Road Trip!

One of the biggest decisions that Erik and I had to make while on vacation this year was which mode of transportation would get us from London to Edinburgh. 

We kept going back and forth between three different options:

1) fly, 2) take the train or 3) drive. 

All three choices cost about the same,

yet we couldn't figure out which one would best suit our needs.

Should we fly and get there really quickly?

Should we relax and read a book on the train?

Or should we be adventurers and drive across the whole UK?

At the end of the day, 

we figured, when will we ever have the chance to road-trip in Europe again?

So a car was rented, and we were on our way!

Best decision ever made.

Approximate distance between London and Edinburgh is about 330 miles,

but we figured that since we weren't in a rush to get anywhere,

we could take our time and make a couple of pit stops along the way. 

Cambridge

Cambridge is less than two hours away from London,

and it's everything I imagined it to be and more. 

Oh what I would give to attend University in that beautiful town...

Once there, we spent a few hours wandering around the tiny streets that have been around since 1209. 

The architecture of places like the King's College Chapel, the Cavendish laboratory and the Library is out of this world.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat at Gardenia Take Away,

we hopped back into our little joy ride, 

and were on our way to the next destination. 

York

Enclosed within a circuit of 13th century walls,

sits York,

a romantic city full of culture and rich ancient history. 

We really enjoyed exploring around town, having supper by the river, 

and visiting places like the York Minster, which btw, is quite grand in scale and an unexpected surprise.

I wish we had more than one day allocated to our road trip so we could visit more small towns around the UK. 

As soon as the sun started setting over the River Ouse,

we figured we better get back on the road. 

The whole trip took us approximately 15 hours,

and I can honestly tell you that it was my favorite day of vacation. 

Between almost crashing in the center of London to getting lost in a tiny Scottish village,

we have so many memories that will put a smile on my face for the rest of my life. 

If you're ever planning a similar trip, here are a few tips:

- Rent a GPS system. Almost every car rental company offers them for about 10 GBP. It will make navigating SO much easier.

- Rent a car outside of London. We actually did this, by taking the tube to London airport and renting from there... the only glitch was when we realized we couldn't cash in our Oyster cards there, so we had to drive back into the city, cash them, and drive back out. At one point, we literally turned the corner and realized that we were driving across the Tower Bridge. Crazy! 

- Don't be intimidated to drive on the opposite side of the street. We were a little nervous at first, because 1) we rented a car with manual transmission which meant that Erik had to shift with his left hand {pretty hilarious}, and 2) all those round-abouts don't make it any easier to follow traffic signs. 

But hey, we survived, and like I mentioned earlier, had a blast doing so!

Side trippin, London style

One of my favorite things about Europe is how accessible it is. 

You can be having a croissant in Paris one morning,

and then a few hours later you can very well be snacking on paella in Spain. 

Between trains, boats, and $18 flights on Ryanair,

no place is out of reach on that continent. 

The UK is slightly different, 

simply because it's so large and in charge. 

But, being the adventurers that we are,

we decided to take advangtage of the time we had in London and take a few side trips to explore some other places  in England. 

Below are a few snapshots of some places that, in my opinion, are just too good to miss.

Windsor

Considered to be her majesty's home away from home,

Windsor Castle is only 40 minutes away from London city center.

Catch a train from Paddington Station and make a day of it. 

Take a tour around the State Apartments,

and get a glimpse into the good life. 

Stonehenge, Bath and Lacock

Visiting England without checking out the ancient stones would be like a sin, right?

Since we knew we would be heading west to check out Stonehenge,

we decided it would be worthwhile to make a whole day of it. 

I read a lot of great reviews about The English Bus tours,

and since they offered up an itinerary that tickled our fancy, we decided to give them a try. 

Couldn't be happier with how the day turned out!

Our first stop was, of course, Stonehenge. 

Let's see, what can I tell you about this place that you don't already know...

not much really. 

A bunch of old rocks, assembled on a grassy knoll, in some mysterious way. 

Worth a visit?

Of course!

It's probably the most important prehistoric monument in all of Britain,

and it also offers up a great setting for a mid-morning nap. 

Our next destination was the beautiful city of Bath. 

I seriously fell in love with this place.

It's tiny and peaceful,

but also offers up a unique experience with stunning architecture, great shopping, and iconic attractions.

Nestled right in the center of town are the Roman Baths,

a magnificnent temple and bathing complex that still flows with natural hot water.

For a few British pounds you can purchase a glass of this acclaimed water that is supposed to be filled with beneficial minerals (and that also tastes atrocious),

or you can treat your pallets to traditional afternoon tea at the Pump Room Restaurant. 

