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Before and after

By Mara

As I was preparing my Monday post this week I came across two lists I once jotted about our trip to London with Tommy:

When I was in London I did not:

  1. Visit either of the Tate Galleries, the British Museum, the Royal Academy, Hampton Court, Buckingham Palace, or the Globe Theatre; not to mention any of London’s many tony – and trendy – art galleries.
  2. Shop for clothing (for me that is), cosmetics, or jewelry.
  3. Drink beer in a pub, sip Cosmopolitans in a bar that anyone would call a “hot spot,” or consume much alcohol at all for that matter
  4. Attend a sung service at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, home of one of the more famous choirs in the Anglican Church.
  5. Take strolls through Kensington, Mayfair, or any other fashionable neighborhoods with great stores.

But I was not idle while in London. I did not sit around, too tired to get out of the house (although some days it would have been a nice excuse). There is yet another list of things I did accomplish. During my four weeks in London I:

  1. Visited the London Transport Museum – home to antique trams, buses, taxis, and subway cars, not to mention an extensive collection of toy trains to play with. Not once. Not twice. Three times.
  2. Shopped for footed pajamas, puzzles, blocks, and board books.
  3. Drank hot chocolate in small paper cups at the drop-in playgroup in the park where I rubbed elbows with Ukrainian au pairs sporting red stiletto fingernails and mothers wearing Burberry coats.
  4. Attended two services at the grim church in our neighborhood where the choir consisted of three women and where the hymnals included words but not music.
  5. Took long bus rides along the High Street watching the street markets, pawn shops, pubs, and mosques roll past as I fed Tommy crackers and raisins.
Had I read these two lists when I was 25 I probably would have gone shrieking into the night, swearing never to give birth. But now I just smile gently and think about how much fun Tommy and I had. Gee that Transport Museum was a great spot!


And it got me thinking – I could probably make a whole host of lists like this. What about you? Any comparisons of your own to make about pre- and post-children trips?

Filed Under: England, Family travel tips, London, Traveling with toddlers

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Comments

  1. Good N Crazy says

    October 16, 2008 at 11:33 am

    Oh my gosh! That’s sooo true.

    You could start your own MEME. (but dont’ tell anyone I told you too–I kind of snark at MEMEs!)

  2. DeliciousBaby says

    October 16, 2008 at 11:53 am

    So true. Having kids has totally changed the way we travel, but it's also made me realize why we travel in the first place… it's not to see some famous buildings, but to get a sense of connection with a different place & have new experiences. Bringing the kids along hasn't diminished my ability to do those things, and in fact, slowing down to their pace sometimes means I do a better job of connecting with where I am.

  3. Meg - B2B says

    October 16, 2008 at 12:45 pm

    So true. Though I must say, I do enjoy shopping for children’s books in other counties. We are considering a trip to the UK, just for that.

    What is it with kids and public transportation? Before – used it to get from point A to point B. After – used it for endless hours of entertainment, destinations only important if it involves another bus/boat/trolley.

  4. Rebecca says

    October 17, 2008 at 12:02 pm

    I’m coming late to this, but your London reminiscing (my favorite city in the whole world) made me want to comment. We have taken exactly one long trip since our 2 year old son was born. Before son: drinks at trendy pubs, evening walks on the beach, long days at art museums, long city walks. After son: ice cream, eating in the hotel room, early morning walks on the beach, long walks in the park, dinosaur museums. Not a bad trade, all things considered.

  5. TallGirl says

    October 17, 2008 at 12:20 pm

    You got to experience the real London — what could be better? And it is all so much more interesting when you look through your child’s eyes, isn’t it? My favorite moment of our trip this summer was showing my son the emptied out shell of a crab that washed up on our bare toes on a misty, rocky shoreline. He was amazed and thrilled. So simple, so perfect.

  6. Victoria says

    April 7, 2009 at 10:52 am

    We live in London with three children aged 7, 4 and 2, so we have plenty of opportunties to try things out. Most of the big museums and palaces have really good activities for children, so they are definitely worth a visit if you are in the mood. I can only take queueing to see the dinosaurs so many times! The transport museum is even better now as it’s just reopened after a two year refurb. We’re planning to visit Hampton Court this weekend and I might write a post about it.

    I also love buying board books in other countries, it’s really fun to compare them to the things you normally buy.

    Victoria’s last blog post..Wires and stuff

I'm a family travel expert & award-winning writer who loves to eat. Explore this site and you'll find lots of stories about my adventures, and family travel tips. More about Mara

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