I talked my Mom into joining me in London for a Mother-Daughter getaway and she was wild enough to take me up on the offer! Here are the 2 of us, in the pouring rain, outside one of the smaller Palaces. Despite the rain, we had an amazing weekend!
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Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
Friday, February 13, 2009
Foto Friday - London Bridges
I talked my Mom into joining me in London for a Mother-Daughter getaway and she was wild enough to take me up on the offer! Here are the 2 of us, in the pouring rain, outside one of the smaller Palaces. Despite the rain, we had an amazing weekend!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
London Bridges: Mom-Daughter Getaway
My recent mom-daughter getaway in London was fabulous! I won’t bore you with the details of my work happenings for the first few days I was there, trust me, there were enough boring details of tax rules and accounting laws for all of us ;) I got in on Tuesday morning, headed straight to tax classes (yippie) and went non-stop until Friday afternoon. Mom arrived on Thursday, so once she adjusted to the time zone (just in time for my last Friday session), we hit the streets of London! Just in case you want to cheat, here are the photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23845865@N02/show/
Friday:
As I mentioned, I had a few meetings left at the office but Mom was ready to sightsee. We
walked together to my office and she ventured on her own for breakfast and city photos. On your own getaway, it’s important to remember that it’s OK to separate! Many times, you’ll learn more about the city when you are forced to venture alone, and let’s face it, not everyone will always want to see the same sights. Mom took advantage of the alone time and visited St. Paul’s Cathedral, which is actually right across the street from my office. I’ve passed by the Cathedral many times and it took Mom to visit once to learn that this is the church where Lady Diana and Prince Charles were married. Way cool!
After my meetings, we headed straight to Oxford Street! Oxford Street is the busiest shopping area in London. Picture New York’s Time Square on steroids – there were people and shops everywhere. The one thing I love about London, there are many familiar stores that are in the States, so you never feel TOO much like a fish out of water. For example, there are plenty of
English and European based shops on Oxford Street, such as French Connection or Harrod's, but you look up and there’s Gap or Nike and you feel at home. We landed in Primark, a discount shopper’s dream. Women stock up on fashion basics and trendy pieces at Primark – I got tights for 2 pounds, sweaters for 8 pounds...and could have gotten cool skinny jeans if I were brave enough to try them on. Apparently they have the best prices in lingerie in town but the dressing room lines…oh, the lines. Shopping overseas can pose an issue, as the sizing is different and you don’t have the option to return. Despite the “too crowded dressing room”, we did an appropriate amount of damage….as did the other tons of women with bags and bags of trendy finds :) Luckily, the dollar is SLIGHTLY better against the pound than it was earlier in the year.
Friday:
As I mentioned, I had a few meetings left at the office but Mom was ready to sightsee. We
walked together to my office and she ventured on her own for breakfast and city photos. On your own getaway, it’s important to remember that it’s OK to separate! Many times, you’ll learn more about the city when you are forced to venture alone, and let’s face it, not everyone will always want to see the same sights. Mom took advantage of the alone time and visited St. Paul’s Cathedral, which is actually right across the street from my office. I’ve passed by the Cathedral many times and it took Mom to visit once to learn that this is the church where Lady Diana and Prince Charles were married. Way cool!After my meetings, we headed straight to Oxford Street! Oxford Street is the busiest shopping area in London. Picture New York’s Time Square on steroids – there were people and shops everywhere. The one thing I love about London, there are many familiar stores that are in the States, so you never feel TOO much like a fish out of water. For example, there are plenty of
English and European based shops on Oxford Street, such as French Connection or Harrod's, but you look up and there’s Gap or Nike and you feel at home. We landed in Primark, a discount shopper’s dream. Women stock up on fashion basics and trendy pieces at Primark – I got tights for 2 pounds, sweaters for 8 pounds...and could have gotten cool skinny jeans if I were brave enough to try them on. Apparently they have the best prices in lingerie in town but the dressing room lines…oh, the lines. Shopping overseas can pose an issue, as the sizing is different and you don’t have the option to return. Despite the “too crowded dressing room”, we did an appropriate amount of damage….as did the other tons of women with bags and bags of trendy finds :) Luckily, the dollar is SLIGHTLY better against the pound than it was earlier in the year.Saturday:
Up and at ‘em! We had 3 goals for the day – visit the Borough Markets for breakfast, shop at a London street/flea market (we chose Camden Market) and don’t be late for our 7:30 theatre show of Wicked. We are professional tourists, so we accomplished it all ;)
Borough Market is an outdoor “foodie” paradise. Anything you can think of: meats, seafood,
breads, cheese and wine…and everything in between, can be found here, supplied by local vendors. We sampled hot, mulled wine (yes, on a Saturday morning), caramel fudge, sausages, and for curiosity, a Bacon, Cheese, and Bubble Bap. We saw signs for Bubble and Bap combinations at cafes everywhere throughout the market, so we figured, when in Rome, do as the Romans do….or something like that. Here’s another tip – don’t be afraid to eat as the locals eat., as it will give you the best idea of what the local culture is like. So what’s a Bacon, Cheese, Bubble Bap, you ask? Bacon = thick cut, 
bacon, salty, really more like country ham. Cheese = thin cut parmesan-type of cheese, Bubble = potatoes cooked with cabbage….and all that goes on a Bap, which is similar to a kaiser roll, and it’s intended to eat as you walk around the market. Not a bad combination, quite tasty and filling actually.
