London at Night

Welcome to the first post of travel week! We’re going to work our way backwards in time, so I’m starting with my trip to London a few months ago.

Ahhh, London, you magical city, you. I was so excited to visit London over the holidays and it did not disappoint. My family lives in the suburbs of London and we managed to make it into the city twice during my visit. The first time, we spent an evening browsing the shops in some of London’s busiest areas- Oxford Street, Carnaby Street, and Covent Garden.

I loved walking around these streets and didn’t even mind the crowds. There’s just something about being a tourist in another city, you know? We were able to see the festive lights and decorations everywhere and it was wonderful, simply wonderful.

Where We Shopped

– Liberty London: This department store was at the top of my must-see list and it was lovely. There was a whole section for haberdashery (isn’t that an excellent word?) and fabrics, where I was able to browse through some of the beautiful fabrics that I’d only seen online. They have home goods, clothes, shoes, beauty, craft supplies, and more. There was another section just filled with Christmas supplies and I was so tempted. If we’d gone even a day or two before Christmas, I’m sure I would have bought something. Basically, it’s a store full of all the things that I like and I wanted everything. I’m really glad we were able to visit and I’m making it a point to go back there on my next trip. I’d love to see it in the daytime as well!

– kikki.K: I was thrilled that we were able to make it to this stationery store. Really though, my cousin actually snapped a picture of me in the store because I was clearly overjoyed, like a kid in a candy store. I’ve coveted many kikki.K products online, but last time I checked, the shipping expenses were rather high, so I’d never bought anything. I knew I had to take advantage while I was in London since they don’t have any stores in the US yet. To top it all off, they were having a sale while we there! I managed to restrain myself somewhat and picked up some pretty gold binder clips, a notebook, a birthday card for a friend, and a beautiful copper pen.

– South Kensington Books: We stumbled onto this bookstore. It wasn’t on my original list, but of course I am happy to drop into any bookstore. It’s a small shop, but they have a good selection. I’ve now started my collection of Penguin Little Black Classics, beginning with the two titles I bought at this shop: The Tinder Box by Hans Christian Andersen and Femme Fatale by Guy de Maupassant. I also bought The Muse by Jessie Burton, which has the loveliest book cover.

What We Ate

– Ben’s Cookies: My cousins asked if we wanted to stop for warm, gooey cookies and I said, “Lead the way!” As promised, the cookies were warm and fresh, and the chocolatey chunks that they use are massive. I went with my favorite, white chocolate chip macadamia nut, and it was rich and delicious.

– Mod Pizza: This place is a choose your own toppings pizza bar and it’s a great deal. After a few hours of tramping around, my cousins and brother wanted some proper food. I was still rather full from my cookies and other snacks I’d eaten earlier, so I didn’t get my own pizza. I did watch as everyone built their pizzas (you can add as many toppings as you want for the same price) and sampled a couple slices. We were there later in the evening, so the place wasn’t crowded at all. It’s a relaxed, casual place and it was the perfect spot for us to rest and set down our bags before we headed back home.

Check back tomorrow for another postcard from London!