Hello My Fellow Adventurer,
Cheers from London, England!
(PS. Make sure you read ALL the way to the bottom of this post for a little surprise)!
A Week Well Spent in London
A little over a year ago, after spending nearly 4-months studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, I traveled to London (to continue celebrating my 21st, April 6th birthday), but to also visit with Queen Elizabeth over an afternoon high tea!
Just kidding – only about the Queen part – from April 11th – 16th, 2018, I took the Edinburgh train from Waverly station to London Kings Cross (I’m not gonna lie, the whole time I kept imagining I was riding on the Hogwarts Express on my way to visit Harry Potter), to spend the week in London with my family! In total, the whole train ride took about 4 hours from Edinburgh to London (riding in first class), which was an excellent experience and would highly recommend to anyone looking to travel between the same cities for a Holiday weekend!
During my week in England, I spent most of my time in London. Now when I say, ‘most of my time’, I literally mean that while my hotel’s destination was in fact right only a 5-minute walk from Buckingham Palace, a few of my little vacation’s destinations laid just a hop, skip and a jump away… meaning, I visited a few minor places I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of outside of the city such as…. Downton Abbey (aka. Highclere Castle, located in Newbury), and the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studios (located in Watford), both as I will explain were well worth the extra train miles away!
So, my fellow adventurer, have I made you intrigued? Of course, with the correct answer being yes, read on to hear all about my 6-day lovely week in London, are you ready…!
Itinerary
Side note: it is my personal belief that people first travel with their eyes and then their physical senses, therefore I hope my photos truly do London justice because it's one of my favorite cities in the world!
April 11th – Wednesday
Train ride from Edinburgh Waverly to London Kings Cross
(Edinburgh Photos: 1st Class Seats, Inside Terminal, Train Platform, Outside Station Entrance)
(London Photos: Outside Kings Cross, Inside Terminal, Station Sign)
Arrive at hotel: Sheraton Grand London Park Lane
NOTE: I give this hotel 5-stars and highly recommend staying here... if you do, tell the concierge Nelson I say hello (hint: he's the one who went out of his way as you will learn, to have my hotel room decorated special for my birthday)! Talk about top-notch service!
Dinner at Hard Rock Café
NOTE: Anyone who knows me (or has been following my blog posts for months) knows that every time I travel I visit a Hard Rock cafe, grab a meal and buy a pin because it's a family tradition! I can't even being to imagine how many I've been to in my life now... another blog post to be written about my favorite tradition will have to be coming soon as even I'm curious to count just how many I've visited myself! Back to my stay in London... on our first night in the city, seeing as how the Hard Rock is always a tradition, we deiced to have dinner at the Cafe... and shame on me for leaving the table for a moment because when I did my parents told the staff it was my 21st birthday (well it had been actually two days prior) but regardless, after dinner was over the entire staff sang me happy birthday (and gave me a free ice cream sundae)! Fun Fact: The Hard Rock London is actually the O.G, Original, FIRST Hard Rock Cafe ever build (check out the story here to find out what inspired the now famous chain)!
(Photos: Unexpected Ice Cream Birthday Dessert, also, the first and last sundae I will ever eat, I'm not really a sweets person but hey, you only turn 21 once and YES I ate the whole dang thing! Outside Hard Rock Cafe, and Me smiling as my parents & the staff sang me Happy Birthday)!
Perfect Way to End The Day: Decorated Birthday Room Surprise
NOTE: Aside from the beautiful birthday treat I received seen in the photos here, to my surprise there were also colorful balloons all over my bed, my pillows had tons of candy on them, the bathroom mirror had 'Happy Birthday Meghan' spelled out in white lipstick, as well as a bottle of champagne! Should anyone from the Sheraton ever read this, I just want to take a moment to say 'Thank You' again, you helped take my birthday to the next level! Have I ever mentioned to you before my fellow travelers, just how much I love London!
(Photos: Me smiling with my unexpected treat, Close-Up of Berry Cheesecake, I had some help eating this one... for someone who doesn't like sweets, which I know may be hard to believe, I sure did have my fair share on this trip to last me until next years birthday)!
April 12th – Thursday
Buckingham Palace
NOTE: we were only able to take photos outside since The Queen was home and no tours were being hosted. I will admit, I was secretly hoping to see Kate and William considering the fact that I shook hands with Prince Harry & Meghan Markle (the now Duke & Duchess of Sussex) back during their visit to the Edinburgh Castle in February 2018 (for all of my new fellow adventurers, be sure to check out my blog post, complete with a video of me meeting the royals), needless to say, taking a photo outside of the palace still made for a lovely day!
