Yesterday
concluded my first day in London, and it was such a whirlwind. From
the minute I stepped off the plane I was experiencing mixed emotions,
from exhaustion to excitement. Saturday was our easy day, because we
were all so tired from the 7 hour flight and arriving at 6 AM London
time, which was 1 AM our normal time.
After collecting our bags and leaving the airport we arrived at the hotel we were staying in at about 7:30 AM. Unfortunately, our rooms weren't ready so we weren't able to check-in and freshen up. We went to the hotel restaurant, Spice Market, for breakfast. I ordered an omelette, which was delicious, as well as chicken sausage. We got a call mid-meal that one of our rooms was ready, so immediately after eating we went upstairs to leave our bags and freshen up. We all took quick showers and changed into fresh clothes to officially start our day.
First
we had to exchange our money, which ended up being a struggle because
none of the ATM's would accept my mom's card. We ended up having to
go to a teller person (I have no idea what it is called) at a bank to
get some pounds, and had to pay a ridiculous fee! If you are
traveling to a different country definitely bring cash or exchange
currency before arriving.
Once
we were able to get money, we took the tube from Piccadilly Circus to
Tower Hill. We got off and immediately saw the Tower of London, our
first destination! We purchased our tickets, and went in search for
the Crown Jewels. We walked past a whole bunch of cool things, like
armor from the days of William the Conqueror, and found our way to
the Crown Jewels. The crowns were gorgeous, but unfortunately I was
literally falling asleep while walking during this point due to my
lack of sleep and the dark lights in the room. Immediately after
leaving the Tower, we speed walked to Starbucks for an iced chai tea
latte with an extra shot of caffeine to keep me awake (I was cringing
while drinking, soo unhealthy)!
After
the Tower of London we walked to my favorite thing, the London
Bridge! The bridge was absolutely stunning, and so exciting to see in
person! We went up the elevator and on to the glass, which was so
cool to walk across, while seeing the cars drive by underneath. After
exiting the bridge, we went to Pret – A – Manger for lunch, where
I got a fruit cup and water (I was way too excited/tired to be
hungry). We stayed there for a while to rest our feet, and then went
back to the Tower Hill tube to take the train back to Leicester Square,
where we are staying.
When
we arrived back to the hotel, it was about 6PM, so we sat and rested
a little bit longer, until about 6:15PM when my brother and sister
fell asleep and my mom and I went out shopping. Although it was one
of our only shopping times, we didn't do much purchasing, mostly
because we were both tired and more into window shopping and grabbing
things that really caught our eye. We walked about a mile or so down
Regent Street and saw a bunch of cool stores, such as Brandy Melville
(I know we have that in America, but I've never seen one), Jack
Willis, Ted Baker, and so many more! We headed back to the hotel at
about 8:15PM, and came back to both of my siblings completely knocked
out in bed with all of their clothes on!
By
this time it had been a 20 hour day for all of us, so we changed into
our jammies and headed to sleep! Even though we hadn't planned much
for Saturday, we had a blast at the things we did see!
For my outfit, I tried my best to dress like a native London-er, and wore neutral colors. I wore this black and white top from Choies, these light-wash jeans from American Eagle, and these black ankle booties from Aldo. As for my accessories, my cross-body is from Forever 21, my ring is from American Eagle, my bracelet is from Lily and Laura, and my watch is from Kate Spade. Aside from my shoes, this outfit was super comfortable and easy to wear in the London weather!
Come
back tomorrow to see Lauren in London Day 2, where we take a look at
all of the museums! Leave a comment telling me your favorite city that you've
visited, and enjoyed the most! I hope you enjoyed this post, xo
Lauren!
