All Hail The Queen

 

Another fun day

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Waking up bright and early, we rode the tube to into central London to get an inside tour of Buckingham Palace

Because of the no picture policy, I was unable to capture any images. But let me tell you, it is as palatial as you may think. Everything was so extravagant. Every room, every detail.

Finishing the tour and heading out, we ate lunch at their nice cafe. Although the selection wasn't the greatest and the food wasn't the best thing in the world, it was still amazing to know that the Queen could have walked the same floor.

Here is a little scone with strawberries, cream, and raisins & coffee I shared with my sister.

London architecture is surely amazing. One thing I love about London is its beautiful mixture of modern and traditional architecture.

Walking around

We ended the day early, grabbing a meal at Ale & Pie. A football (soccer) game was on so the place was extremely crowded and loud. We ended up finding a table tucked away in a corner with no sight of the game. I ordered a steak pie with mashed potatoes.

As you can see from my past London posts, many of the meals I had lacked fruits or vegetables. I will say that London cuisine is very much carbs and starch. Near the end of the trip, my stomach was not taking London food so well. So for all you future travelers, I would suggest either buying some fruit and vegetables while there or specifically ordering them at restaurants.

A Favorite Friday

From bad to best, this day was by far my favorite.

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Allowing for a couple or two extra minutes of sleep, our first stop was the Tate Museum. (sorry no pictures here)

Hungry, we went to a nearby restaurant, Founder's Arms close to the river. Culturally, I ordered the British classic 'Fish n' Chips'. Lightly battered, the fish was mouthwatering and delicious!

View walking across Millennium Bridge

Halfway across Millennium Bridge, we saw this guy making art out of old gum stuck on the bridge. I'm not one for art, but he did make me smile. This man, with no obligations, was making something out of nothing. Each had its own pattern, no one the same. Simply an artist at work. I am so grateful to see him at work and see his work.

Shot of St. Paul's Cathedral

Strolling around London

This was by far my favorite day of our London trip because I got to spend quality time with my sister. We broke off from the usual crowd and enjoyed 'sister time'.

First stop: Oxford Street

Marble Arch

Oxford Street in action. Ended up not buying anything, but it was nice to walk the streets just my sister and I.

Heard so many things of Liberty's. Let me tell you, it's exactly what everyone says. It's beautiful to begin with. But once you step inside, it is like you are transported. Exposed beams, wood, cabin-like decor, the only thing that is missing is the scent of the holidays. What was even better was that the place wasn't too crowded and they sell a variety of things. From having a whole room of scarves and other textiles, to designer handbags, to cute stationary, this would be my first place to shop the next time I visit London.

Passed by the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square

Ending the day, we ate at Paul's. For being a chain restaurant, this is the place to go. Fine French cuisine and an amazing interior decor (vintage mismatch furniture, baroque light fixtures, robin's egg blue walls, and dim lighting), you can't help but think you took a trip across the waters and were in France. The best part is that the price is not too steep.

Stuffed Peppers

On the menu described as "free range corn fed chicken marinated & braised in red wine, crushed buttery potato mash" (the chicken was so flavorful and the mashed potatoes were perfection)

My favorite part of the meal - Dessert! Coffee and macarons, a perfect way to end the day if you ask me. Anyone close to me knows that I love macarons! (Raspberry, Chocolate, and Caramel)

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Just a couple more days of these last London posts and then a downtown Chicago post coming soon!

Happy November!

Can you believe it is already November? 

School (and Netflix) has taken over my life. Midterms aren't really midterms. There are 3 midterms in my classes and a final. That's basically where I'm at. Also many other things regarding college is resisting me from writing blog posts. I am in the process of changing majors and have to look for housing next year. 

To take a break from school, I have been watching a lot of Netflix. I have finished Orange is the New Black and House of Cards. Right now I am watching White Collar. Already in the middle of season 3 and I probably started a week and a half ago. The final season, season 6, is premiering on Thursday. I probably won't catch up in time though. 

I thought I would take a break from London posts. I think Day 4 is due and I am terribly behind considering I took the trip in late August. (We'll get there eventually)

Halloween was this past weekend so I thought I would share with you my costume. I found inspiration on Pinterest and sort of copied the look. I got a lot of compliments on the look (and some guys "cat calling" me - pun intended)

A Shortened Day

Super sorry about being MIA for so long. If you have been following me on Instagram or Twitter, you might know that I haven't dropped completely off the face of the earth. School has really gotten to me these past weeks. Midterms are in session. The thing about midterms in my school is that they aren't just one week; they basically stretch over a month. I had some midterms two weeks ago, a paper due last week, and two more midterms this coming week.

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Finally, I am here posting up day 3 of London. Not many pictures of that day.

First stop: Buckingham Palace (for some reason the changing of guards did not happen that day. I had thought they changed guards every day.)

Decided to go to Covent Garden. Don't remember exactly what I got but let me tell you this meal was memorable (not in a good way). I ended up getting a terrible allergic reaction. My throat started itching and swelling. We went to the nearest Boots and got Benadryl. It wasn't very effective so we thought it would be best to go back home and play the waiting game.

After sleeping for a couple of hours, waiting for the swelling to go down, we went back out into London. We ended up going to an Italian restaurant. I got a pizza (shown below). The flavors were insane. As you can see, there are bacon, cauliflower, and mozzarella cheese all on the pizza. Initially the taste was very unique, but after the second slice it felt very heavy and heart-attack prone.

A Different Perspective

Day 2 was a big day. After taking it easy the first day and getting a good night's rest, we woke up and started the day early. Here is a summary of Day 2 in pictures.

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Taking the escalator down to the tube

British Museum

Inside the British Museum

Vintage Tiffany Cash Register at the British Museum

Rosetta Stone (sorry for the glare)

Hieroglyphics on a tomb

 Outside the Museum

London Streets

Buildings

Passed by this umbrella building

Red bus drove right in front of my shot (but hey, classic British bus close up!)

The Tube

Big Ben

London Eye

Palace of Westminster & Big Ben (check out that girl in the corner)

London Eye & London County Hall

London Eye close-up

Look from above

The Thames River

Coming back down in our little pods

Mr. Whippy cone (sorry, didn't realize the image wasn't focused)

There was a love festival going on

There was a professional camera crew filming something. Not sure for what.

Globe Theatre from outside

More London Streets

Dinner (Shepard's Pie with Mashed Potatoes)

End of Day #2. Keep checking in for recaps of the next days