Top Things To Do In London

When it comes to traveling, i will definitely say i am a planner, where i will always have a rough idea of the things i want to see and do (i carry both a mental list and a written list, for the perfectionist that i am). And revisiting a place i been before such as a vibrant city like London, makes no exception either. Don’t get me wrong, i’m not those freaks who sticks to every single detail of a plan, and depending on my mood and the weather, i sometimes do enjoy those laid back moments where i just go with the flow, realizing the unknown is just as fun.

My trip to London back in December didn’t involve too much planning as my friend that came with me was a laid back traveler so it was perfect for me, considering how many times i have been to London. But i definitely had a mental list of things to do with my friend and i’ve decided to compile a list of top things to do in London, in case you shall ever visit this lovely city. Hope you guys enjoy these tips.

Piccadilly Circus is definitely a place to visit in London. It’s in the center of London, and you really get a feel of the buzz and hype that this metropolitan city has to offer. There are loads of shops if you are into shopping, whether its high end or low end fashion, or restaurants and cafes to visit if you ever fancy a cup of coffee or experience a proper afternoon tea, the British style.

One of the afternoon tea places that i really wanted to try was Fortnum & Mason, which i learned about from the fabulous and lovely British blogger, Milla. Although i didn’t get to try their afternoon tea, the shop itself was enough to impress me. The entire shop was filled with lovely packaging of their food and tea products everywhere, but displayed in moderation. The signature color of their products are in this lovely turquoise color, but i was also very much attracted to these purple tined Earl grey biscuits that i spotted minutes within walking in there, and of course i had to buy them. I ended up buying loads of their teas, such as the green tea flavored Elder flower tea, Earl Grey, and English breakfast. I wanted to try their macarons, being the macaron fan that i am, but i guess i was too overwhelmed by all the things inside Fortnum & Mason that i completely forgot to try some.

Ever since i spotted these alphabet mugs from other bloggers, which are available in Anthropologie, i made an immediately pit stop to their store in London. Lucky, i didn’t even have to buy it that day because my sweetest sister had already bought it for me as part of my Christmas gift, after she heard me talk about it for like ever and ever.

An afternoon tea session is a must if you visit London, a city that is well known to serve the best scones ever. I decided to pay a visit at Sketch, which i’ve not tried before yet heard good reviews of it from other British bloggers. The entrance of Sketch was very mysterious, where you are guided through this dark hall upon entering the lobby.

The interior and ambiance inside was very relaxing and with a lot of wooden and green color incorporated into its design. One of the things that really got me attention was this giant chandelier that hung in the middle of the ceiling, where it had these wooden branches look alike branching out. My friends and i ordered two sets of the afternoon tea and we did not finish it. The thing with afternoon tea is that the food are bite sizes but the fullness slowly creeps up on you. The savory and sweet dishes were both delish but up to this day, i still haven’t tried an afternoon tea place that has blown me away. One thing for sure was that their sea salt caramel and pistachio flavored macarons were yummy!

Another interesting thing about Sketch is their wash room. I know, you would think what? Upon entering the washroom, you will see these individual oval shaped toilet cubicles. The  colorful neon ceiling also gave it a very out of space feel to it, and it definitely gave it a whole new meaning and experience for washrooms.

It’s also great fun to experience London by night. The night time of the city with the beautiful lights lit up is a breath taking view for sure. Regent Street is an area that i would recommend visiting, where they always display these beautiful Christmas lights during the festive season. A night out with my girls was definitely on the list, and what better way to celebrate than going to Aqua at the Shard, and enjoying a glass of wine while admiring the night view from the 32nd floor. The Shard also claims to be the tallest building in  the EU (according to Wikipedia), which gives you  another reason to pop by this place.

