[If you're wondering why I always go to London, it is because it's the cheapest "vacation" I can afford. I only ever have to worry about transportation. And it is also "home" to me because my parents live there.]
I arrived on a Sunday and the first of order of business was the Natural History Museum on Monday. But first, I needed some fuel so I decided to stop at Fernandez & Wells. I went with the Fried Eggs & Chorizo Fresco plate and a Flat White. The chorizo was flavorful and plentiful and the eggs are probably some of the best eggs I've ever had. I know you're probably tired of hearing this, but eggs in Europe really do taste better than the eggs here in America.
The Natural History Museum is a wonder if you've got a few hours to spare. I highly recommend paying a visit. My favorite was the dinosaur exhibit because they had a real t-rex on display.
I arrived during the tail end of the heatwave, but it was still hot as balls so I treated myself to some gelato at Venchi. Pretty sure I got tiramisu. I play it safe.
I had to do a walk-through of Harrod's to see the latest in "fashun." Definitely vibed with the 2nd and 4th outfits and was just very humbled to be stood in front of a real Valentino. I also definitely did not get lost walking around... Definitely not.
Later that day, I met up with my mum at Waitrose and grabbed some snacks. I love trying new snacks when I'm in a different country, or even city or state. This is my new favorite tea biscuit.
The next day, I had lunch with mum at one her favorite eateries just a few blocks from her office. Her office is less than a 10 minute walk to Borough Market so I decided to head over to get some dessert.
Honestly, I've never seen any country or place be so obsessed with truffle. They literally add truffle oil to everything. One of the highlights for me was finally getting a donut from Bread Ahead. I follow their Instagram account and everyday I see pictures of those damn donuts and everyday I imagine what they must taste like. Luckily on this trip I didn't have to imagine any longer. The dough was perfect, not too soggy and the filling was not too sweet, but very cream and bouncy. It was a good bake. I also tried ice cream made with goat milk and in all honesty, it didn't taste too different from ice cream made with cow milk. I think I was too busy trying to place the almond flavor that kept getting lost in the cherry to really notice. I didn't get a bad tummy ache from it or anything. I did take a Lactaid tablet before I took my first bite so that definitely helped. I was still worried though as it was goat milk and I don't usually consume more than a small bite of any goat product if it's ever in the food I'm eating.
By the way, I guess when you get to your 30s, you suddenly become lactose intolerant. I now have to carry Lactaid tablets with me everywhere I go, just in case.
I say this all the time, but St. Paul's is my absolute favorite structure in all of London. The view never gets old. This was probably the best weather I had while there. The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze. It was one of my favorite days out because I got to experience good food, good weather and see the Picasso exhibit. I felt great honor seeing some of his pieces in person. The third piece pictured was one we studied in my Humanities class in college so having been able to stand right in front of it was breath-taking.
My day ended with some Indian takeaway because when in London right?... Literally everything pictured was delicious and spicy! Not pictured is the ridiculous amount of papadum that I begged my mum to order. It also probably isn't pictured because I most likely ate it all.
Wednesday was a bust because it practically rained all day so I stayed in. On Thursday though, my mum wanted me to meet up with her and her colleagues for lunch so I went back to Borough Market. Most of us got a salt beef sandwich, which was pretty good. Not great, but good. I think the pickle was the best part, haha. Also, I couldn't wait to parade around London in my new Weezer shirt. By the way, on that day I tasted what might be the best cherry I've ever had in my life and I absolutely hate cherries. A vendor had samples of fruit out and I don't know why I grabbed a cherry, but I'm glad I did. I very much considered buying some to take home, but resisted. It's very difficult not to spend all your money at Borough Market, but luckily I managed to limit myself to just a slice of tiramisu cheesecake.
On Friday, mum had the day off so she and I had lunch at Pho off Wardour St. and dessert at Hummingbird Bakery. Let me tell you something, the English are not so great when it comes to food, but boy can they bake a cake. I didn't meet a cake I didn't like while I was there.
After dessert, we headed out to my favorite store: Primark. The wall pictured is what accurately describes my current fashion mood. Since my trip, I've based most of my fashion choices on this wall alone. I was really feeling myself so I proudly put on some of the pieces I bought. Basically, I will live and die in that turtleneck. Turtlenecks and mock necks are now my new obsession and I really had to limit myself when I was at Primark because I wanted one in every color.
