Bits of London
Random pictures which Z & I took around London that didn’t quite make it into my previous entries. Next up: Berlin!
Can’t wait to be back :)
Lunch at GBK
I love my burgers and I love my beef. The Gourmet Burger Kitchen hit the spot with its Avocado Bacon burger (£8.45) starring a juicy slab of Aberdeen Angus beef grilled to medium-rare perfection.
And even though beef burgers are their specialty, GBK offers chicken, lamb, vegetarian options and even buffalo (!) for those with special diets. I forgot what Z had (and I can’t contact him because he’s off gallivanting somewhere in Amsterdam), but I remember chicken and cranberry sauce so I’m going to hazard a guess and claim that he had the Camembert & Cranberry burger (£8.45). He’ll probably tell you that it too was fabulously thrown together.
Given that GBK was developed by New Zealanders, I’d like to see some homeward expansion into the lands down under, preferably in the next two years before I graduate… a girl can dream. Nomz.
Covent Garden
Covent Garden was lovely. We had lunch at Cafe Chutney, watched a couple of street performances, indulged in a sinfully delicious afternoon snack at Ben’s Cookies, and had a little chat with Scandinavian fashion blogger The Northern Light when she caught me ogling at her Mulberry Bayswater. No shopping done though, such is the life of a poor college student. Oh well.
Buckingham Palace and the Royal Mews
Changing the guard at the Buckingham Palace takes place at 11am every other day in winter. We had gotten pretty used to sleeping in, so coffee and breakfast at Green Park was essential that morning. (I must mention, best panini ever. I demolished it, even the greens!)
I only managed to catch a few glimpses of what I’m sure was a very impressive ceremony because I wasn’t tall enough… after a while I gave up on trying to squeeze/jump (once again I must emphasise that I hate crowds) and resorted to taking pictures of everyone and everything else instead.
I dragged Z into the Buckingham Palace gift shop before the ceremony ended to beat the crowd and and also to indulge in a little souvenir shopping ;)
Then we popped by the Royal Mews, home to the royal collection carriages, steeds and now also the Rolls-Royces and Bentleys. It’s definitely become a more exciting place since our visit; with the royal wedding coming up much work is being done to restore the carriages and to whip the horses back into shape. Definitely worth a visit if you are interested in the royal family, carriages or even just horses. :)
City of Westminster
One afternoon we took a stroll around Trafalgar Square, down Whitehall and ended up in Westminster Abbey. The archetypal tourist route, but with good reason…
(I really wish that I’d managed to take a better photo of the scene above, everytime I look at it I still think it’s hilarious.)
Westminster Abbey was gorgeous and so worth the £16 entry charge. It comes with a free audio guide, which I very much preferred to a guided tour because it afforded us more time to slowly waddle around the Abbey. Being surrounded by so much history, splendour and majesty was overwhelming, but if I were to be succinct I would quote the wise words of Joey Tribbiani: “Hands down, best Abbey I’ve ever seen!”
Kate Middleton is one lucky girl.