Up and at ‘em! We had 3 goals for the day – visit the Borough Markets for breakfast, shop at a London street/flea market (we chose Camden Market) and don’t be late for our 7:30 theatre show of Wicked. We are professional tourists, so we accomplished it all ;)
Borough Market is an outdoor “foodie” paradise. Anything you can think of: meats, seafood,
breads, cheese and wine…and everything in between, can be found here, supplied by local vendors. We sampled hot, mulled wine (yes, on a Saturday morning), caramel fudge, sausages, and for curiosity, a Bacon, Cheese, and Bubble Bap. We saw signs for Bubble and Bap combinations at cafes everywhere throughout the market, so we figured, when in Rome, do as the Romans do….or something like that. Here’s another tip – don’t be afraid to eat as the locals eat., as it will give you the best idea of what the local culture is like. So what’s a Bacon, Cheese, Bubble Bap, you ask? Bacon = thick cut, 
bacon, salty, really more like country ham. Cheese = thin cut parmesan-type of cheese, Bubble = potatoes cooked with cabbage….and all that goes on a Bap, which is similar to a kaiser roll, and it’s intended to eat as you walk around the market. Not a bad combination, quite tasty and filling actually.Off to Camden Markets. One thing I should mention, London has a great underground subway system (affectionately called “the Tube”) which is probably the most inexpensive way to get around town and has stops near pretty much everything. So we tubed it to the popular Camden area. 
Now, I’ve read about Camden and have seen photos but nothing prepared us for the crowd and excitement we found after we hit the street. Camden is a historic former timber yard, established in the 1970's for young artists to be exposed to the public. It's geared towards the music, youth culture. The area spans for blocks and has everything from vintage and gothic fashion to household items (rugs, décor, candles), jewelry and the famous CyberDog. Only photos or video would offer the best description of our CyberDog visit but no cameras allowed, as we were quickly told by security when I whipped mine out :) Just picture a dark clothing store, with neon, glow-in-the-dark punk clothes that reminded us of the Jetsons. Camden also has its fair share of food vendors – any cuisine you have a taste for can be found here. We didn’t do any outrageous shopping but the area was perfect for people watching.
All the Camden Market excitement wore us out, so we headed back to the hotel area for Fish and Chips. Most pubs offer lunch of fish and chips (many actually claim to have the most famous fish and chips :)), so it’s not hard to find one that serves up the popular lunch.
Now, I’ve read about Camden and have seen photos but nothing prepared us for the crowd and excitement we found after we hit the street. Camden is a historic former timber yard, established in the 1970's for young artists to be exposed to the public. It's geared towards the music, youth culture. The area spans for blocks and has everything from vintage and gothic fashion to household items (rugs, décor, candles), jewelry and the famous CyberDog. Only photos or video would offer the best description of our CyberDog visit but no cameras allowed, as we were quickly told by security when I whipped mine out :) Just picture a dark clothing store, with neon, glow-in-the-dark punk clothes that reminded us of the Jetsons. Camden also has its fair share of food vendors – any cuisine you have a taste for can be found here. We didn’t do any outrageous shopping but the area was perfect for people watching.All the Camden Market excitement wore us out, so we headed back to the hotel area for Fish and Chips. Most pubs offer lunch of fish and chips (many actually claim to have the most famous fish and chips :)), so it’s not hard to find one that serves up the popular lunch.
Saturday night consisted of our London theater experience – Wicked was the highlight of my trip. Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz, the story based on the “behind the scenes” and childhood of the Wizard of Oz witches was awesome. I’d never read the book but the production is so well put together that you don’t need to have read it. Mom and I picked up program books and tees. It was so good, that I’d actually see it again. I purchased tickets in advance but if you aren’t choosy about seeing a particular show, Leicester Square's tkts booth sells day-of bargains for most of London's hottest shows.
