European Vacation: London part 2

I never finished sharing about our European vacation that was back in May.

In order to not get overloaded with posts, I'm going to try to have travel posts of our vacation on Thursdays. We're not going to be traveling anywhere exciting in the near future with all of the upcoming holidays.

So, looking back at our Europe trip will have to keep my desire to travel at bay for now.

You might remember our first day in London.

Our second day was packed full.

After stuffing ourselves on the delicious hotel breakfast, we took our coffee and headed toward Buckingham Palace.

Can we just talk about how amazing European hotel breakfasts are? And how miserable American ones are in comparison? The American breakfasts are full of processed, unhealthy foods whereas every European breakfast we ate had fresh bakery items, muesli, eggs, meats, and tasty coffee and teas.

We stopped by crowded Buckingham Palace for a quick photo op before following the calvary down another street.

We found a changing of the guard to watch before continuing our walk.

We followed the calvary for more changing of the guard.

And I even elbowed my way past the other tourists to get a photo with this man and his horse. 

We loved walking around the city, seeing the sights of Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey.

We decided we didn't have enough time to see the inside of too many sites after our walking tour.

Westminster Abbey was unfortunately not included in our London Bus Tour and was fairly expensive with a long line, so we opted to visit the famous tour of London with an exhibit of the Crown Jewels instead.

I accidentally lost our Bus ticket with a 24hr hop on hop off but somehow still had the included river cruise, so we cruised down to the Tower of London.

We really enjoyed the ride because we saw another view of the city and got more history.

We loved the Tour of London with the tour from a Beef Eater and seeing the royal jewels.

After our afternoon touring, we grabbed a taxi back to our hotel before heading to dinner at Kettner's.

It was a recommendation from one of the Chef's friends, and it was the best place we ate in London. The atmosphere was incredible with everything decorated in roaring 20s style.

We would have loved to have stayed longer, but prior to our trip we bought tickets to our favorite show: Wicked.

It did not disappoint.

We loved London and wish we had had more time to spend in that amazing city. Honestly, I was a little overwhelmed by the crowds of tourists and how long the lines were, but I can't wait to go back someday again.

Our next stop was my favorite because it was home to Vienna!

European Vacation: London part 1

After our pub crawl in the outskirts of town, we headed back to the city of London to start our touristy touring. I have only ever had layovers in London airports and have never been able to explore the actual city. The Chef had never been either, so we were excited to start. 

Get ready - this post has lots of photos, so grab your morning brew and settle in for a while. 

We returned our rental care at the airport and headed into the city. We quickly dropped our bags off before grabbing a map and heading for our Original City Bus tour. I had already booked our tickets online because it was cheaper than in person. 

We loved getting the broad lay of the land view and history by taking the tour bus. London's historical sites are spread further apart, so we loved getting to see the high points without have to walk miles and miles. 

Big Ben was breathtaking. 

We loved the beauty of Westminster Abbey.

One of the aspects I love about the Original Bus Tour is that its a hop-on-hop-off 24hr policy. We decided we needed an afternoon snack, so we stopped at a cute cafe for a recharge of chocolate croissants and a latte.

The pubs throughout London were cozy and welcoming.

We stayed at the Marriott Grovesnor Square and were in love with our upgraded room and location. We enjoyed a yummy British breakfast every morning with fresh breads, coffee, muesli, and all sorts of meats and cheeses. The Brits apparently love their baked beans, so those were readily available.

More on what we did on our second day in London coming later this week!

European Vacation: United Kingdom

I haven't meant to hold out my Europe posts from you. Life has just been crazy since we got home from  our trip. I loved every minute of being overseas and would go back in a heart beat. I just love being in a different culture, trying new foods, and seeing amazing historical sites.

We started our vacation by landing late at night in London. I highly recommend finding a flight that flies through the day to Europe because it was great arriving and being able to head straight to bed. (Most flights fly through the night and arrive in the morning and then you're beat starting your trip).

Our first day in the UK we rented a car and drove to our friends Peter and Ada. They live about an hour outside of London. The Chef bravely drove on the the opposite side of the road on their crazy highway, we got lost, turned around on the roundabouts and finally found their house with Peter waiting in the driveway.

Peter and Ada took us on a fabulous tour of their town, and we spent the afternoon doing a pub crawl of their favorite spots. 

