Family Vacation to England!

The last week was nothing short of amazing. We have returned from our trip abroad to England, and we come back to the States with so many memories and unforgettable adventures. There has been a lot of planning over the last two years, and it is hard to believe that the vacation has already come and gone. Our hearts are full (and our bodies are tired!), and we feel so blessed to have this experience together as a family.  
 
Day 1 (Saturday, June 22nd): Flying to England

Our travel day started with a flight out of Greensboro to Atlanta, followed by a red-eye to Manchester. Grammy and Grandpa picked us up at home around 11AM, and we smoothly made our way through security at GSO. There was a short delay on the first flight, but we took off not too long after our original time. We landed in Atlanta around 3:45PM, and then we had a short layover before departing for Manchester at 6:10PM. Meg and I used the time to get coffee drinks from Starbucks. That made for happy mommies! (You'll notice coffee is a reoccurring theme of this vacation!) For the overnight flight, we were served dinner around 8PM and breakfast again before we landed. The total flight time was around 7 hours. We touched down in Manchester just before 7AM, which felt like 2AM to our North Carolina bodies! The kids enjoyed watching a couple of movies on the flight, but unfortunately not too much sleep occurred. Just before our arrival, there was a major power outage at the Manchester airport, so to prevent further delays, we de-planed directly on to the tarmac. Our vacation was already off to an adventurous start!  

Day 2 (Sunday, June 23rd): A Day in Stockport

Early Sunday morning started in the air somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. After we collected our bags, we navigated to bus transportation to Stockport. Stockport became our home base for the week. Only about 8 miles from Manchester, it was conveniently located to the airport for both of our travel days. We stayed at the same hotel that my parents stayed at six years ago when they made this trip to Bakewell. Because of the early flight, we were not able to check into our hotel for several hours, so after stowing our luggage there, we set off to explore the town. We went to brunch at Wetherspoon's at Calverts Court, which seemed similar to a Denny's back home. Then we toured the Stockport Air Raid Shelter on Chestergate. There was an audio narration to go along with the tour, and it was very interesting to learn about the use of the shelter during World War II. It was big enough to hold up to 6,500 people! We then headed back to our hotel, where we were able to get into our rooms and take a short nap before dinnertime. While it would have been tempting to sleep until the next morning, we knew we needed to acclimate to the new time zone. We ventured out for dinner at the Red Rock entertainment district. We were in search of fish and chips, but after having no luck finding a restaurant with it on the menu, we selected a crowd favorite: pizza. Then it was back to our hotel again. The kids loved noticing things that were different in this foreign country: driving on the opposite side of the road, traffic lights that flash yellow before turning green, and toilets without water in the bowl. It was pretty neat to experience it myself as an adult, but it was especially neat to see it through the eyes of the kids. 

Day 3 (Monday, June 24th): Celebrating Megan's Birthday in Bakewell

On our third day, we made the much anticipated visit to Bakewell, England. It was the very reason for the whole trip, and in special memory of my grandparents, we wanted to see the town of our namesake. From our hotel in Stockport, we took a train through Buxton and then boarded a bus to Bakewell. The countryside of the Peak District was so beautiful. Eli caught a little cat nap on Aunt Megan's lap. Once we arrived in Bakewell after about an hour and a half journey, we were surprised by how many other visitors and locals were milling about the town on that particular day. It was Market Monday, which we found out tends to make it more lively, with a downtown flea market, in addition to the usual shops and restaurants. From my parents' last trip to Bakewell, they remembered several of the spots they wanted to take us: The Original Bakewell Pudding Shop and the Weir Bridge, known for its locks. The meal at the Original Bakewell Pudding Shop was outstanding. Boomer was finally able to have his fish and chips, along with a local beer made in Bakewell. With our meals, Dad and I had the Bakewell Pudding Gin with lemonade. It was there that we celebrated Megan's birthday, and they brought out a special brownie dessert. We also ordered the famous Bakewell pudding and tart. Everything was delicious. As we continued to explore, we stopped for photos in front of several signs that said Bakewell. It felt surreal to be there after planning and anticipating this trip for so long. What a special memory for our family of 10. 

