Today is the first post in the Brown Lady in Europe series.  With Spring just days away, and several friends planning upcoming trips to Europe, what better time to share the highlights from my three week epic adventure?!   Prior to this trip, I’d only been to Europe once before; Spain for a trip with my high school choir.  A trip back to Europe as an adult was well overdue- fancy cheese, wine, shopping and did I mention wine??  London was the first stop of my #Flirty40 girls trip to Europe.  After a ten hour non-stop flight from SFO to Heathrow on a new British Airways Airbus, I was excited to have two days in London to explore.

Just Touched Down in London Town

TK and I chose the Park Plaza Westminster for our brief stay in London. Considering the fact that we only had two full days, we wanted something in the center of all the action.  Being just up the street from the London Eye, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey was perfect!

What Time Is It Here?

After a 45 minute ride in a London black cab, we checked in at Park Plaza Westminster.  I had prepared myself to stay in a shoe box, so I was pleasantly surprised.  The standard room was bigger than I expected.  But twin beds is apparently a very real thing in hotels in Europe.

No big deal, we had places to go and things to see- no time to lounge in those tiny beds anyway.  Another nice surprise, the separate soaking tub and spa quality toiletries in the bathroom.  After a quick nap and shower it was time to explore a bit and find dinner.

Look Right!

My first impression of London was that it reminded me a bit of San Francisco.  It is definitely an international city- people from all over the world, beautiful architecture, all types of food and interesting street art.  That said, one important difference was visible at most large traffic intersections.

I appreciated the reminder!  If you’re used to people driving on the right side of the road, it can be a shock to see a huge bus headed for you on the opposite side.  Stay alert fam… and look right.

Just steps from our hotel, we walked by both Big Ben and the London Eye.   After a short walk to get an idea of the neighborhood, we found our way to The Fire Station to grab something to eat.  Only about 10 minutes from the hotel, it turned out to be a good choice.  TK still talks about the caramel chicken wings we had there.  I know, caramel chicken wings sound strange.  We gave the server the side eye when she suggested them.  But trust me, they were seriously good.

How to Spend Two Days in London

Our first morning in London, we set out on a self guided walking tour of the city.  We crossed the Westminster Bridge, passed Big Ben and made a stop at Westminster Abbey.

I’m not really big on museums for the most part but I really love architectural details, so I’m blown away by buildings like Westminster Abbey.  Make a quick stop in St Margaret’s Church, the stained glass windows are amazing.

Going to See the Queen

We continued on our walk, headed for Buckingham Palace.  What would a trip to London be, without a visit to see the Queen? Our walk took us by St James’s Park, one of eight royal parks in London.  It looks like a beautiful place to have lunch and spend an afternoon in the sunshine.  Since we were short on time and we wanted to catch the changing of the guard, we continued on our way to Buckingham Palace.

As we got closer to the Palace, we realized that the crowds were really large for a Monday.  Apparently it was summer Bank Day, which is similar to our Labor Day in the US.

The good news: since it was a holiday, the processional seemed to be more festive than an average day.  The bad news: the area around the palace was PACKED.  We couldn’t get anywhere near it.  Sorry Queen, we’ll catch you next time.  The parade was cool though- the guards, the bands, the horses… it felt like our official royal welcome to London.

After our palace visit, we walked through St James Park to Picadilly Circus and Oxford Street.

Bath Bombs From the Flagship

Maybe it’s just me, but I like to visit flagship stores for my favorite brands.  Years ago, I loved getting off the train and walking to the Carol’s Daughter flagship store in Harlem- and after chatting with a sales clerk in California about the Lush flagship store in London and all the products that we didn’t get in the US, I thought it was worth a stop.  Also, the huge soaking tub at the Park Plaza was calling my name; Lush bath bombs are magical.   The flagship store, on Oxford Street is centrally located in the Soho area of London, a great place for a shopping day.

