london part two...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Hyde Park Corner Tube Station/Platform-  after a day of walking round, I was never so happy to get on the tube. I walked about 5 miles before I even set foot on the Underground.
2. On my way to St. James Park, from Picadilly Circus. 
3. The Mall, leading up to Buckingham Palace.
4. Mini little Chinatown- coming from San Francisco, it was really interesting to see the fusion of Western architecture with Asian decoration... In SF- the facades of the building are designed to look Chinese. (Although, it was Chinese Design thought up by Westerners.)
5. Pad Thai- at this was a steal. Also pretty delicious. From a Thai restaurant on Queensway in Bayswater.
6. From where I stand... but unfortunately I don't remember where in London.
7. Quiche I picked up from Portobello Road Market that I ate at 3am, drunk, hungry, & insatiable.
8. From where I stand... by the leaves surrounding Buckingham Palace's Walls. I was looking for Harry.
9. Dim sum from Dim Sum Diner on Queensway again... A nice break from the rest of touristy London.
10. Me at Victoria Tower Gardens right by the Houses of Parliament.
11. Modern Art at Tate Britain.
12. The Houses of Parliament... and apparently its sinking, but ever so slowly.
13. Ispahan from Laduree- A macaron "sandwich" fusing the flavors of Rose, Lychee, & Rasberry together.
14. My tea service at Laduree-  in which I quickly learned I only Laduree for the macaron. Their classic vanilla will always stand as my favorite macaron, but the rest of the menu at the cafe really did leave me wanting more. I would not recommend the afternoon tea service (basically paying a bit more for bland sandwiches), but a pot of tea with a pastries & macaron is a lovely way to take in the gorgeous cafes.
15. Fish cakes at Bill's. I think in my last post I talked about how much I loved Bill's. So let me say it once again, I love Bill's Cafe. I really do. Admittedly, you can probably get better food elsewhere, but for the location, price, & atmosphere, you really couldn't do better
16. From where I stand... er, sit more like. This was at my hotel lobby.
17. My breakfast at the National Cafe at the National Gallery. Serving Peyton & Byrne pastries, this cafe is fairly priced, nicely located, and charming.
18. Macarons from Laduree- need I say more? I was definitely in dessert heaven.
19. Victoria Tower Gardens- see #10.
20. War Horse- if you haven't seen it, please do. A wonderful adaptation of the book and really a different experience, and dare I say even more moving, than the movie in which it was adapted.
21. My wonderul little lunch on my flight home. I was starving at this point, so it tasted rather amazing.