(Photos: Me Posing Outside Buckingham Palace, Outside the Palace, Me Waiting to be Let In... After all my name is Meghan)!
Ride on the London Eye
NOTE: this was secretly a dream come true for me... why? Well, back in December of 2011, my parents and I went to London & Paris on a New Years Eve trip. During our stay in London the first time, we had wanted to ride the famous wheel, the only problem was the line was too long because of the holiday. So instead of riding it, we walked over and I was able to take a photograph... a photo that I then edited and submitted into a photography contest back in 2016, to which I received an honorary publication in the Photographers Forum Magazine! Now you know, seven years later getting to ride the wheel I have so often started at through my photography made me feel complete... and I can promise you my fellow adventurer, the view from up top is just as (if not more) stunning as the wheel's own beauty!
(Photos: Photographers Forum 2016 Publish London Eye Image, Me on the Wheel, View outside the London Eye from inside the ride of the River Thames)
British Parliament Tour
NOTE: this was a self-guided audio tour and did not require us to book tickets ahead of time. Simply, as long as Parliament is not in session (however, if it is, you can get special tickets to watch the English men argue... I mean talk politics), you can purchase tickets when open, at the main entrance and walk inside... again, being a European history nerd I absolutely loved this and highly recommend it!
(Photos: House of Commons Chamber, Outside British Parliament, House of Lords Chamber... clearly the Lords know how to decorate, sorry commoners)!
Dinner at The Ivy - Covent Garden, London
NOTE: If I am being honest (which my fellow adventurer, I always am), while I absolutely LOVED the 1920's ambiance/decor of this restaurant combined with the friendly staff, yummy appetizer and lovely plated meal... the food was just that, yummy and fine. Being the self-proclaimed food critique I am (I use the word self-proclaimed because truly food/taste is a very personal thing and I would never want to make anyone think that their opinions are wrong if they like something), but at the end of the day, while this place made for a nice meal I won't be rushing back anytime soon. I'd give this place a 3.8 out of 5 stars.
(Photos: Outside The Ivy; I promise it's a lot bigger on the inside! Me & My Parents sitting at our Dinner Table, My Birthday Dessert; gosh more sweets! Inside The Ivy, loved the vibe)!
April 13th – Friday
Train ride from London to Newbury
NOTE: Newbury is a very cute little town just about an hours train ride from London. It is worth the mentioning that while we went there for the soul purpose of visiting Downton Abbey, once you arrive at the train station you then have to get a taxi to take you about another 20 minutes away to the castle as the town itself is a good distance from the property. The town, while cute, doesn't have much going on (aka. it's more for the locals than tourists) therefore, should you desire to visit Highclere Castle you'll need to book tickets in advance and bring some extra cash for the train as well as the taxi.
(Photos: Me Waiting On the Train, Outside Newbury Station, Inside London Train Platform... to note, while the photo shows we took platform 9, should you ever desire to visit Newbury check the train schedules as the platform may vary).
Downton Abbey Day (aka. Highclere Castle)!
NOTE: While up to this point in my trip I'd already done and seen a lot of amazing things, believe it or not, the sole purpose for my families & I's journey to London was in fact to see Downton Abbey (everything else we book once we arrived in London)... the Downton Abbey tickets we had to buy 3-months in advance! Why? Well, my fellow adventuring friend, Highclere Castle, contrary to popular belief, is actually still a working home with an actual Lord and Lady still living in its residence. On that note, the house is only open a few months a year, allowing fans such as myself to tour the grounds (go inside, however no photographs were allowed), and to pretend that for just a moment we are apart of the .01% upper class! Believe it or not, but only two months after my visit, the house we were told was going to be shut down from tours for the summer because a "movie" (for which we were not told the title) was scheduled to begin filming... low and behold, guess what comes out this September 2019... The Downton Abbey Movie! Yes that's right my friends, I was one of the last groups of people to see the house before the movie started filming! Talk about perfect timing! However, now that filming has completed, should you yourself desire to visit, I suggest you buy tickets way in advance (as they sell out pretty fast), just click on the official website here - I promise it's worth it (I only cried once or twice), a dream come true!
