Girls' Getaway to London

few months ago I was in London exploring the city solo by day and eating Indian food with Michael by night. The Eurostar makes travel between Paris and London an easy* 2 1/2 hour trip so I knew I would be back at some point. I just had no idea how soon the next opportunity would come to visit again.

Fast forward to two weeks ago: I set off to my husband's office to meet up for lunch, and got the surprise of my life. My brother and his sweet girlfriend flew in for a short vacation in Paris and the Loire Valley. David had to go back to New York after that whirlwind weekend, but Carissa had plans to continue on to London. And I was generously invited along for a girls' getaway in London.

That's about all the context you need and then some. Spring was in full bloom, sunshine abundant, and we enjoyed spending time together in this cool capital.

Without further ado and more unnecessary ramblings, here's our three-day excursion in pictures:

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Spring in London

Bon lundi!

My silence last week was due to a series of wonderful, unexpected events. When my brother and his girlfriend showed up unexpectedly for a visit, the adventures didn't end with a weekend in the Loire Valley. After he left, Carissa stayed and the two of us set off for a girls' trip to London.

And London was quite hospitable, with generous sunshine and warm, spring weather. As you can get a taste of from our walk through St. James Park with a view of Big Ben.

More to come on all the travels, I promise! 

A Day in Shoreditch (London)

As I mentioned previously about London (from past Monday and Wednesday posts), this trip was all about discovering smaller sights and exploring new corners of the city. One day in the Shoreditch neighborhood of London I did just that. There is much to see and eat in the east side of London, a much ignored area by tourists for its lacking in big-ticket sights.

Here's how I spent a Sunday in Shoreditch, with some interspersed tips from additional trips made to the area during my trip. I couldn't stay away from this cool neighborhood (despite staying on the opposite side of town)!

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A Curious Incident, Indeed

Bon lundi!

Sometimes even when you plan, things come crashing down. In my case, it was the ceiling of the Apollo Theater in London.

Thankfully I was not at the performance of Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time when the roof caved in (and thankfully it looks like no one was seriously injured). But three weeks before I was going to see this show, it closed until June due to this curious incident.

The unfortunate event led me to seek another venue for a fun night out in London, and the conclusion of the search ended with heading out to Wilton's Music Hall on a Monday night to see the Basin Street Brawlers. This fun band got the crowd up and dancing by their second set as they played songs from the 1920's-1930's.  

Basin Street Brawlers

I'm looking forward to sharing more on this cool music hall and other finds on the east side of London!

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Oh, and the Basin Street Brawlers seem to perform at Wilton's Music Hall frequently. If you're in London tonight, check them out!  

Union Jack

It's time to share a little about my two weeks in London. But first, let me back up and properly explain the past few weeks. 

My travels began in mid-December with a Christmas trip through Germany and Austria. I've shared bits and pieces, like the Mercedes-Benz museum Michael and I saw in Stuttgart, the medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and the small village of Detwang (all in Germany). And then there are two German cities that we visited which I haven't even touched on yet: Cologne and Munich. The holidays came next. We made our way to Seefeld, Austria to celebrate Christmas and then to Madrid to ring in 2014. Two and a half weeks later all said and done and it was time to settle down in London for two weeks.

I love London and was looking forward to having lots of time to discover new things about the city and revisit favorite places. But London caught me at an odd time. I was just not quite myself.

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London Calling

Bon lundi!

I had a great time exploring London for two weeks in January. I've been before, so this trip was a great mix of visiting some of my favorite places again, and discovering new corners of the city.

One of my first nights in town I returned to one of my favorites, the Tate Modern museum.  This modern art museum is wonderfully accessible, being free to the public and open daily.  It is open until 10:00pm on Friday and Saturday nights so I was able to go on a date after work with my hubby. Afterwards we discovered a new spot - the bar and restaurant on the sixth floor of the Tate Modern. Getting a glass of wine with a view of St. Paul's Cathedral was a perfect ending to an evening in London.

Head to the 6th floor at the Tate Modern for a break with a lovely view

Tate Modern

Bankside

London SE1 9TG

United Kingdom

Open Sunday-Thursday, 10:00am-6:00pm; Friday and Saturday 10:00am-10:00pm

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More to come this week on my London travels!