In Shoe Heaven

After shopping on Oxford Street, we hopped in an Uber and decided to check out Harrods.  Whether you are a window shopper or you plan to break the bank, Harrods is worth a quick (or not so quick) stop while you’re in London.  I had a feeling I’d need to save both luggage space and my coins for shopping in Italy.  Whatever your plans, be sure to check out Shoe Heaven… an entire floor dedicated to shoes.  Be warned: if you have even the hint of a shoe habit, it’s not safe.  Go anyway.  Each designer has an entire showroom dedicated to their brand.  Shed a tear in the Gucci room, model Jimmy Choos in the mirror, feel faint, swoon and take a seat surrounded by the beauty of it all.  Soak it in and vow to come back after you win the Powerball.  Harrods also has an impressive collection of great chocolates and of course all types of awesome tea, cause London.

Fish and Chips… hold the mushy peas

I fully meant to take a picture of my fish and chips at The Red Lion.  But apparently, I was starving and by the time I thought about it… this was all that was left.  The after picture tells a pretty solid story on its own.  After walking all over London, this was a great spot for a late lunch.  We ate in the dining room upstairs from the pub, really cute.  This was one of the few times I wished I liked beer… Red Lion looks like the kind of place to have a couple.

Balans on Bank Day

After our full day of walking and a much needed power nap, we decided to have a nice dinner.  We took an Uber to Soho Joe’s… only to find out it was closed for the bank holiday.  We tried a few other restaurants in the area- all of them were closing in a few minutes, also due to the holiday.  It wasn’t looking good for us, then we stumbled upon a spot that was open until 5am.   Fortunately, the menu looked promising.  Balans Soho Society turned out to be the perfect place to end our day.

The decor was stylish and sophisticated; the vibe effortlessly cool.  I noticed after we were seated that TK and I were among only a handful of women in the restaurant; we were surrounded by mostly young gay men, in groups and on dates.  It was like being at home in San Francisco, in the Castro.  The people watching along with delicious cocktails, amazing roasted chicken, kale with ginger and warm doughnuts for dessert made Balans my favorite meal on our short visit to London.  I’d go back in a heartbeat.

Walk Along River Thames

We set out on day two to explore the area along River Thames.

There are all types of restaurants along the river, street performers and the gorgeous Southwark Cathedral.

We made our way along the river to London Bridge; from there you can get good pictures of the Tower Bridge as well.

Archduke happy hour

After another full day of walking, we made a stop at Archduke for happy hour.  We wanted to take the London Eye around sunset, and cocktails and a snack before seemed like a good idea.  With happy hour deals on all cocktails, Archduke didn’t disappoint.

London Eye at Sunset

Initially we thought we would do the London Eye before our River Thames walk; but the long lines made us decide to wait.  I’m so glad we did!  Starting the slow climb in the air right as the sun was setting made for a really breathtaking view of London.

Also, having a few cocktails before riding a ferris wheel 400 feet in the air wasn’t such a bad idea either.

Brown Lady Travel Tips

Air Travel

Flying home through Heathrow- allow extra time for a THOROUGH security search.  They are the most strict I’ve seen anywhere for the 3oz liquid rule in carry on bags.  Say goodbye to any liquids or gels that don’t fit in ONE quart size bag.  The lady who flagged my bag found every lip gloss, toothpaste, hand cream I had- even stuff in my make-up bag that I forgot was there.  You may not care about giving up any extras, but if you are tight on time you could miss your flight waiting in the line of people whose bags are being searched for 4 oz tubes of toothpaste.  Plan for an extra 30-60 minutes at security.

If you’ll be taking British Airways on your trip to London, check to see if their Airbus A380 flies out of your home airport.  It was a much nicer flight than the regular 747, in my opinion.  When you book online, you can see the type of plane in the flight details and choose accordingly.

If you usually wear contacts, give your eyes a break on the flight across the pond and wear your glasses instead.  Airplane travel is dehydrating and affects your eyes too.  Who needs to start their vacation with dry, itchy eyes?  Be team librarian and rock your glasses for the flight.

Get Your Steps

We walked an average of 8 miles a day while we were in London.  You can hop on the metro or grab an Uber whenever you get tired.  But if you want to see as much of the city as you can, up close and personal, you’re going to be doing some walking.  Be sure to pack a pair of shoes that are comfortable enough to keep up with you!

Next week, we’ll continue our tour through Europe.  Paris, here we come!