This was one of the most memorable experiences for me, and I highly recommend it to anyone who visits Bath. 

The restaurant decor is impressive enough,

but when they bring out that pastry tower,

your heart will melt into a big puddle of dough. 

We opted for the Traditional Pump Room tea ceremony,

and feasted on a selection of tea sandwiches, soft cheese with smoked duck crostini, homemade scones with clotted cream and cherry tree fruit preserves, pastries

and of course, some tea. 

I dream of those pastries at night some times... 

Honestly a must if you're ever in the area!

On the way back to London we made a couple of pit stops.

I won't disclose all the spots because the tour company prefers to keep the location of the last few stops a secret, but I must share one of them!

I felt so lucky to have had the chance to wander through the village of Lacock. 

Founded in the 13th century, it was unbelievable to me how well it has been preserved. 

Unfortunately I don't have have any photos to share,

but believe me when I say I'm not the only who thought it was breathtaking. 

 The tiny streets are often used as film sets.

You may have seen it in movies like Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter. Nbd. 

Watford

Haven't heard of Watford before? 

Me neither... until I found out that it was the official location of the studios where Harry Potter was filmed!

I've mentioned before that I am self proclaimed Pott Head,

so there was no way that I was going to miss out on visiting the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. 

It was everything I imagined and more. 

A true Mecca for all my fellow Harry lovers. 

We rode broomsticks, drank butter beer, and walked through Hogwarts. 

My life is officially complete!

There are so many other destinations around London that we wish we had a chance to visit..

if only we had more time. 

Oh well, there's always next year!

London Time - Part II

This London post is dedicated to my favorite past-time...

EATING.

There are so many amazing restaurants in London,

that narrowing them down to a mere dozen was one of the hardest aspects about planning our trip.

Whoever said that the UK had horrible food clearly wasn't looking hard enough.

The city is packed with choices of michelin star caliber,

and we were on a mission to try out as many of them as possible.

We started off our culinary voyage as soon as we got to London.
After we checked in at our hotel,
we crossed the street and arrived at the our first destination, The Delaunay.
What a great way to start off!
My taste buds were snapped out of jet lag as soon as I placed the first tender bite of Steak Tartare in my mouth.
The husband, always a sucker for a toasty sandwich, ordered the Croque Madame, and was equally pleased.

That same night we treated ourselves to our first five-course dinner experience at the Petrichor,
located within the beautiful Cavendish hotel, in the center of Picadilly and Mayfair.
And thus begun our obsession with stretched out dining experiences.
It took us nearly three hours to get through our meal,
and we happily enjoyed every minute of it.
A few dishes that stand out from that night include:
Scottish Scallops and the Wicks Manor Pork Belly.
Most importantly, if you plan to visit the Petrichor, don't miss out on the cocktails!
The Grey Goose Le Fizz and the Vanilla Spring were exquisite.

The next night we treated ourselves to another multiple course dinner at One Twenty One Two,
one of London's most celebrated restaurants located within the Royal Horseguards Hotel.
The ambiance was so romantic.. we were nestled into our own private booth for hours,
while the attentive staff brought us course after course of delicious entrees.
If you plan on visiting, I recommend the beef medallions and the duck,
both of which Erik deemed as "un-flippin-believable".

We couldn't visit London without checking out one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants.
I mean, the guy's a legend,
and after dining at Maze, I can understand why.
Pictured above, in clockwise order from the top left:
Ramsay's take on the ceviche,
braised feather blade of beef, pomme purée, shimeji mushroom, with togarashi spice,
quail, confit leg, girolles, with smoked sweet corn veloute,
pressed duck and foie gras, flat peaches, Sauternes gel and bitter almond,
and pork dumplings with radish, in aromatic mushroom broth.
Not pictured is the apple terrine, rhubarb and custard ice cream,
because in all honestly it just looked too delicious, so all picture-taking was out the door.
I highly, highly recommend this restaurant.
French cuisine with Asian influences? Right. On. Point.

There were several dishes that we just HAD to check off our British bucket list,

and a traditional English breakfast was definitely on there.

After a brisk walk across the Millennium Bridge,

we found a spot to enjoy a warm cappuccino along with a savory breakfast with a view that was hard to beat. 

Situated along the River Thames, Founders Arms is a modern pub that offers great food without any fuss.

And now for the grand finale...
Proudly wearing two Michelin stars,
Sketch is definitely a place to remember.
This is where you go to see and be seen.
You've probably seen the famous egg shaped bathrooms on TV recently,
(I know I'm not the only fan of the Real Housewives of New York out there).
Just check out this decor!
My eyes were darting around in every direction,
until my food came, that is.
Once that plate was placed in front of me,
my eyes closed, and with each bite, I was transported to la-la land.

