London

Day 1

It was great to be able to book my trip with Delta Amex points, in fact almost all of my international trips so far have been with points. The airport was pretty easy to navigate, though heads up: one of the money machines ate a friend’s card! I continued to have moments where I felt at ease because there wasn't a language barrier involved in order to navigate around and find transportation! We took a taxi to the other side of town to an area called Bow. It took a decent amount of time to get across town (a few hours), as traffic near the city was extremely backed up. It was fun, however, to see some of the historical sites as we drove through- like Buckingham Palace! 

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Though I would not recommend Bow as an area to stay in when visiting London, because it is about a 20-30 minute metro ride to many neighborhoods, there was a delight in experiencing a quaint area with a corner bar, The Morgan Arms. We had delicious food and fun chats with the staff. My friend ordered the fish and chips, and I quickly realized the fried fish in London is not your average Catholic-Friday-fish-fry. It was HUGE and looked delicious, even to someone who doesn't like fish (me). The weather was unexpectedly warm, so we sat outside for an early dinner and then called it a night. 

Day 2

We had morning tickets to see the Crown Jewels on what would have been the third day of our trip (thanks to a flight delay through Boston, we were rescheduled causing us to miss an entire day of our trip!). CROWN JEWELS, how utterly exciting. We hopped on the metro and decided to check out a sweet coffee shop near the docks called White Mulberries. The coffee and food were sublime, but most especially when paired with the view of the peaceful water. We walked only a few minutes around the corner to find "London Bridge" as we made our way to the Tower of London. *fun fact, what was known as London Bridge is now in Arizona?! and the current infamous beauty is Tower Bridge.

I was unfortunately wiped as we made our way around, so I did not absorb a lot of information. It was definitely cool to see the Crown Jewels and read about the specific history of all of the different pieces. I ended up leaving a little early and walking around the city so that I could keep my energy up for our lunch reservation. 

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Lunch in an Igloo along the Thames

One of the things I learned on our trip is that craft food experiences are one of my top priorities and that this is not the case for everyone. So I was super pumped that my friends let me use one of my travel “gifts” of finding beautiful food. Our lunch reso, at Coppa Club, was an absolute delight. We booked an igloo structure outside near the River Thames. The drinks and food were really, really good. London caters to multiple types of food allergies, and at times I was a little too excited to ask for all the allergy menus! There must be food laws in place because there was consistency across the board to have things labeled and to offer alternative menus. I wish all of America picked up this concern for customer well-being. Coppa made it easy for everyone to find a delicious meal. 

After our meal, my friends and I parted ways because I needed a nap. Day 2 for my body, in anything from injury to travel, is the worst. So I happily skipped out on exploring Borough market (which I heard was AWESOME), to get in some R&R before the evening Shakespeare show. We met back up for dinner at what seemed like a local treasure, The Anchor Pub. I highly recommend the Steak & Ale pie if it is still on the menu. One of our friends ordered it and a few of us tried a bite and then wished we ordered it because, wow. 

*even though there are allergy menus available, and gluten allergies are cared for, there were many places where the gluten-free items were encased along with the gluten items. That contrast was annoying to me, as it defeats the purpose of protecting people with gluten allergies! So just a heads up that you may still have to ask detailed questions if cross-contamination is an issue for your body!

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Shakespeare Globe Theatre

After dinner, we walked a few streets over to the Shakespeare Globe Theatre to see Macbeth. This experience was very cool. We got seats with cushions, and I am glad we did as apparently it is easy to pass out while standing for too long in a space like that (and we saw several kids do so!). The acting was some of the best I have ever seen. I also recommend getting a brochure, unless you know a lot of Shakespeare plays. It really helped a few of us to follow along with the storyline! I personally would have been clueless without being able to read along. What an awesome and very full day for us in London City.

Day 3

We started our third day off with a quick coffee/bite (this area seemed to have a lot of great breakfast options) and a visit to Buckingham Palace. This fed my little fascinated heart to see some of the royal spaces and soak in some history. We walked through St. James Park, with great views of the palace, as well as many ponds and gardens. 

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Big Ben and the London Eye

On the other side of the park my breath was taken away at the sight of Big Ben. It’s not necessarily the clock that stuns you. It’s a combination of the sheer glittery gigantic size of the structure, paired with the beautiful gothic pointed roof of the Parliament. We took in the view for as long as possible before stopping for another quick snack and coffee at a delicious place called Black Penny (Duke of York Square location). We then got in line to mount the London Eye. What a sweet experience it was to see not only Big Ben but many other prominent structures along the River Thames. It is a very large space that holds around 20-25 people. I would recommend taking note of the time of day you do this, as the sun did get really hot and in some ways obstructed some of our photos. There is also space to sit down inside the pod. It was a very stable and easy ride. 

After the London Eye, we made our way over to SOHO for a fine dining experience at the restaurant ROVI. The food was fascinating and the drinks were delicious (if you are like me and do not want to try chicken heart or liver, be sure to ask more about menu items before ordering, though I am sure they make it taste good). I really enjoyed the ambiance and customer service. The SOHO area had a packed bar around happy hour and one of the dessert spots I wanted to check out, EL&N- which was just as wonderfully ridiculous as I imagined :).