Day 4 (Tuesday, June 25th): Sports and History in Manchester

Although we flew into Manchester, our time in the city was very brief, so we returned to explore some more. By this day, we were becoming a little more comfortable with navigating the public transportation, although this route required using the internal Manchester train called the Metro Link. We left our hotel around 9AM, and we arrived to the Imperial War Museum in Manchester at 10:15AM, shortly after it opened. For a free museum, we were quite impressed by the displays and exhibits. The museum tells the history of World War I and World War II, and it was interesting to learn more about both conflicts from the British perspective. We ate lunch at the cafe on site, and then we took the Metro Link to the nearby Old Trafford Stadium, home of the football club Manchester United. And of course by football, I mean soccer. We spent some time walking through the museum, and then we had a 2:30PM tour of the stadium. With a capacity of around 74,000, Old Trafford is the largest football club stadium in the United Kingdom, and it certainly was an impressive sight when we came out of the concourse. The tour also included the locker rooms, the VIP lounge, and the press room. After some tricky decisions in the gift shop, we departed from Manchester to return to Stockport. We had dinner at Berretto Lounge, where we couldn't resist ordering a pitcher of Cherry Bakewell, a soda-like cocktail with cherry, Amaretto, and rum. As they say often in England, "cheers!"

Day 5 (Wednesday, June 26th): Tour at Tatton Park

Our adventure on Wednesday came at the recommendation of one of the train station attendants in Stockport. We were very grateful for the kindness of several people from our trip (Shout out to Emma, Paul, Louise, and Amelia at the Stockport Train Station!) who had patience with us loud and crazy Americans. When we asked about any local estates or attractions, she mentioned Tatton Park in Cheshire, which wasn't too far from Stockport. The train brought us to Knutsford, and then we took a taxi for the remaining two miles. Since the taxis are limited to only four riders, it was no easy feat transporting 10 people. Meg and I were able to troubleshoot sending our group in three rounds: group 1 (Dad, Boomer, Emmy, and Eli), group 2 (Mom, Zack, and Maddox), and the final group (Meg, Zander, and me). We arrived at the estate around 11AM. We had pre-purchased tickets for the gardens, farm, and mansion, and there was so much to see. The property was just like the homes depicted on the British tv shows, like Bridgerton and Downton Abbey. It was neat to imagine the family and their guests in the drawing rooms and the library, lounging before dinner in the 28-person dining room. The Tatton estate belonged to Lord Egerton (it even sounds like Bridgerton!) who was a wealthy landowner and lawyer. Mrs. Houston, I mean Megan, corralled the kids from room to room as if they were on a field trip. Even though they enjoyed the mansion, the kids' favorite parts were the maze in the garden and the animals at the farm. They even got to play with baby chicks. They were so cooperative for photos this day; and so since they were willing to pose, we took lots of cousin shots around the estate. We really enjoyed our day at Tatton.

Day 6 (Thursday, June 27th): A Day in Liverpool

We woke up on Thursday to much cooler temperatures, and we traded out our shorts and t-shirts for long pants and jackets. Although it wasn't on the itinerary at the beginning of the trip, we decided to add in a visit to Liverpool. It was an easy 50-minute train ride from Stockport, and we arrived in Liverpool at the Lime Street station around 10:30AM. Meg and I grabbed coffee drinks in the terminal - we found we were much better at navigating with Starbucks in our hands :) We had pre-purchased tickets for a ferry cruise along the Mersey River. As we made our way from the train station toward the water, we paused along the way for pictures. There seemed to be beautiful architecture at every turn. The buildings were truly stunning, and some dated as far back as the 1700s. When we arrived at the ferry departure point at Pier Head, we discovered that all cruises had been suspended for the day due to technical issues - bummer! Our money was refunded, and we quickly made an alternative plan. We posed for some photos with the statue of the "Liverpool lads" The Beatles, and then we had lunch at the Liverpool Pub, where Boomer continued his streak of ordering fish and chips. Mom got another traditional English dish: bangers and mash; and Zack got curry chicken, which surprisingly seemed to be a popular option at a lot of restaurants. Then we boarded an open-top double-decker bus for a narrated tour of the city. The tour passed by the Liverpool Cathedral, St. Luke's "Bombed Out" Cathedral, Chinatown, and the docks. We decided that for Plan B, things turned out really well. The bus even conveniently dropped off right near the train station for our return trip to Stockport. We went back to Berretto's, and instead of ordering a full dinner, we had dessert and more Cherry Bakewell. Zander challenged Boomer to a game of chess, and he held his own against his Uncle Boomer. When we returned to the hotel, as we did the previous nights, Boomer would set up his computer for an episode of Bluey. We had trouble finding other kid options on the tv, and it did help to settle them down a bit before bedtime. At restaurants and on the various modes of transportation, the kids did so well entertaining themselves without devices or electronics. I was quite alright using a little bit of screen time at the very end of the day. 