For those that are more on the arty side and like some entertainment, make sure to leave a day out to watch a musical. Cheap tickets can be purchased at ticketing booths in London as well, and i often go to the one in Leicester Square, near China Town. I remember watching Phantom of the Opera in London before and it was the best musical ever. Although no other musicals have topped Phantom of the Opera on my list, i decided to give Wicked a chance, and it didn’t disappoint. The music was great, where the costumes and stage settings were gorgeous. Due to the heavy rain fall and strong winds, my friend and i decided last minute to go One Canada Square bar (located at Canary Wharf) to enjoy some wine and cocktail before we called it a night. Since Canary Wharf is a central business district, it was no surprise that the entire bar was filled with men in business suits but since it was the closes bar to our home, it was the perfect spot. I would only recommend going to this bar if you are within this area, otherwise there is nothing special about it. Although we were served by a very friendly Italian waiter so that is a bonus. Good customer service is always appreciated!

Last but no least, it’s also fun to visit museums to learn some history and better understand a place, from a different perspective. So a trip to the British Museum was arranged, and with its free admission fee and the sun shining, we headed out earlier that morning, in an attempt to make the most out of our last day in London.

If you are into markets, you should not miss out on Covent Garden. It’s a market that sells a lot of delicious food, desserts, art, clothes, and other nick nacks. I visit this market whenever i’m in London. One of my fave things to do is eating their Belgian waffles with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, as i sit in the center of the market and enjoy a bit of my people watching moment.

Photo source: all photos by me

Winter holiday in London…

After 12 grueling hours on the plane, flying from Hong Kong all the way to London, i was glad to had finally arrived to London Heathrow airport. My friend had decided to tag along with me to celebrate Christmas with my family and i was more than delighted to have an extra company to share this festive season with. As my sister and her boyfriend picked us up from the airport, i was more than happy to have a personal driver to take us home as oppose to taking the ridiculously over priced taxi in London. It would be last thing i needed after a long haul flight.

Every time i visit London, i get this sense of familiarity and home that takes over me, where this city acts like a constant reminder of the fun times I had here during my university days. However, as i walked through  Canary Wharf, a Central Business District, which i used to live near by and frequent a lot, appeared to have gone through some changes over the years. There were a lot more tall sky scrapers than i could remember from the last time i visited. It also appeared that many hip restaurants and cafes had surfaced around Canary Wharf.

For old times sake, my sister decided to take us out to lunch in Canary Wharf at this relatively newly opened restaurant, by the name of Tom’s Kitchen. I ordered the sirloin beef with roasted potatoes and water cress in red wine sauce, along with their renowned British Yorkshire pudding. The dish was simple yet amazing, where the beef was juicy and tender and not too big in proportion, and the Yorkshire pudding was warm and soft. I have to admit, there was nothing special about the potatoes but it went really well with the steak. The ambiance was contemporary with high ceiling and a lot of wooden  and white tiles to its interior decor, which is a westernized decor style that i am very fond of.  The customer service was impeccable as well, with the staffs coming back every now and then in the right consistency to see if we were alright. It is definitely a place that i would go back again for a chilled lunch with my girls on a weekend.

As i had a friend visiting this time, I knew it would be mandatory to take her to the usual tourist attractions and despite seeing it a million times before, i never get tired of this beautiful city. All of the architectural buildings and history just never fails to impress me.

It was a cold and rainy day, and after a much satisfied meal at Tom’s Kitchen, we headed to Tower Bridge. Along the way, we spotted the Shard Building, which i have been told that its the tallest building in the EU, which is quite impressive.  Yet the Tower Bridge is always the winner in my book and it always takes my breath away no matter during day time or night time, its just one of those beauty that you can’t stop admiring, and the whole majestic vibe that it holds.

After taking like a gazillion photos of the Tower Bridge in every angle that you could possible take, it was starting to get dark and so we headed to our next destination, the Big Ben and the House of Parliament.

As we got off Westminster station on the underground, we were greeted by drizzles of rain. We decided to not let the weather spoil the mood for us, especially after we surfaced from the underground and looked upon the beautiful view of the Big Ben set against the giant Underground signage (first picture shown above in this post). We opened our umbrellas and leisurely walked along the bridge as we took a moment to enjoy the night view of the Big Ben and the House of Parliament. I still remember my graduation being held at this venue in 2005, and it seems like only yesterday. That day was such a special day for me where my families were there to witness my big day, and it was nice to see this scenery again, 8 years later.

