LONDON BABY

One of the only things that kept us going during lockdown was the anticipation of being able to travel again. 

Adam (my husband) didn't often get excited when it came to wedding planning but he was like a child at Christmas when we discussed potential honeymoon destinations. 

So a pandemic really scuppered his 6-week long honeymoon plans.

With the nation in a constant state of worry, it was a little daunting to plan a trip abroad. All of a sudden I had a dreaded fear of a different language and culture, but I still had the travel bug.

 As part of Adam's job he often found himself travelling to London to join the thousands of tube users on the morning commute and enduring increasingly long working hours. 

So when I suggest travelling to London on  our first trip after lockdown, he was less than impressed. Determined to show him that London was more than Canary Warf, lonely hotel room and corporate jargon we set off on a 3 day trip to the Big Smoke. 

We arrived at The Hoxton in Southwark, greeted by modern decor and friendly staff members. We unpacked, filmed the obligatory room tour, took a mirror pic and decided our first order of business. To remedy our empty stomachs. 

First stop was Borough Market: 

An explosion on the senses. 

A buzz from tourists in the summer heat; some aimlessly wandering, perusing every detail of what London's busiest market has to offer. While others are grabbing a quick bite to eat from the plethora of European and Asian dishes  on their way to explore more of the iconic sights. 

After we did a full lap, talked ourselves out of trying something from every vendor we settled on Greek food for me and some Spanish Paella for Adam. If you don't need a lil sweet somethin somethin after savoury, we possibly can't be friends. We sniffed out some donuts from Bread Ahead bakery and got stuck in before we started on operation make Adam the biggest London stan ever! 

Next Up, the sights! 

Once we fulfilled a request by me to visit Shakespeare's Globe; we walked by The Shard, through Hay's Galleria, along the Thames, spotted HMS Belfast and took some pics at Tower Bridge. 

We got our steps in walking around the West Dock and Billingsgate to St Paul's Cathedral. Before finding ourselves in Westminster to see Big Ben under construction. We crossed Westminster Bridge and enjoyed chilling around the London Eye. Since we've both been to London before it was lovely exploring without the pressure of getting nice pictures or tourist experiences. Much cheaper too!! 

After all that walking we headed back to our hotel via tube; let's be honest, if you're not used to this form of transport this is a whole ordeal. However, social distancing, masks and hand sanitiser made this a much more pleasurable activity. 

We got all nicely dressed and headed to The Ivy in Covent Garden for a delicious meal and a chocolate dessert of dreams. With full bellies we needed to walk off some of those calories. We explored the Theatre District, Soho, China Town and Piccadilly Circus all of which lit up the night before we headed to bed ready for another day of exploring. 

The only thing that interrupted our big sleep was the hotel fire alarm going off at 6.45am.  This resulted in a number of dazed and confused hotel guests standing on the streets of London wearing everything from as little as a shirt and pants to a full blown coat and wooly hat. 

We had a leisurely morning with a cup of tea in bed in our gorge Hoxton branded mugs and headed out to Camden. 

We had a second breakfast at 26 Grains in the colourful Neal's Yard and this time explored the Theatre District in the daylight. 

Seven Dials, Leicester Square, Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Selfridges, Hamley's and Carnaby Street. 

Our sweet tooth was calling once again and we headed for some lunch at Chrome in Marylebone. This delicious french toast has stayed with me a whole 3 years late, it was just great! 

We then headed to Harrods where I used the nicest toilets I've ever seen and window shopped all the beautiful bags I could never afford. 

True to form we went into the most spenny shop in London and didn't spend a penny.

We decided the best way to see the poshest side of London was to rent bikes. We started with a jaunt through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens on the bikes to warm us up before heading to Buckingham Palace. 

As a treat it was date night and we managed to secure tickets to Hamilton. 

I justify this by saying my degree was in Musical Theatre so if I went to London and didn't see a show it would literally be a crime against my efforts... 

Before heading to the theatre we fueled up at Victoria Market Hall right by our evening destination. We got some classic chicken and chips from Butchies before heading over to watch an amazing show. 

I am biased and think all Musicals are pretty good but this one is worth seeing especially if you're with someone who isn't the biggest musical fan.

Going to bed well fed and thoroughly entertained. 

Our final day: 

We ventured out into the more hipster area of Shoreditch. On route we visited Camden Market, where I had the most delicious pasta from a cheese wheel, bubble tea and pastel de nata. I was in my element people watching and  exploring all the market stalls.

 We headed deeper into Shoreditch and were not dissapointed. The vibes were immaculate; vintage shops, street art and just general summer vibey vibes.

 We then ventured around Old Spitalfields Market; exploring the vendors and trying the infamous Humble Crumble - which again, did not let us down. 

After having not left the country for 2 years and doing all this exploring on little sleep I was feeling the effects. 

In typical Debbie fashion I was nursing a cold over our time there so by this stage it had well and truly wiped me out. So a cosy night in our hotel room with deliveroo on standby was the perfect way to end our London adventure. 

We have travelled London separately on multiple occasions but I think this was one of my favourite times. London has now found its way back into our lives as somewhere Adam travels to for work, and can be a pain in the bum at times but isn't it lovely to know that right going just around the corner can allow you to experience different culture, foods and vibes.  

Debbie x 

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