Day 7 (Friday, June 28th): Sightseeing in London

Each of the previous days led up to our big day in London on Friday. We knew that it would be the longest of our days (and the most exciting!), and we were glad to have already familiarized ourselves with the public transportation system. It was about a 2-hour train ride from Stockport, and we boarded the train shortly after 6:30AM. But first, Starbucks! After arriving by train to the London Euston station, we navigated to the Underground aka the Tube on the Northern Line to the London Bridge stop. Thanks to the tips from Amelia, our helpful train station agent, we knew to stay single file on the escalators and to move at a good pace, so as not to bother the morning commuters heading to work. Dad had pre-purchased tickets for a hop-on-hop-off bus tour, and much like Liverpool the day before, it was truly the most convenient way to see all the major attractions (...well, aside from one funny moment when I thought the bus was pulling away with Megan and me still standing on the sidewalk!) We hopped on the bus at the Tower Bridge stop, which was a short walk from the Underground London Bridge station. Along the route, we were able to see: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, the Marble Arch (although it was under restoration), and St. Paul's Cathedral. There were 20 stops in total. At the Buckingham Palace stop, we were able to see the changing of the guard, which happens every day between 10:30AM and noon. We had lunch near the palace at Pizza Pilgrims. Then we shopped for souvenirs, and Emmy was thrilled to get a special wallet with "London" written on it with several of the landmarks. You will notice it in several of the post-lunch photos. After lunch, a few members of our group had trouble staying awake during the bus ride, but we roused them to walk through Hyde Park and for our last stop back at London Bridge. After we once again navigated the Underground back to the train station, we got food inside the terminal, including jumbo sized donuts from DumDum Donutterie. We arrived back in Stockport shortly before 9PM. I don't anticipate returning to London, and it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. What a full, fun day!

Day 8 (Saturday, June 29th): Living like Locals

After our London adventure, we opted for a simpler itinerary for our last day in England. Meg and I researched some options around our hotel that would appeal to our crowd. We also took into account the weather. It was the first day of the whole week that we experienced the typical England rain, with an on-and-off drizzle throughout the day. We were so blessed with beautiful sunshine the rest of the week. We decided on a movie, and we went to a 11:30AM showing of Inside Out 2 at the Red Rock entertainment district where we had been on several of our other evenings. We noticed some slight differences with our American theaters: salty and sweet options for popcorn (but unfortunately no extra butter), "full fat" or "no sugar" soda, a 'hostess' that welcomes you and introduces the movie, and of course previews for English products and movies. In the lobby, there was an array of candy in which you pay by the weight. We filled up a big bag (after Emmy ate a piece thinking it was free! Oops!) After the movie, the girls split off from the boys, and Grammy, Meg, Emmy, and I went for afternoon tea at the Pear Mill Vintage Tea Room. We navigated there by bus, and at first we were skeptical of the old industrial building. Once inside the Emporium though, we saw that it was bustling with other Saturday shoppers browsing through the stalls and having tea. We had several different types of cakes, and Mom, Megan, and I had tea and hot chocolate for Emmy. It felt like we might have even fit in with the locals. Of course our accents probably gave us away (...and when I asked for more cream and was mistakenly given clotted cream instead of milk!) We enjoyed the experience of sitting leisurely for close to two hours, and it is a special memory with my favorite three girls. We did join back up with the boys eventually, and then Meg, Zack, Boomer, and I went off again for a kid-free evening. Grammy and Grandpa watched all four cousins back at the hotel while we had drinks at a pub and then dinner at an Italian restaurant called Zizzi. For a day without a clear plan, it turned out really well. It was a nice finish to our British vacation. 

Day 9 (Sunday, June 30th): Traveling Home

We set our alarms early on Sunday to make the voyage home. We retraced our steps from a week ago, with a bus ride to the airport, a first flight into Atlanta, and then a final flight to Greensboro. When we finally touched down in Greensboro, the travel time added up to 21 hours. The kiddos were wiped out, and with only little cat naps during the flights, the adults were too! Because we had started our day in the British time zone, it felt like 3AM when Mom and Dad dropped us Kennedys back at home at 10PM EDT. Everything went according to plan, and we are so thankful for the smooth travels. 

With my dad's preparation and pre-planning, my mom's constant eye on our group of 10, the sister duo coordinating the day-to-day logistics, and the guys providing comic relief, it was a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. It was no easy task moving 10 people all around England, but we did it and made lots of memories along the way. The kids were great travelers, and we had more memories than meltdowns, yay! Maybe it's the nostalgia already kicking in, but I can't really recall any negative moments of the week. I know I will look back at this week as one of the best weeks ever. Thank you to my parents for this very special vacation. We will forever remember these eight days in England. As time marches on and everyone gets older, we thank God for the blessing of family and these moments together. Cheers!