So we are back home from London, and I thought I might share a little of our trip with you. I know it appears that the only reason we went was to fabric shop, but that's not really true. That was just an added bonus. John and I have been to London a number of times now and we both adore it. We both fell madly in love with it the first time we went, back in 2007. I'm not sure what it is; if its the hustle and bustle, the cornucopia of entertainment, the history of the city, the old buildings mixed with the more modern, the amalgam of cultures, or maybe it's the people, but whatever it is, it's captured our hearts. We've pretty much done all the touristy things that one does, although I imagine there are still more things we could do if we wanted to. We both dream of having our own flat in London someday, so now when we visit, we like to pretend to be Londoners and do things that we might do if we lived there. Does that sound silly? Anyway, here are some of the things we did this time. Get ready for lots of pictures!
We saw Lady Gaga at the O2. She put on an amazing show. Lots of costume changes, wig changes, lights, smoke, and dancing. When she first hit the scene back in 2008 with Just Dance and Poker Face, I thought she was just another bubble gum pop star and I wasn't overly impressed. But then I saw her on Saturday Night Live, and it was just her and a piano and she sang. I was blown away by her voice, and her genuine talent. I've loved her ever since. I would love to see her "unplugged" one day, but this show was pretty amazeballs too. Given the opportunity, I would definitely go see her again.
Here is my incredibly patient husband getting covered in Gaga confetti. He's not as big a fan as I am LOL.
We went to Portobello Road Market - a favourite for sure, but sadly no fabric. I love to people watch and check out the old antiques. There is also a ton of food and new items too. It's always packed though, so prepare yourself for crowds.
We went to an NFL game! And I feel like I actually get football now. Yay! John was so great at explaining everything to me, and this time I actually listened. :) It was at Wembley Stadium and it was packed. We had fun.
We went to our favourite movie theatre (twice!) - Electric Cinema. The first time we went, we saw The Judge (I didn't take pictures) and the the second time we saw Fury. Electric Cinema is the best. You get to sit in leather lounge chairs with foot stools or leather sofas (it depends on what you book) and you can order hot food. I had wings when we saw Fury and they were delicious! It's in this old theatre and it has so much character. We try to go there at least once every time we get to London.
We ate a lot of food. One of our favourite new places is Byron Proper Hamburgers - the burgers were soooo good. We must have eaten there 4 or 5 times because we just couldn't get enough, and there seems to be location everywhere.
This is pizza from Pizza Express. I was dying for pizza and this really satisfied my craving.
This is pretty much the very best chicken I have ever eaten; the Shwarma platter at Harrods. So delicious!
We took the tube and minded the gap, and we took the bus all over. There's nothing like riding up top at the front of a double decker bus.
We went to the Royal Albert Hall for London Blues Fest. We had tickets for two separate nights. One night we saw Elvis Costello and he was brilliant. Such an amazing voice, even after all these years.
And on the other night (Halloween), we saw Sheryl Crow. She was so good! She sang for just over 2 hours straight, and I knew pretty much all the words to all the songs she sang. She put on a really good rock show and it seemed like she really enjoyed herself. The Royal Albert is such a great place to see a concert. The sound is amazing and no matter where you sit, you can pretty much see everything. John and I both jump at the chance to go there.
On the day we went to Raystitch, we spotted a record store across the street. John has a growing vinyl collection so we went in and found him some records. There was quite a selection and I was happy to be shopping for John after he had been so patient shopping for fabric with me.
So those are pretty much the highlights of this trip. I have blogged a ton about London already which is why I didn't got into great detail here, but if you ever want to know more, feel free to ask. We had a really great time, but I am happy to be home snuggling with my pugs and sleeping in my own bed.
Do you have a favourite place to travel? Do you find somewhere you love and go there over and over, or do you prefer to explore new places?