I went to London, England!

Yes, I went to the UK. No, I still cannot believe it.

It's been a little over a month since I returned from my trip to London, England, and although I feel like it's fully processed in my brain, there's a part of me that still can't believe it happened.

I’m not entirely sure why it took me so long to get this post out. You would think that I’d be dying to talk about the entire thing considering this was my absolute dream trip, but quite frankly each time someone asked me about it, I wouldn’t speak much. Even as I write this, I’m getting emotional.

So yeah.. maybe the time I took to finally sit down and write about it was just me trying to process the fact that I even went there.

This was hands down the most magical trip I have ever been on. I mean it was my first international trip that wasn’t Puerto Rico or Dominican Republic. Trying to wrap my head around the fact that we went is so crazy. I look back at pictures and it’s just like wow… I really went there. Crazy!

Our flight going over had a short layover in Lisbon, Portugal and to be quite honest, Kayla (my travel buddy and longtime friend) and I were desperate to get off the damn plane and just get to our hotel. In total, we spent nearly ten hours flying and it was just a lot. But let me tell you, it was worth it. After taking the tube from Gatwick Airport to Victoria Station, it was like seeing a scene out of a movie. In a way, London is a better looking version of NYC, and I’m from here, so I can say that with all the confidence in the world. But it also looked nothing like it.

Our hotel was a short couple blocks away from Victoria Station and since it wasn’t ready just yet, we started to walk around and get a feel of Belgravia. We realized very quickly how close everything was and later on in the trip realized we were staying in the “richest” part of London.

DAY ONE

The first thing we did was go to Baker & Spice and eat some food cause we were starving. Let me tell you, the food did not disappoint. It truly ruined the meals I normally eat and this was a continuous thing. Every bakery, coffee shop, and restaurant we went to just topped the other.

The second adventure of the day was walking to the very well known, Harrods, a.k.a the 34th street Macy’s of London. It was overwhelming and a sight to see. It may remind me of the Macy’s in Herald Square, but it most certainly is not. Of course like any other store like that, they sold a lot of luxurious brands and had an entire wing dedicated to Harrods merch, where I definitely bought my teddy bear, Tommy, at. Another wing was dedicated to chocolate- this is of course where the majority of the shopping occurred. There were people EVERYWHERE and everywhere we turned there was another restaurant. There were other floors but we had to leave to make our reservations at our next destination.

Because the day we arrived was Kayla’s birthday, we of course celebrated! We checked into our hotel and started getting ready ASAP! No time was to be wasted here. This was also the very moment that us city girls realized how easy it was going to be for us to get around. Seriously, public transportation was top notch out there. I mean don’t get me wrong, obviously we’re not from there so we had our question mark moments, but once we figured it out, we knew exactly where to go- and everyone we asked was ready and willing to help.

The first restaurant we went to was The Ivy at Chelsea Gardens, where we of course ordered some pasta because yes. Pasta is always the answer y’know? After getting back and telling my boss all about it, he told me that this was a huge elite restaurant in the UK and to say the least, I was shocked. The place was absolutely beautiful and the food was divine. This night was absolutely hilarious because at some point Kayla went to the bathroom and the waiter asked if there was a special occasion we were celebrating- you know, just for some conversation, and of course money but I’ll take the conversation. I, being the birthday celebrating person that I am, let him know we were celebrating Kayla adding another year to her life and the waiter took care of the rest.

Right before the lovely waiter came with the little cake, Kayla asked another employee if they could sing happy birthday to her. I was cackling y’all. This was truly the funniest shit ever cause after the guy said he’d see what he could do, our waiter came with the cake and I’m just there like do you really think we were gonna leave without me asking for a cake?! We could not stop laughing and honestly, it was such a great start to the trip. We needed the light hearted moments and I appreciated each and every single one.

DAY TWO

Word of advice, if you’re planning for a trip to London, purchase tickets for the Hop-On/Hop-off bus tour. You will save yourself a lot of pennies doing this. There are options for multiple days, but we just bought a one-day pass and we went everywhere!

The experience in it’s own was great just cause they of course give you the map to see where the heck it is you’re headed off to, but they also provide headphones for you to listen in on the history of the beautiful cities we would drive through and random facts that honestly, were really great to learn. I really appreciated that they would correct some things we all think, like the fact that the Big Ben is actually called the Elizabeth Tower and the bridge that we THINK is the London Bridge is in fact the Tower Bridge. Something many people needed clarification on.

We of course stopped by the Buckingham Palace and walked through Green Park, all of which were breathtakingly beautiful. Oh, and let me just that it was extremely sunny! Not one day did we get clouds and fog. It was sunshine city out there. The bus took us all around London’s tourist attractions of course, like the Big Ben, the London Bridge, Tower Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Piccadilly Circus (which is literally Times Square), the London Eye (which we did not get on), and so much more. While walking around, we stopped by PAUL where we each enjoyed some croissants and a latte. Again, *chef’s kiss*. I swear walking through these streets were like magic. Everything was so colorful and vibrant - it was hard to focus on just one thing, absolutely impossible. We even stopped to take pictures of the RITZ Hotel. And of course, we just HAD to take the most touristy pictures known to mankind- the telephone booth photo. The first one we saw was black, and if you know me, you know I love black. And yes, I took a picture in front of it, as one does while in London freaking England. Kayla is the one who got the photos with the red booths, which came out spectacular curtesy of me (lol). Thinking back on it, I should’ve gotten some with the red telephone booths too, but it’s cool. There’s always next time.

We took in as much as we possibly could before having to head back to the hotel to get ready for the night festivities. And shall I say it yet again? *Chef’s Kiss*

If you ever go to England, do yourself a favor and go to Pink Lemonade Lounge. When I tell you we were shocked, we were shocked. From the outside, you would never think that you’re about to walk into one of the most beautiful sights ever. There were flowers everywhere. All different shades of pink to, y’know, go with the whole aesthetic of it all. It was like a movie scene. Everyone was so unbelievably nice. Honestly, this may have been the best customer service I have ever received in my life. They really treat you like family there and really take their time with you and just look for conversation. I can’t even explain how much fun I had talking to the workers- who threw a curveball at us when they told us it was a family owned business, and if there’s something me and Kayla like, it’s a good ‘ol family business. In a way, it gave the place so much more life and character.

Food wise, it was insane. We made reservations for the Afternoon Tea and we clearly did not know exactly what we were in for. The amount of food that was placed in front of us was more than I imagined it would be. I did everything in my power to consume as much as I possibly could cause let me tell you, I do not like food- or money- to go to waste and neither does Kayla. Guys, there was everything. There was shisha (hookah), chai tea (for me of course), and insane amount of sushi that wow wow wow wow wow, was so freaking good. There were macaroons and cakes and fruits everywhere. It was crazy! Seriously, the picture does not do it justice.

To say the least, after the amount of food we consumed and all the walking we did earlier in the day, it was safe to safe we were pooped. From the restaurant, we made our way straight back to the hotel and called it a night.

If it wasn't already obvious, the first two days of our trip were a complete success.

To read more about my trip to London, stay tuned for part two ;)

For now, thank you for reading you beautiful humans <3