valeria out loud

Hello WordPress!

Hope this post is finding you well and having a good Summer so far. I’m doing really well. After I got back from vacation…I, uhm, went on another mini getaway. 😬 We went on our first college tour for our oldest daughter, at Bowdoin in Maine, on Wednesday afternoon. What a great school. Such a good kick off for this college tour journey. But. Our school visit just so happened to be on the same exact week that our friends, who were up at their house in Maine, had asked us to come up. So we drove up after the tour to spend three nights on the lake.

Which is why my first post is delayed. Also, that I started back to work in the office when I came home and my time is cut short with commutes and all that. Blerg. BUT I am here! With my first post of my trip. All about London. 🙂

Here we go!

July 5 and 6– day 1 of travel and w time change day 2. Arriving in London, Financial District

Wednesday, July 5th, marked the beginning of our 17 day family trip to London and France, and what a fantastic start it was! We took off from Boston at 8P and landed on July 6th in London at 7A. The excitement was palpable as we embarked on a day filled with exploration and adventure.

We landed at Heathrow Airport then took the tube to our hotel, the Leonardo Royal Since we arrived really early, we decided the best action plan was to check our bags in at the hotel. When we got there we learned we had access to relax in the executive lounge before heading out. We had plenty of space to relax, hydrate on some coffee and water, snack on bakery goods and get ourselves pulled together before the stores and stuff opened for the day.

The cooler weather was on our side, 74 F, so we decided to spend the first day on foot, discovering the wonders of the area. We strolled through the enchanting Theater District, marveling at the grand architecture and imagining the incredible performances that have graced those stages over the years. Covent Garden was a true delight, bustling with street performers, unique shops, and charming cafes.

Then our day walking around, 15,000 steps just in London so far, quickly turned into night and we were all exhausted. And starving. We grabbed delicious food at Punch’s Tavern – yes, I hear you questioning what I just said. England actually has some pretty great pub food, and honestly, idk why England gets such a bad wrap for its food. The ethnicity in this country influences the food scene like nowhere else I have seen. So many diverse places but the English pub arena is pretty great. Now, idk what the home-cooking is like in England. I had an Uncle who lived in Cornwall for fifty years…but he was Sicilian born and raised (on insanely good food), and married an English woman. Aaaaand I am pretty sure he cooked at home when he was alive. Lol anyways. Our dinner at Punch’s was so much fun. The waiter was bursting with English snark as he handled our table/and I had my first Aperol spritz of the trip. Ha. We feasted, my friends. We were starving. There was steak, meat pies, fish n chips, mashes, toffee puddings. And it all disappeared.

We walked back to our hotel after such a late dinner. It was a gorgeous night so we stopped along the Millennium Bridge, which was a five minute walk past our hotel. The view of the Thames and London were amazing. Like a storybook. After a good while we headed off to our hotel to grab our bags and get the keys to our room. The Leonardo Royal is a beautiful hotel. Our room was spacious and smelled so good. Like gorgeous men’s cologne. Gah. So good.

We got changed into pjs and cozied in our beds; and believe it or not I fell asleep first. And boy, did I snore. According to my kids. 🙄

It was such a great first day in London. What a beautiful city.

July 7- Day 3 – London, Borough Market and Westminster City: Today was a culinary journey through London!

We started our day at Borough Market, a food lover’s paradise. The aromas of various foods filled the air as we explored the stalls, indulging in a smorgasbord of delectable treats. From gourmet cheese to mouthwatering street food, our taste buds were in for a treat. Also, we had just watched Somebody Feed Phil before we left Boston, and he was at this market, so we had to have the best toastie in the world. And it was!!

They also had another dish called raclette. It’s a potato dish, where they broil a giant wheel of English on this rotating broiler then scrape the melted cheese onto the potatoes. Simple goodness. Very not something I would eat but I am so glad I tried it. Out of this world good!! The toastie was also crispy cheesy goodness. Salty and greazy. Soooo good. Then we grabbed some gourmet donuts and coffee. What a wonderful time lol.

After savoring the deliciousness of Borough Market, we embarked on a historical tour of Westminster City. We visited iconic landmarks like Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and the majestic Westminster Abbey. We took a lovely shady rest in a lounge chair in St James St Park as we made our way to Buckingham Palace. It was so hot on this day, everyone was just a sweaty mess. We decided to have dinner a tad earlier, to cool off. We enjoyed a shady and breezy dinner on the patio of The Stoke House. Lots of icy drinks – which it’s London, you have to ask for ice if you want your drinks cold. All of Europe is like this. They have what I joke is an allergy to ice and AC. They all believe it’s not good for your health. 😐. Anyways. We had a great long rest with some amazing food and drinks. Then we made our way back to the theater district. After a full day of walking, and it was still pretty hot, we took a double decker bus. It was our way of getting to where we needed to go… in a fast way. We had so much fun on this ride too. Fun people watching and great views of Westminster.

We made it to our destination just in time to grab a cider and sit. This evening we had tickets to watch the “Back to the Future Musical”. The show was an absolute blast, with all the catchy tunes from the movie, impressive performances, and a nostalgic trip …back in time. The actors were amazing! Doc Brown was hilarious and George McFly looked just like the actor. What fun show.

It was the perfect way to end our second day in London. We repeated our walk to the hotel… where, again, I passed out cold.

July 8- 1/2 of Day 4 – London to Paris

Our last day in London greeted us with grey skies and rain, but that didn’t dampen our spirits. We had tickets for the train to Paris at 3:30P, and we decided to embrace the weather for a walk to visit the Courtauld Museum, which was a gorgeous museum filled with a treasure trove of art and culture. It was a great way to spend a rainy morning, immersed in the beauty of various artworks and historical artifacts.

After the museum, we wanted to eat, grab our bags then taxi to the train station. The food situation was already decided upon last night… The Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. We tried to get in to eat on our first night, but the kitchen closed early. The Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is one of the oldest pubs to have been rebuilt after London’s Great Fire in 1666. The place is still stuck in time, dingy and small, very old. It’s known for some pretty great literary figures being regulars.. like Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Tennyson. We ordered a few ciders and fish and chips. Surprise.. they were delicious! Soon after snapping pics and eating we had to make a mad dash to get going. We got back to our hotel to grab our luggage then hailed a taxi to take us to the train station.

We bid farewell to London as we boarded the Eurostar for an exciting journey to Paris. The train ride was comfortable and surprisingly quick, whisking us away to another incredible destination. We were filled with anticipation and enthusiasm as we looked forward to exploring the charm and romance of the City of Lights.

As the train approached Paris, I couldn’t help but reflect on the amazing experiences we just had in London. London had changed a lot since I was last here, in 2000. I was happy to have brought our daughters to see the wonders of London. From the colors and show of the theater district to the smells and tastes at the Borough Market to the museum that morning, each moment was filled with joy and togetherness. Now, we’re ready to create even more cherished memories in Paris!

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Well, I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I liked re-living it. I will pick up next when we get to Paris and the days we spent there. Then after that, I will share a post for each of our France stops, in Cassis and Villefranche sur Mer. Posting those like I did here, all the days together -so it’s organized, easy to follow-short and sweet.

Thank you for stopping by! I always appreciate your support and time to catch up with me.

until next time, xo