Trip Overview Taking advantage of our winter breaks (we both work for schools), we planned a trip to London leaving the day after Christmas, and returning just before we both had to be back at work. What a fantastic trip! Big shout out to Love + London for their awesome guides and YouTube videos that helped in our planning. We purchased their 5-day guide, which...
Day 2 was all in the West End of Central London, and the dogs were barking! 23,000 steps, but worth it. I’m breaking day 2 up into a few posts. One will be all about music, one about afternoon tea, and this one about everything else from day 2. The day started with a stroll through Richmond, included a performance of the longest running play in the world...
We pre-booked afternoon tea at the Sanderson Hotel. It was a Mad Hatter/Alice In Wonderland themed tea, and it was amazing. The tea was the best either of us had ever had (5 different types), the Champagne was fantastic, and the food was divine. A word of warning, though: although they will leave behind the teapot after pouring each variety, DO NOT go for seconds (or...
Given my GenX childhood, I was very interested in music related sites around London, and the West End has no shortage of spots. Most of these are not interesting aside from “hey, cool stuff happened here”, but others are worth a visit if 1960’s through early 1980’s music history is your thing. Regent Sounds Studio We’ll start at 4...
Duck & Waffle We began the day with a late (10:00am) breakfast at Duck & Waffle, which was amazing. The views from the 40th floor are amazing, and the food was incredible. I, of course, had the duck & waffle, and Teresa had the eggs Florentine (served on a waffle). We split a dessert waffle: the lemon meringue. It was divine. Be sure to make a...
Vintage + Vinyl We spent all afternoon in Shoreditch (mostly Brick Lane, part of the greater Shoreditch neighborhood), which is a very Bohemian neighborhood filled with street art, vintage shops, and vinyl. And when I say vintage shops, I don’t mean Goodwill style junk. These are serious. Stuff people would actually want to wear. And there are a TON of them...
We started day 4 doing the obligatory tourist stuff (Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, etc…) We weren’t particularly interested in most of this aside from the architecture. We didn’t tour the insides of anything in this area, and altogether it was a small part of the day. That said, there were some good reasons to brave the most...
Entrance to the Leake Street Arches (Graffiti Tunnel) The Leake Street Arches (aka the Leake Street Graffiti Tunnel) is a tunnel that runs under the Waterloo Station, so if you’re in the area of the London Eye/Buckingham Palace/etc., it’s definitely worth checking out. The Eurostar used to operate out of the tunnel, before it eventually moved to St...
After Leake Street Arches, we made our way along the curve of the Thames, our eventual destination being Shakespeare’s Globe. Along the way we stopped to check out the Tate Modern and got a good look at the Millennium Bridge. Tate Modern + Millennium Bridge We really enjoyed the Tate Modern museum. There were exhibits that required pre-booking, which we...
We started the day in King’s Cross as we had breakfast reservations at Dishoom King’s Cross, which is in Coal Drops Yard. After breakfast we explored Coal Drops Yard and visited a floating bookstore on the canal at Coal Drops Yard. Platform 9 3/4 The Hogwarts Express takes off from Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station. It’s located between...