As i walked along the bridge and got closer to the oh so familiar view of the London Eye, my sister told my friend and i to keep walking along the London Eye until we reach the end of the road and then turn back. And we did exactly that. What I saw was the beautiful London Eye in full view, where it was glowing in blue lights, and there were rows and rows of trees in front of it also shining in blue lights in unison. It was one of those magical moments that i wished to have an other half whom i could share this moment with, but my sister and friend was just as good company during that very moment.

As the night unfolded, and our feet being tired as ever from walking the whole day, we decided to stop by a local cafe, Le Pain Quotidien, nearby Waterloo station. We walked into Le Pain Quotidien, where the smell of fresh bakeries and our body warming up to the central heating was more than inviting to us. We quickly got a seat and started looking a the menu. I took no hesitation and decided to go for my all time fave carrot cake and my friend went for the Lemon tart. Coffee and tea, and an elderflower drink were ordered as we slowly savored our desserts and relaxed. Not long after, i had arranged for dinner with an old friend that i’ve known years back from university. Due to lack of time ,we were only able to meet briefly and grab some local food in a British pub. Those short but sweet 2 hours of catching up over good old British food, which consisted of Bangers and mash, and Fish and Chips, were priceless. We laughed into the night as we shared good old memories and spoke of the present and future. As the clock stroked 9 o’clock at night, it was time to bid our farewells and hugged each other tightly, knowing we would meet again very soon. It was a bittersweet moment and just like that, my second night in London ended…

Photo credits: all photos by me

Looking back at 2012…

As we enter the second week of 2013, I cannot help but think how fast the time is moving. It feels like only yesterday that I was still in beautiful Vancouver having a lovely Christmas holiday with friends.

If I had to sum up 2012, I would say I had a pretty fruitful year where I accomplished a few new years resolution that I had set out earlier in the year. One of my biggest accomplishments was joining Toastmasters, where I conquered my fear of public speaking. This opened doors for me to other public speaking opportunities, such as being the MC for my company’s annual dinner at the Four Seasons hotel. I also made 2012 my traveling year where I traveled to Beijing, Europe, and Canada. It was the best thing that i could had ever had done, with special and memorable moments that will always stay with me. Of course, there are also the smaller things but that means just as much to me, which I enjoyed throughout the year. Such moments that I truly appreciated were the quality times spent with friends and families, high tea’ing over hours of rambling with girlfriends, a trip to Paul Lafayet for my macaron fix, pampering myself with a new manicure or just simply buying myself a small gift to brighten my day.

Here is a sneak peak into my 2012, and i know 2013 will be just as good, or even better.

Beautiful flowers, kuamquat (tangerine) trees, and delicious Chinese treats were everywhere during Chinese New Year, where families gathered together to watch fireworks, as a way to welcome the year ahead. I had the opportunity to be the MC for my company’s annual dinner at the Four Seasons hotel,which was an unforgettable experience. Got spontaneous one day and decided to try a new Israeli nail polish brand, Laka. The numerous choices of colors lured me to their mini express manicure shop, where I purchased 3 lovely colors in green, pink, and lavender. Took BFF to the luxury Armani Aqua restaurant to celebrate her big 30, where it served a mixed fusion of Japanese and Italian food. It was a lovely and chilled night where we laughed non stop about anything. Finally went to a live jazz performance to see the talented English jazz singer, Clare Teal, who sang with such passion and lit up the entire room. I got to speak to her in person while she signed her latest album “Hey Ho” for me, and she is such a down to earth person.

Easter came before i knew it, and a short trip to Beijing with my BFF was arranged so we could visit our dearest Ms. C in Beijing to keep her company. We did all the things a tourist could do – ate their local Peking duck at the infamous “DaDong”, boat pedalling in the Summer Palace where we saw the sun set, and of course, went to the Forbidden City to admire their historical Chinese architecture. It was my first ever gift giveaway to celebrate my blog’s 3 years anniversary finally , where i presented a lovely Parisian themed calender, lip gloss and nail polish set. Reading mode was back on track and i bought 3 books to help kill time for those long train rides going home. Took mom and dad out for high tea at “The Parlor” on Mothers day for an relaxing afternoon and got her a lovely bouquet of red roses. My fave Japanese pop singer, Namie Amuro, had released a new album called Uncontrolled, and i bought it the minute i found it. The song “Love Story” is super good.

