After an incredibly long (and a little bit stressful) day of travelling from Munich to London (with a two hour stop in Paris) I finally arrived! For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to visit England, London particularly. I think it might have a little bit to do with my obsession with the Spice Girls at such a young age. Who knows? While my friends and I were planning our European holiday I knew that I absolutely had to go to London, so I made plans with my friend Stephanie to meet her there. Before Steph and I met up, I spent a few days on my own in London. I stayed at the most lovely hotel in Belgravia, Z Hotel Victoria. It was very small but so cute and the staff were so kind, I'd definitely love to stay there again. While I was alone I didn't do too much exploring, I mostly just wandered around Belgravia and Chelsea and ate some amazing baked goods from Baker & Spice (such good scones!). I was really excited to meet up with Stephanie, she had been studying in Southern England and I was looking forward to catching up with her. She has family living in London and they were so lovely to let us stay with them.
We wanted to get all the typical tourist attractions out of the way, so we got up early the next morning and made our way to the London Eye. I've always wanted to take a ride on it and I was not let down. The views were absolutely spectacular! There was a very long queue but it moved along quite quickly. If you ever get the chance, do take a ride - I swear it's worth it! Next, we walked over to Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, passing Big Ben along the way. It was so bizarre seeing all of these famous sights in person after dreaming about visiting London for so long now. It was then when it finally began to sink in that I was really in England!
The next day was Stephanie's 21st birthday, so this obviously meant cake for breakfast. We headed over to Peggy Porschen in Belgravia to treat ourselves to something delicious. I went for the strawberry and champagne cupcake and the birthday girl grabbed a slice of the strawberry and champagne layer cake, both very delicious. The shop itself was so cute - a pink building with a wonderfully pastel interior. We continued the birthday celebrations with some shopping down Kings Road and afternoon tea at the Cadogen Hotel, complete with champagne and tasty tea sandwiches, scones and pastries. Silly me, I didn't take any pictures during tea. Oops!
One of my favourite places we visited in London was the Camden market. I could've spent days wandering around the stalls and eating all the delicious food that they offer. We paid a visit to Evil from the Needle tattoo studio, where the two of us got a tattoo. The staff inside were so friendly and it was definitely a great experience. I have always wanted to get a tattoo while travelling and I'm so happy I did! Stephanie got two bird silhouettes behind her ear and I got a teacup on my forearm. I love it so much, it will forever remind of having the greatest time in London with one of my closest friends. The majority of our time in London was spent shopping and and eating. I visited the Topshop in Oxford Circus and I honestly thought this is what heaven must look like. We also ate a lot of Ben's Cookies (my favourites being the coconut and the peanut butter cookies - amazing!) and a lot of fish and chips (I have never had mushy peas until I got to London and I loved them far too much!).
I've been to quite a few foreign cities, all of which hold special places in my heart. I have been dreaming of visiting London nearly all of my life and I was not disappointed. The minute I arrived I instantly knew that it would become my favourite city. I honestly cannot wait until I can go back.
During our stay we grabbed a train to Paris for two days before returning back to finish off our time in London. Look out for my Paris travel diary coming at you soon! Thank you for reading! x