Mum and I were both celebrating birthdays, so for hers we agreed on going out to a fancy Indian restaurant. My dad picked out Veeraswamy, just off of Regent Street. We ordered off the set dinner menu and although it was pretty pricey, it was worth it! The starters themselves were enough to get me full. I think the soup we had was mulligatawny soup (please do correct me if I'm wrong, I really would like to have the real name of this soup so I can possibly make it at home) and oddly enough it was my favorite dish off the menu. Anyway, this was one of the fanciest dinners I've ever had in my life and I will remember it forever!
Mummy picked Veeraswamy for her birthday dinner and I picked afternoon tea for my birthday the next day! I'm actually an 85 year old grandma inside so having high tea was probably the best thing I could think of doing on my birthday. My dad wanted to go all out so he booked a reservation at the famous Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly. While my parents went with the High Tea option, I chose the Savoury Afternoon Tea menu and had the Queen Anne tea to accompany it. I loved everything except maybe the Duck Liver Mousse w/ Blackberry Jelly. I'm not a picky eater, but that one just didn't sit right with my taste buds. Since it was my birthday, I was given a slice of a Victoria sandwich. The pianist even played "Happy Birthday" for me! After tea, we went back downstairs to the shop so I can buy the Queen Anne tea to take home, along with other souvenirs for some friends. Oh yes, of course I had to take the oblig bathroom and elevator selfie. This is 32 y'all!
On my last full day, I had lunch at Kanada-Ya off Panton St. near Piccadilly. I ordered their "London special" Tonkotsu X. It's like a regular tonkotsu ramen except this has pork and chicken broth. Honestly, it didn't taste any different from ramen with just pork broth, but it was still surprisingly tasty. I also ordered a side of edamame, which was covered in black truffle salt. I know I kind of mock their obsession with truffle oil over there, but I think all edamame should be served with black truffle salt! I definitely recommend this place if you're in town and want some decent ramen. After lunch I met my mum at Cutter & Squidge in Soho. I had a slice of the Blueberry and Lemon Cheesecake and she had a slice of the S'Mores cake. It was all delicious and none of it went to waste.
Thank you London for a great vacation. If you're wondering why the title is so dramatic, it's because prior to this trip I had been going through a lot of personal things. It was a much needed break away from San Diego and it allowed me to find my center and come back rested and renewed. Re-learning to like yourself again is no easy feat, but taking a trip alone helps you find those things again that made you fall in love with you in the first place. I'm not 100% back, but I'm getting there with lots of help from friends, family, books and my therapist. I send you lots of peace and positive energy, my dear reader. Thanks for stopping by! xx
The next day, I had lunch with mum at one her favorite eateries just a few blocks from her office. Her office is less than a 10 minute walk to Borough Market so I decided to head over to get some dessert.
Honestly, I've never seen any country or place be so obsessed with truffle. They literally add truffle oil to everything. One of the highlights for me was finally getting a donut from Bread Ahead. I follow their Instagram account and everyday I see pictures of those damn donuts and everyday I imagine what they must taste like. Luckily on this trip I didn't have to imagine any longer. The dough was perfect, not too soggy and the filling was not too sweet, but very cream and bouncy. It was a good bake. I also tried ice cream made with goat milk and in all honesty, it didn't taste too different from ice cream made with cow milk. I think I was too busy trying to place the almond flavor that kept getting lost in the cherry to really notice. I didn't get a bad tummy ache from it or anything. I did take a Lactaid tablet before I took my first bite so that definitely helped. I was still worried though as it was goat milk and I don't usually consume more than a small bite of any goat product if it's ever in the food I'm eating.
By the way, I guess when you get to your 30s, you suddenly become lactose intolerant. I now have to carry Lactaid tablets with me everywhere I go, just in case.
I love coming to London because the city is so inspiring when it comes to fashion and I feel like every time I'm there, it's always when I'm in a weird fashion rut. But as soon as I arrive it's like I've found my footing again. It's not like everyone there is dressed to impress at all times, but I do appreciate the fact that whenever people are out, they make an effort with their appearance, which I think sometimes doesn't always happen in a place like San Diego. I love clothes and everything to do with fashion and San Diego isn't always inspiring in terms of that (or maybe I just hang around the wrong places?). As much as I like to dress up, it doesn't always spark up the motivation when almost everyone around you is in shorts and flip flops. I want to walk outside my house and feel like I'm living in a fashion show! On this trip, I kind of went for a Pinterest street wear vibe. Like what would I want to be photographed in if someone happened to snap a photo of me? I mean look at the woman standing in front of Bao. She looks like she's straight off a magazine! I wanted to look like that, so I made sure to make the same effort with my outfits for the rest of my trip, hence all these terrible mirror selfies.
