Oh, what a week it has been! Our time here in London is FLYING by and we’re trying to pack as much in as possible. This was a super fun week because Andy was back in town so we got to spend some quality time with him. We definitely haven’t wanted to get in the way of his study abroad experience, so we’ve been doing our own thing and letting him hang out with us when he’s available. I don’t want him to miss out on fun times with friends in his program just because we are in town. Ash and I came for a fun mother/daughter trip so we are having a blast running around town all by ourselves. I think he’s appreciating having us here though for a little breather. Sometimes it’s nice to be able to take a nap at mom’s place rather than in a bunk room with a bunch of other people! 😉
We kicked the week off at Windsor Castle. It was fun to drive out with Shannon in her Mini Cooper…the perfect London car.
The castle and the grounds are so pretty! King Charles was there while we were. Kind of fun!
The town of Windsor is darling. They definitely cater to the tourists.
You know me…I love to walk down every little alley way to make sure I’m not missing anything…and I usually am if I don’t go!
I mean, how cute is this little pub all decorated for the coronation?! It was down this little non-descript street. Walk everywhere people! 😉
We had a nice lunch at The Ivy…kind of an institution these days around these parts with locations ALL over London and beyond. They are always decorated SO cute!
I mean, check out this bathroom with it’s stunning silk wallpaper, marble countertops, pink sinks and incredible mirrored gold sink. Stunning!!
Tuesday Ash and I had a lunch date at Peggy Porschen in Chelsea. I LOVE brunch and we both love cake, so it was delightful. 😉
It is just the cutest little place. Definitely a must if you have the chance when you’re in town.
Andy came and met up with us later in the afternoon and we walked around Chelsea and saw more of the Chelsea in Bloom flower displays. They were so awesome!
I just love being with these kiddos..
This one is such a crack up.
This year’s theme was Chelsea in Film so most of the displays were based around movies.
That night we took Andy to his favorite place…The Hard Rock Cafe.
He loves to collect shirts from Hard Rock Cafe’s around the world.
Wednesday we went to a cute Alice in Wonderland themed Tea and that night Andy was able to score some very inexpensive tickets to see Wicked on a last minute ticket app, so he and Ashley had a brother/sister date night. I love that these two love spending time with each other as much as they do.
Thursday Ash and I went on a LOOOONG walk through Hyde Park and then up into Andy’s neighborhood near Notting Hill. We ran into him coming home from a school outing which was fun.
Thursday night was GORGEOUS so Ash and I tried a yummy Italian place down the street for some dinner al-fresco. It stays light here until almost 10pm, which makes for great summer nights.
Friday we spent the day lounging around the flat and then headed out to catch Newsies. I LOVED that movie as a kid, and the musical was awesome! So much awesome dancing!
In conjunction with the Chelsea flower show and Chelsea in Bloom, Belgravia next door flowers itself up too for Belgravia in Bloom, so we walked over to check it out. I just can’t get over all the flowers!
We also check out out Battersea Power Station…basically a really cool mall and river walk. So pretty!
I was pretty proud of myself this week…I braved the tube all by myself navigating us around town. I HATE public transit and I admittedly don’t have the best sense of direction, so put me underground and it really becomes a problem! 😉 Not to mention my anxiety and claustrophobia issues…I’m a mess. lol! Now I feel like a pro and we’re getting all over town in a flash. 😉
Sunday was a special day. Andy was asked to speak in church, so we went to listen to him. He did a beautiful job. We got to stay after and get to know the members of the congregation at a Mix and Mingle. It was really fun.
After church Andy dragged us to Tottenham to see yet another football stadium. He is hilarious. He’s all about finding all of the team jersey’s at the year end clearance sales right now. Such a funny kid. It was a little bit of a dicey experience, but we survived. 😉 We then headed to Hampstead Heath to hunt for Harry.
Harry who you might ask…well, for true Harry Styles fans like Ashley, it’s where he lives or lived, so she was hoping for a sighting and why not make all of her wildest dreams come true? 😉
We didn’t have any luck, but it was fun to see another part of town. It was a looooong day…like 12+ hours and LOTS of hot, stinky public transit, so we decided to end the day with some of our favorite pizza…
This is our favorite pizza on the planet. It used to only be available in Naples but they are starting to crop up other places. They now have them in London, NYC and LA that I am aware of. If you get the chance go! And order a Margherita with double Mozz for me. THE BEST!!!
After dinner we said farewell to Andy who will be spending this week in Scotland as part of his school program.
Ash and I will be canvasing the city on our own again this week. I can’t wait for more adventures!
Have a great week and come follow along with me this week on Instagram!
xoxo,
Tammy