Last Day in London

Hi there! Sorry for the radio silence. The last week has been an absolute whirlwind! My last full day in London was wonderful – even with the on-again-off-again rain showers. It wouldn’t be a true UK experience without a few sprinkles. I started my day with breakfast at darling cafe around the corner. I ordered eggs Benedict and an Americano coffee. The hollandaise sauce wasn’t as buttery or creamy as what I’m used to in the U.S., but it was still delicious!

Then I took the Tube over to the Picadilly Circus area where I wandered around for a bit. I spent some time dodging rain by darting in and out of stores. There were so many shops! I decided last minute that I wanted to see a musical so I grabbed a list from a ticket stand. WHAT A LIST. Minneapolis usually has 1-2 musicals at a time… here in London the options were endless. I felt spoiled rotten! I wanted to see everything, obviously, but I could only choose one. 🙂

I decided to catch the matinee showing of “CHICAGO: The Musical” and boy was I impressed. I read that Cuba Gooding Jr. was starring in it, but that wasn’t the case for my show. That’s totally okay! I was still absolutely blown away. They had a live jazz band that was absolutely incredible. I would have paid good money just to see them play! The costumes were mesmerizing and the choreography was electric. Also the voices of the actors and actresses was unbelievable – they were so talented! I loved all the harmonies. Since I bought a solo ticket just 30 minutes before the curtains closed, I was in the 10th row at center stage. Couldn’t ask for better seats. WHAT A GREAT SHOW!!! I’m not normally the spontaneous type, especially when it comes to spending money, but I’m so happy I treated myself.

On that day I got a kick out of walking around Hamley’s Toy Shop. This place was a kid’s dream! I loved seeing all of the happy kids and all of their smiling faces. This toy store would put even the grouchiest person in a good mood. Of course I had to browse the Disney, board game and the Barbie sections – I’m still a kid at heart, after all. There really is something for everyone here. This four-floor store had giant displays of Harry Potter, Star Wars, Barbie, Legos and so on. I didn’t spend a ton of time there but I’m glad I stopped in. People always say that kids these days don’t even play with toys – RIP Toys R Us – but I can tell you that kids DO love toys. At least they did at this store!

For dinner I stopped into a French restaurant near my hostel. It was delicious! Why not gear up for my 10 weeks in France, right?! I ordered a glass of wine, a salmon appetizer and some French fries. A pretty random meal but I liked it. I didn’t want anything too heavy or rich so this was perfect for me. Okay, I know fries can be rich but I was craving them so bad! I don’t remember what the cheese/dip was in the center of the salmon but I hope we meet again someday. I remember it had dill but I’m not sure what else.

Then that night I packed up my bags and stayed up all night (not kidding) to catch my flight to Greece. So that’s a wrap! I’m going to do a separate post about my hostel later so stay tuned for that.

Thanks for reading!

 

London: Parks, Palaces and Paintings

My three days in London went by so fast! I should have booked more time in London but that’s okay. It’ll always have a special place in my heart. 🙂 London was the first city I experienced outside of the US when I was in high school. I’ve been obsessed ever since. To be honest, I was worried that I hyped London up too much since being here (at 17 with little exposure to the world) but that’s not the case at all. It’s seriously the best! The rain would get old if I lived here but as a vacationer it’s not so bad. I came prepared with a rain jacket and boots!

Right now I’m keeping myself awake to catch a shuttle for the airport. You know me, the heavy sleeper who could sleep through a hurricane. I’m afraid that if I fall asleep I won’t wake up! Or my alarm would be too quiet because I don’t want to wake up the dozen girls who are sharing my hostel room with me. So, here I am rambling and writing a blog post! I’ll fall asleep once I get on the shuttle and once I’m on the plane to Greece. I can even sleep in a lawn chair at the beach tomorrow afternoon…

Anyways, the last two days in London have been awesome! Yesterday I walked 23K steps – a new record for me. I walked all over the place and took the tube around the city, too.

I started my day with a coffee and a raspberry almond muffin from Cafe Nero. Then I took the tube over to the Victoria & Albert museum. What a beaut! Seriously, I think I took 180 photos there. I loved all the fashion displays from the mid 1700s-today. It was unreal to see dresses and accessories from 180 years ago. As someone who appreciates decades fashion, this was right up my alley. I also walked through British history exhibits from the renaissance era up to the turn of this last century. Sculptures, paintings, glasswork, furniture… This place has it all! My description isn’t doing it justice. If you get to London, go there and you’ll know what I mean! The building alone is a work of art. Think grand entrances, marble staircases, extraordinarily high ceilings. I asked one of the workers how high the ceilings were and he looked at me like I was a complete weirdo. I guess that’s not a common question. (Dad, if you’re reading this, the ceilings were about 16+ feet high!!)

