09/06/2017

Travel Bite: London

London! It still amazes me how much we were able to see in 5 days. We went NONSTOP – the step counters on our phones were on overdrive. Only one day was plagued with the classic London gray skies and rain, so the rest of the time we took advantage of the great weather and spent a lot of time out and about.

I would love to write about everything we did, but that would be a long post, so I’m sticking to a few highlights: the Tower of London, some amazing food, and seeing Wicked at the West End!

The Tower of London

One of my favorite things we did was a tour of the Tower of London, which was used to house some famous prisoners from the 1100’s to the 1900’s. Our guide was dressed in the classic “beefeater” uniform that the members of the English Royal Bodyguards wear. We learned a lot of interesting and colorful history about London’s past. Never mind that I probably already learned it at some point in school. It all seemed new to me!

On-site at the Tower of London, with The Tower Bridge in the background

Food (aka ALLLL the fish & chips!)

This should go without saying, but pub food was definitely a highlight of the trip. My favorite stop was a spot near Portobello Road, which had a chic upstairs where we stopped for a Prosecco (me) and a beer (Drew), and of course a nice platter of crispy fried fish & chips! With all the walking we did, I didn’t feel the least bit guilty ordering *all fried everything.*

Another favorite new experience was trying Indian food for the first time, at the recommendation of many of my friends who had been to London before. The place we went was called Dishoom, and I highly recommend it. We took our best guess on ordering from a menu full of things we didn’t recognize, and we were immediately obsessed. Dear Chicken Ruby Curry, please get in my belly and never leave!

Lastly, the Borough market was so much fun to walk through. We sampled everything from shepherd’s pie and brats to some amazing Ethiopian food, and of course some gourmet chocolates to finish it off!

Somehow among the hustle and bustle, we found a little nook of our own!

Wicked!

Seeing Wicked at the West End was so much fun. I’ve loved all the songs since I was young, and even though I had seen it once, Drew hadn’t, so it was really special to experience it again with him! It was a nice break from the grind of traveling to get a little fan-say and spend a night at the theatre. (pronounced the way that the drama teacher from High School Musical says it. Thee-aaahhhhh-terrrrr.)

Before heading to see Wicked – Drew got to meet the Queen!

A few more highlights are pictured below. Let me know in the comments of any favorite travel memories you have from London, or what you’d like to do most when you go there!