Today I got an earlier start than even Greg going to work. I hopped on the Tube and headed to the Golden Tours Visitor Center near Victoria Station. Last week I pre-booked a tour to Stonehenge via Grayline Tours. The tour departed around 8:45 am with just a driver (no tour guide). We were brought to a nice and clean bus and introduced to our driver. We drove through London and headed into the Countryside. I wish I had seen more of the area but due to the early start and long ride I ended up taking a nap. We pulled into the bus parking lot at Stonehenge and after getting our tickets our driver walked us to the Visitor Center (we were given 1.5 hours at the site). We were immediately brought to a mini bus for the short ride up the UNESCO World Heritage Site (they also have a trolley). The day was sunny and relatively warm for February but it was very windy. How I wish I didn't wear my very short and curly hair down today!!! The site is inspiring however the highway nearby and the construction nearby are a tad bit distracting. It's a small detail but I feel an important one, the site is roped off. Naturally this is to protect the site from people destroying it but it also greatly increasing your chances of beautiful pictures (no people in your pics). I headed back to the visitor center to warm up a bit. There I found a nice gift shop, restrooms, and a cafe. As I started to walk back to the bus I was putting away something in my bag when whoosh there was a gust of wind. Hmmm did something just fall out of my bag? Look around, look on the ground, nope I guess not. Soon we all loaded back onto the bus and drove back to London. The drop off point was near Gloucester Station (instead of Victoria). This worked out well for me as I hopped back on the Tube (and even found a post to send some post cards) and headed to Brixton. Hmmmm where is my tube pass? Oh! That would be what flew out of my bag back at Stonehenge! Here's another 9 pounds to spend! Oh well moving on! I heard about a vegan bakery that I wanted to try. I took the train to Brixton and walked just a few blocks to Ms Cupcake. For the full review visit here.
For the 3rd night we visited The Jones Family Project for drinks! Love it! We then walked down to Poppies Spitalfield for some fish and chips! For the full review visit here.
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Same start to the morning as yesterday but then I ventured to The British Museum. The basic structure of The British Museum is amazing. Then once you are inside the exhibits are extraordinary. You have pieces from The Parthenon, The Rosetta Stone, Cleopatra, Easter Island, and so much more. Unfortunately, it's also one of the busiest museums I've ever been to. I went mid-week and can't imagine how it would be on the weekend! Even with the madness of tourists and school children the visit was well worth it!
When it came to lunch I remembered walking by a Wagamama. I could definitely go for a yummy bowl of Spicy Beef Ramen. A seat for one was easy to come by and the staff were friendly. I ordered a lemongrass and ginger drink and my Ramen. 15 minutes later my soup was delivered. Okay wait a minute, where is the rich broth? Where is the heat? Oye! This was bland, and mildly spicy (chili oil couldn't even help). Definitely not like I get at home. After this small disappointment I headed back to the hotel for a relaxing afternoon. When Greg got out of work the lobby bar was packed so we crossed the street to The Jones Family Project. That lovely Lavender Mojito.....ahhhhhh. For dinner we walked up the street to Banh Mi 11. For the full review and pictures visit here. This morning we woke up and had a small breakfast in our room. The Hoxton Hotel offers a complimentary in room breakfast of a banana, yogurt (with granola), and orange juice. Greg enjoyed this light breakfast while I enjoyed tea and oatmeal (brought from home due to my dairy allergy). I must say I am very impressed with The Tube in London. The website is extremely informative of pricing, maps, and trip planning resources. The Tube itself is clean, easy to navigate, has friendly staff, and is all around efficient (comparing this to Boston). Here's some easy resources for the Tube: Purchasing tickets before traveling to London Maps Pricing Trip Planner Greg headed off to work and I headed to the Tate Modern. The Tate Modern has a mix of free exhibits and paid exhibits. This time around I opted for the free exhibits. I left the museum after a leisurely 2 hour tour and didn't feel as though I missed out on anything. For lunch I hopped back on the Tube and headed to Borough