Light shopping spree for no particular reason, got some colorful flats and the SATC movie version DVDs. I practically lived on the SATC series during my studies in London and how i miss those days. Beautiful fireworks were up in the air at Victoria Harbour to celebrate the 1st of July, to commemorate the hand over date of Hong Kong from the UK to the Peoples Republic of China in 1997. My dearest BFF, Ms. C, came to Hong Kong where we all celebrated her birthday at a Japanese restaurant and enjoyed some delicious plume wine. A new scent, Hermès Jardin Sur le Toit was introduced into my new perfume collection, which added a nice and refreshing touch for the summer days.

Traveling mode made it a memorable summer, where i celebrated my big 30th birthday with my families back home in Copenhagen. I felt so blessed that the people i care and love for, were there with me on my special day. They prepared the traditional Danish birthday cake along with the Danish flags decorated on it, where it was enough to serve 25 people!!! Family trip to Europe included our home town, along with London and Paris, which proved to be the best family trip ever. Enjoyed a lot of Parisian macarons and pastries, gazed upon the “La Tour Eiffel” in admiration, revisited old places during my studies in London, such as China Town, London Eye, the shopping zone “oxford circus” and especially Primark, and feeling like a kid all over again in the M&M shop at Leicester Square. Caught up with friends after Euro trip and got treated to some lovely belated birthday drinks in Lan Kwai Fong, talking the night away and with a lot of will power to not get drunk, lol. My first every macaron making class was arranged by my BFF as part of my birthday present, where i failed terribly. But they still tasted good!

October and November were busy months with families visiting. Took my brother and his family to go on the Ngong Ping 360 crystal cable car to go see the infamous Tian Tan Buddha, located at Lantau island in Hong Kong. The crystal cable car had a glass bottom floor, which allowed us to see everything below our feet as we crossed mountains and land. My younger cousin was in town for her 26th birthday, where we celebrated in style with Thai food and wine. Trips to Lan Kwai Fong with my cousin for our cocktail fixes was like a revisit back to the good old times when i used to be a regular there. A visit to Paul Lafeyet for my macaron craving after a bad day at work made everything all better, at least for that brief moment as i slowly savored an Earl Grey flavored macaron. Finally opened the new Gucci perfume i got as a birthday gift from my family and was filled with excitement as i always do when putting on a new scent. I had the honor of being the mc for my toastmasters club’s 3rd year anniversary dinner and was presented with the Brand Building Award, for my contribution to the club as a Vice President of PR.

Busily setting up the Christmas tree and gazing at beautiful Christmas ornaments as the count down for Christmas began. Christmas shopping spree was in full gear, where i bought gifts for families and friends. Laduree finally arrived to Hong Kong on Dec 1st, 2012, and the que was pure madness! I been told that people had to wait for 2 hours and i have yet to try their macarons, and that shall happen after the frenzy dies down.

My last minute trip to Vancouver to spend a hopefully white Christmas with my two BFFs. It was an unforgettable Christmas where i met such great people and enjoyed a lot of delicious food at Christmas house parties, did a road trip to the states for some outlet shopping, experienced my first ever Tim Horton’s latte, visited the Granville market which was filled with fresh produces, their local maple syrup, and beautiful Christmas decorations, and spent quality times with my BFFs where we would talk til 4 or 5 in the morning almost every night! The trip ended with a sad good bye but a bottle of ice wine and ice wine chocolate truffles that i purchased at the airport, was a sweet reminder for me to take home.

The Christmas month also had some good news that came along with it, one of my good old friend from high school was getting married to the love of her life, at the Repulse Bay resort. It was such a lovely and sweet night where i witnessed true love between 2 people, where i was overwhelmed by all the emotions that filled the room that night. Cute “Maison du chocolat” dark chocolates were gifted for guests to take home and mini sweet bites were presented after dinner and dessert. It was definitely a sweet and memorable way to say good bye to 2012!!!

