London, UK

Last March the stars aligned and I was able to find an affordable flight to London + an acquaintance  offered to house me and my two friends, so without hesitation I booked a weekend trip London! I was so stoked to finally cross London off my bucketlist. Plus, ENGLISH. I spent most of the weekend in shock at how I could understand everything being said! Such a treat! 

Here are a few highlights from my trip ⇢

✧Cheerio London!✧  

Royal Mews. {south of Buckingham Palace} The Mews are the royal stables which to this day house the  royal horses, carriages, vehicles etc. 

A palace fit for a Queen. Buckingham Palace east facade.  (note: no iconic emotionless guards were seen, maybe they were on break or something? definitely was bummed)

Big Ben + The Houses of Parliament + CCTV Camera = Iconic London. 

The London Eye. Best advice from a local: "ride the Eye right at dusk so that you can see the city in the day/twilight/night." It may be touristy, but for good reason! It was an incredible view of London + a great experience. Each ride lasts 30min and each glass capsule is a standing platform with enough room for a dozen people. 

One of the days in London it was snowing and frigid, but like true die-hard travelers we walked around numb for three hours on a Harry Potter tour of London.. Worth it! We saw a few movie sites including the inspiration for Diagon Alley, the entrance to the ministry of magic, and platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross station. 

We also passed by The Scotland Yard {brown building on the L} the former HQ and namesake for London's police force... Isn't London magical in the snow? 

The union jack + Big Ben. Fun Fact: The name Big Ben technically only refers to the bell in the clock tower, but it has become synonymous with the iconic clock itself. The building is known as the House of Parliament, because it is the meeting place for the House of Lords + the House of Commons. 

Hands down my favorite London experience was The Borough Market. Right by the London Bridge {♪ London Bridge is falling down, falling down ♪} This market is not a well known tourist destination but it was better than sample saturday at Costco! So much delicious food and for a really good price! I am still dying over this truffle spiked olive oil I tried, I wish I had room to take it home! The banana bread + hot cross buns + baguettes + brownies were absolutely incredible as well. If you are ever in London I definitely recommend a trip to this market, you will leave feeling full + like a local Londoner. 

But in true London fashion, by 5pm it was rainy, dark and dreary. So we rode one of these double decker buses back to our hosts home... Good Night London and Farewell!