The great crossing point between America and Europe – welcome to London.
London is definitely a megacity that has a lot to offer. It is a crossover between America and Europe. And that includes technology, the different nations, the food or the style. This city is simply a big mix of everything and for that reason it has a lot to offer. – no matter what time or time of year it is.
I experienced a lot on this city trip – I don’t think I’ve done or seen so much in any city before. There are a lot of clichés about the British, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I can hardly say anything bad about this city. The people are ultra friendly, even to tourists. There are so many style-conscious people walking around, not like here in banausian Vienna where fashion-conscious people are immediately looked at askance if you dress nicer. London is miles ahead.
But long words short, let me take you to beautiful London…
The Hotel:
Welcome to One Aldwych. A hotel that could hardly be more centrally located. It is located at the covert market – An area of the city center where there are probably the most cafes, restaurants and bars in one place. The hotel is very stylish and you are literally treated like a queen. Since there is a shortage of space in the city center in London, the rooms are usually smaller. But we had a suite so we had a little more space. The hotel offers everything, breakfast, SPA, pool, its own cafe for afternoon tea, its own bar and even a library. Overall, I was overjoyed with the hotel because you could walk everywhere. Top recommendation.
Streets of London:
We were in London at probably the best time of the year – Christmas time. In comparison, Vienna is sadly less decorated/illuminated. Every street is lavishly decorated in a different way – and there are quite a few of them. Everything lights up and amazes you. – I felt a bit like a child again and let all the Christmas magic work its magic on me. Of course, not only were the Christmas decorations lit up, but many buildings were illuminated at night. – That makes my architect’s heart skip a beat. The decorative elements were always unique and very complex in appearance, clearly well thought out, and it was definitely worth it.
Lunch at the Grand:
Before we could start shopping, we fortified ourselves at „the grand“ at Piccadily Circus. From the inside, the restaurant is somewhat reminiscent of Aida, but only more luxurious. It was already quite late for lunch as all the other guests had already enjoyed their afternoon tea. But the food was very tasty. I had the rigatoni with cheese/truffle sauce and my Aperol. What else if I had a choice?
Overall score 7/10.
Gymshark & Joe´s Juice:
I think the biggest highlight for me was when I discovered the gymshark shop on Regent Street. My fitness heart made a lot of leaps. Because I love Gymshark and never thought I would see a shop from the brand because I thought it was just an online shop. But you can be that wrong and the joy was twice as great. The shop is divided into two levels, the ground floor for women and the upper floor for men. Not all items are on display, but with such a large selection, that’s not possible. Another highlight for me was…
The Joe’s Juice bar in the middle of the Gymshark shop. I’ve seen so many different posts on Instagram about this juice shop lately and of course I felt the hype. And with this pop up I had, so to speak, done 2 things in one. I ordered the “Joes Identity”. – cucumber, ice, tongue, broccoli, kale and lemon. I have to say it was very refreshing and delicious. Now I understand the hype because we are all in the health girl energy era right now. I think it’s really great that in London they sometimes, but not always, write down the calories next to the product. I would like to have it in Vienna too!
Overall score 10/10.
Dinner at La Goccia:
We discovered the restaurant La Goccia by chance while walking past. Because the entrance was a brightly lit passageway to an illuminated courtyard where an elephant stood out of nowhere. For this reason we thought why not and went to the restaurant.
From the outside the restaurant looked really small but inside it was huge and completely full. We had the last free table. In terms of food, the restaurant was a 4/10. The dishes looked very tasty, but unfortunately they didn’t score points in terms of taste. The concept of the restaurant was to order several tapas and share them. – This is also a great idea if you go out to eat with friends/family or your partner. I once had the burrata with pumpkin, then a paella with truffles – which unfortunately wasn’t recommended at all – and as dessert a chocolate cake with salted caramel ice cream.
Overall score 6/10.