Our first stop was the Feathered Nest where we ate lunch. It was a very posh spot with gorgeous views and tasty foods. The Chef had his first fish and chips, and I of course tried it. I honestly could have stayed there all day, but we had more places on our list.

We stopped by the local church that had little stands set up with tea and cakes, and we found the brewery stand.

I'm not a huge fan of beer or ale, but I loved this beer. Unfortunately, the ginger beer that I love they don't export to the US. I savored every last drop. 

After finishing our beers on a green spot outside of the church, we headed for the pubs. It was exactly what the Chef had in mind for the UK, and I think it was his favorite time of our trip. I didn't even attempt to photograph the pubs because it wouldn't have done them justice. They are just so cozy with their low ceilings, fireplaces, and the no-rush attitude of the patrons or the workers.

Our favorites were: The Fleece and The Holly Bush. Let's be honest, the Brits aren't known for their food but every meal we ate there was amazing. The pubs know how to do it right.

We had the best time seeing the British countryside with Peter and Ada. We only wish we had had more time with them in their town. We definitely enjoyed the non-touristy sites and soaking up the true British culture.

One Carry-On. Two Weeks.

Our two weeks in Europe flew by. I cannot believe we're already home and settling back into daily routines, work, and life. I posted this the day that we left and had lots of questions about how I managed to fit everything into a carry-on. 

When the Chef asked if we could pack in carry-ons, I laughed. I'm the biggest over-packer for trips. Believe me, I didn't think it was possible, but I decided to try especially since we were planning on taking multiple flights, using public transportation, and a few cross country trains.

I did my research and found rave reviews about these packing cubes. I decided it couldn't hurt to purchase them and try using them on this trip. These were the best purchase! It helped me not only pack for the trip but stay organized throughout Europe. Usually, I get to a hotel, open my suitcase and a minute later it looks like a bomb has gone off with clothes everywhere.

I highly recommend them and will be using these for any future trips, even if it's just a weekend to visit family.

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I packed my larger items: skirts, dresses, pants, and sweaters in the largest cube.

Short-sleeved shirts and other tops in the medium cube.

The unmentionables in the smallest cube. I did also pack a small Vera Bradley laundry bag for dirty items.

The best part about the cubes was I knew how they fit best in my bag and rearranged them every time the same when we had to repack. It made repacking so much easier.

You're probably also wondering what exactly did I pack to wear for two weeks. I packed a variety of items. Now we had been checking the weather constantly for the cities and planned on it being 50-70 degrees. Unfortunately, it ended up being more like 40-60s, so I could have packed more warmer weather clothes, but I learned for next time.

• I packed three pairs of pants and a pair of yoga pants for traveling. 
• Two skirts and two dresses (one was nicer for seeing Wicked).
• Two scarves (would pack more next time). 
• Six light/medium weight long-sleeved shirts. Three camis, three sleeve-less tops, and four sweaters. 
• Four necklaces, a couple of rings, three pairs of earrings, and a watch.
• One pair of Toms, wedges, and Jack Rogers. Next time I would definitely pack a second pair of flats an skip the Jack Rogers. I had planned on wearing my wedges for dinners, but it ended up being a lot colder than expected, so I only wore them once. 
• Another key item was my noise machine that ran on batteries. I'm a terrible sleeper, so having my own noise machine helped me fall asleep every night. 
• One light coat that I wore on the plane and ended up wearing every day. 

I also bought travel items of everything that I could find and transferred items I couldn't find into small travel containers. We also packed a Vera Bradley duffle bag into the Chef's suitcase so that we would have room for gifts or souvenirs on the way home.

And you might be wondering, did I do laundry or re-wear items? We didn't do laundry, and yes, I did re-wear items. Since it was a lot colder than we anticipated, I had to re-wear my pants more than I wanted to but it actually wasn't that bad. I brought tops and bottoms that could be worn together easily in order to mix and match.

Every time I thought about wishing for more items, I remembered how much easier and more convenient it was not to haul around a gigantic suitcase. I would definitely recommend packing in a carry-on!

I'll be sharing our travels: the food, the cities, the travel, how to prepare before getting to the destination, the whole experience with you soon, so please keep checking back. And then I'll also tell you where we're thinking about going next! I definitely have the travel bug.

