London – How we got there:
As I said in last week’s post, we used airline points to book our flights. Rob and I were on separate flights to London and back. We’ve gotten used to flying separately, and for me, it’s not much different than flying together since he mostly sleeps on any flight. We both are big time Delta Airlines loyalists and that’s what airline we fly most of the time. My flight over to London was from Detroit and Rob’s was from Minneapolis. My total flight time going over was around 6 and a half hours, which honestly is not that bad. I’ve done the east coast to west coast flights before and they are around 5 hours, so it’s very comparable to that. I can’t really sleep on planes, so I mainly just watched movies and shows. We left our respective destinations around 6pm CST and arrived in London at 6:30 am GMT (which is their time). We arrived at our hotel around 8:30 am GMT after going through customs and getting an Uber. I know everyone says to power through and stay up throughout the first day you get to Europe, but Rob and I are both big sleep people and we always have to take a nap when we first get in. Luckily the hotel had our room available already so we both took a nap from about 9 am- 3pm (whoops).
London- Where we stayed:
I’m really big on researching hotels and will spend hours looking at sites like Booking.com and Trip Advisor and reading reviews. I have been looking at hotels in London for, no lie, like 2 years, so I already had an idea of what part of town I wanted us to stay in. I originally was looking in the Westminster area and Covent Garden, but we ultimately decided on the Trafalgar Square area because it’s super convenient to all of the touristy stuff, and since this was my first time there I wanted to be able to see ALL of the touristy things. I think if we go back we could stay further out in areas of town like Kensington or Picadily and just take the subway.
We love a good hotel but for cities like London where we knew we’d be sightseeing a ton, it didn’t really matter as much to have a fancy hotel. We just needed somewhere that was convenient, affordable, clean, and safe. Ultimately we decided on Club Quarters Trafalgar Square and I cannot say enough good things about this hotel. I think we got it for a rate of $130 a night (or somewhere around that price) and it was everything we were looking for in a hotel. It was literally steps away from the Trafalgar Square and in the other direction it was steps away from the subway station. If you walked 3 minutes to the south you were at the little river bridge where you can see the London Eye perfectly.
The rooms at Club Quarters were small but not super tiny like some we’ve been in during past EuroTrips. We were actually in a really quiet part of the hotel where we literally heard no street noise, no outside noise, no other guest noise … it was amazing. The bathrooms were a good size as well in European standards and had plenty of shower room. Apparently the hotel had a free breakfast, but we never made it down there to try it 😛 The jetlag really hit us hard the first couple of days and we slept in well past the breakfast cut-off time. Overall I was very pleased with the hotel and would definitely stay there again in the future. The hotel was very nice for the price and extremely convenient to all of the places we needed to go and walk to as well as places we ubered.
I’d also like to note that on our way back home we stayed the night at the Hilton at London Heathrow Airport and it was super nice and was a great place to stay if you have an early flight the next morning. The big international airport in London (Heathrow) is pretty far out from the middle of the city, so definitely account for a good 45 minutes to get to and from there when and if you go.
London- What we did:
I wanted to do all of the touristy things since this was my first time visiting London. However, we went the week of Christmas and a lot of museums and attractions had weird hours and some were even closed. The one thing we did that I would highly recommend is the Fat Tire Bike Tour. With the Fat Tire London bike tour we were able to see the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Royal Parks, Kensington Palace and Trafalgar Square. We try to do a bike tour in every city that we visit because you really get to cover a lot of ground and the tour guides are always a wealth of knowledge. I actually did the very first Fat Tire Bike Tour location in Paris in 2005 and ever since then I’ve done 3 of their city tours in various European cities.
I really don’t love a rigid schedule when traveling, so one of our favorite things to do is to just walk around and take in all of the sights. We will set out from the hotel with no real destination and just walk for miles. Sometimes we find the most interesting and quaint little areas of a city by doing this and I love how it’s like a little adventure. We did tons of walking on our London trip because as I said above, a lot of the museums and attractions were closed the day before Christmas and obviously on Christmas, so we had to think outside the box in terms of activities. If I could do this trip over I would try to not go during Christmas but that’s just the way it worked out and I’m still glad we got to go even if a lot of things weren’t open.
One of my favorite areas of town to walk around was the area near Buckingham Palace … I think it’s St. James park? This location was pretty close to our hotel so if Rob was napping I would just grab my bag and go exploring around this park area. I am a huge people watcher, so I had so much fun just grabbing a coffee and sitting on a park bench taking in all of the scenery and sights. Also, keep in mind that depending on what part of town you’re staying in, London is a pretty spread out city. So for instance, the Tower Bridge area was super far away from where we were staying and we had to get an Uber there. I guess we could have walked but the weather wasn’t ideal for casually strolling multiple miles.
London- Where we ate:
Perhaps one of our favorite things about our London trip was the food. We had some great food in London and I think a lot of that had to do with using Whitney to plan our itinerary because she knew exactly where the good food was. Here is a brief rundown of where we ate and my thoughts:
Dishoom– Dishoom is a very popular Indian restaurant and hands down was our favorite meal of the entire trip. Everyone warned us about the line and they were 100% correct. We went around 6:30pm on a Saturday night and I think we waited in line for an hour. They have the line super organized so you can rest assured no one will cut you if you want to walk around for a bit while you are waiting. They also handed out hot tea to people waiting in line so that was nice and kept us warm. I don’t even remember what all we got to eat, but everything was delicious and I loved their chai tea.