Sunday:
EARLY morning up for our tour. Almost a little too early for us to be on vacation but we were determined to see as much as possible during our getaway weekend. Again, we tube it over to where I think the tour is supposed to depart. Keyword is THINK. I got
mixed up with Victoria 
tube Station and Victoria Coach Station, i.e. the bus station… 7 blocks away. And it’s started to snow….no worries. Victoria Coach Station reminds me of a cleaner Penn Station in NY…minus the public restrooms that cost to use :) We venture and find our tour’s departure gate – attitude and flexibility are essential when traveling in a new place. The tour didn’t seem as organized as I’d have expected of a “luxury” tour, but we had fun, nonetheless. In hindsight, I recommend NOT doing a Sunday tour, if Royal destinations are the highlight. (I’d also recommend not doing a walking tour in the cold and rain :) In London, Sundays are centered around church services, so we weren’t able to tour the insides of many of the buildings, the Changing of the Guard is more sporadic on Sundays, and shops are required to close by 6pm. BUT we did sneak a peek at the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, learn a bit of Royal history and have a fab meal at Hard Rock Café. Despite the snow, rain and slightly unorganized tour, it was a great last day.
Sunday:
EARLY morning up for our tour. Almost a little too early for us to be on vacation but we were determined to see as much as possible during our getaway weekend. Again, we tube it over to where I think the tour is supposed to depart. Keyword is THINK. I got
mixed up with Victoria 
tube Station and Victoria Coach Station, i.e. the bus station… 7 blocks away. And it’s started to snow….no worries. Victoria Coach Station reminds me of a cleaner Penn Station in NY…minus the public restrooms that cost to use :) We venture and find our tour’s departure gate – attitude and flexibility are essential when traveling in a new place. The tour didn’t seem as organized as I’d have expected of a “luxury” tour, but we had fun, nonetheless. In hindsight, I recommend NOT doing a Sunday tour, if Royal destinations are the highlight. (I’d also recommend not doing a walking tour in the cold and rain :) In London, Sundays are centered around church services, so we weren’t able to tour the insides of many of the buildings, the Changing of the Guard is more sporadic on Sundays, and shops are required to close by 6pm. BUT we did sneak a peek at the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, learn a bit of Royal history and have a fab meal at Hard Rock Café. Despite the snow, rain and slightly unorganized tour, it was a great last day.Monday:
Another EARLY morning up to catch our flight home. Traveling overseas is great but after a week of being in a different time zone, we’re both ready to see family and eat American food. Our flight leaves at 8:50am, so we reserved a taxi at 6am, to arrive at the airport by 7am with time to shop in the duty free shops.
5:55am – checkout and wait in hotel lobby
6:00am – no reserved cab
6:10am – lobby receptionist doesn’t show reservation. Nice.
6:15am – cab arrives. Drives us to Paddington Station, to pick up Heathrow Express train.
6:45am – depart on Heathrow Express. Note: Express. (15 minutes, we should be at terminal)
7:05am – “Express” train slows and comes to halt. They have detected a trespasser on the train tracks. WTF??
7:20am – Express doesn’t stop at Terminal 4. Look up our Terminal…Terminal 4. Must wait for another shuttle.
7:35am – Arrive at terminal. Yay! Only my boarding pass doesn’t print…we’re scheduled to board at 7:50am. Clerk helps me print pass.
7:45am – At counter to check luggage. Of course, my bag is too heavy. Whip out credit card, only cannot pay at counter. Must pay at “cashier”, way on other end. Clerk slowly handwrites a few receipts. No worries.
7:55am – Cheery cashier, rips up my 10-minute-to-print boarding pass and proceeds to handwrite several receipts for my baggage fee. She must have missed that we have already started boarding AND I still need time to duty-free shop.
8:15am – Finally cleared security and they are doing last call for boarding. Quickly purchase a few “souvenirs” for hubby and hop on plane!
Another EARLY morning up to catch our flight home. Traveling overseas is great but after a week of being in a different time zone, we’re both ready to see family and eat American food. Our flight leaves at 8:50am, so we reserved a taxi at 6am, to arrive at the airport by 7am with time to shop in the duty free shops.
5:55am – checkout and wait in hotel lobby
6:00am – no reserved cab
6:10am – lobby receptionist doesn’t show reservation. Nice.
