Tales of the Traveling Tote #19 and a Giveaway

Welcome to our 19th edition of 

Tales of the Traveling Tote, where 

lovers of all things MacKenzie-Childs 

pack up our checkered totes and take 

you along with us. 

Call me crazy or insane, but I had promised my family 

(8 years and up) a trip to Europe when the Rome Temple 

was completed 

(the temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). 

Typical of most construction in Italy, it took years longer

than expected, but it was announced that it would open

in February of 2019, so we gave the family this trip

for a Christmas gift.

Then the craziness began as I had to make all the 

plans, bookings, and reservations for a crowd.

My oldest son is expecting in a couple of weeks, 

so they planned and went on their family's trip 

in March - that was easy - they did all their own plans!!!

If you know European hotels as we do, you know 

that the rooms tend to be small and many hotels 

will not allow a family of two parents and three 

children in a room, so we decided to try out Airbnb.

Our first stop was in London.  I had stayed in the 

Kings Cross train station area before, so I felt 

comfortable that I could get us around London from there.

In the past, I haven't been the planner and navigator, so there 

was definitely a lot more stress on me.

We chose The Princess Diana Home, so named 

because she had planted the garden here.

The building dates from the 1600's so there

was a lot of charm with fireplaces in every room.

These doors lead out to the garden that 

Princess Diana planted and are at the end of 

a nice large kitchen.

We enjoyed gathering in the kitchen for breakfast,

treats, and late night snacking each day.

This was the master bedroom and it was 

very charming and large.  

Miss Madi K is my work horse when I travel. 

She carries all of my comfort items that I 

will want on the plane, and then returns with

fragile items that I don't want broken.  

The master bedroom was also gorgeous and huge. 

Needless to say, we loved being the "masters".  

This bedroom accommodated our family with

three children really well.  The remaining rooms

got smaller but it was so fun all being together

and having a kitchen.

After a quick nap of about 2 hours, we headed 

straight to Platform 9 3/4 in Kings Cross Station,

and a taste of Cornish Pasties, since they had read about

pasties in Harry Potter.  You can find them in the train stations

and we think they are delicious.

We were very lucky that our first day in

London was nice and clear as we all rode 

in the London Eye.  Our group of 13 was given

our own pod, so that was really nice.

We got a bird's eye view of London.  

This little one turned 5 months old while

we were on our trip, and she was the star 

everywhere we went.  Big Ben was covered 

up, but we got a nice view of Parliament.

Then we were off to Buckingham Palace 

and Hyde Park.  The parks were in full glory.

The birth of the newest royal baby took place 

on the morning we flew out, so we got to see 

the announcement of Archie's birth (who hadn't

been named yet) in front of Buckingham Palace.

(Kind of understated if you ask me!)

And of course we had to get photos in the iconic 

red phone booths.  We felt blessed to have such

nice weather for our first day in London.

Day two the weather changed!

(No, I didn't ride the bike in the rain, but it just

went so well with my MC's!)

Fortunately we were snuggled into our dry 

Vintage Tea Bus for a tour of London.

We had the whole bottom floor to ourselves, which 

made it very nice.

The tables are so cute and all set when you arrive 

with both savory and sweet items.  You can choose 

a variety of teas, regular and herbal, or hot chocolate. 

The majority of us went with the hot chocolate.

Ms. Angelina had her first big trip with Miss Madi K 

and I, and she got to go out on all the day trips.

She even carried some MC plates along for the tea.

The tea was so fun and delicious.  I have done it before, 

but wanted the kids to experience it, and it worked 

out perfectly for a rainy day.

By the end of the tea the rain had stopped

and we went Harrod's to see the Food Halls,

and do some shopping.  Check out the couture

children's department in Harrod's!!! 4600 pounds

for a child's rabbit fur cape!!!

That night it was off to Phantom of the Opera.

  Ms. Angelina came along and loved the floor in the entry 

of Her Majesty's Theater.

She even snuck into the empty box next to us, 

hoping that this was the box reserved for the Phantom.

My middle son is in love with Phantom, and none

of us had seen it for years - since the movie had

come out - so we chose to bring the whole family

to it while in London.

We had seats on the second and third rows, and 

were blown away by the production.  Carlotta had 

the most amazing voice and being that close, you felt

like she was singing to you in your living room.

The management of Her Majesty's Theater

were amazing!  They let us bring the infant into the

lounge and have someone switch off with her 

during intermission.  She slept the whole time and was 

perfect.  

Day three we headed out to The Tower of London.

We had another nice day, but brought our rain gear

with us, just in case.

Then we walked over to London Bridge,

and then on to Borough Market for our

favorite foods.  They had moved Kappacaisein Dairy

across the street.

We love their raclette that they scrape onto

potatoes and pickles,

and their raclette cheese sandwiches.

My favorite filled donuts had moved too -

they are now out on the street between the

two covered buildings.

Yum!!!  This was a huge highlight for the whole family 

as they are all foodies.

That afternoon we went by Uber to see 

the Harry Potter Studio Tour.  We have a family full of

Harry Potter fans, so this had to be on our list.

The tour had doubled in size since I was there a few years ago,

and tickets were sold out a few months in advance,

so we were glad we had purchased them in February.

The Great Hall is spectacular, and hubby would love to 

recreate that in our home.  How about this table?  

Going on the studio tour, it amazes you how many 

props and details go into a movie.  The costumes are 

gorgeous and so fun to see.

Half way through the tour they have food, so

we stopped for lunch.  Of course, Ms. Angelina

came along.

Then you go outside to see the Knight's Bus,

Number 4 Privet Drive, and the crooked bridge.

Spoiler alert, these photos are of the new additions.

They now have Gringotts Bank open.

And after posing with all of the gold and silver

in the dragon's lair, they have an animated dragon

that comes after you.

And you walk through the Forbidden Forest.

The end of the tour is the best though, as you come

upon the huge model of the castle and grounds used 

for filming.

From there some of us went to Hamilton.  

We got the tickets that day and sat on row L

for only 150 pounds.  We could have purchased

matinee seats on the 4th row for 75 pounds.  

I loved paying a reasonable price for Hamilton compared

to what we paid in New York.  

London treated us well, and Miss Madi K and 

Ms. Angelina traveled so well too.  

Next they flew off to Rome, and then to Paris,

but those will be covered in following posts.

I felt so blessed to have had this opportunity

to have so many of my lovely family with me,

to have been safe, and to have had a wonderful time

in Europe.

Now after all of the fun, here is some fun for

you.  We are giving away this MC wine tote.

Visit Ricki Jill at The Sketchy Reader, and

leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway.

Then take a few minutes to visit all of our

Tales of The Traveling Tote bloggers to

see where they have been off to.

Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch

 Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box

Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Sketchy Reader

Cherry Kay and Carrie Ann Hall @ Entertaining Women