Sketch– did you even really go to London if you don’t eat at Sketch? Sketch is the very popular instagram hot spot where everything is pink velvet and they have the space egg bathroom. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t my favorite in terms of food or portion size. Was it an experience? Yes. Would I go back? Probably not. I’ve heard the tea experience is great there so maybe I’ll try that next time instead of dinner.
The Ivy Kensington– this was probably our second favorite meal in London and the atmosphere was top notch. I think there are several different Ivy locations in London, but we chose to go to the one in Kensington. We went around 8:30pm and it was super dark, so I kind of wish I could have gone back during the day to see what it looks like inside with some light. I had the traditional British meal of Fish & Chips and it was delicious. I also had the apple pie dessert that comes with a flaming liquor topping so that was really fun to watch.
Cafe in the Crypt– this was a cafeteria style food establishment near our hotel and we loved it because it is an underground 18th century crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields, a popular London church. There are tons of food options and you can go around and order from different stations before checking out at the end. This would be a great place to grab a quick lunch if you’re out sightseeing and want some good food but don’t want to spend a lot of time at a sit-down restaurant.
Hotel Corninthia– this hotel was right down the street from us and they were one of the only places open for Christmas, so we decided to get the traditional British tea here on Christmas Day. A range of specially commissioned, hand-painted bone china by Richard Brendon, arrives laden with finger sandwiches, scones and fine pastries and cakes, while an antique Champagne trolley is wheeled to each table to initiate the afternoon tea service.
London- Overall impressions:
I absolutely LOVED London and I am dying to go back and stay for longer during the warmer months. We were only there for 4 days (and one of those we slept half the day), so I definitely feel like there is so much that we didn’t get to see. There were so many museums that we didn’t get to tour and areas of town that we didn’t get to see. I really loved the vibe of the city and everyone that we encountered was super friendly and helpful. I also loved the shopping and if I would have been left alone for too long I think I could have gotten into some serious trouble. I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland as well, so I think when I make that trip happen I will just tack on London and go again since they are so close.
This brings back such good memories. I used to live in London. Love all your pictures and your outfits.
❥ tanvii.com
This is an AMAZING guide, not to mention your photos are absolutely stunning. Thank you so much for sharing girl! xo
Cathclaire
This post is sooo making me want to go back to London! I haven’t been in years. Im bookmarking this guide!
I miss London so much! These photos are beautiful!
You always take the best adventures and I love your recap posts! Not to mention your style… so gorgeous. Some day maybe I’ll make it to London!
I love every single outfit you wore on your trip! And even though you said the room was small in your hotel, I would stay there in a heartbeat! It looks so cute!
-Morgan
How 2 Wear It [] http://how2wearit.com
This looks like such a fun time! All of your outfits are super cute, I’d never look that cute on vacay lol
I am so envious! This post makes me want to book a flight asap! Love all your photos!
Thank you!! Using this for my upcoming trip in July!
It looks like a great trip. London is so much fun and it looks like you enjoyed it.
Xx, Nailil
thirtyminusone.com
http://yougame.com/profile/annettetitu
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Hey, how’s it going?
I want to pass along some very important news that everyone needs to hear!
In December of 2017, Donald Trump made history by recognizing Jerusalem as the captial of Israel. Why is this big news? Because by this the Jewish people of Israel are now able to press forward in bringing about the Third Temple prophesied in the Bible.
Jewish Rabbis have publicly announced that their Messiah will be revealed in the coming years who will be a leader and spiritual guide to all nations, gathering all religions under the worship of one God. They deny Jesus as their Messiah, and the Bible tells us this Jewish Messiah will be the counterfiet that will bring about a false peace, and ultimatley the great tribulation.
They even printed a coin to raise money for the Temple with Donald Trumps face on the front and with king Cyrus'(who built the second Temple) behind him. On the back of the coin is an image of the third Temple.
More importantly, the power that runs the world wants to put a RFID microchip in our body making us total slaves to them. This chip matches perfectly with the Mark of the Beast in the Bible, more specifically in Revelation 13:16-18:
“He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.”
Referring to the last days, this could only be speaking of a cashless society, which we have yet to see, but are heading towards. Otherwise, we could still buy or sell without the mark amongst others if physical money was still currency. This Mark couldn’t be spiritual because the word references two different physical locations. If it was spiritual it would just say in the forehead. RFID microchip implant technology will be the future of a one world cashless society containing digital currency. It will be implanted in the right-hand or the forehead, and we cannot buy or sell without it! We must grow strong in Jesus. AT ALL COSTS, DO NOT TAKE IT!
“Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name” (Revelation 14:9-11).
People have been saying the end is coming for many years, but we needed two key things. One, the Third Temple, and two, the technology for a cashless society to fulfill the prophecy of the Mark of the Beast.
Visit http://WWW.BIBLEFREEDOM.COM to see proof for these things and much more!
If you haven’t already, it is time to seek God with all your heart. Jesus loves you more than you could imagine. He wants to have a relationship with you and redeem you from your sins. Turn to Him and repent while there is still hope! God bless!
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