6:15am – cab arrives. Drives us to Paddington Station, to pick up Heathrow Express train.
6:45am – depart on Heathrow Express. Note: Express. (15 minutes, we should be at terminal)
7:05am – “Express” train slows and comes to halt. They have detected a trespasser on the train tracks. WTF??
7:20am – Express doesn’t stop at Terminal 4. Look up our Terminal…Terminal 4. Must wait for another shuttle.
7:35am – Arrive at terminal. Yay! Only my boarding pass doesn’t print…we’re scheduled to board at 7:50am. Clerk helps me print pass.
7:45am – At counter to check luggage. Of course, my bag is too heavy. Whip out credit card, only cannot pay at counter. Must pay at “cashier”, way on other end. Clerk slowly handwrites a few receipts. No worries.
7:55am – Cheery cashier, rips up my 10-minute-to-print boarding pass and proceeds to handwrite several receipts for my baggage fee. She must have missed that we have already started boarding AND I still need time to duty-free shop.
8:15am – Finally cleared security and they are doing last call for boarding. Quickly purchase a few “souvenirs” for hubby and hop on plane!
Cheers!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
London Bridges: Mom and Daughter Style
I'm headed back to London for business mixed with pleasure - this time my Mom will be joining me for a weekend fit for an English Diva ;) The cool thing about traveling with Mom, rather than hubby (no offense) is we can do all the tours and sightseeing that may be too "cheesy" for men. We can eat...or not. Sleep...or not. And of course, the shopping and people watching is way better when shared with another diva!
Currently on the agenda:
Work for 4 days
Rest
Flea markets
Sat evening theatre, Wicked
Walking tour of top attractions
Rest
With the sliding economy, I had to be extra resourceful on making our dollar stretch. Budget Travel's Expensive Cities on the Cheap offers great tips on enjoying all that London has to offer without breaking the bank. London's tourism site also offers a wonderful listing of free and affordable performances, restaurants, sites, etc. Visiting London on a budget CAN be done!
Stay tuned for a full update on our Mom and Daughter getaway, in London. Feel free to check out the recap of my last London adventure, which includes my hunt for a lost Krispy Kreme donut ;)
Cheers!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
London Bridges
I'm back from London - it was a quick, whirlwind trip but fun nonetheless! Here are a few highlights: Wednesday:
-Arrive in London during the afternoon and score a f-r-e-e facial and massage in the Business Club World lounge!
- Exchange my US Dollars for British Pounds. I gave the clerk $600 and why did I get less than 275 pounds in return?!?
-Get lost walking to hotel.
-Still lost walking to hotel. Do they not believe in street signs in London?!?!
-Work, rest, work - BORING ;)
-Meet coworkers for low-key dinner at local Thai restaurant near the London Bridge.
Thursday:
-Wake up dragging. I guess the time difference caught up with me.
-Work Hard.
-Play Hard. Me and my coworkershead to hot-spot Guanabara, a Brazilian club and restaurant near Covent Garden. The website listed over 10 varieties of Mojitos and tons more of the authentic fruit cocktail, Caipirinha, so we knew were in for a good time. My UK coworkers visit at least 1x a month, so they knew exactly what to order. I was a little leery at first because the outside of the club looks like a warehouse and we had to be searched going in, but once we got seated on the wooden picnic tables and the cocktails and Brazilian appetizers started flowing, it was good night for all! The club has free Samba lessons and a live band on Thursday, so watching the locals party was comedy in itself. London's appreciation of different cultures is amazing - they don't see color or race. All ages and races were out on the dance floor, having a ball!
After Guanabara, we walked a few blocks to another "pub" for a more quiet setting for conversation and "pints" (Pints = beer). After one mojito too many, I'm strictly water at this point ;)
Friday:
-Wake up DRAAAAGGGGING. Definitely one mojito too many.
-Work not so hard. We've pretty much wrapped up our meetings at noon, so I spent most of my day reading CNN's website and political blogs, counting down the minutes until my coworkers' flights leave.
- Coworkers leave and I take a cab back to hotel. Yippie!
- Meet up with a friend, that's been living in London for 4 years. She brought her London-local friend/tour guide and we hopped on the tube for dinner, sights and adventure. Of 
all places for us to find to eat, we luck upon "The Texas Embassy", where we enjoyed American style Tex-Mex. After days of "foreign" food, it was good to read a familiar menu! The chips and guacamole were tasty.
all places for us to find to eat, we luck upon "The Texas Embassy", where we enjoyed American style Tex-Mex. After days of "foreign" food, it was good to read a familiar menu! The chips and guacamole were tasty. After dinner, we headed over to Picadilly Circus and Leicester Square, so we could people watch and pick up a few souvenirs. Downtown London definitely reminds me of New York in every way - diverse culture, bright lights, crowds and cabs everywhere.
