*the bright side of London

Daniel and I returned yesterday evening from our six day trip to London, England. For the past 48 hours I have been racking my brain on how to describe the trip to you! I definitely know six days was not long enough in such a historic and energetic city!

I was extremely impressed with how friendly everyone was! From the hotel staff to those who worked at the tube stations. I am most shocked about the lack of trash cans, we carried some of our donut trash a few tube stations before we could find a clear bag meant for trash! You can tell many people were frustrated and threw their trash on the floor. If you ever visit London, please be respectful and throw away your trash! Help keep the city beautiful!

After getting to our room and getting situated we headed to the Tower of London. The goal was to take the tube 99% of the time. But the St James Station next to our hotel was closed the first four days. On the bright side it made us take advantage of the red double decker bus! The bus system is a lot easier to understand than I thought it would be. It was hard to know exactly which stop to get off that would be closest to our final destination, so we relied on Tube Station stops. Getting back to the hotel was easy, we just had to find a bus heading to Westminster (our hotel was only 2 blocks away)! I definitely recommend you taking the bus more than the tube, so you have a nice view of the city!

To save money Daniel and I split a lot of meals. Although the places we ate at were reasonably price (under 15 pounds for a plate), you have to think of the pounds to dollar conversion. It probably saved us over $200. We ordered fish & chips at The Albert (a pub very near our hotel). The fish was as large, so we cut it in half and shared the fries. At the Olde Cheshire Cheese we split the beef dish, a cheese plate, and Spotted Dick (a small cake with a glaze- it was delicious, pictured below on right).

 

On our last night we did not share a meal, we ate at the Spaghetti House a block away from St. Martin’s Theater (performs the Mousetrap play). I had the Linguine Vongole in Bianco Fresh (palourdes clams, white wine, chilli, garlic & extra virgin olive oil), it was the perfect sized dish and tasted amazing with a small kick. I definitely wouldn’t call it spicy though!

We supported a new business that I luckily had heard of online before our trip. It as wasn’t the easiest journey, but we wanted the fresh and unique experience of Cereal Killer Cafe. I rarely eat cereal, because I don’t drink milk, so this was me trying new things! I had the Frankenberry Cereal topped with freeze-dried marshmallows, while Daniel had Rice Krispie Treat Cereal with freeze-dried marshmallows!

We definitely recommend you visit one of the many locations were they sell Crosstown Doughnuts. I’ve never been a big fan of filled doughnuts, but I had their Autumn (Apple & Pear). “Just like a crisp autumn day, this little beauty is a complimenting dose of a cool breeze, crunchy leaves and warm sunshine for the tastebuds. Sharp Bramley apple and sweet pear mixed with warming spices are encased in a ball of Crosstown sourdough topped with a sweet maple glaze and crunchy pecan crumble”(describtion found on their Our Doughnuts page). Daniel had the their Peanut Butter & Jelly Doughnut. We both loved it so much that we visited it again before we left!

I didn’t do much shopping, mostly because of the price. I did find my nieces something for their birthday. With what I got them I took a picture of it with me in front of Big Ben, so they have the memory that it was special. I gave my niece who turned 10 on New Years Eve the two scarves I bought her today. She was so thrilled! Of course we had to find a Tardis in her honor (she’s a big Dr Who fan).

I bought myself a tank for 3£, a sweatshirt for 10£, a backpack for my upcoming classes for 16£, and the ski hat Daniel and I wore on New Years Eve for 4£ each! Daniel got a tee shirt at the WB Harry Potter Studios and a James Bond coffee mug. We bought a few programs/guides of the places we visited.

Daniel really enjoyed the London Film Museum where they had a special exhibit on James Bond. He was definitely in one of his childhood’s heaven!

He was also very excited about WB Harry Potter Studios. He had read the first few books when he was in elementary school and has seen all of the movies. I have not seen the last two movies, but still enjoyed the behind the scenes! Plus the fountain Butterbeer was fantastic!

On New Years Eve we left our hotel room just after 7pm. We were suggested to take the subway to the Westminster Tube Station, but since our hotel was so close, we should have just walked it. We were through the entrance gates shortly after 7:30pm. We were able to get in the front, with the Westminster Bridge just to our right! My feet froze, to the point of pain, for the next four and a half hours. I did have two pairs of socks on though. But I was going to suffer through the pain, definitely since the rest of my body was warm!

The firework was show was fantastic and completely worth the wait! The BBC has already posted the firework show on YouTube!

My Favorites:

Museum: Museum of London (visit first because it walks you through the history of London)

Restaurant: Spaghetti House

Pub: The Albert

Play: The Mousetrap (yes, it was the only one I saw there but the ending was a great twist)

Check out my London Week Pictures Here & New Year Eve Firework Pictures Here!