Breakfast at Ole & Steen:
The cute breakfast cafe Ole & Steen was a full 2 minute walk from the hotel. As I walked past, I immediately noticed the various cinnamon rolls in the display and I just had to go in. It’s more of a classic, small and minimalistic bakery but the pastries are fantastic. We were in London for 3 days and I was at Ole & Steen on 2/2 mornings. I ordered a classic large cappuccino and a cinnamon roll. On the second day I also ordered a croissant with Gauda – I was literally in heaven.
Overall score 10/10.
Christmas Wonderland:
I don’t think any other city in Europe is as obsessed with Christmas as London. – another plus point for me. Because there were many different Christmas markets and a huge winter wonderland at Hyde Park. Admission is chargeable, but this Christmas market exceeds all your expectations. Everyone knows the typical Christmas markets, the Oktoberfest in Munich and the Prater in Vienna. If you combine these 3 events you find yourself in the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park. You can ice skate, eat until you burst, there is mulled wine, an own German/Bavarian area, lots of rollercoasters and so on…
A must for anyone in London at Christmas time.
Overall score 10/10.
Lunch at Sophie´s SOHO:
We then went to the SOHO district for lunch. Here there is one restaurant after the other and each one is so full that you have to wait at least 40 minutes and that happened to us in at least 5 restaurants. And that’s when we discovered Sophie’s. From the outside it seemed like an ordinary burger joint but inside I could only marvel. The big eye-catcher is of course the bar with the crystal chandelier. The style of the whole place is rather industrial with a luxurious twist. Just great.
As a starter I tried the Smoked Brisket Croquettes. Pulled pork which was deep fried and served with sauerkraut and chili mayo. A strange taste but very refined. For the main course I wanted a nice juicy steak with fries. – of course medium rare.
Overall score 8/10.
Shopping at Harrods:
Probably the most famous shopping center in London. Everyone knows it or has seen it somewhere or heard about it. The luxury shopping center in London. Sadly, there was work taking place on the facade outside, so only half of it was lit. The display was really beautifully decorated and you immediately wanted to enter the store. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed with the inside. The whole building is quite small, the ceilings are very low and nested almost like a maze. It was nice for looking, but not for shopping.
Dinner at Balthazar:
Feeling like a VIP is easy at the Balthazar restaurant at Covent Garden. It is a French-inspired restaurant with fine delicacies. For this simple reason, I took the plunge and ordered oysters for the first time. After a little hesitation, I took the courage and tried them. They taste great with garlic and lemon. As another starter I chose escargos. – a little reminder of the Bon Vivant in Vienna. For the main course I ate the lobster pasta. Terrific. But what would dinner be without the right cocktails? The selection was very large and we once had the Christmas Margerita and a Snow White Lady. Unique signature drinks.
Overall score 10/10.
Borough Market:
The Borough Market is an open but covered market with everything from food, drinks, fresh produce, cosmetics, flowers, etc. It reminds you of the Naschmarkt in Vienna, only more coordinated. It is located in east London, about 10 minutes from Tower Bridge. It was really an experience but you should be prepared for the fact that there are a lot of people on site and so you can’t just stand there where you like. The impressions can be a bit overwhelming.
Food-wise, I ordered a hot dog and chili cheese fries from Whiskey Ginger. The taste was good, the portion was large, but I now understand why German sausage is so hyped and sold everywhere in London. Unfortunately, the British are not experts at making sausages.
Summary:
They say London is gray on gray but for once we had absolute sunshine on 2 out of 3 days. For me, after this trip, London is among the top 3 cities in the world. The people are super friendly, even in the restaurants. What you should note here is that the tip is always automatically included in the bill. This varies between 10-14% depending on the restaurant – and people are still friendly to you. The city is always awake, there is something different to see or experience on every corner. There is a countless selection of really good restaurants that look esthetic from the outside. Simply a top city that I could write so many good things about.
Conclusion:
I just fell in love with this city – I’ll definitely be back soon
Address:
London, UK
Tip:
London is always busy no matter what time of year it is – but try to come when it’s not holiday season.
_____________________
RELATED POSTS
_____________________
FIND ME ON INSTAGRAM