- Cold and sleepy, I head back to the hotel to pack before my Saturday morning flight. Somehow the cold, and long walk and tube-ride make me hungry, so I call the front desk to order room service. NO room service at this hotel. WHAT!?!?! Oh well - I'm just hungry enough to walk upstairs to the hotel restaurant ;)
Saturday:
- I take a cab ride over to Paddington Station to catch the Heathrow Airport Express train. I feels weird driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Picture Union Station in Washington, DC and that's what Paddington Station feels like.
- Spot a familiar sign, Krispy Kreme, at train station! I must buy one to see if they taste the same. I decide to save it and eat it on the train ride to the airport.
- Get settled on train and go to grab my donut....but it's gone?!?!? I am greedy enough to actually get OFF the train to see if my donut bag fell out along my walk....NO donut. Oh well :(
- My plane ride back was fantastic and relaxing. I finished up my book, Confessions of a Shopaholic, watched Michael Clayton and Juno, and plenty of sitcoms. I'll admit though, that after reading, 2 movies, 2 sitcoms AND a nap, and still hours remain until landing time, I get pretty restless. Champagne please, so I can fall asleep! Uh-oh, I spill my 2nd glass of champagne all over my seat and pants. $%&(*@*$!!!
- Home Sweet Home to hubby and the kids.
Check out photos from my London adventure:
http://www.flickr.com/gp/23845865@N02/77V46ATuesday, February 26, 2008
London update
My company policy states that all project related flights over 5 hours are to be booked in first-class – which means I booked my flight to London in first class – yippie! Now, I’m a little foggy on the exact rule – not sure if my training trip actually “qualifies” as project-related but hey, I figure I’ll take my chances. Trust me, once you’ve flown first class, especially on a long international flight, it’s hard to go back to coach ;)
Next week, I’ll be staying at the Southwark Rose Hotel – which looks good on paper but based on the reviews on TripAdvisor, I’m not so sure. Even it’s website says “There are no frills with us ~ You won’t hear us talking about luxurious furnishings, lavish restaurants and trendy bars. What you will experience however, are high standards of design, stylish but simple décor and, perhaps most importantly, refreshingly affordable prices.” Why then am I staying here, you ask? Because it is F-R-E-E and paid for by the company – enough said :)
Last year I stayed at the swank Malmaison London, which is definitely fit for a diva. Plush rooms, hip lounge, and perfectly situated near Charterhouse Square and Farringdon and Barbican tube stations, it was a great place to lay my head ;) Unfortunately, Malmaison is completely book during the week I’ll be there.
Nonetheless, I’m excited to return to United Kingdom – stay tuned for more London tales!
Next week, I’ll be staying at the Southwark Rose Hotel – which looks good on paper but based on the reviews on TripAdvisor, I’m not so sure. Even it’s website says “There are no frills with us ~ You won’t hear us talking about luxurious furnishings, lavish restaurants and trendy bars. What you will experience however, are high standards of design, stylish but simple décor and, perhaps most importantly, refreshingly affordable prices.” Why then am I staying here, you ask? Because it is F-R-E-E and paid for by the company – enough said :)
Last year I stayed at the swank Malmaison London, which is definitely fit for a diva. Plush rooms, hip lounge, and perfectly situated near Charterhouse Square and Farringdon and Barbican tube stations, it was a great place to lay my head ;) Unfortunately, Malmaison is completely book during the week I’ll be there.
Nonetheless, I’m excited to return to United Kingdom – stay tuned for more London tales!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Next Stop on the Map
London! I'll be visiting London for the 2nd time in a few weeks. This year's trip will be slightly different than my last - I'll be traveling solo this go round and meeting coworkers. Last visit my hubby joined me - once we got over the shell shock of the decling US $ exchange rate, we partied and were tourists of the city. For anyone visiting for the 1st time, I would highly recommend one of the Walking Tours - a fabulous way to experience the essence of the city in a short amount of time. Watching the daily guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace was definitely my favorite!
This year's trip, I'm hoping to score some deals at the Camden Market, an outdoor open-market carrying everything from vintage fashion and jewelry to household goods and antiques. I'm always a sucker for flea market type shopping - I'll be sure to keep you posted on my finds ;)
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