Market. It was a quiet Monday at the market and I will admit that even though fewer stalls are there I prefer it to the packed house on the weekend (Last day in London we also visited the market). I walked around trying to decide between the wonderful smells, displays, and lines for food. I finally decided to get a Porchetta sandwich from Roast Hog. I enjoyed tender Porchetta (roasted pork) on a ciabatta, with rocket (arugula), and a spiced apple sauce. The "icing on the cake" was a crunchy and lightly greasy piece of skin. A perfect sandwich! Time to walk off the sandwich! London Bridge is just up the road from Borough Market so I headed in that direction. I stopped and took photos from both sides of the bridge and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. I decided to head back to the hotel for a rest but no rest for the wicked. My room wasn't quite ready yet so back out I went. I walked down Great Eastern Street and ventured into Old Spitalfield Market. The Market is a wonderful mix of stores, vendors, restaurants, and stalls. It's definitely more upscale and less hectic than Camden but has a certain charm about it. I purchased a couple of tops and found a great restaurant for dinner one night this week. Back at the Hoxton Hotel I decided to have a drink and relax in the lobby. I chose one of the couches and ordered a Lychee and Rose Fizz (a small but interesting drink) and relaxed with my AFAR Magazine. Once Greg got out of work we headed across the street to The Jones Family Project for dinner. To read my full review visit here. We're finally home from our trip and the laundry has commenced. Here's the first part of our trip review :-) Heading to London British Airways contacted us during the day on Saturday to tell us that our flight was going to be delayed by 4.5 hours. After taking off at 1:30 am the pilots were able to make up some time and had us landing in London only 3.5 hours late. We filed a claim online for compensation but naturally British Airways wrote us back saying it was due to extenuating circumstances and therefore they weren't liable. Right! You delayed three different planes that day because of operational maintenance (the phone agent told us) but somehow you're not liable. We met our driver Ivan who picked us up in a very roomy car and quickly drove us to The Hoxton Hotel. To read my full hotel review visit here. After a quick drop off of our luggage we headed to the Old Street Tube Station. We got to talking to a really friendly employee who suggested we start our tour at Camden Market. I was psyched as I've read about it online. Camden Market is a funky area with stores, markets, restaurants, and more. It's a mix of a flea market, hipsters, and restaurants with a bit of punk rock thrown in. We purchased a gorgeous painting and then decided to get some lunch. We sat at the Honest Burger stall and we were so glad we did. To read about my full review visit here. After lunch we headed down to Waterloo station and walked over to The London Eye. 38 GBP later we were in life for a clear view of sunset over London. It didn't really feel like we had a half an hour ride but the views were wonderful. After the ride we were feeling a bit tired so we headed back to Waterloo and purchased some waters and beers for our room. A quick Tube ride later we were back at The Hoxton for a relaxed night. Our last day i'm London was terrific. We got to spend the whole day together. We walked and took the Tube all over.
We visited spitalfield market, Tower of London, London Bridge, Borough Market, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Whitehall Palace, and Coventry Market. For dinner we enjoyed amazing seafood at Weight Brothers Spitalfield. Don't forget full reviews of everything coming when we get home!! We fly British Airways on Sunday to Frankfurt. We checked in to The Hilton Frankfurt. After a quick cat nap we decided to go for a walk. Today was Fasching!! A type of Mardi Grass Parade. We walked along checked out the crowds, drank lots of beer, enjoyed currywurst, and had a fun time! For dinner that night we headed to Paulaner for terrific beer, and delicious German food. On Monday Greg headed to work at the Frankfurt office. I decided to wander around in the rain. I checked out the shopping area, the river area, and enjoyed a pretzel on the go. I also bought done adorable wooden toys for my nephews. For dinner we enjoyed nice service, fresh ingredients and lovely permutation at Urban Kitchen. To end the night we enjoyed Radlers (beer with lemonade) at the Hilton Frankfurt bar. |
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