Oh, Bao was overrated. I guess living here, I'm a little spoiled.
I had time to kill before heading over to Tate Modern for the Picasso exhibit so I stopped by a few shops. Can we, Californians, officially start serving cupcakes and boba in all our shops?? Why hasn't this caught on?
I say this all the time, but St. Paul's is my absolute favorite structure in all of London. The view never gets old. This was probably the best weather I had while there. The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze. It was one of my favorite days out because I got to experience good food, good weather and see the Picasso exhibit. I felt great honor seeing some of his pieces in person. The third piece pictured was one we studied in my Humanities class in college so having been able to stand right in front of it was breath-taking.
My day ended with some Indian takeaway because when in London right?... Literally everything pictured was delicious and spicy! Not pictured is the ridiculous amount of papadum that I begged my mum to order. It also probably isn't pictured because I most likely ate it all.
Wednesday was a bust because it practically rained all day so I stayed in. On Thursday though, my mum wanted me to meet up with her and her colleagues for lunch so I went back to Borough Market. Most of us got a salt beef sandwich, which was pretty good. Not great, but good. I think the pickle was the best part, haha. Also, I couldn't wait to parade around London in my new Weezer shirt. By the way, on that day I tasted what might be the best cherry I've ever had in my life and I absolutely hate cherries. A vendor had samples of fruit out and I don't know why I grabbed a cherry, but I'm glad I did. I very much considered buying some to take home, but resisted. It's very difficult not to spend all your money at Borough Market, but luckily I managed to limit myself to just a slice of tiramisu cheesecake.
On Friday, mum had the day off so she and I had lunch at Pho off Wardour St. and dessert at Hummingbird Bakery. Let me tell you something, the English are not so great when it comes to food, but boy can they bake a cake. I didn't meet a cake I didn't like while I was there.
After dessert, we headed out to my favorite store: Primark. The wall pictured is what accurately describes my current fashion mood. Since my trip, I've based most of my fashion choices on this wall alone. I was really feeling myself so I proudly put on some of the pieces I bought. Basically, I will live and die in that turtleneck. Turtlenecks and mock necks are now my new obsession and I really had to limit myself when I was at Primark because I wanted one in every color.
Mum and I were both celebrating birthdays, so for hers we agreed on going out to a fancy Indian restaurant. My dad picked out Veeraswamy, just off of Regent Street. We ordered off the set dinner menu and although it was pretty pricey, it was worth it! The starters themselves were enough to get me full. I think the soup we had was mulligatawny soup (please do correct me if I'm wrong, I really would like to have the real name of this soup so I can possibly make it at home) and oddly enough it was my favorite dish off the menu. Anyway, this was one of the fanciest dinners I've ever had in my life and I will remember it forever!
Mummy picked Veeraswamy for her birthday dinner and I picked afternoon tea for my birthday the next day! I'm actually an 85 year old grandma inside so having high tea was probably the best thing I could think of doing on my birthday. My dad wanted to go all out so he booked a reservation at the famous Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly. While my parents went with the High Tea option, I chose the Savoury Afternoon Tea menu and had the Queen Anne tea to accompany it. I loved everything except maybe the Duck Liver Mousse w/ Blackberry Jelly. I'm not a picky eater, but that one just didn't sit right with my taste buds. Since it was my birthday, I was given a slice of a Victoria sandwich. The pianist even played "Happy Birthday" for me! After tea, we went back downstairs to the shop so I can buy the Queen Anne tea to take home, along with other souvenirs for some friends. Oh yes, of course I had to take the oblig bathroom and elevator selfie. This is 32 y'all!
After afternoon tea, I took a stroll around to walk off all the food I had just eaten. I then rounded off a great day with an episode of the Great British Bake Off.
Thank you London for a great vacation. If you're wondering why the title is so dramatic, it's because prior to this trip I had been going through a lot of personal things. It was a much needed break away from San Diego and it allowed me to find my center and come back rested and renewed. Re-learning to like yourself again is no easy feat, but taking a trip alone helps you find those things again that made you fall in love with you in the first place. I'm not 100% back, but I'm getting there with lots of help from friends, family, books and my therapist. I send you lots of peace and positive energy, my dear reader. Thanks for stopping by! xx
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