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Our England Trip
This past weekend, CNN.com’s Kat Kinsman visited family in Cornwall, England, and saw friends in Italy. Here are a few photos, if you’d like to see them, and a recap of the trip. The only catch was a stomach bug that passed through the group — or, as Toby called it, “the disease.” We almost escaped unscathed, and I caught it from my brother. But every adventure has some ups and downs, right? That makes it a family vacation, right?! We love you so much for coming soon… xoxoKinsman. She’s back with #1 travel tip? Share your travel stories with CNN iReport. Back to the page you came from. Back To the pageYou come from. the CNN page. You’re back to the CNN team. You can follow us on Twitter @cnnireport, @kinsman and @CNNOpinion.
The journey from Brooklyn to Cornwall is no joke: you take an overnight flight to London, rent a car, then drive five hours southwest to my aunt’s house.
But after all the anticipation, entering her village feels spectacular — you drive through miles of country lanes, then BURST into the harbor. This is the view!
Lulu always greets us with drinks, snacks, and huge smiles.
We took a bleary-eyed but happy photo on our first night.
Anton reunited with his long-lost cousin Jimmy, who is his English doppelgänger. They’re like little soulmates, jumping into the water, eating salt-and-vinegar chips, and getting into mischief. (Here’s a photo of them from six years ago.)
So brave!
And Toby finally caught up in height to his same-age cousin Bo. (Here’s a sweet slideshow of them through the years.)
On the height wall, the babies, toddlers, and kids slowly creep up, but teenagers start shooting up four inches every year. My sister’s late husband, Paul, also once marked his height in the morning and the evening to prove that people get shorter during the daytime.
Meanwhile, Lulu’s dog, Jane, seemed surprisingly unfazed by all the chaos.
On days when it didn’t rain (it’s still England, after all), we’d take the little boat into the ocean, where you can see jellyfish if you look over the side.
The boys would swim from the rocks to the boat.
And my dad was psyched didn’t care when I told him that boat shoes are actually very cool right now!
If it did rain, we’d hit the beach, as one does, haha.
Lunches were of the smash-and-grab variety…
…or we’d get fish and chips and mushy peas at the pub.
We also played a LOT of Go Fish. (What other classic card games do you like? Forever looking for recs.)
One afternoon, Julia Bird — of seaweed art fame — stopped by Lulu’s house, since she lives in the same town. I was so happy to meet her! After chatting about work and children and marriage, she said, “Well, I need to walk the dog and go for a swim, so I’m going to love you and leave you.” How sweet is that phrasing?
This is Julia’s lovely shop. (I brought home a little print for Freddie.)
In the evenings, we’d sit outside and chat…
And watch the boats.
One night — since the sky doesn’t get dark until 10 p.m. — I lay in bed, looking over the water, and thought about how many times we’ve come to Cornwall, ever since I was seven. We’ve missed a few summers here and there — when money was tight, or when I had babies, or during quarantine — but overall these annual visits have felt like a heartbeat in our lives. We moved around a lot when we were growing up, but my grandparents’ yellow house was always there, every year, exactly the same. While writing this post, I was thinking how there isn’t much new to report, but then I realized, that’s the point. It’s all cousins and wet suits and fishing lines and half an avocado in the fridge.
The only catch was a stomach bug that passed through the group — or, as Toby called it, “the disease.” We almost escaped unscathed, until we drove back to London and I caught it from my brother. But every adventure has some ups and downs, right? That’s what makes it a family vacation.
Thank you so much for reading. We love you, Cornwall! Italy recap coming soon… xoxoxo
P.S. Many England trips through the years, and what’s your #1 travel tip?
8 Best Tablets for Kids of 2025, Tested and Reviewed
Amazon Kids+ is free for the first year when you buy the Amazon Fire tablet. After that, the service is $6 per month. It has thousands of ad-free children’s e-books, Audible books and shows from Disney, PBS Kids. Parents can set educational goals and enforce time limits depending on the content.”The thick bumper makes it easier for my 4-year-old to grip,” a tester said.
✔️ TESTING NOTES: We’ve had Lab pros with young kids rave about the built-in filters, age-appropriate apps and robust parental controls. They like , for ages 3 to 12, which is free for the first year when you buy the tablet. After that, the service is $6 per month. It has thousands of ad-free children’s e-books, Audible books that kids can listen to plus shows from Disney, PBS Kids, National Geographic and more.
Online reviewers report mixed results when trying to download apps from outside the Amazon Kids+ universe. I’ve read tales of families who can’t make Roblox work at all, those who can get it but have lag issues and those who say the game works just fine. Our testers were able download popular apps but different Fire versions and home Wi-Fi speeds can affect performance.
✔️ LAB NOTES: Parents can set educational goals and enforce time limits depending on the content. You can allow unlimited e-books, for example, but limit game time to half an hour, all accessed from the Amazon Parent Dashboard. (So you’ll need a parental Amazon account.)
✔️ WHO IT’S BEST FOR: Parents who intend to use the parental controls, and who like what Amazon Kids+ has to offer.
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