“It is not the walls that make the city, but the people who live within them. The walls of London may be battered, but the spirit of the Londoner stands resolute and undismayed.” ~George VI

*paris love

A year ago Daniel and I were in my favorite city, Paris! I had been there in June of 2006 for a few days while I traveled through France with my high school French teacher and a few students. It was a city I was in love with prior to and a place I still love today!

I convinced Daniel that 2013 was the year to visit France on our flight back to Southern California after attending his grandmother’s funeral. She was born in France and had always had a love for Paris. When Daniel and I became serious just after high school his grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I wish I would have heard her stories and her reason for loving Paris. I was blessed to receive a few of her Parisian items from her house years before, that I happily placed in my home.

I was able to use miles to get me a cheap flight to Paris and I was currently working at Marriott’s Newport Coast Villas in Newport Beach, CA so I was able to use my discount to stay at a nice hotel. Our biggest price was Daniel’s plane ticket and it was only $1,200 round trip! It was our first international trip together.

We flew with Delta Airlines. I highly recommend paying the extra hundred dollars to upgrade to economy comfort! On international flights it definitely makes a difference, when first class is very expensive! A taxi ride from the Charles de Gaulle airport to Paris can be pricey, so for the same cost I used a black car service. I recommend Blacklane  , we were in a Mercedes. They were professional and on time! You sign up on their website where you also put your method of payment, so they will just charge you after your ride!

We stayed at the Renaissance Paris Vendome Hotel, a few blocks away from the Louvre! I don’t work for Marriott anymore, but I still highly recommend their hotels! Daniel’s aunt and uncle ending up staying there this past summer, without realizing that’s where we had stayed!

I did a lot of research prior to our trip, I didn’t want to arrive unprepared in a country that I don’t speak the language. Of course we didn’t follow the itinerary to a “T”, but I knew where places were and when they were open. Some nights we didn’t feel up to a meal that I had planned so I had back ups. While working at the villas, I was annoyed with customers’ lack of knowledge of where they were spending their vacation. I didn’t mind some questions prior to their arrival, it showed they were concerned. It was when they tried to blame me for their ignorance, when they didn’t plan prior!

The week we were in Paris we had one good day of weather, the rest of the days were very cold. Luckily we were prepared without looking like tourist! We had two different couples ask us for directions; thats when I truly felt Parisian! Of course I said I was just a visitor, although I probably could have gave them correct information, I didn’t want to be the one to get them lost! With it being off season we were able to enjoy a lot of museums without the crowds!

The day we went to the Louvre we went to see Mona Lisa first. There was maybe 10 other people looking at her at the same time we were! No lines or crowd made for perfect picture opportunities! We didn’t spend the entire day at the Louvre, as much as we loved it, it became exhausting! I did see the statues and paintings that I wanted to see. I found the statue that my two friends and I modeled for when we were there in 2006! Daniel was so impressed my the entire museum, it was his favorite place in Paris!

Paris is famous for their food and dessert! We tried Au Pied de Cochon, it was one of Julia Child’s favorite restaurants. Their menu is very limited with pig dishes. I started with the onion soup, since it was her favorite. It was very tasty, unfortunately our entrees were not. Daniel was trying to be adventurous by ordering the sausage, which was really pig stomach. Trust us, it looked and smelled like pig stomach too (Pictured Below)! For lunch the next day we ate a cheeseburger at Hard Rock Cafe to get our tummy back on track!

My favorite dinner was at Le Procope, the atmosphere and menu was perfect! The history drew me in; George Washington, Voltaire, Victor Hugo, and Oscar Wilde are a few that have ate there! I enjoyed a traditional dish of Coq Au Vin, it was incredible! I recommend this restaurant to everyone who visits Paris!

If you wish you wore born in the 1920s, then I recommend Julien. The decor transports you to the fun times of flapper dresses and jazz dancing, right out of the Great Gatsby! My husband and I put a bottle of wine to toast to a fabulous week together. I recommend the Roasted Scallops on Risotto, it completely hit the spot! We finished our meal with the dessert Louise Babe cake topped with rum. I promise they did not skimp on the rum; they brought the bottle of rum to the table and drowned the cake! To say the least Daniel and I were very tipsy on the ride back to our hotel, where we drank more with his uncle!

As cold as it was, I was completely in love with my trip. I got to show my husband of three years my favorite city. My love for my husband grew as we took our first international trip together! We even left a lock on the small bridge behind the Notre Dame (side closet to Shakespeare & Co), one key is in the Seine, the other is framed in our home. We have to decided to spend our 5th Wedding Anniversary (18 months away) in Paris and other parts of France!

 

See our pictures on my Facebook!

“Wanna know what Heaven is? Feeling the sun shine on you…….. In Paris” ~Rachel Zoe