It's a shore thing (or at least it will be next time)

I wouldn’t say we nailed our first visit to Shoreditch but we still had fun. The Shoreditch train station is right next to ‘BoxPark’ a little shopping mecca made from container ships; pop-up stores on the ground floor and then food and bars up on the second floor.

The width and size of a container ship fitted out with clothes racks and other merchandising tables makes it a wee bit tricky to look around with a pram (ok lets be honest, it’s a lot tricky, but hey we make do) and the top level is accessible by stairs only but if you have some muscles with you it’s still worth a look around. I’m sure later on in the evening this little spot would get MIGHTY rowdy but 12.30 pm it’s friendly and inviting, with tables basking in the sunshine.

So from here we thought we’d find the shops to look around. And so we looked up and down and around looking for a ‘main’ street that we didn’t find. So (correct me if I’m wrong) but it seems pretty much most of the shops are a mix of chain stores, vintage wares and super trendy designers tucked in and around all the little alleyways. Sooo, as always, on a toddler timeframe we had to move on but we will come back and do it properly now that we know what’s going on.

But next was far more exciting. A twenty-minute walk later we were at The Museum of Childhood (NB there is a bus that goes there too if you aint in a walking mood). Three levels of toys greeted us, spanning over a hundred years of history (probably longer, who knows, lets’ just say we skipped the information booth and went straight for the fun times!). Interactive displays, fully functioning train sets, giant robots…. Oh my goodness Austin was in heaven! Ok, heaven would have been the same place minus all of the glass cabinets but it certainly made for a happier visit (no screaming and crying when you try to pull him away).

Lunch of fish fingers and peas was followed by a run around in Bethnal Park next door. With free entry and a baby’s short attention span this is going to be the purrrfect winter hangout. 

Hello London

Baby meltdown alert

Just like most of life, London touring with a baby is slightly more difficult than life without a baby but it can also be more exciting and certainly more unexpected.

Instead of just doing the walking around, been there, done that situation you actually stop and take it in, and when the small man is making ‘ooh ooh’ sounds at every passing red bus, big building and general tourist walking by the whole day takes on a whole new shiny, exciting feeling.

We started off getting the bus to Big Ben, getting off on the other side of the bridge (which immensely annoyed Pat) as I wanted to get photos looking across to Big Ben. Getting in early worked a treat as there were few people around and all was going FABULOUSLY until Austin had a super melt down ‘no more damn photos!’  The moment was made even better as several French tourists walked past with a what terrible parents are you look on their faces. But really all he wanted to do was give his legs a little run before falling dead off to sleep.

This little spot near Big Ben is a great area to do your tourist walk as there is so much in the one area. We walked up past Westminster Abbey and then down Derby Gate where there were some beautiful buildings to ogle but um yeah, I don’t know what buildings they were so, sorry can’t tell you. Some type of government, queen something.

Trafalgar square was next and if we had time we would have popped in to the National Gallery, but baby was sleeping so we were on a deadline. Time for a coffee stop so we went to Pret in Trafalgar Sqaure – my advice would be AVOID. They do not have toilets, which is pretty annoying as part purpose of our coffee stop was also to bathroom stop. Crisis was averted however as there are public (clean) toilets in Trafalgar Square. But with this in mind you may as well avoid the average Pret coffee and go somewhere else.

Toilet business aside, we finished off our London tour morning on The London Eye. £20 per adult later we were flying high up in the sky.

Can’t wait for more London touring <3

In the market for good food

Do you want the good news or the bad news first?

Well, lets start with the good news. The good news is I have a fabulous sightseeing day out that I can share with you, that I think you will just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. The bad news is it is mostly weather dependant (which in England equals rain, rain, rain), but when in Rome do as the romans do – and in England if it is raining you just get on with it. Which means that there is ONLY GOOD NEWS!

So now to the important stuff… a day out in London! Our day starts in the idyllic Regents Canal. Depending on how fit/sporty/motivated you are feeling you could start this walk as early as Angel allowing for a leisurely one-hour stroll. Or if you want to get the beauty of the canals without the ardour of a lengthy walk then start a bit further up towards Haggerston train station (this may, or may not have been where we started our journey – hint, it was definitely where we started). The canals are very pretty, with colourful long boats floating past and if you’re lucky like we were you might get the lazy English sun beating down on you as well. 

Either way, the destination is going to be the Broadway street market. Vintage clothes, delicious cakes, fresh produce and the most amazing food (I dieeee for the fried buttermilk chicken burger). 

Now I don’t want to overhype my little day out here, because although I am giving it 5 stars it is not visiting Big Ben, and it is not visiting Westminster Abbey and well, it’s not visiting any of the ‘big sights’ of London. It is a lazy, leisurely Saturday morning devoid of rushing and the big red bus tourist trap. So if you’re in London and you’ve got 101 things planned to do (likely) but you’re two days in, burnt out and craving a break from the rushing this will be the most fabulous day for you. And after you’ve perused the market you can kick back at The Market Café with a drink and let the morning float by (this may, or may not have been how we ended our journey – hint, it was definitely how we ended our journey, and what a fabulous way to do it!).