(Photos: Me about to cry Pointing at Downton Abbey as I Arrived, Highclere Castle, ME Standing Right Outside Downton Abbey, and for all my fellow Abbey fans ME Sitting on Matthew Crawley's Bench soaking up the moment)!
Lunch at Tea Shop By The Canal in Downtown Newbury
NOTE: After visiting Downton Abbey (Highclere Castle), my family and I left the grounds to head back into Newbury (as we had a train to catch back to London later that afternoon). Even though there was a cafe serving lunch at the Castle, we decided to make our way back into town and stumbled upon this CUTE little cafe called The Tea Shop by The Canal! With lovely views and yummy food, should you ever find yourself in Newbury I highly recommend this place... Cheers!
(Photos: Gluten Free Cucumber & Brie Sandwich, Outside the Tea Shop / Cafe, and Beautiful View of the Canal Behind the Cafe)
Dinner at a place called Burger and Lobster
NOTE: THIS PLACE WAS AWESOME! From the food to the ambiance, to the great service to the location, EVERYTHING about my dinner at Burger and Lobster was AMAZING (so much so that my family and I joked about opening up a store-chain of it in America)! Coming from someone who grew up in New England, Connecticut, I KNOW good lobster when I taste it... so let me tell you my fellow adventurer, this lobster was worth every bite (just see my pics)... I can't wait to go back someday (perhaps I'll try the lobster meat burger next)!
(Photos: Me Before I Started Eating, Outside Burger & Lobster Restaurant, My LARGE Plate of Food, and ME after I ate ALL of my dinner... if this trip has taught me anything it's that the more you walk, the more you can eat, which I took full advantage of as you can see)!
April 14th – Saturday
Winston Churchill War Rooms
NOTE: Another unexpected highlight of my trip... being the European history nerd I am, visiting the Winston Churchill War Rooms was both truly humbling as it was breathtaking. One of my greatest wishes for you my fellow adventurer is that you one day get to visit this museum... considering the fact that Winston basically lived with dozens of men and women during WWII in these small barricades, fighting the war, planning attacks, saving the people, contributing to the war efforts... just gives me chills to think about it now. I truly hope you get to visit one day (even if you're not a history buff) because remembering this period in time and then walking back out onto the sidewalk after being stuffed inside (for about 3-hours is how long we spent there) one begins to appreciate the live we live even more so now... so thank you to all who served. Also, just to point out, since these war rooms are a hot-popular attraction, my parents and I had to arrive at 8 AM just to wait in line for another hour to be let in (the rooms are small which is why the wait is so long)... therefore, if you can, try and buy a time slot-ticket ahead of time (which we didn't as they were all sold out), because I don't want you to miss it! Last little fun fact: while waiting outside the museum, a movie was being filmed (for which we did not know the name of) just around the corner from the entrance... only to find out months later WHILE I was watching the movie, I jumped up and hit my friend, whispering "I WAS THERE WHILE THEY FILMED THAT SCENE"... what movie was it you ask... Christopher Robbin - I feel so blessed to have had an amazing vacation!
(Photos: Outside the Churchill War Rooms, Painting of Winston Churchill, Me trying to flirt with an army officer inside... just kidding, I know it's a statue but it made for a nice photo, and Inside One of the many Small Cabinet Rooms)!
Lunch at the Spaghetti House
NOTE: After an early day and long morning walking around the Winston Churchill War Rooms, my parents and I stopped for lunch at the Spaghetti House on our way to walk around Piccadilly Circus (and boy let me tell you I was hungry and had worked up quite an apatite, quickly devouring my scrumptious zoodle dish, which for those of you who aren't familiar, I didn't eat real pasta, rather the noodles were made from spiralized zucchini, hence the name zoodles) another good meal!
(Photos: Outside the Spaghetti House, My Lunch; Zoodle Pasta with Shrimp... yum, yum)!
Walk & Shop around Piccadilly Circus
NOTE: Often described as the Times Square of London, my parents and I walked around Piccadilly Circus for the rest of the afternoon... bopping in and out of shops, watching street performers and of course visited M&M world!
(Photo: Believe it or not this is Outside in Piccadilly Circus, NOT Times Square NYC)!
M&M World: Piccadilly Circus
NOTE: I am a HUGE fan of M&M World! Back when I turned 16 and 18 I visited M&M World in Times Square during my celebratory visits to New York City, so it seemed only fitting that I visit the one in London during my 21st birthday celebration week! PS. The yellow M&M is my all time favorite character!
