Matt has preferred frequent flier status on two different airlines, has backpacked Europe, and has taken an Around-the-World trip, but he had never been to London. I know, I know! It's crazy. His new job will require less domestic travel but he'll be spending more time aboard. Trip 1 of the new job? You guessed it; London! Due to our excitement of seeing London together for the first time, we headed across the pond a few days early and spent the weekend exploring London in the spring.
Let me start by saying that London in the spring is magical. I've been to the city a couple times before, but both were in winter and the weather was cold and damp. London in the spring is magical. Did I say that already? It's just magical! We skipped work on Friday and had the entire day to explore the tourist sights. We visited Buckingham Palace and saw the changing of the guard. We spent hours walking St. James Park and enjoyed the city in bloom. We walked Tower Bridge and roamed the Tower of London. We viewed the London Eye across the River Thames. We were up-close and personal with Parliament. We stole a peek at Big Ben through the layers & layers of scaffolding. We had our picture taken in front of double-decker buses and red phone booths. We bowed our heads at Westminster Abby and had a moment of silence at Trafalgar Square. We took the tube and minded the gap. I regret to inform, we did not have fish & chips. We were so tired the first day that we went to bed with no dinner at 8:00pm.
A few quick Pinterest searches of London revealed that Notting Hill was the place to be! And those Instagram girls were not wrong! Notting Hill was my dream neighborhood; streets of cotton candy colored row houses, all decked out in traditional details and flowering gardens. Totally magical! The big event is Portobello Road Market and we arrived mid-morning to a bustling (aka mobbed) scene. There were neverending shops, stalls, and beautiful details. We had rainbow cupcakes at Hummingbird Bakery, saw William Thacker's Notting Hill Bookstore, posed on total stranger's front stoops and had brunch at the cutest cafe. Perfection!
I was also obsessed with the Soho neighborhood, and not just because of all the shopping! I bought a pair of Hunter Boots (so very Wellington of me!) and we had a few pints on the patio at a British pub. The storefronts in Soho were beautiful. The architecture and detail drew me into each and every store and bar. Of course, every pub was gorgeous with overflowing window boxes and laquered paint jobs. We went to Social Eating House and experienced why they have a Michelin Star! The small pot of humus put all other humus to shame. I could have eaten 5 pots and called it a meal. We consumed so much coffee that we didn't need alcohol - we were drunk on caffeine! I had coffee in the hotel, flat whites with brunch, iced Americanos while walking the city, lattes in the afternoon. I'll dig deeper into the coffee hot spots for next time, but every cup of coffee we had was fantastic. A couple of the cutest coffee shops were
The cutest breakfast spot we visited, was Treves & Hyde. The food was incredible, the lattes were perfect on the rainy day, and the atmosphere was 100%! I also really enjoyed the ambiance and rose lattes at Farm Girl. The lighting was terrible but the drink was divine.
Our London trip consisted of sightseeing, coffee, flowers, gorgeous architecture, and Michelin Starred restaurants, (don't get me started on the Royal family xoxo), so you can see why London is one of my favorite cities in Europe. I left after 3 days and Matt stayed the rest of the week, enjoying more and more that the city had to offer. Bad weather in the US spoiled Matt's plans to propose in London, 4 years ago, but after this trip, it will always have a special place in our hearts.
Cheerio!
Comments
Post a Comment