Day 4

Wandering Around & Neal’s Yard 

Friday was a big day for us, as we planned to end the day celebrating a dear friend’s birthday at Harry Potter Studios. Since our tour was at night, we had a good chunk of time in the morning to explore. I woke up around 8 am and hopped right on the metro to go over to Covent Garden in search of Neal’s Yard- a colorful alleyway I saw painted across Pinterest. I also wanted to snap a classic photo of Big Ben before the crowds filed in and check out another popular “floral explosion” spot called Peggy Porschen in Belgravia (doesn’t that sound like something from a Hallmark Christmas movie?). So I made a trip of it, snapping some photos of Big Ben, then enjoying a piece of carrot cake with edible florals (it was so good, wouldn’t recommend the coffee though) and experiencing the whimsy of Neal’s Yard with the BEST breakfast I had in London, 26grains (get the Turkish eggs, also the coffee was perfection). 

A few of us met up for lunch near King’s Cross Station at a really cool joint called Granger & Co. (which we thought was very fitting as our theme for the day was Harry Potter). The food and fresh juice/soda was awesome. Sitting outside, you get a great view of the station and the bustle of people. We then headed off to experience afternoon tea and a look behind the scenes at where they filmed our beloved Harry Potter. 

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Harry Potter Studios 

As a big fan of the Harry Potter books and movies, visiting Harry Potter Studios created a core memory for me. You get to see the actual set rooms (like Dumbledoor’s office, Gringott’s Bank, and The Great Hall), costumes, props, masks, monsters, wands, sketches, and a full-scale model of Hogwarts used in many of the movies. Though it takes away a bit of the magic, it also illuminates the depth of artistry that was involved to create such masterpieces. The afternoon tea was also delicious, and filled with themed treats. We purchased one regular and one gluten-free for five people. It was enough to get by for most of the tour, but I was definitely in need of sustenance by the end of the tour. Luckily there is a food court on site at the entrance/exit so it is easy to grab a bite before or after the tour. 

Tip on the Audio Guides: I do not recommend the audio guide because the baseline environmental noise is pretty loud, and there are a lot of places where audio is a part of the display. You end up unable to really hear what the audio is saying, or you spend way longer in one spot just trying to process the audio guide against the person speaking out of the speakers of a display. I wish there was a way to be gifted the audio guide like a podcast because it was filled with really cool behind-the-scenes information, but alas it is a waste of $$ unless you are planning an entire full day at the Studios where you can go very slow. (This tip is also coming from a person who gets auditorily overstimulated, so for some people perhaps it is just right!)

Tips on Shops: The line to purchase things from the store can be very long. However, there are little shops along the tour where the lines were more reasonable if you are a no-line kinda person. 

My feet hurt but I was happy by the end of the tour. We went back to a queued line to catch one of the last buses of the night before heading home on the metro.

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Day 5

Notting Hill Market

Visiting the Notting Hill Market was a top item for me so I was thrilled to hop on the metro Saturday morning and head over to Kensington/Notting Hill. I wandered the streets for a bit and found another mouth-watering craft breakfast and coffee place called Kuro. 

The market was so fun. While the crowds were definitely sidewalk to sidewalk, there were so many tents full of treasures. I saw linen for days, handmade bags, old-school gas masks and soccer balls. There were antique brick-and-mortar shops as well filled with art, jewelry, and vinyl. While 80% of the vendors did not seem to be local (a lot of ‘Made in Italy’ tags) it still felt like a local experience. 

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West Ham vs. Manchester United

This soccer game was one of the top things I was excited about when we were planning this trip. I am super grateful one of the friends on the trip figured out a way for us to get into this unknown-to-us prized game. One of the perks of where we stayed meant that we were able to walk to the stadium. It was HUGE and seemed to be close to 99% occupancy. It was a fun game, and I felt so close to the culture. I was intrigued by the way they chose to approach security, and how the other team was only allowed a margin of seats in one area. What a gift to be able to say I have been to a football match in the UK (and according to some, it was THE football match)!

We ended the night by checking out a popular Indian restaurant called Dishoom. There are several around the city and all of them look spot-on for a craft food experience. The food was DELICIOUS. It seemed like a great menu to grab a bunch of things and share (some of the items are on the spicy side, like the samosas which are not usually spicy in the U.S.). There may be a line to stand in to get in, but in our experience, the line went fairly quickly. I think it was worth the wait!

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Day 6

Our last day in London was full of wandering. A pair of us went out in search of a few bookstores (some of our hopeful spots were closed because it was Sunday, I will list them below) and shops. We had breakfast at Black Penny-this time the Covent Garden location. I had a delicious pile of protein to start off the day, and the coffee was good too. We strolled the streets and made our way to Foyle’s bookstore, stopping along the way at little shops that were perfect for a day of wandering. We met up with friends about halfway through and stopped for a coffee before heading to St. Paul’s Cathedral to see the outside. 

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Sunday Roast

On my way to breakfast that morning, I ended up reserving a Sunday Roast spot at the pub where we started our journey, the Morgan Arms. Boy was I glad we got to do this. As a meat lover, Sunday Roast sounded like a great idea. Plus, its always fun to embrace the culture and Sunday Roasts seem to be a thing all across the city. I wish I could eat that meal every day, it was perfectly cooked. A great way to round out our trip! 

Overall, I highly recommend a visit to London if you are in the mood to wander around neighborhoods with character, and have sporadic activity choices at your fingertips. They seem to hold beauty in high esteem, as well as creative experiences. There were so many pubs covered in flowers (which I mentioned to a friend reminded me of Joe Burrow, manly architecture covered in soft colorful beauty). It was easy to stop and drop a jaw at the architecture (and yes, both kinds of architecture). If London is not on your bucket list, add it in baby!