“Christmas in Vancouver, Canada – Dec 2012”

Looking back into 2012, i am truly blessed and will always cherish each and every moment that had moved my heart. It is sometimes the smaller things in life that we take for granted, which turns out to be the more important things. I hope that we will all remember to stop for a moment in our daily busy lives and remind yourself what is most important to you. With that said, I really look forward to a great 2013 and i’m sure it will be a great year and if not, i shall make sure of that. I want to say a big thank you to all of you bloggers for supporting my blog throughout all these years and it really means the world to me.

Wishing you all a happy and fabulous new year in 2013!!!!

Europe, here i come!!!

This is just a quick post to tell ya all that i will be jetting off on a plane in exactly 2.5 hours to Europe!!! Yes, this will be a much needed 2 weeks vacation where i am going back home to Denmark and then off to London, and a brief weekend getaway to the city of love, PARIS!!!! I am going with my parents as well, and it will be their first time to Paris, so i surely will be anticipating nothing but the best for this trip.

Photo source: weheartit

I am already beyond excited and i cannot wait to see all my families and friends. In the mean time, you will have to excuse my absence but i will be back before you know it, and I look forward in sharing my adventures with you all soon!!!

Little treasures from London…

Although i haven’t received any Christmas gifts yet, i have been very blessed to have a dear sister who came to Hong Kong for a visit last month,  and she was such a sweetie to surprise me with a bag mixed of little treasures all the way from London. While these gifts may not be overly extravagant or expensive, all of the lovely items represent me, and i like everything she got me!!!  Thank you sis, you know me well, love you!

Dior Make up palette

Eye liners, brushes, and blusher blush

Sometimes it’s amazing how a small gift, like a make up palette of colorful eye shadows and different shades of lip sticks, or a non designer branded piece of jewelry can put a smile to a face. This is by far the bestest pre-Christmas gift that i have received this year!

Round orange ball necklace to add to my collection, GoGo Philip

I absolutely love the cosmetics/beauty products that my sister got me, especially the L’Occitane Shea butter in Rose and Orange Honey scent. At the back of the tin, it says that this shea butter can be applied to the face, lips, hair, and body. Isn’t that just amazing!!?!? And it’s exactly what i need for the cold weather nowadays – moisturize every part of my body! lol. She was also super thoughtful and knows i get chappy lips, and got me the Vaseline lip balm but in Creme Brulee flavor, yum!

L'Occitane Shea Butter in Rose and Orange Honey

Vaseline in Creme Brulee, yum!

My British fashion glossy mags

I will be pretty busy leading up to the Christmas festive holidays where i’ve already been booked up for a friend’s birthday dinner tomorrow night, and 4 Christmas dinners with friends, and 2 company Christmas lunches coming up!

As for Christmas eve, I’ll be going to Macau with a friend and we’ll be spending one night there. Our main purpose for this short weekend get away is actually to watch “The House of Dancing Water”, an over USD250 million water based show that involves a lot of dance and acrobatic moves. I’ve heard a lot about it so i am super excited about this!!! We have already booked our ferry tickets, hotel room, and the tickets for the show so now i’m just patiently waiting for Dec 24th, hehe.

Anyhow, this is just a quick post as it’s mid night and i need to get my beauty sleep. Night!

Back from lovely Europe

Helllllllooooo guys!!! Yes,  i am finally back to home sweet home. I had an absolutely wicked time in Europe and i couldn’t get enough of it but travelling to 3 cities, and flying on the plane 5 times was pretty hectic!!! I actually got back last Sunday night but i’ve been mad busy with unpacking,  jetlag, catching up with work, and spending quality time with families and friends:) But i should be blogging regularly in no time and i’ll update about my entire trip over the next few days. For now, let’s take a tour and relive some of my great Europe moments, starting with London!!!

So it all started on Aug 1st, 2010, when i was approaching Heathrow Airport  at 5am, and this was what i was greeted by. Breath taking view, don’t you think? The city seemed to be asleep and the sunrise was beyond beautiful.

