Well, March 1 could only be summed up as the ultimate lady of leisure day! Kelly (my American friend whom I met through Claire), Kaila (my American friend whom I met by attending a few American Women’s Club activities) and I thought we all deserved a day of pampering in the city :)
Thanks to Kelly’s Mom, we discovered a great deal for a manicure at The Chelsea Day Spa. I hadn’t had my nails done since relocating to London, so I was in heaven! Having pretty nails just makes you feel so much better!
It was such a beautiful, sunny day, that after our nail appointment, we strolled along King’s Road in Chelsea, through Hyde Park, and then down Park Lane to enjoy an award winning afternoon tea at the luxurious Athenaeum Hotel – absolutely gorgeous! This was my first true afternoon tea experience here in London, and I’m not quite sure if it could ever be topped! We all ordered the Athenaeum morning tea blend (very traditional), and had unlimited finger sandwiches (of which all were delicious!), scones and biscuits, and of course, dessert! It was a lovely time, and I look forward to hopefully doing it again with some visitors!
After our relaxing afternoon, we thought, what better way to end the day by attending Thirsty Thursday at Whole Foods?! Now you are getting why I just love this lifestlye, huh? Haha So, the Whole Foods on High Street Kensington is amazing, and HUGE (largest one in London). Every Thursday evening you can pay 5 pounds to pick up a wine glass at the front of the store, and make your way around to 5 different stations they have set up throughout the store. At each station is a wine paired with a dish that they have created. It is so much fun, and filling!
Borough Street Market
I’ve been dying to get over to London Bridge to experience London’s most renowned food market, Borough Street Market! Kelly was sweet enough to invite me to tag along with her and her husband, Mike, for lunch one day. It was so amazing!!!!!! The market is filled with street food stations (making it nearly impossible to pick just 1 thing to enjoy for lunch), and then a number of stalls filled with fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese, meat, and freshly baked bread and pastries. You could probably eat lunch for free, considering the amount of free samples they’re literally forcing upon you!
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is exactly how you picture it…large Victorian townhouses painted the beautiful pastel color of your choice! One of the main attractions, spreading across the heart of Notting Hill, is the infamous Portobello Market. Two miles of discoveries…from antiques to fresh fruits and vegetables, and fashion accessories to wall art…it’s guaranteed that no one will leave empty handed!
Deena B’s
Grant and I finally made it over to Deena B’s for dinner (the BYOB restaurant just two doors down from us). It was mouth-watering delicious :) We’ve gotten to know Henry and Deena (owners) very well now, and enjoy stopping in for a quick hello every once in a while. The place is so cute…fresh flowers and candles on the tables every day, and it's always decorated if there is a holiday (right now there are some pretty cute Easter decorations on the tables!).
Dinner Party
Our neighbor friend, Alicia, and her husband, Hilario, invited us over to our first dinner party here in London! They also invited another American couple over who live right down the street, originally from Chicago, and we all had a blast! You can’t go wrong with delicious food (mussels & sea bass…yea, wasn’t kidding about the delicious food!), good wine, and great conversation. We even had some entertainment, as Julie and Michael brought along their adorable Shih Tzu, Peaches, to play with Alicia and Hilario’s Shih Tzu, Oscar. The only thing that could have made this evening even better is if Snowman could have joined in on the fun! Oh how we miss that little guy…
First visit to the local Fishmonger
So, after the delicious seafood at Alicia and Hilario’s, I was motivated to finally step foot in our local Fishmonger shop (we have a great market down the street...just about a 5 minute walk)! With so many people packed into the stinky shop, and whole fish lying all around you, I’ve always been very intimidated! Well, for 2 sea bass at only 2 pounds a pop, I couldn’t pass it by, yet again. Intently listening to the way customers placed their order, I was feeling pretty good about everything. “Yes, I’ll take 2 sea bass, cleaned please (surely that means they will clean it, and only give the filet to me, since that is how everyone else is placing their order)”. No, Kristin, cleaned CLEARLY only means that they clean the fish. Oops! Yea, so I call my Mom in panic mode as I stared my sea bass in the face (literally) having no idea what to do with it! I decided not to take Grant’s advice of throwing them out the window, and figure this out all by myself! Well, let’s just say good thing I wasn’t throwing a dinner party that night…it wasn’t the best presentation, but I did not give up, and made out with a pretty delicious dinner. Despite almost losing my lunch a few times during the process, I can proudly say that I filleted my first fish (and never plan on doing it again) :) Don’t worry, I’ll spare you the pictures...
Chihuly Exhibit
After seeing a beautiful Chihuly piece in the middle of an intersection on Park Lane, Kelly and I decided to make an appearance at the Chihuly Exhibit, taking place at the gorgeous Halcyon Gallery. Here is one of my favorites…’Gardens of Glass’. I’m sure we stood out like a sore thumb, seeing as everything in the gallery was for sale…early Christmas present perhaps??
Lupita
Good news…we discovered a Mexican (not Tex-Mex) restaurant here in London, that isn’t too shabby! It definitely satisfies when I’m having one of my many Tex-Mex withdrawals.
Burnt Orange/Gordon’s Wine Bar
With March Madness, I finally had a reason to wear my Texas burnt orange over here (even if it was for only one game :( )! Grant and I met up with a few fellow UT alums to watch the oh-so-close Texas versus Cincinatti game. After the disappointing loss, we made our way over to Gordon’s Wine Bar (my new favorite place!). It’s the oldest wine bar in London…established in 1890! We recently found ourselves at Gordon’s for Sunday Funday, and it was absolutely delightful :)
Now onto April…wow, it’s already been 3 months!
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