Erik ordered the roast leg of lamb with garlic, paimpol coco beans, crunchy onions and sage with aubergine caviar,
while I feasted on the duck magret with maniguette pepper, peach caramelised with sweet wine, corn ice cream and coconut milk.
Wow.. is all I can say.
This place definitely earned its recognition.

I'll finish this post off with a quote:
 “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” 

-Virginia Woolf

Preach sista!

London Time - Part I

Oh London,

how I love thee. 

This wasn't my first time in the magical city of double decker red buses, 

although the only things that really stick from my visit there 20 years ago 

are the cute animals at the Zoo, and the overwhelming amount of toys at the Toy Museum. 

Nevertheless,

I remember it as being lovely,

and lovely it still is. 

There is SO much to see and do in this enormous city,

that even 6 days wasn't enough. 

I'm thinking I need at least a year, so that I can explore every little crevice thoroughly. 

From royal palaces, to bridges, to amazing museums,

we were on the go the whole time. 

Below is the first installment of my recommendations for things that can't be missed..

Where to Stay:

Since we were in London for almost a full week,

we decided to split our time between two neighborhoods. 

Our first stint was at the London Waldorf,

right in the center of the Theater District and only two blocks away from the Covent Garden tube stop. 

This is obviously a luxurious place to stay,

and is perfect for kicking back and relaxing after a long day of sight-seeing. 

For the second leg of our London stay,

we shacked up at the Caesar Hotel,

which was a lot more low key, and right around the corner from Hyde Park. 

I highly recommend both places.

The latter is a lot more affordable, but to each their own.

What to See:

Where do you even begin as a tourist in London? 

Like I mentioned earlier, there's just SO much to see. 

We decided that the best route was to split our days into territories. 

We actually took all the London walking tours with Sandemans New Europe company,

which I highly, highly recommend! 

The guides are young, energetic, and so smart that they put me to shame. 

Both Erik and I feel like we learned so much on this trip, 

and in large part, it's thanks to those tours. 

Ok, so of course we saw all the touristy stuff first,

Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London,

and I could go on and on. 

Here are some fun facts that stood out to me:

*Buckingham Palace is The Queen's official London residence, 

but St. James's Palace is the ceremonial Royal residence.

With all that, The Queen still prefers to spend her weekends at Windsor Castle,

a place I'll tell you about in a future post.

*During the night of July 9, 1982,

one very drunk Irishman by the name of Michael Fagan proceeded to successfully break into the Buckingham Palace and join The Queen in her bed chambers. 

Apparently security wasn't all it's cracked up to be back then,
because Michael was able to easily hop the fence after a few lot of drinks at a local pub, and go on to explore the royal palace. 

After consuming half a bottle of the Queen's wine and munching on a little bit of her dogs' food,

Fagan wandered into her actual bedroom, where her majesty was peacefully sleeping. 

Long story short, it took nearly 45 minutes for the royal guards to figure out that security system was not "surely malfunctioning", 

and that there was, in fact, an intruder.

When Fagan was finally arrested, all he was officially charged with was theft... of half a bottle of wine and some dog food. 

True story. 

Now don't go wild and start hopping fences tonight.. the laws have surely changed since 1982.

*The Tower of London is not really a tower.

I mean, I guess "technically it is", 

but when the guide told us it was straight ahead yet there was no tip to be seen up above,

I was definitely confused. 

It looks more like a castle, or a fortress, but definitely not a tower.

Silly Englishmen.

*The Westminister Abbey is Britain's largest church. 

It's massive, and beautiful, and seems a lot bigger in person as opposed to when I saw it on the TV for William and Kate's wedding last year. 

The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs. 

*The official name for Big Ben is St. Stephen's tower...

it picked up its nickname after the tower's largest bell, 

which, by the way, is not the original bell. 

The original had to be replaced after it was rang only once... the poor thing cracked under all that pressure. Tee hee. Get it?

The London Eye (previously known as the Millennium Wheel) was one of the structures built in Britain to celebrate the new old Millennium.

It was actually supposed to be decomissioned after all the celebrations, 

but after the government realized how much profit was at stake, the original plans were quickly abandoned.

It is the most popularly visited paid attraction in all of Great Britain, 

taking in an average of 3 - 3.5 million visitors each year.

Simple math will tell you that at about 19 GBP per ticket, this baby brings in a whole lotta mula!

I can keep going, and going, and going and.. 

Ok, fine. I'll stop. 

In the next post I'll be talking about a much more exciting subject... FOOD!

Have you ever been to London?

What stands out the most to you?