European Eats

We're back!!! Thank you so much to all of the fabulous guest bloggers who were so sweet to write on this space while we were gone.

This Taste of Tuesday I thought I would share with you a few of the amazing eats from Europe.

Feast your eyes on this delicious food.

Our first cafe stop in London, I recharged with a chocolate croissant and a milk coffee.

In Salzburg, we had the best breakfast at Fingerloss Cafe complete with eggs, meats, cheeses, musli, and breads. Unreal. I wish I could find something even close to this impressive in Raleigh.

Thanks to Mallory for introducing me to macaroons in Savannah, I searched for them every time we passed bakeries and pastry shops in Paris. I am now obsessed with macaroons.

Our first night in Vienna, we had dinner at the famous schnitzel house: Figlmuller. Schnitzel, Austrian potato salad, and wine; I was in heaven.

Purstner was a recommendation near our hotel in Vienna. The Chef was expecting a rack of short ribs and was pleasantly surprised with this platter of ribs and fresh cut potatoes. The atmosphere at this Gasthaus was unbelievable; I'll share a few snapshots later, but it won't do it justice. It was the perfect local, yet extremely unique Austrian spot.

I stuffed myself with this delicious extra large krapfen. A krapfen is a type of donut with apricot filling and lots of powdered sugar. Eating this took me back to my childhood when my mom would surprise us with these on the weekends.

A very traditional destination in Vienna is Sacher Hotel with the famous original Sacher cake.

We paired this birthday treat with delicious coffee. I love the presentation of coffee in Vienna. It's extremely strong compared to US coffee but not at all bitter like it is here. I also love that they serve a glass of water with it.

We tried the local hot potato salad and Kasekrainer (spicy sausage stuffed with cheese) outside of a little market set-up near St. Stephan's Cathedral.

After a wet day in Paris, we found a crepe stand near Notre Dame. Needless to say I had to try the nutella crepe. It was divine.

For our last night in Paris, a friend recommended Le Souffle which happened to be on the same street as our hotel so we tried it. The real French soup was fabulous.

My beef bourguignon souffle was the most interesting and tasty last Parisian dinner.

Hope you've enjoyed seeing a few of our amazing eats. I want to go back just to eat!

Happy Taste of Tuesday!

Linking up with Jessica and Ashley

London Calling

Hi, y’all! I’m Brittany from Life as the Mrs. Aileen asked me to guest post while she’s jet-setting
in Europe {so jealous!} and I was happy to oblige. I “met” Aileen when Kelly at Kelly’s Korner did
a link-up, and it’s been so fun getting to know her – and other bloggers – through that process.
Making blog friends is something I just love.

Just a little bit about me: I’m married to my husband of almost three years, Brandon, and we live
in a little suburb of Dallas with our crazy thinks-he-is-a-dog cat, Oliver. We just bought our first
house last September and are always busy making it “home.” I work for a local school district doing
communications, and Brandon is a business development manager for a recruiting firm. I recently
made my blog public after about three years of blogging…what a change! My blog is so random:
recipes, my favorite things, Oliver-isms and of course, my life as a wife.

I have been living vicariously through Aileen and her prepping-for-London posts; it is my favorite
city in the world! I studied abroad in London when I was in college for an entire summer, and
boy, was it the best summer of my life. Baylor University {my beloved alma mater} hosts a
fabulous study abroad program every summer called “Baylor in Great Britain.” When I heard about
the opportunity, I jumped at the chance – after sweetly talking my parents into it, swearing on
everything I’d take my studies seriously while overseas – and was packed about a month before
our plane was wheels up. {You think I’m kidding…}

But the only problem was, I didn’t have a roommate. When talking to my fellow sorority sisters
about it, one of them went to high school with one, who also coincidentally went to Baylor, and
promised she wasn’t a crazy psycho. Ha! I met the girl and thought, “Okay, she can be my
roommate. She’s normal. I like her.” Little did I know, we’d get along fabulously and become best
friends – and that she’d be in my wedding three years later. {Shout out to Laura!}

