September 20, 2016 - Elisa's London Spring Trip Overview AND Tanya's London Spring Getaway

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 17 DAYS

London Birthday Celebration

Hi! Hope you had a fabulous Monday and that today is even better!

You may think I'm crazy, but, I really enjoyed yesterday and the rainy, gray weather we had here on Long Island.

Before I get into my "Travelin' Tuesday" chat, let me just tell you that I was very domesticated yesterday.

After dropping off the kids at school (in the rain, of course), Punkin and I stopped off at the post office to mail all of Kelsey's thank you's for the lovely gifts she received for her birthday.

Yes, I am quite neurotic and teach my kids to be the same way - always send out a written thank you immediately.

When we got home, I prepared a huge pot of lentil soup. It depends on what ingredients I have in my house, but this time, I had potatoes and so I added one to the soup.  Gianna loves it with potatoes.  It really gives it a thick, "stewy" consistency.  

I managed to do three loads of laundry throughout the day, as well as food shop for the week.

Tonight, I'll be making Italian Style Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers,  followed Thursday by Butternut Squash Risotto and a hearty vegetable soup over the weekend.  

​We always have a "pot luck" night, for which I usually make something quick and easy like Chicken (veggie) burgers, beans and a salad.  

The soup was really delicious and hearty, by the way, and will be my lunch for the rest of the week.

Proud Mommy Rant...
I must digress for a moment - Although my girls have only been in school for a few weeks, they have already had a few tests.  Both girls have gotten 100 - or in the case of this new grading matrix - all "5's" on everything thus far!!

We had a long talk together right before the school year, and I gave them some incentive for striving for straight "5's."  They decided they wanted a day in the NYC with dinner at their favorite restaurant - Azalea Ristorante!

So, we'll see how they continue! Of course, Gianna, being the foodie, like her mom, that she is, asked if she could have a "cheesecake" for the job well done, thus far. lol

Time for Travel Talk...

I'm stoked today to tell you what I've been working on for my upcoming Spring trip to London!

Two years ago, I promised both girls that we would take a special trip for each of their 13th birthdays.  And that it could be a place of their respective choosing.

Well, Gianna has always said she wanted to visit London and so folks, regardless of what is going on right now in my life, I intend to make good on that promise.

What's even greater is that I told Tanya what I was thinking and she was completely psyched about the idea of adding a London trip to her schedule for her, Cosette and Dominic.  

So what was originally a Mommy & Daughters trip for me, has transformed into yet, another cousins trip.  And this will mark the first time, we are traveling together abroad!!

I had to get really creative with travel bargains and I'm proud to say, I did a pretty good job!

Let me tell you about the itinerary I put together.  It was Gianna's desire to make this more of a "seat of the pants" trip, rather than one filled with tight schedules, lots of touring and places to be. 

The number one "to do" however, is lots of AFTERNOON TEA!!

That's right folks!  And boy, did I find some great places to enjoy a spot of tea and some delightful, delicious and decadent desserts!

Back to my itinerary...

Day 1
Depart NYC

Day 2
Relaxing day - walking around taking in sites:
- Buckingham Palace 
- Parliament Square 
- Afternoon Tea

Day 3
Afternoon Tea Bus Tour

Day 4
London Show (still deciding)

Day 5
Easter Sunday Afternoon Tea

Day 6
Possible Day Trip to Paris via train

Day 7
Tanya, Cosette & Dominic Arrive!!
Shopping Day!
- Covent Garden
- Neal’s Yard
- Buckingham Palace: Changing of the guard
- Afternoon Tea

Day 8
Visit a few Iconic & UNESCO Sites:
- Westminster Abbey (UNESCO)
- Big Ben 
- Afternoon Tea
- Tube Ride
- Tower Bridge  
- Tower of London (UNESCO)
- St. Katharine’s Docks  
(okay, so we needed one "touristy" day)

Day 9
No Plans at all - Pot Luck

Day 10
Depart London

So, as you can see, I have FIVE AFTERNOON TEAS scheduled.  All at different places.  In fact, I found some of the best ones for kids.  

I know places like Claridge's and The Shard are famous for their afternoon tea, but I tried to think like a "kid" and pick the spots that would most appeal to them.

Next Travelin' Tuesday, I'll tell you all about each place on our Afternoon Tea Schedule, so tune in.

Great Deals for London Trip...
I got two amazing deals for this trip in terms of accommodations and flights.  

As you can imagine, one of the most costly things about traveling is the money you spend on dining.  That's why, when possible, I enjoy staying in apartments or full-efficiency hotels.  

With a kitchen, it is so easy to save money by eating meals like breakfast and dinner at "home" and makes it possible to stock up on items to carry along throughout the day, for snacks and even lunch.

​I really didn't want to do another Airbnb for this trip, so instead, I researched and found a Serviced Apartment.  

Serviced Apartments are similar to hotels with all the amenities (daily maid service, pool, gym, etc.) but they are full apartments, with kitchens. SCORE!

I really researched the pricing through all the sites and found the best rate through hotelscombined.com, which is a British booking site.
It was $700 LESS than the price on Hotels.com.

Now, I love hotels.com and the fact that I get cash back by going through Ebates and use the all the time.  But, saving money is saving money and so I really could not be brand-loyal when so much was at stake.

Additionally, my airfare was another pleasant surprise.  I was able to use my New Orleans air tickets (since I was forced to cancel my August trip - insert sad face) towards the purchase of roundtrip airfare from New York to London.  If I tell you the cost for 3 round trip tickets for me and the girls was almost the same as traveling to Florida!!

This trip itinerary is currently live on our site: Gianna's 13th Birthday Trip to London with The Cousins.

Ok - going to get myself going here - Packing up lots of books for the VA today!!