The first day was really chilled and  we just did some light sight seeing since i’ve been there like over a million times!!! I did the typical Big Ben, London Eye, London Bridge, and etc. As you can see from the pics, the weather that day wasn’t the best! My boyfriend and i had dinner at this burger restaurant called Byron, which turned out to be abit disappointing as their burgers were pretty plain and the choices weren’t much. As lame as it sounds, we only chose this restaurant because the restaurant name was the same as my boyfriend, hahaha.  Finally we  ended the night  with a quiet stroll around Canary Wharf and dashed off to the cinema to watch Toys Story 3, which was better than i expected.

Big Ben and House of Parliament

Tower Bridge

Canary Wharf

We did alot of walking in London and it was totally amazing to explore the city by foot, and  not to mention the lovely sunny weather apart from one rainy day, hehe. We went to this French pastry cafe called PAUL, for a coffee break and i tried this yummy mixed fruit tart. The interior decor of the place was so beautiful and it felt really cosy and relaxing as i just sat there doing nothing. Those are the best moments when you just sit there and admire your surroundings:) 

I must say, i did a fair bit of eating but it was just all so yummy that it would be rude to turn it down, hehe. Shopping wasn’t as good this time and it could have been due to the time constraint or that i thought everything seemed more expensive than the last time i was there. I did get a few tops in Top Shop, Warehouse, Miss Selfridges, and etc. I haven’t taken any pics of my purchases but i might consider doing that later if i’m not too lazy, lol.

This window display of the Kurt Geiger shoe shop in Covent Garden totally caught my attention. It’s definitely a good way to capture a shoe addict’s attention, haha. I even had time to go see this massive shopping mall Westfield, where i did some shopping and came across this froyo place  called “Snog”. I have heard about it before and being a froyo lover, i went right for it.  Unfortunately, it was not as good as i had thought and you will probably laugh at my reason. It tasted abit too healthy for my liking, hahaha. I also found it funny that they named the place Snog. They even wrote “Snogging is good for you” on the menu’s front cover, haha. Incase you didn’t know, snog is an informal British way of saying kiss;)

We managed to squeeze in some time for the Borough food market on one Friday afternoon. On our way, we stopped by another tourist attraction, the Southwark Cathedral. I’m guessing it’s not as well known as the other major attractions but i still found some appeal about it. I guess i’m just drawn to those historical architecture that London is bombarded with. 

 I really appreciate how people bring organic or home made goods and sell it at this Borough market. This place is buzzing with tourists or locals and you’ll catch them eating everywhere on the spot! For reals….

Egg tarts

Beautifully decorated cupcakes

Turkish delights – they are really super sweet!!!

Fresh fruits

All sorts of peppers and olives to choose from

And what would a trip to London be without watching a musical??? We watched Chicago and it was quite good.  Before the musical, we had another coffee break at Cafe Nero to rest our feet from walking amongst the streets of London. Last minute shopping was included as i was trying to hunt down this special Balenciaga “Town” black bag that i been wanting for awhile. I saw it in Hong Kong but my friends told me it’s cheaper to get it in the UK and so i decided to wait. But guess what!? I finallly found it in the Balenciaga shop on Bond street but my credit cards didn’t work as i forgot my password. The thing is, in Hong Kong, everybody bloody just signs their signature!!!! I never ever use password. Oh well, i learned my lesson and now i might get them to ship it for me. Arggh……

Next we hopped on the underground tube and made our way to  Harrods to buy my souvenirs. OMG, that place was packed and  there were people on my left, right, front, and back! Mad house i tell ya! I even tried to look for my Balenciaga bag in Harrods but they were out of black. I guess black is a classic color to get eh?

Somewhere near Covent Garden

Cafe Nero and my usual latte

Food Hall, Harrods

Our last night in London was finished off with a Spanish meal at La Tasca, which had an amazing view of Canarf Wharf, the financial district. I used to live near this area when i studied in London so it was quite nice to see it once again before i had to leave. Gosh, i miss London already:(

So that was my trip to London!!! I’ll have more updates on my trip to Denmark and Ireland very soon!!! 😀 Stay tuned!