The Most Inspiring City In The World

Friday, August 02, 2013 Holly 17 Comments

 
A few days ago, I took a trip to London- if you follow my blog or twitter, you've most definitely seen how excited I was to go. (Think small child taking their first trip to see Santa kind of excitement). I had an amazing time, London is such a beautiful city and whenever I go it inspires me to work hard so that maybe one day I can afford to call it home. Every time I travel to London I'm awestruck by the towering buildings, bustling streets and opportunities it holds- being a small town girl means that London feels like a whole world away rather than just an hours journey on a train.
 
 
My Auntie and I stayed in the London St Pancras Renaissance Hotel for the two nights that we were there. I have a love for old, intricately designs buildings, so arriving at Renaissance immediately took my breath away.
 



The inside of the hotel presented a stark contrast to the busy international St Pancras station residing next door. The blend of modern and traditional décor worked beautifully alongside the team of smartly dressed staff who were consistently friendly and upbeat. Renaissance boasts access to a Spa and numerous Restaurants and Bars- it was safe to say that there was no way I was going to be bored staying here. Even though  it seemed the majority of the hotels customers were business men rather than girls looking to shop, as you can tell by the sea of suits in the photo below!
 

 
Once settled in our room we took the underground to Covent Garden (an experience in itself for someone like me!). We wandered around the maze of markets in search of a palm reader (long story) and stood and watched various acts in amusement - including a man stripping on a ladder with sun glasses on! Don't worry though, I didn't take any pictures to show you of that!
 


We came across a little Laduree restaurant nestled in the centre of Covent Garden, near the famed Punch and Judy bar. Having never tried a macaroon (yes I know), I jumped at the chance to take a seat and order some. The very lovely and French (how authentic) waiter took our order- Two glasses of white wine and four Macaroons in flavours that were to be a surprise. The Macaroons were a complete success, I especially enjoyed the caramel flavour. This Laduree restaurant is the perfect place to relax and unwind after shopping- excellent for people watching too, if you're anything like me!





After another stroll around Covent Garden, we realised it was getting late and we needed some dinner before seeing our show. We headed into a Pizza Express restaurant- a safe bet if you want a nice filling meal served pretty quickly!
 
 
We arrived at the Lyceum Theatre with a little while to spare, so took it upon ourselves to have another glass of wine. (not the best idea for me, wine sends me to sleep) We were shown to our seats by a lovely girl who assured us that we would love the show. Lion King has been my all-time favourite Disney movie since I've been little so I knew I would fall in love with it anyway. The show was utterly amazing, the stage was so packed full of colour and dance that you just didn't know where to look first! Plus, the little boy playing young Simba was too cute, I don't know how someone so little can have such a big voice!

unfortunately, any photography of the show was banned so you're left with this I'm afraid!
 
 
On the second day, we headed to the London Eye. Such a stereotypical touristy thing to do, but it's something that I've always wanted to do. The views were still spectacular despite the weather being significantly more dismal than the day before- although, at least the rain stayed away. I managed to take some really beautiful photos, you really don't realise how big London is until you see it from up there!
 



After the London-Eye we went shopping in Oxford Street, I wish I had saved more money now, I wanted to buy everything in Victoria's Secret and Top Shop! We decided to have dinner at a restaurant in the station, we were pretty tired and wanted to be close to the hotel. We chose 'Searcys Grand Restaurant' a chic restaurant and champagne bar nestled on the top floor of the historic station. The design of the restaurant was modern and stylish, the dimmed lighting and candles made it hard to believe we were eating in the station. I chose to order chilled tomato and basil soup followed by fishcake in a rich creamy sauce with salad. (I didn't manage to get a photo of the fish cake as I was half way through it before I remembered about the blog- sorry!)  
 





After a hectic two days, I woke up on the third and treated myself to a huge bubble bath and small pampering session- lovely. I then caught the train back to my usual small town home, wishing that I could stay in this amazing city for longer.
 






Holly xxx
 
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17 comments:

  1. You look like you had an amazing time! I've only been to London once when I was about 8/9 and it'd be great to go again now I'm older :)

    If you're interested, I've tagged you in a competition on my blog to win £1000 to do something on your bucket list. It's a bit short notice as I was only tagged myself last night and the competition ends tonight, whoops! xx

    http://curls-and-swirls.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Yes it was so good, so much to do! You would love London.. soo many shops hehe!

      Oh no! I've just checked the comments on my blog! would have loved to have done that!

      such a shame :(

      Holly xx

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  2. Your pictures portray an amazing time! Your mum's blouse is gorgeous!

    Myra x

    Alluring Style

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    Replies
    1. Ah yes I wish I stayed for longer!

      Holly xx

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  3. I'm the same, it's only an hour on the train but I still get over excited and giddy when I go! The Lion King is amazing, I'd love to go again, very jealous.

    Is that your natural hair or do you use rollers? It's lovely!

    Katie x

    www.ramblesofkatie.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Ah yes. there's no place else like London! Such an exciting place to be in, and yes lion king is a must see!

      My hair was just the curls from the day before & I had slept with a top knot that night, so it had turned out like that!

      Thank you for your comment!

      Holly xx

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  4. Lovely post, its nice to see someone going to London for pleasure, I always seem to be there running around going to meetings and events and being busy busy! I love your hair (and I always think that the st pancras hotel looks amazing).

    Looks like you had a lovely time!

    Hopefully one day we will both be living there :)

    Lots of love,
    Em xxx


    emtalks.co.uk
    http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3934124/emtalks

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    1. Ah i'm so envious of you for travelling there for work, I've always wanted to travel to a big city for meetings ect! The St Pancras Hotel is gorgeous, such a lovely place to stay! :)

      Thank you for your comment!

      Lots of love holly! xx

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  5. Looks lovely! London is the best.
    Would love you to have a look at my new blog!
    splashofsilk.blogspot.com X

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    1. London is so good! Yes of course I will! :)

      Holly xxx

      Delete
  6. I agree, London is so amazing, I’ve dedicated my blog to purely London fashion! You’re right, London is one of the most charming places to visit in the world and I feel so lucky to be a true Londoner!
    If you really enjoyed London you should check out my blog. It is all about the London life and fashions. You can find it at ourlondonwardrobe.com
    xxx

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    1. Ah I'm so envious of you being from such an amazing place! I will definitely check your blog out!

      holly xxx

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  7. Wow everything looks so amazing, from the food to the view, I be you had the time of your life on this trip!

    Pop Culture&Fashion Magic

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    1. yes it was amazing, I've already organised a trip back!

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  8. I live a 20 minute train journey from London but I still get all excited when I've planned a trip there. It's a magical place and looks like you had beautiful weather. :)

    anniebellajane.blogspot.com

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    1. Yes, I've never been anywhere else like it! so amazing!

      Thank you for your comment :)

      Holly xxx

      Delete

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Holly xxx