(Photos: Cute British M&M Car, Me Posing with My Favorite M&M the Yellow One, Me Shopping for M&M's... again more sweets, and British Flag M&M Sign Inside the Store)!
Dinner at Sheraton Park Lane Hotel Italian Restaurant: Mercante
NOTE: To cap off the night, my parents and I decided to stay local for dinner, eating at the Italian restaurant Mercante (also the same room where breakfast at the hotel was served, unless you ate in the Sheraton club room which also served a good continental breakfast), but for dinner decided to give the hotel a try, to rest our feet and boy was it a good idea cause everything came out tasting just right!
(Photos: Inside the Restaurant, My Yummy Roasted Chicken Dinner)!
April 15th – Sunday
Harry Potter London Back Lot Tour
NOTE: As you will see, I have so many photos to share from this tour (and many more I didn't include simply due to lack of room) because aside from Downton Abbey, THIS was the highlight of my trip! Even though most people have to book tickets / a time slot to visit the studio weeks in advance, my family and I got very lucky because the concierge at the Sheraton hotel was able to find a tour company with 3 slots left, almost like a magical miracle, it was meant for us to visit! When I say tour company, really what I mean is the only way to get into the studio lot (which by the way is a self-guided tour), you need to take a bus, cab or taxi (in our case we took a tour bus to the lots which included our ticket and driving fee in the price), in order to get inside. The studio lots are actually located just on the outskirts of London in a town called Watford, which was only about a 55 minute ride and worth every second! I got to walk and touch the REAL Harry Potter Sets, cry happy tears again, ride a broom stick (on a green screen), see exclusive behind the scenes footage regarding how the movies were made AND we did it all in 3-hours because that's all the time our tour bus allowed us to have. Keeping that in mind, I could have honestly spent ALL day there... so it looks like on my next trip to London I'll just have to go back! Also be sure to stay tuned, because this day was so magical I will be dedicating an entire blog post to helping you learn all about this excursion... coming soon!
(Top Photos: Sign Outside Studios, Me Trying to Enter Platform 9 3/4, Inside Hogwarts the Great Hall, and Me Standing in Front of my Slytherin House, a house I believe is greatly misunderstood... for I AM kind, hard-working, ambitious and compassionate.. House Slytherin is Good)!
(Bottom Photos: Me Boarding the Night Bus, Me Standing Outside the Hogwarts Express which yes I did get to ride, Hogwarts Castle and Me Walking along Diagon Alley)!
Dinner at Italian Restaurant: Misto (located in Shepherd Market)
NOTE: A good little find and great recommendation from the hotel, about a 10 minute walk away my parents and I found ourselves in a cute little square (dubbed Shepherd's Market, which was basically just an area of town with lots of little pubs, quaint restaurants and shops), for dinner! Finally arriving at the recommended restaurant Misto, once inside the restaurant went up 3-floors, had quite an extensive menu (my mom got the salmon, same as me and my dad the shepherds pies), the wine was good and the staff friendly... so overall, a great pick for someone looking to enjoy a low-key, good food for good price night!
(Photos: Outside Misto Restaurant, My yummy Salmon Dinner, and Our Fancy Dinner Table)!
April 16th – Monday
Train ride back to Edinburgh from London
NOTE: Knowing all good things must come to an end, feeling grateful and thankful for the birthday week I spent in London, it was time to head back to Edinburgh for my parents to fly home and myself to return to the University.. but not before I embarked on a solo-journey the following week to Stockholm, Sweden! Stay tuned for the blog post adventure as I have so many more memories to share! For now, farewell London, I know I'll be back soon!
(Photos: Outside Edinburgh Waverly Station, Me Getting Ready to Leave London, Me Walking Inside London Kings Cross... farewell England, until next time)!
Walk around George Square, Edinburgh
NOTE: Finally back in Edinburgh, Scotland, after another long (5 hour train ride), to stretch our legs, my parents and I decided to walk around the higher end shopping district street called George Street (think of it as being build during the Gregorian new era as opposed to the Royal Mile street which was built back during Edinburgh's Medieval Era, located in the old section of town). With a couple hours to spare before dinner, we grabbed a cup of coffee at Starbucks and then strolled around and enjoyed the scenery until our bellies got hungry!
(Photos: All different angles of George Street... From Left to right, this entire row is filled with shops and restaurants galore, also one of my favorite places)!
