What's not irrelevant are the tiny seeds of goodness I am munching on as I type this blog post.... or should I say was munching on... WHOOPS.
Today shall be titled "Anything and Everything Pumpkin," however, I didn't indulge in a PSL. Meh. That's quite alright, who needs to fill themselves with the likes of fake pumpkin (still can't believe you let me down like that, Starbs...) when you can have the real thing!?
Okay, let's take 'er back a bit and take this step by step... There are so many things I want to dig into... Let's start with my mini London visit last weekend, and go from there. There are no guarantees that I will perfectly transition from one thing to the next, but here's to trying! Also, I will be cutting these posts into part 1 and part 2 (Seeing as this London post will be long in and of itself!).
So, took the train into London this past Saturday, and took pleasure in every second of the lovely day. Weather was great - we were expecting rain, but that held off :) The temperature was immaculate; it was a perfect fall day! Pictures below will be a mish-mash of my own, as well as Tudor's. I don't take credit for his skillage. Ah-ha.
Snapped this that morning whilst I was getting ready - gotta keep it real people, I mean, this is a beauty blog after all. My new shadow primer travelled all the way from Canada! Haha, I bought a replacement before I left. This is my holy grail for all-day, no budging holding power... AND, keep in mind, I have very oily lids. Just sharing... cause sharing is caring people xx
Via. train, it takes about 50 mins to roll into Liverpool St., from which you need to take 2 tubes in order to arrive at Westminster (a.k.a. Big Ben, River Thames area). Me being me wanted to grab a coffee from Costa before hitting the tubes, and whilst in line, I couldn't help but chuckle and snap a picture of Gary.... LOL.
Funny story... I was so eager to drink my coffee, I accidentally swiped the order of a gentleman who was in front of me. When the barista walked over to the counter with a coffee in hand, I instinctively just reached for it, turned around and set off. (I paid for that the next day when my coffee was extra bitter....) I must say, though, whatever he ordered... it was so good! Sorry, Sir...
Westminster Train Station, and the infamous clock ;)
As we were both hungry, we decided to park our booties for some lunch from the end-all-be-all Tim Horton's of England: Pret a Manger. Let me tell you something. You think that Tim Horton's are close in proximity in Canada? HOLY CRACKERS. Nevermind Noah's Arc and going two-by-two, these things are a four-by-four! Understandably so, though. So yummy and so many amazing sandwiches/food items to choose from.
I had the sushi salad (with cooked salmon, orange teriyaki rice balls, shredded kale and purple cabbage) with an apple-ginger-spinich freshly pressed juice and a chocolate caramel popcorn bar.
Mmmm, so yummy! :)
What I wouldn't give to have a Pret nearby :(
CRAZY, you have to pay in order to use public toilet's at the station! It was 30p which isn't that much, but I mean, EXCUSE ME, I didn't ask to have to use the bathroom... Geesh!
Afterwards, we left the station and headed onwards for the adventure.
Hello, London Eye! Look at the beautiful sky... I was rather proud of this picture, if I do say so myself ;)
Walking towards Big Ben, I needed a photo shoot in front of a double decker bus... LMAO, typical Steph!
Shortly thereafter, Tudor got to meet Big Ben, and I got to exchange hellos to an old Friend ;) Ben and I met the last time I was in London.... it was nice to catch up!
Look who it is! Ahahahaha....
Walking across River Thames, this is one of my favourite photos from the day... honestly, there wasn't a moment anything short of happy on this day..... Note, I'm holding my iPod as I used it to snap pictures, I'm not texting! xxx
Walking, walking, walking! It's all we did all day :)
Ahaha, HI!
*Steph strategically ensures the sign is in the picture....*
The architecture always takes my breath away....
SO. At one point in our travels.... we stumbled upon....
Heaven on earth, I'm telling ya! Look at me, utter bliss:
Probably spent a good 20 minutes trying to select the chocolate I wanted... Of course, there was a deal, and obviously Madame Choco-Holic over here complied and bought three.... :D (Tudor got the Shortbreads.... rest are.... cough, were, mine!):
Walking to Buckingham Palace.
Close up much?
Good, ol' laughter always heals a girls soul...
Let's all just take some time to appreciate that flag placement and the timing of my picture....
Front gate :)
The guards did their little song and dance to show off to all the peering eyes.
I stupidly asked Tudor if they do that when no one is around....... LOL.
1. How would anyone know, and
2. What the heck would be the point....
I have my moments...
Being at the Palace was a little surreal. I still remember staying up in high school to witness the wedding! Which, for heavens sake, they could have told us wasn't going to happen until 5AM our time in Canada! LOL. Above is the balcony where Will and Kate kissed. A wimpy kiss, but I'm over it now...
