was a menu you could order from that was included in the breakfast price of 10£ per person (Little Man being free). Drinks were set up along the bar with your choice of apple or orange juice, coffee, a plethora of teas, and water. It was all quite nice.

With our tummies now full, we left in search of adventure. As Hubster would be working the next two days, we had looked up a couple things to do as a family before arriving. Our first stop was M Shed. It’s a free museum about the history and city of Bristol. Educational, free, and kid-friendly? Yes, please! It was a quick 15 minute walk from the Hilton Garden Inn, mostly along the river. It was a bit strange to me that the walking paths were all just sidewalks, as opposed to Helsinki, where you can easily be away from traffic, walking in nature. However, it was nice to see the architecture, the river, and to get a feel for the city if we plan to move there.

M Shed was quite lovely. There’s multiple interactive exhibits, all very good for young children, especially those who love to press buttons! Little Man’s favorite part was the antique bus. He liked climbing the spiral stairs to the top level.

 

Unfortunately, he wouldn’t stay focused in one area for very long, so even though we went through most of the museum, we were unable to glean much information. It was a nice day though, so from there, we headed to Windmill Hill City Farm. This place is great. It’s a farm right in the city and completely free to visit. They have a cool play area, sheep, goats, geese, ducks, chickens, a hands-on barn, and a cafe. It looked like they also hosted birthday parties and some craft classes, but we didn’t do any of that.

 

Little Man was content with running around for a bit, then sitting in the pram while we walked by the animals. It was only about a 20 minute walk from M Shed, and easy to get to. All the excitement quickly wore him out, and we were able to walk the 30 minutes to the hotel before he completely crashed.

 

The nice thing about my little adventurer not sleeping in his pram is that we get some down time as well. While he was napping, Hubster and I looked up some more places to go that afternoon. We ended up having lunch at a restaurant called Giraffe located in Cabot Circus. “Circus” means shopping mall, for you other Americans who might be confused by the terminology. It’s a pretty cool area. I bought a few souvenirs there, and was able to explore the shops more on Monday.

With lunch over, and a quick walk about the circus complete, we wandered around Bristol a bit, with no real destination. I think Hubster and I both enjoyed being able to read signs, understand what certain stores were, and listen to passing conversations. The variety of accents was fascinating.

In the end, we climbed up Brandon Hill, where there was a lovely playground for Little Man, and gorgeous views of the city for us.

 

The sun didn’t set too much earlier than I was used to, which means about 21.30, so it was still light when we arrived back at the hotel. We had picked up a few things from Tesco since we had such a late lunch, and after hanging out in the hotel room for a bit, we put Little Man to bed.

Whether from the travelling, or something he ate, he woke up at midnight, screaming bloody murder. This is quite rare for him, no matter where we are. After discovering a terrible case of diarrhea and diaper rash, we realized he was not likely to get back to sleep without some sort of medication. The plus side was that Hubster was able to search for pharmacies without having to worry about bad translations. The downside was that it was after midnight on a Sunday. I finally called the front desk for assistance. I was told that they are unable to sell any medications on the premises, but the man did know a place to go. As he couldn’t remember the name of it, I sent Hubster downstairs to get directions, and set up Little Man with some Peppa and snuggles to await his return.

A liberal dose of “nappy cream” and some Tylenol enabled our afflicted traveler to sleep. It was now after one in the morning and we were all exhausted. After that stressful event, we were happy to get a few hours of sleep.

Getting to Bristol, England

I have waited almost my entire life to go to England. I’m going to go ahead and thank Jane Austin for that desire, but props to Hubster for actually making it happen. When he had a couple days of work scheduled there, I decided to tag along. (As if I’d let him go without me.)

So, for once not taking the early flight, we headed to the airport mid-morning Saturday. It took us 22 minutes from the time we arrived to check the stroller and a bag (it was for work, we had to do it) and get through security. As much as I’d like to say we’re pros at getting through airports quickly, I think a lot of that had to do with the excellence of the Helsinki airport.

Little did we know, we’d also have to go through passport control, something I have never had to do there. (I always enter Europe through AMS, where I can navigate passport control on my own at this point.) Luckily, it wasn’t too tedious, and we still had time to grab a quick lunch before boarding. Takeoff occurred a couple hours after Little Man’s normal nap time, and as soon as the engines started, he passed out on my lap. He only managed to sleep for 45 minutes of the almost three hour flight, so we got to utilize our newly purchased (as in that morning) tablet, on which Hubster had downloaded every episode of Peppa Pig from Netflix. I really don’t want to be that parent who uses technology to silence her child, especially on public transportation, but with the tight confines of an airplane, the fact that he didn’t have his own seat, and the inability to realistically get up and walk around, I went with it. Sometimes you have to use all the tools you have.

We arrived in London a little after 15:00 local time. Wow, was immigration crazy! We were allowed to go through the expedited line thanks to Little Man, and boy was that helpful! A flight from Dubai had landed at about the same time, so it was extra crowded. Interestingly, we all got stamps in our passports. They didn’t stamp us out from Finland, so it was a little strange.

We were hoping to catch a 16:00 train to Paddington Station so we could make our connecting train to Bristol. That didn’t happen. Fortunately, the trains from Heathrow to Paddington run every 15 minutes, and we had flexible tickets to Bristol, even though we had reserved seats on the earlier train.

So tired

Once we arrived in Paddington, we checked the time for the next train to Bristol, then went in search of food. We found what amounted to the English version of Chipotle, and ordered burritos for take away before hopping on the train.

Paddington to Bristol was just under two hours. There wasn’t a lot of space in the seats, so we broke out the tablet about halfway through. Little Man was a champ. He was fairly happy exploring the train cars (really, it felt like walking up and down the aisles of an airplane), and even accompanied me to the cafe car, where we bought him some porridge. (He was not a fan of the burritos.)

Surprise! Honey pot

We were able to enjoy the lovely views of the countryside while Little Man zoned out. Poor thing was so exhausted, I’m amazed he stayed awake the whole time. At least the stops were pretty evenly spaced apart, so we’d travel for a while, then stop for a few minutes at each station.

We arrived at the Briston Temple Meads station just at about 18:15. It was a five minute walk to the Hilton Garden Inn, our home for the next four nights. We checked in, dropped off our bags in the room, then wandered around a bit, exploring the area while also looking for dinner. As it was Saturday night, it was quite noisy. It also happened to be the day of the royal wedding, so it was fun to see how many people were wearing masks with the royal family’s faces on them. (Yes, really.)

That particular area was full of bars and raucous people, so we stopped at a grocery store for a few things, then went back to the hotel. We managed to fit the cot they provided in the bathroom, so Little Man could have his own space, not to mention complete darkness, which is how he sleeps at home. We used the tablet to play white noise (also something he uses at home), and after only five minutes of crying, he was out for the night.

Hubster and I went to bed fairly early as well. Travelling with a toddler is exhausting! We had plans to explore more of what the city had to offer the next day, and needed our rest.