Dinner at Jamie Oliver’s Italian Restaurant:
NOTE: For good reasons as I will explain, since my visit this restaurant is now officially closed. Remembering my fellow adventurer that I ALWAYS seek to tell the truth, when I say the food was BAD I mean it was REALLY BAD. Looking past the beautiful exterior and interior restaurant design, my parents and I arrived just as they opened at 5:30 PM (because we were hungry from a long day of traveling), and were seated along with two other tables at that time... making the restaurant appear virtually empty (which was expected since it had just opened and it was still early for many to dine). WELL let me tell you... it took probably about 55 minutes for them to make 2 pasta dishes (my parents meals) and one chicken grain bowl (my meal) WHICH CAME OUT TERRIBLE! My chicken was SO dry (but I was also extremely hungry at this point so I ate it all), and my mom's gluten free pasta (which I know al dente is supposed to be a little on the hard side) THIS pasta dish was AS HARD AS A ROCK! It tasted like the raw, hard pasta had just been poured out of the box into the water, was boiled for 30 seconds and then served to our table (aka. NOT GOOD)! My mom ate as much as she could stomach (same as my dad... even though he had regular spaghetti it was still just as bad) but my mom got a side of broccoli which she ate to keep herself full... overall if you need to order a side dish as your meal because your main was poorly cooked, then somebody better speak and teach the chef how to cook... all in all, while I would highly deter you from eating here my fellow adventuring friend, it looks like management finally took a hint and the famous British chef, Jamie Oliver, has officially closed this location... I do love watching Jamie Oliver on the food channel so I will admit I was surprised at how bad this place was (even though he wasn't the chef, this place still represented his name sake)... he does own more restaurants around the world, I just hope they are better than this one!
(Photos: Outside Restaurant on George Street, My Chicken Grain Bowl Dinner, Inside the Restaurant, and My Mom's TERRIBLE Pasta Dinner)!
Final Goodbye to Parents (until I saw them after I returned home from Scotland in May)!
NOTE: After arriving in Edinburgh on January 10th, 2018, I officially left the UK on May 26th, 2018 (see former blog post titled "Farewell Edinburgh" for a quick conclusion of my Scottish stay). Since this post is about my time in England, to close, I leave you with some more photos from London... but WAIT, don't stop now, the post continues down below, so keep reading to see the surprise I mentioned in my intro!
KEEP READING ON!
"Keep Calm & Visit London"
Now my fellow adventurer, now that you know all the fun things during my week in London, I just want to take a quick moment to express my gratitude – gratitude for my life (being able to travel and see as much as I’ve seen), gratitude for all the kindness I was met with by the locals from the UK, and gratitude for something as simple as the sun (which did in fact shine while I was in London, a phenomenon that from what I’ve heard doesn’t happen quite too often).
London has SO much to offer the world (hence the idea that I’d like to actually live there someday), so please my fellow adventurer, if you should take anything away from this post let it be wherever you travel (hopefully London next), let your heart be filled with gratitude for the moments as they unfold because a happy and successful adventure begins first with giving thanks! And in my case, I am thankful for having had the opportunity to celebrate post-my birthday in England… it felt “practically perfect in every way”!
So there you have it my fellow adventurer, my “Lovely Week in London Town” – I do hope to see you there someday (perhaps at the Hard Rock Café)… but until then, cheers my friend to living a life filled with adventures, scones, tea and happiness!
Until next time…
Cheerio,
Lady Meghan Chayka
PPS. For all of you who have followed my story since the beginning, you may have noticed that I started signing off as “Lady” Meghan around last April… WELL, as I’ve briefly mentioned in the past, I did indeed actually BUY a piece of land (more like 2 feet of a plot) to help refurbish a Scottish castle (Dunas Castle) and in return I was granted a Deed of Entitlement, bestowing me with the official title of Lady!
To catch those of you who are new to my blog up to speed, I’ve been promising for a while now to post my official deed (proving that I am in fact a Scottish Lady), and as someone who doesn’t like to keep their subjects waiting, I feel it is now the time to share in conjunction with my lovely London post, my Deed of Entitlement (see below) – now of course I haven’t let all the power go to my head (I will in fact still answer to the names Meghan, Ms. Meghan or Meg), however, I will gladly respond as well if you call me Milady or Lady Meghan!
So, without further ado, I give my Deed of Entitlement to you!
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