Next on the list: Covent Garden! Ah, my heart sang. What a gorgeous area! Mind you, there were protests going on in and around the Parliament area (we passed it on our way to CG) ... The protests then worked their way in the direction Tudor and I happened to be going. LOL. Not going to lie, having people protest for... or against terrorism - whatever they were doing, it was a little hard to overhear that whilst a large crowd of protestors are YELLING and marching in your general direction, HAHAHA. I'm having a laugh attack as I type this, remembering how Tudor and I started to flip out, convincing ourselves we would get shot, so we literally b-lined it in the opposite direction and jogged away.... There were so many police officers around! Tudor proposed we ask them for the scheduled route of the protests... I didn't think the same way.... LOL.
St. James' Park across from the Palace.... Steph needed a fall photo shoot now... HAHA.
Okay, photo shoot over haha... for now ;)
Interesting/strange fact: Amanda Bynes was in London, doing some stagework/play. We ended up at the backside of the auditorium, where people were lined up at the "Backstage" Door to meet her. T and I both decided she was NAWT worth our time. We kept going :)
Passed this delightful dessert shop... me and my sweet tooth... yummmm.
In the name of Sherlock... had to ! Haha, no, we didn't eat there.
LOL I liked the name...
Enjoying a Diet Coke in Style - in front of a telephone booth and alongside a double decker ;) #wheninLondon people! Coke should pay me for this perfect product placement.
Covent Garden! Like I said, it is so, so beautiful! I want to come back and make a day trip out of it. It is so adorable, there are tiny shops to peruse, and street performances... so lovely.
Hiiii, #photobombing.
I love the feeling when I'm right in the middle of it all. It's like I'm holding my breath, time stops, and I feel a rush of excitement flowing throughout my body. Busy streets that are architecturally breathtaking, cobblestone roadways, people walking aimlessly or with a particular destination in mind. It's fun. It's free. It's life.
Off a little side street, we stumbled upon this serene garden...
Just so you're aware... Covent Garden isn't just a street. It's an entire area! So moving forwards, Tudor and I are still in the Garden... Below, we moved into the food sector. Again, adorable little shops - more expensive ones! And little markets selling clothing items, canvases, little trinkets, foods, etc.
Apple Market, how cute :) There's an underground to this area, open concept as you can peer downwards from up here on the second floor, but there were more shops/food areas! It felt quite... historical, almost... because everything was settled in stone!
When I saw this further down, I let out a little, joyful squeal... I love Jamie Oliver...
This was playing across the street! A little part of me died inside at the idea of not seeing it... I am determined to see a show in London, most especially Miss Saigon (MOM, IT'S PLAYING IN LONDON AND I NEED TO GO, I THINK YOU NEED TO COME WITH ?! :D)
Back to the food... cause, you know, I'm such a foodie... #foodporn on the way.... Don't mind the lighting, I had to add a filter to lighten the photos! It was pretty low-key lighting in the restaurant.
I started with this amazingly, incredible, oh-so-good Warm Roquefort Salad:
Endive petals, filled with roasted walnuts, croutons and chunks of blue cheese. The sauce was a warm cheese dressing (a.k.a. blue cheese!) I want some more, NOW PLEASE.
My main course was a Wild Mushroom Poulet 'Breton' - rare occurrence, I know. No, I don't eat red meats, but every now and then, I do enjoy chicken (exceptions can be made, don't chop my head off, please! I made the rules, I can break 'em and live a little).
This baby came to me all the way from the West of France (gosh, he was fast ;)) Ah-ha. The accompanying sauce was comprised of: wild mushroom, crème fraîche and thyme. Also pictured: my frites, which I ate in the most French of fashions ... with MAYO :)
This meal was SOOOO good. Can't wait to indulge in more French cuisine when I hit up France :)
After such an enjoyable meal, we decided it was time to trek back to Colchester. Not before snagging such tourist-y items though ;)
My "Mind the Gap" tee. Ah-ha. For those of you who don't know, the red circle is the underground symbol (i.e. what you keep an eye out for when you want to find the tubes!) and every time you step on/off a tube, the automated voice reminds you to 'mind the gap' to ensure you don't get your foot caught and make a fool of yourself, or something equally as embarrassing. LOL.
My shotglass :) Fun fact about me: I collect these babies from all over the world! Whenever I go somewhere new (or someone close to me), I add to my collection...
And yes, I purchased a Keep Calm case for my iPod :)
And so concludes part 1 of my update! What a delightful day :) I really did enjoy every second of it... whenever I go somewhere new, or I'm out and about in general, I try to remind myself to stop for a few moments... and just take the moment in... Look around. Breathe it all in... I want to make the most of it all ♥ I want to remember these seconds, minutes, hours and want them to be the best of my life. Every snapshot flashes before me again and again... I am blessed with one of the best memories out there (I thank my gram-cracker for that). At the end of it all... memories are what I carry with me, and I allow the best ones to remind me that life is good. You just need to know what's truly worth remembering, and what you can let go of.
Until next post....
Steph
xxxx
P.S. Happy Sunday Funday!
