What started out as a stressful trip, ended up being a adventurous and relaxing weekend with good friends, good food and good fun. As we got to the train station in Paris at 7:30 am for our 7:43 am train, we did not realize that they recommend arriving AT LEAST 30 minutes before your departure. Clearly we are Chunnel virgins and did not think about having to go through customs and security. When I saw we ran through the train station like maniacs, I wish I was exaggerating. After getting in trouble with the customs lady for putting "white" as my ethnicity (I was a little scatterbrained), we cut the security line and ran about a mile to our train. We then couldn't find cabin #3, so we hopped on the departing train in cabin #19, and walked through every single cabin.
But we made it. Thank goodness.
We checked into our bed and breakfast in Notting Hill Gate and waited for our friends Molly and Melissa to arrive. When they did, we all enjoyed a nice lunch and a (much needed) cold beer. We bought our Tube passes and made our way to the Tower of London. Of corse every other tourist in the city had the same idea as us, so we had to deviate from the guided tour. We explored the tower, ogled over the queens jewels, and enjoyed the views of the London bridge. Walking around so much made us realize that we were in dire need of some afternoon tea, so we made our way to one of the neatest places in England, Fortnum and Mason.
Fortnum and Mason is similar in greatness to the Grand Epicerie, but the concept is slightly different. F&M is a giant department store with home goods, restaurants, chocolates, a bakery, and much more. We enjoyed the most amazing afternoon tea at The Parlour like true Brits. We drank tea and ate scones and small ice cream cakes...Needless to say, we felt pretty cool. On full stomachs we left to explore the different shops on Bond Street and Oxford Street, which reminded us a lot of New York City. We ended our night like the locals at a pub with a pint of beer and some fish and chips.
Saturday morning we woke up to an adorable little breakfast cart outside our room, complete with warm croissants, toast, jam, cheese, yogurt and hot coffee. I am starting to think that bed and breakfasts are definitely the way to go. Our place was right off of Portobello Road, so we spent the morning exploring the famous Portobello Market walking into all the cute shops and stands. It is the little things like this that I wish we had more of at home- local markets with fresh groceries, food and flowers.
Thanks to recommendations from a friend, we had lunch reservations at The Orangery at Kensington Palace. This is an experience that I will never forget. I ordered this amazing gazpacho and we got a bottle of wine for the table. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who travels to London; there was great food and great service at a great location. After lunch we went to Harrods, which was one of the worst ideas we have had yet. Saturday was the first day of their massive summer sale, and the place was so crowded you could not even move. We ended up leaving with a few chocolate truffles and went to sit at a nearby Starbucks. After re-energizing with some green tea, we went to see Harvey Nichols, which was having their big sale as well. Later that night, Cara snagged us some dinner reservations at an oyster bar called J Sheeky. We were all so excited for some real seafood. I ordered the shrimp and scallop burger, which was amazing, but the service was not. We were disappointed at how snooty and condescending the staff was.
This morning we woke up bright and early to grab breakfast before the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. We ate at a cute little bakery on Portobello Road called Gail's. My porridge and latte were a perfect last meal in London. The changing of the guards was absolutely packed with people, which made it hard to see anything. At least Molly and Mel found distractions...
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