After the museum I took a stroll through Hyde Park. Oh my gosh it was beautiful. I walked along a gorgeous tree-lined path and the leaves were starting to turn golden. These trees were HUGE. Maybe the biggest trees I’ve ever seen. (Not sure how they compare to the redwoods since I’ve never been.) It was a lovely fall scene that could have been in a British rom com for sure. There was a stretch with a ridiculous downpour of rain so I hid under a tree with strangers. It was something. But then it cleared up and I walked by a pond with a variety of geese, swans and ducks. It’s the most wildlife I’ve seen since being here. I couldn’t help but hum “Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins.

Then I ended up in front of Buckingham Palace. That place is just as grand as I remember! No royalty sightings for me but at least a kind stranger took my photo in front of the gates. That was so sweet! I passed beautiful gardens and walked through St Paul Park in rain. I arrived at Westminster Abbey. I took photos of the outside from all angles. I decided to forgo the tour. I’ve seen a lot of churches in my day.

I walked over to Big Ben which was under construction (bummer!!) and then over to the London Eye. The line for tickets was crazy long and the line for actually riding the Ferris wheel was even longer. I decided not to follow through. I’m afraid of heights anyways haha I was just trying to be brave!

After all of this I took the tube home. I’ll tell ya what, the dogs were barking! My poor feet were tired and I could use more water. I chilled for a bit and met a girl I went to high school with, Maddie, for drinks nearby. Our paths crossed when we worked a golf course during college summers and then again at my last PR job. I was so pumped to see that she’d be in London the same time as me. We had a few drinks at two different pubs. It was awesome! Time truly flew by!!

Then on my way home I stopped at a pizza place across the street from my hostel. Holy cow it was really good. I was striking out with good food on this trip and this pizza place, Pizza Sophia, really knocked it out of the park. I couldn’t help but giggle at a table of Denmark dads across from me. I had NO idea what they were saying but they were laughing so hard and having an absolute ball. They liked that I was from MN. Go Vikings!! They were all so nice and I had a nice time chatting with them in this super tiny restaurant.

Well, that’s all I got for now! I’ll tackle today’s adventures in writing another day. Thanks for reading! I know this post is a long one.

My First Day in London Town

Hi friends! I made it over the pond to London this morning. My overnight flight went well. Six flights landed in London at the same time so customs took a while but l that’s okay! I was zombie with the time change but made it through. Yay! Then I hopped on the tube and took it into London so I could drop off my stuff at my super cool hostel. (That wasn’t sarcasm, this place rocks!)

The honest truth about traveling alone so far? It’s not so scary! People don’t pay attention to you or judge you for eating alone – this place is so busy and people have places to be! I love London. I feel comfortable and at home here. There’s something about it! I’m the same but also so different from when I was here in high school 10 years ago. I’m still Jenna but more confident and sure of myself – maybe having a smart phone helps navigate public transportation. Who knows! I’m liking London so far and I’m only just getting started.

I tell ya what though, I was sweating up a storm trying to push/pull/lug my bags this morning in the rain. If I don’t have Michelle Obama’s arms by the end of this trip, I’ll be shocked! Haha Getting heavy luggage from point A to point B over cobblestone streets during rush hour isn’t my favorite thing but it’s all part of the process, right?! By the way, I’ll be giving you the highs, the lows and the in between of this trip! You have enough highlight reels to scroll through. Why not read something real?

Okay, enough of me blabbering. Here are some photos from day one. It took me a while to get situated and I did take a nap this afternoon because I was feeling all out of wack. I’m going to bed early so I can hit the ground running tomorrow.

Cheers!

Typical London street. How beautiful!

I didn’t have the patience to wait in line after the airport but at least I got a photo! Any Photoshop wizards can pop me in there!

A charming neighborhood street of London

Notice the pink and yellow buildings??

Holy happy hour!!

Covent Garden was an awesome area. I spent some time walking around and exploring.

P.S. I had “A Foggy Day in London Town” by Michael Buble in my head today as I was wondering around fighting sleep. Give it a listen if you want to be inspired!

P.P.S. Just because I don’t blog everyday does NOT mean that I’m dead. I could be sipping a cider at a pub or sleeping or trying to figure out what language the adorable old couple at the cafe next to me are speaking. I’ll post whenever I feel like slowing down and setting some time aside.

TTFN!