it was gray and gloomy when we woke up on day three of our trip and all i wanted to do was stay in bed all morning. when i finally got up and going, i headed back to south kensington to spend the day at the victoria and albert museum {A was working and i figured he wouldn't mind too much if he missed out on this incredible collection of decorative arts}. sadly for me, the fashion wing was closed, but there was more than enough amazingness to keep me busy!
after several hours at the v&a, i headed over to harrod's for even more impossibly gorgeous eye candy. from the egyptian escalator and the extensive children's floor to the designer dog boutique and the lavish cafeteria, it was overwhelming to say the least!
thankfully, when i finally reached my breaking point, it was time to meet A and his boss for dinner. we found a sweet little tapas restaurant around the corner from our hotel and enjoyed a quiet {and delicious} dinner before heading home in the rain.
on day four of our trip, A had a very fancy meeting in leeds. i had other plans: a little side trip to see H, one of my roommates from college, who lives in wolverhampton with her husband and two beautiful sons! it'd been years since i'd seen them and i simply couldn't stand the idea of traveling all that way and not visiting with them {even if it was only for a few hours}. i took a mid-morning train through some really lovely country and her husband picked me up at the station and took me to their home. i got to hold her brand new baby boy while we chatted and caught up. it was beyond wonderful to see them! they treated me to fish and chips with mashed peas {and plenty of ketchup} for lunch and chocolate eclairs and coffee for dessert. i had to leave way too soon to hop back on the train headed for leeds.
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i made it to leeds just in time to freshen up and have a drink with A at the hotel bar. we were meeting our friend M {our friend's cousin whom we met in november when she came to the states} for dinner and drinks! we ate at the living room {so yummy and so pretty!} and went to a silly pub or two, but i was worn out {i would find out later that i had mono - awesome} so we went to bed a little earlier than expected.
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while A went to another meeting, i met up with M, who is an expert shopper, for a little bit of girl time. we wandered department stores and boutiques and markets for the better part of the morning, ohhing and ahhing over pretty clothes and shoes and gifties and chocolates. we had one last treat {coffee at harvey nichols!} before she had to head back home. i was happy to continue my wandering and shopping while i waited for A to finish up with work.
when A was finished with work, we packed up our things and headed back to the train station to catch a ride back to london. it was late when we got back to the hotel, so we got room service for dinner and went to bed as soon as possible!
A's work trip was over - today we started our us trip! we left our hotel in kilburn park and checked in to the pretty one that i picked out in mayfair {complete with faux-library elevator and laura ashley wallpaper}.
then we headed over to the british museum. amazing: assyrian lions, the rosetta stone, egyptian statues and mummies, the elgin marbles, easter island statues, sutton hoo helmet, awesome awesome awesome!
after several hours and a lunch break at the british museum, we made our way to the british library. we had a spot of tea before exploring the two large rooms that house amazing historical written treasures {the magna carta, illuminated manuscripts, handwritten beatles lyrics, etc}.
as it was getting dark, we hopped on the tube and took it back to the south bank to go to the tate modern, an absolutely incredible collection of modern art: matisse and monet and dali and picasso and calder and pollock and rothko and warhol and everything in between {including a particularly fantastic gift shop!}.
it was cold and dark and drizzly when we left the tate modern, and we were starving. we crossed the millennium bridge towards st. paul's in search of food and found it at a dark and crowded old pub with a whole lot of history and art nouveau style. we claimed a little table by the fire and took a much-needed seat for dinner and drinks, after which we went back to our pretty hotel and fell fast asleep!
this was the last day of our trip and there was still so much to see and do. there was no way we were going to get to all of it, but i was determined to try {because i am crazy}!
we started our busy day in notting hill on portobello road, shopping the famous street market in the rain. i could have wandered for days, admiring all of the pretty things and adorable pastel houses. we picked up some vintage souvenirs and grabbed a bite to eat at a sweet little cafe.
after our shopping adventure, we headed back to the city center to tour westminster abbey, where england's kings and queens have been crowned and buried for centuries {and where william and kate would be married in a matter of months!}.
from westminster abbey we walked over to the churchill museum and cabinet war rooms, easily A's favorite part of the whole trip. it was a fascinating {if sometimes just a little cheesy} tour of the underground headquarters of the british government during the second world war.
we left the war rooms and strolled through picturesque st. james park in the direction of buckingham palace. we'd missed the changing of the guard, but it was fun to look at anyway.
chilled to the bone and half starving, we made our way to trafalgar square for afternoon tea at st. martin-in-the-fields cafe in the crypt. i could've eaten fifty scones with clotted cream, they were so delicious. in the end, i exercised some small amount of restraint.
on our way back to the hotel, we stopped to pick up a few small trinkets for our families and some food for dinner. then we packed our bags and went to bed early{ish} to prepare for the long trip home the next day.
