The Perfect Getaway!

On Friday, Catherine (my sister from another mister) and I boarded the mega bus down to Landon town. Yep, you heard correct. I know what you're all thinking...Beth Lee, a MEGA BUS...is that some sort of sick joke? Trust me, this was no laughing matter! ;) Quite frankly, attempting to wee in a dingy toilet on the back of a moving bus is my idea of a living nightmare....but here I am... I live to tell the tale. Stop being dramatic Beth. It wasn't actually that bad and for a tenner you really can't go wrong. I would definitely recommend it to anyone else with a down in the dumps bank account balance, very much like my own. An experience like that is just what you make of it - with good company and a few gins, any long journey can be fun (this time I am joking, I didn't drink - although I won't lie, I did contemplate taking a bottle just in case things really did take a turn for the worst).

We arrived in Victoria bus station just after lunch time and from there went straight to our hotel to drop off our bags. First stop: The Mae Deli! For any of you Deliciously Ella fans out there, it is a place you must visit! The menu is quite pricey but totally worth it - even just for a treat now and again! The deli itself is so quaint and quirky and all the food looks delish! Perhaps it was a case of good timing but it wasn’t super busy either, which is a rarity for any nice place to eat in the heart of London! After already having lunch, I just bought a chocolate milk and one of their new blueberry and almond energy balls – both SO good!

From the deli near Marble Arch (there is another in Mayfair too), we made our way to Oxford Street to hit the shops hard (and that we did! – my bank balance is now in a state of Depression). The afternoon seemed to whiz by and before we knew it our tummy's were rumbling and our feet were desperate for a sit down.

Top tip for any London tourist who is a bit dim like me: without booking first, don't expect to be seated fast in any nice restaurant on a Friday night. After hearing such good things about Homeslice (in Neal's Yard, Covent Garden), we both really wanted to try out their pizza but the wait for a table was silly and aint nobody got time for that - especially when you're borderline hangry! We stumbled across another pizza place with a shorter queue, just a little further down the road called Rossopomodoro. We spent the wait for the table sipping away on aperol spritz and because we posed for a pic for them to use on their Instagram, the manager, in exchange, took the drinks off our bill. Fab food, great service and free alcohol, what more could you ask for? We finished off the meal with the most incredible dessert (sweet pizza dough smothered in Nutella......aaaaamazing!) which left us both falling into a food coma. Bed was calling!

It was my first trip to London where I didn’t have time to pop by for a cuppa with Queeny or take a typical tourist snap outside Big Ben. We woke up early on Saturday morning and headed straight to Notting Hill for the day. There is such a lovely atmosphere in this area of London, with the colourful buildings clearly lifting everyone's spirits! One day I will live in a cute little house just off Portobello Road...any suggestions on how to rob a bank? After wandering around all the dreamy streets of North Kensington for a good hour or two, we met up with the very beautiful and very talented photographer, Katherine McMorran (check out her Instagram and website), who took some photos of us both. We had a lush time snapping away outside the prettiest buildings under bright blue skies….it was super lovely to meet her too! I can’t wait to see the photos we got and share them with you all!

After seeing Tanya Burr's most recent blog post about her visit to Farm Girl, I was eager to try it out too! What I will say is this, if it's a quick bite to eat you're after, it's not the place for you. We headed towards the café around 11 for an early lunch and still had to wait 45 minutes for a table - great if you want to build up an appetite! When we did get seated, service was fast and food arrived promptly. We both ordered the hot chocolate, the acai bowl with granola for me and the chicken and avocado salad for Cat. The food was devoured in minutes (seriously good) and the hot chocolate was one of the best I have ever tasted! After lunch we wandered a little further but it wasn't long before we were dying for another sit down and a cuppa (oh how very British of us). Before we flagged down a taxi to take us to King's Cross Station for our train back home, we had to visit the famous Biscuiteers (possible one of the most instagrammed buildings in Notting Hill). Even though it is expensive, is it absolutely beautiful - both the décor inside the boutique and the famous biscuits themselves! We ordered a few of the most delicious macaroons, the cutest flamingo biscuit and a daisy one too (which I may/may not have taken home to give to my mum as a lousy Mother's Day gift after a sudden realisation, whilst sipping on my summer fruits tea, that I had not bought her a single thing - I'm a terrible daughter)!

Looking lovingly at my hot choc!

I heard about the Westminster terror attack two days before I was due to go on this trip. London has always been the place where I've escaped to when the craziness gets too much at home (if I ever go missing and no one knows where to look, find me in Leicester Square's M&M world). Trainline.com must know by now when trouble has struck in my life! I have always felt welcomed, accepted and above all else, safe - and this time was no exception. I'm not afraid of this beautiful city and never will be. We're a country that are dam right fearless!

Thank you to my beautiful bestie for the best couple of days away (missing you already) and thank you London for being the gem that you are. Forever the most beautiful city in the world!

Lots of love as always,

Beth x