Anyway, a few months later, we boarded our British Airways flight from Houston to London Gatwick
to Rome {we spent a week in Italy before our time in London} and were off. That summer, we
explored. Baylor’s program made you take one three-hour class, but of course my parents made
me take two three-hour classes {ha!} and while I was frustrated with them at the time, it totally
worked out because I got to graduate from Baylor a semester early. We were up early every day
for the class, and then after lunch had the entire day to explore, eat and do whatever we want. The
only caveat was that we had to be back for class the next morning. {Side note: When I think about
my parents letting me jaunt all over Europe as a 20-year-old, I get so nervous and wonder if I’ll
ever let my kids do that. I think I’ve seen “Taken” one too many times!}

It was a totally different life than the one we live here. We walked everywhere we could and
eventually got to the point where we didn’t even need the map to get from Point A to Point B on the
tube. We wandered High Street Kensington, popping into TopShop, Jigsaw and H&M {there wasn’t
even one in the United States at that point!} and indulging in Wagamama…and of course having
alcohol any time we wanted because the drinking age there was 18! Ha! {Sorry, mom…}

We visited Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and even had a private tour of Westminster Abbey.
We spent our days at the British Museum; saw the Dead Sea Scrolls; ate crepes al fresco; saw
“Wicked” and “Les Miserables”; giggled every time we got on the tube and the lady’s voice said,
“Mind the gap!”; and shopped with every other tourist at Harrod’s and on Portobello Road.

Laura and I left Paddington Station and spent a weekend {following fellow boy students who we
thought were just soooo cute} in Scotland, watching the British Open; spending the night in a
“Harry Potter”-esque attic room; and wondering if we were ever going to get warm with the cold
rain constantly falling.

Our dorm at Imperial College was right next to Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Palace, Hyde Park
and Knightsbridge. We walked by famous sites and almost took it for granted, I think! We would
buy Ben & Jerry’s ice cream from a local little convenience store and would eat it with wooden
spoons while wandering the streets and planning how we could move to London. {Leaving that city
from London Heathrow was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.}

We wish every single day we could go back, and will even text each other randomly to this day with
funny inside jokes from our trip that only we understand.

If you ever have a chance to visit the beautiful city of London, I’d suggest you do. It’s a city that will
always hold a special place in my heart, and one I can’t wait to travel back to with my husband.

Can’t wait to see your pictures when you get back, Aileen! Hope you’re having a wonderful time!

-Brittany

London Planning

We are only a few weeks away from jet setting across the pond to start our European vacation. I have researched historical sites, activities, and last on my list is restaurants (but I feel like we can wing this one, unless you have cannot-miss-it-recommendations).

We will be starting our vacation in London, so I thought I'd share our itinerary so far. We're fine with the plans changing, but we have so much to pack into a short time that I want to be extremely organized for this trip. 

The chef found an amazing flight from Raleigh where we'll fly through the day and get there around 8pm which is so much better than arriving at 9am and trying to stay up all day. 

We'll spend our first day meeting up with the chef's friend, Peter who lives outside of London. We can't wait to go to a British pub and just enjoy the whole experience. And knowing both of these guys, we'll probably end up doing a pub crawl. And of course, I'll try fish and chips. I'm thinking I'll only like the chips, but I'll try anything (or almost anything). 

Our second day, Peter recommended we do the very touristy thing and go on the red double decker bus tour. It apparently gives you a great taste of the city before walking and seeing all of the sites. The pass allows you to hop on and off the buses all day and includes a River cruise of the Thames River. We'll hopefully pack the river cruise into this day as well. Just fyi, if you're booking this pass, it's cheaper to book online than to wait purchase in person. 

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Our hotel pick for London is the Marriott at Grosvenor Square, which will be very convenient for our sightseeing.

For the third day, we're purchasing the London Pass with the public transportation included option. The pass gives you access to numerous sites such as Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Winsor Castle and so many more. If there is time, we might even start the pass on day two in order to see the sites. The other huge plus of this pass is that it allows you to skip the lines for different sites, which is a great time saver. 

Westminster Abbey

During the evening on one of these days, we are planning on seeing a show. We're leaning towards Wicked just because we love it so much and know it would be beyond fabulous in London. 

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The fourth day, we have a late morning flight booked to Vienna. Good-bye London, hello home! I'm excited for every city but probably the most excited to go back to where I grew up.

So, do you have any recommendations of restaurants or any other cannot-miss-it sites while we're in London? I love recommendations and bloggers always have the best ones!