Cheerio!
-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 4 DAYS

London for all

Hellooooo there!

Did everyone survive International Talk Like A Pirate Day?

I survived, and managed to NOT talk like a pirate in my Quarterly Associates Meeting. Whew!
And the meeting went great, I actually even got us out of there a bit early.
​Which was definitely nice for a change - as our meetings are notorious for running very late!

My weekend was all about the International Peace Choir and as President, I still have plenty to do. But at least this morning isn't as hectic as the past few mornings have been.

But boy has the weather changed a bit, and not for the good. It has actually gotten HOTTER this week - which I really don't like! I can't wait for the Fall and Winter weather to kick in!
​

​However before getting any of that lovely Fall weather we are heading down to the Sunshine state and the Bahamas which is sure to give us at least one last taste of Summer. And I suppose that if I'm splashing around or snorkeling in the surf that I should hopefully not be burning up too much - must remember to slather on the Sun Block!

As you all know, today is Travelin' Tuesday and while my trip to NY, FL, and the Bahamas is all set and planned.
​I've been obsessed with working on plans to go back to London! 

And YES I did just get back from there ;)

(c) travelincousins.com

While this upcoming trip to London was Elisa's idea, I was completely gung-ho with making this happen for me and the kids. Neither Cosette nor Dominic has yet to visit London and how much fun would doing it on a cousins trip be?!

​And while this is a birthday trip for Gianna and we will be having days where we are on the same itinerary. My gang of 3 arrives a few days after Elisa and her gang, and then when they leave, we will still be there for a few more days.

I know that Gianna wants more of a "seat of the pants" trip, rather than one filled with tight schedules, lots of touring and places to be. As Elisa put it.
We all know that I'm not at all much of a "seat of the pants" type of person, and so we are gonna most likely squeeze in touring in the morning hours before Elisa and the gals are even ready to start the day.  
And being that Cosette is such a HUGE Harry Potter fan, we'll also be squeezing in some Harry Potter sightseeing!

Now I am the biggest fan of Afternoon Tea, and when Elisa had mentioned that the main focus of this trip was lots of Afternoon Teas - boy was I stoked!!     I LOVE AFTERNOON TEA!

(c) travelincousins.com

There are definite "tea" places that I know I must take the kids to, but I'm also not quite sure how happy Gianna or Kelsey would be at these places (as a couple of them are NOT quite kid friendly).
So we'll probably hit those or at least one of those after the gals head back to New York.

And meanwhile Elisa and I will work on finding kid and vegan friendly Afternoon Tea locations that we can share in the delight as one big happy family of cousins all together. 

Another thing that Elisa had mentioned in her column was Serviced Apartments - which are great for families traveling with kids - and especially for those families with special diets and for us being vegan!

Although while London is not a city that we have any worries about finding vegan eats.

Anyhow it is a good feeling knowing that we are BOOKED!
And we are staying at the same property as Elisa and the girls, so even if there is some time in a day that we are doing different activities, we will still have plenty of time to hang out, bond, chat, and have family time together in the evenings.

On that note, here is our SAMPLE itinerary for London 2017:

Day 1
Depart California

Day 2
Meet up with Elisa, Gianna, and Kelsey!

Shopping Day!
- Covent Garden
- Neal’s Yard
- Afternoon Tea

Day 3
BUSY DAY!

Walking tour that covers all the main sights and stories including:

Covent Garden 
Trafalgar Square
Nelson’s Column 
The National Gallery 
St. James’s Palace 
Buckingham Palace 
The Mall
Victoria Memorial 
St. James’s Park 
Horse Guards Parade
Churchill War Rooms 
Big Ben 
Westminster Abbey 
Houses of Parliament
...and much more!

THEN
Visit more of the iconic & UNESCO sites together:
- Westminster Abbey (UNESCO)
- Big Ben 
- Afternoon Tea
- Tube Ride
- Tower Bridge  
- Tower of London (UNESCO)
- St. Katharine’s Docks  

Day 4
HARRY POTTER DAY

Credit: visitlondon.com

Harry Potter Walking Tour is a great way to see some of the most iconic buildings, streets and neighborhoods which inspired JK Rowling, and appeared in the Harry Potter films.

We will take a stroll down Diagon Alley, and even check out some shops selling unique and one-of-a-kind Potter-related merchandise that you won’t find anywhere else in the Harry Potter world! And who knows, we might even end up, accidentally, in Knockturn Alley… 

- Afternoon Tea

Day 5
STRATFORD UPON AVON

Leave London and take the train for an overnight trip to:
Stratford Upon Avon - 
Redwings Horse Sanctuary

Day 6
A DAY IN WINDSOR
Windsor Castle 

Windsor Castle Credit: britishadventure.com

Day 7
BACK TO LONDON

Take the Warner Brother Studio Tour -
The Making of Harry Potter

- Afternoon Tea
​
Day 8
Depart London
​​
I haven't told Cosette about all the Harry Potter stuff that I've added to the itinerary - I know that she is gonna be super excited, as she is already excited about going to see everything Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando!

I'm gonna leave it in here for her to read and find out just like you are :)

In other travel news:
I've got all of our tickets - Universal Studios Tickets and WDW tickets are in hand and we are that much closer to being ready to head out on this trip!

Oh and speaking about Disney parks, Disney's California Adventure had called our choir to request the kids perform there again this fall - however our director had to decline for us based on certain scheduling conflicts. Boo.
Hopefully we get yet another call back in the winter!!

Alrighty, much to do. I couldn't get to the gym yesterday - I was just waaaay too busy, so I am heading there now. And I'm needed to pick up little Mika from school this afternoon...plus everything else to get me ready for departure on Saturday.

See y'all back here tomorrow,
​-T