I was so overwhelmed by the beauty, details and feeling of London that I barely remembered to pull out my camera to capture it. It was a wonderful trip, full of inspiration and adventures. Here are a few bits….
Our room at Blakes Hotel in South Kensington was charming and TOTALLY British. Small and quaint tucked away on a residential street it gave us a real British experience instead of a huge hotel experience. While the bed was rock hard (a dining table with a sheet on it, perhaps), and the shower a nightmare- the bathtub caused me to take more baths in a week than I have in the last year! Such a relaxing, lovely way to prep for dinner out on King’s Road, a mere two blocks away! :)
Gilded details in the halls and the old school key!
Lobby with Louis Vuitton trunks and a private little terrace we found.
The street the hotel was on.
I noticed that quite a few brick buildings were painted black with white trim, our hotel left and TIffany’s on Bond Street! I LOOOOOOVE this look.
I mean, every darn street is so charming!
Pastel rowhouses in Notting Hill on Portobello Road.
The doors….oh the DOORS!!!!
We went to Buckingham Palace and while the tours were sold out we took in the exterior. I could not get over all the gilded details on everything all over London. The fences, buildings, lamp posts, you name it.
Cuteness. All over the place! How is this city to well manicured and clean?!?!
Gorgeous strolls through aprks (our weather was unbelievable) and Big Ben against a crisp blue sky!
A favorite find was Somerset House, where in teh courtyard children played in the water feature.
And we had a marvelous lunch at Tom’s Kitchen inside the gorgeous old building.
The most awe inspiring stop of our trip was Westminster Abbey. We couldn’t take pics inside, but we were busy staring gaping mouthed at the spectacular, unbelievable space. I mean, it was truly unreal. I admit, I imagined what it would be like to walk down the aisle in that place and I got chills (but told Andrew I would totally be able to handle it) :)
A few snaps of the gardens at Westminster.
We went to the British Museum and I nearly RAN to the Egyptian exhibit. I have a thing for mummies.
The building was amazing and seeing Cleopatra’s sarcophagus (and real mummified bodies) was amazing.
We mixed it up and went to the Tate where I got to see some massive Twombly’s and an awe inspiring exhibit by Taryn Simon. Really incredible!
We did a lot fo window shopping. I am sad to report I bought nothing, mostly because almost everything is available in the States for cheaper (Burberry trench, Mulberry bag…)! But the shops themselves were lovely, especially Designer’s Guild on King’s Road (love that striped bed).
Even the British have cheeky funeral parlors!!!
We had some great meals at Carluccio’s in Marylebone (my fave area was Marylebone High Street), Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen in Shoreditch and The Wolesley in Mayfair. All worth checking out on your own trips to London!
All in all, a great experience! Tomorrow check in for some fashion tips based on what I saw on the streets of the UK!
