London Trip Day 8: Tower of London

By day eight, we were exhausted from the time change and all the walking we had been doing. So we stayed in bed and ordered room service to the room. We had such an amazing hotel suite so I wanted to enjoy a slow morning enjoying it! When in London, you must have an English Breakfast at least once!

With a slow morning, we enjoyed our brekkie and some coffee before getting dressed for a full day of sightseeing. Be sure to pack layers because the weather is constantly changing! One thing that made this trip so eventful is we had our full itinerary planned in advance so we could fit so much into our days without feeling rushed to do everything. We tried to do one big thing a day and made time to walk around the area before heading to dinner. It also helped that Jake had been to London in the past and he knew what to do in a day to make sure we do a lot but not too overwhelming.

We walked to the Tower of London, a famous London monument, that was on our list of places to visit. In our heads, we had planned to be there for two hours max for some sightseeing before going to our next stop. We had no idea the property was so large with so much to see that we didn’t even see everything. The Tower of London has a lot of historical significance which is why I originally wanted to go but there were a lot of other exhibits; torture, weapons, jewels, etc. to see.

We left the Tower of London with plans to visit again because we could spend hours walking around the large property. Next on our itinerary was dinner at the Sherlock Holmes pub that everyone includes on lists of things to do in London. I hate to be that person to pop that bubble, but it’s fun to walk past and walk in to see the decor, but I found it not worth the hype. The wait was too long for a table to sit and eat and I was secretly relieved. We grabbed a beer at the bar and decided to walk around to find another pub to eat dinner at. One thing I LOVE about London is there are so many pubs with amazing decor and themes to choose from. It seems like everyone after work goes to a pub to grab a pint with their friends and I wish we had that in America.

Since we were hungry but not starving, we decided to walk through the neighborhood, Covent Garden. The neighborhood is appropriately named because just like other parts of London, there are parks every few blocks. Whenever we found a park, I would insist we walk through it to enjoy the greenery because I love how neighborhoods are developed around green spaces. It’s something I also wish we had more of back at home because it was so lovely to walk through. Jake had been to a restaurant in this area on his last trip so we took the long way to do some sightseeing and see The Royal Opera House. Next trip I hope we can find a reason to go inside!

There are plenty of amazing restaurants the challenge is which one to pick. After a week of pubs, we got dinner at an Italian restaurant, Cafe Concerto, and it was such a fun vibe! I love the pubs but it was nice to get some pasta and a cocktail. They had my new go-to, Pornstar Martini on the menu so I was a very happy girl! Some days we had dinner reservations but my favorite dinners were ones we just walked around to sightsee and picked a place when we were hungry.

With a full belly, we made our way to Trafalgar Square, another must-see when in London. The city was alive at night it was hard to walk back to our hotel even though we were both exhausted. There’s so much to do and by now I was starting to be able to walk around and still find our hotel. Luckily, to find our hotel you just needed to find Big Ben since our hotel was next door. A part of me wanted to stay out and grab another drink, but I was happy to get comfy in our hotel room because we had a busy day planned for the next day too!

Friday Favorites 1.19

If I’m honest I have to tell you I still read fairy tales and I like them best of all.

Audrey Hepburn

I am bundled up and enjoying the first snow day in years! With all of the snow and ice this week it’s nice to be able to stay home during this snowstorm and be able to enjoy it from home. It took me a few days to get ready for the new year, but I have finally settled into a routine.

  • Saltburn
  • Buccaneers
  • Real Housewives of Miami

I got a Blendjet for Christmas and it makes my mornings so much easier! I like to prep my smoothie at night and put it in the fridge so I can just grab and go in the morning. My one issue is that it doesn’t blend frozen fruit but I don’t mind prepping a smoothie with frozen fruit at night because by morning it’s melted enough to blend together.

One excited purchase I’m excited about is I signed up for the gym last weekend and I’ve been really committed to it.
Picked up these black leggings with gold buttons from Zara and I’m so excited to style these!
One great thing about January is the after Christmas sales! We picked up a few ornaments for our tree next year.

Last weekend I did a big grocery trip to set myself up for success this week. I’m back to eating healthy and that means meal prepping! I’ve been eating a salad for lunch and packing pretzelcrips, peppers with hummus. Instead of counting calories, I’m focusing more on healthy meals and healthy snacks during the day so I don’t eat junk food when I’m starving at the end of the day. For dinner, I made taco salads and rice bowls with protein this week and we enjoyed a nice pork tenderloin in the crockpot on Monday. I love using the crockpot but I always forget about it!

Starting to swap out my Christmas decor for hearts and pink! 

Finally sitting down and working on my posts about our London trip. It’s nice to go through photos and write about our trip, I’m already planning our next trip back!

the essentials to pack for a trip

I am in the process of planning a little weekend getaway, and before I start to make outfits I already know what essentials I need. Every trip is different depending on the weather, location and the agenda, but wherever you go, you can rely on these essentials to keep you prepared for any trip! Continue reading “the essentials to pack for a trip”

places to go, people to see

One of my biggest New Years Resolutions is to travel and every year I budget for vacations big and small. One of the most difficult parts about life after college is that my friends are now all over the country. From Boston to Atlanta, there are a lot of miles that separate us. However, I am happy to report that with Snapchat and texting, we are able to remain in each others lives. One of the reasons I started my blog was to document what I was up to to easily share with friends. So far in 2017, I have been to Atlanta, Georgia and multiple towns in Florida but I am craving a new adventure….  Continue reading “places to go, people to see”

HOW TO LIVE EVERY DAY LIKE IT IS VACATION

img_4539One of my favorite parts about being on vacation is all the relaxation and calm that comes with it. I don’t really care what I do on a vacation, whether it is museums, beaches or a cozy cabin, because no matter where I am, I can find a cozy spot to curl up and read. I made a promise to myself when I came home from Florida that I would try to live each day like a vacation. Lately I feel like I just go to work, go home, sleep and do it again. I am trying to find more purpose in my everyday life and a reason to jump out of bed in the morning. Okay, so this current snow storm is making it a bit tricky to do, but with the warmer spring weather I hope this gets easier!

Here are some ways I can continue to live each day like I am on vacation… Continue reading “HOW TO LIVE EVERY DAY LIKE IT IS VACATION”