:: UK : the trip ::

i thought there would be a second post from UK, but time did not permit me to do so. was extremely occupied with the kids and when there're times, i was left with zero energy. so, takde la update dari sana.

the trip was actually 'unplanned'. it was an impromptu decision. some would know that my OH has been travelling a lot for the past months that he accumulated enough enrich miles to be redeemed by all of us. takdenya we all nak spent our money unwisely bayor tiket memahal naik flight. kebetulan, MAS buat offer redemption yang crazily cheap, so that's the reason why we arrived in UK.

we pushed off on december 25th, midnight flight. syukur alhamdulillah, the kids behaved well and did not caused much of a tantrum. slept almost 3/4 of the journey. but i didn't really sleep. felt very uncomfortable.

first day of arrival, we were greeted by a 16 seater mini bus, instead of 9 people mover. nak buat cemana kan? 'free' upgrade that has caused lots of trouble to us. we waited for my brother to arrive from dublin and we then made a move to birmingham for 2 nights stay.

the main reason we went to birmingham was to bring the kids to thomasland park. birmingham was very, very cold. and i would say i was caught by surprise. i normally can take winter cold very well. what more with hit flushes that come along. but this time i surrender. sejuk gila!

thomasland is a simple park, mesmerized by the characters in thomas and friends. both boys were amused by the trains' characters. i believe they would enjoy it more if the weather is not that cold. we spent quite a fortune in the park, buying books and some clothing for the boys.

we stayed in an apartment next to the bullring shopping complex. but we didn't shop much, thanx to the boys that occupy our time a lot.

journey back to london was lengthy. there was heavy traffic and urggghh lama gila dalam kereta. upon arrival in london, we checked in at the apartment in kensington high street. the apartment was lovely, and i truly love the apartment. conveniently situated near the tube station and only 2 bus stop away. best.

in london, masa habis banyak gi shopping complexes. what with VAT freeze, mmg people shop like crazy. i got the chance to visit bicester village, that housed branded goods and the buy is value for money. TOD's handbag for RM1500? who would have dream kan? tapi mimpi jek la mak nak beli. handbag yang dua nih saja tak terjaga, takkan i nak spent 200pound dalam sekelip mata tanpa sempat membelek2 kan? so i'll keep on dreaming la. hopefully, murah rezeki and i would be able to come back here again, one fine day. :D

other than that, i enjoyed M&S a lot. i love the fruits, i love the food. :D for a caffeine addict like me, cold winter means more caffeine. gila banyak minum coffee, sampai kena ingatkan diri seniri that i'm carrying!! and i just love costa's toasted panini with tuna.

after spending 5 days in london, we then moved on to paris via eurostar, with our main goal - disneyland paris. harharhar.. paris weather is even worst! lagi sejukkkkk! huwwaaa! first day outing kat paris, we all cuma keluar 3 jam saje. afiq melalak2 tak tahan sejuk despite being layered with thick clothes! he insisted to put his hand in my winter coat (which he refer as 'cookie monster mommy') but syukur, they did enjoy their time in disneyland despite the cold.

all in all, it was a beautiful trip despite the kids throwing tantrums and mommy didn't get her enough dose of shopping. i have to learn to let the urge goes away as i have kids to attend to. mungkin ada hikmahnya.

we were so lucky that our plans turn out right, that we escaped the blizzard in london on the very final day, and eurostar work well despite earlier email warning possible cancellation. the kids learnt a lot too, and i believe they had a good time as well.

it was a beautiful memory, and we are now left with jet lag. hehe.