If you’ve kept up with my blog, you’ll remember that I had to abandon my 2nd trip to England in September 2025 because I got sick. One year later, I had the energy to finally go back to London! The following is a photo journal of my trip.
Some of my clients asked if I was visiting for “work”. I would like to see clients in London one day but, this trip was just a holiday for me…
Day 1! Made it. I was so happy to be there.
After checking into my hotel room, I took a walk down High Street Kensington. I walked by Balans, one of the brunch spots I visited on my trip to London in May 2025. Well, unknowingly, I timed my trip in September 2026 for right after they closed. There was a notice on the door from their landlord. Not sure what happened there but, I was disappointed. I intended to eat at Balans every morning of my trip.
I continued down the road and stopped at my favorite juicer, Joe and the Juice (I buy their juices when I’m in NYC). Their drinks are pricey (this cost £11!) but, I needed nutrients after that long flight. My drink contained kale, celery, ginger, and cucumber.
London, Day 2! Buckingham Palace tour (not worth the price of the ticket, by the way. You don’t get to visit the more intimate parts of the palace). The line was long. As we stood waiting to get through security, I wondered if anyone else noticed that Harry and Andrew were missing from the family portrait…
Royal water.
I stopped in to see an acupuncturist directly after the tour. My lower back was hurting after that 8 hour flight.
Later that evening, my energy was still up so, I took the big red bus to China town (after visiting, I realized that New York City still holds the crown for the best China town!).
I came across a sugar-free and dairy-free ice cream shop! Gee whiz, I haven’t had ice cream in years. I have a strict diet that robs me of the culinary pleasures of life so, this was a real treat. As you can see, chocolate is my favorite flavor. However, the stuff was loaded with so much erythritol that I couldn’t eat all of it!
Day 3, jet lag was catching up with me something fierce. I tried to take my first shopping trip. While in Selfridges that morning, I noticed my back was hurting again and I was very tired. I decided to call it a day and went back to my hotel.
Day 4, I finally got my fill of the Thames river. I signed up for a speed boat excursion. The boat didn’t go as fast as I was hoping. In fact, when I got on the boat and saw there were no seatbelts, I knew a bumpy ride was not to be had. I was really hoping I’d be flung out of my seat and thrown over board from the sheer force of the waves, but, alas…
I still really enjoyed it, though.
Every time we rode under a bridge, I’d look up and wave back at anyone who was waving down at us. I’m just a big, sweet kid at heart.
The naval museum, HMS Belfast, was not on my original itinerary. But, when we rode past on the speed boat and the tour guide gave us a brief history of the ship, I knew it would be my next stop of the day. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tour the inside of a real war ship!
Boiler room.
Shell room.
Communications room.
I had just seen The Hunt for Red October for the first time ever just a couple of weeks before. So, of course, I had to play pretend-on-a-submarine with the radar station here.
Next stop, Borough Market!
I actually meant to go last year but, I couldn’t find the entrance. This year, I found a burger stand inside and ordered everything but the cheese and bun.
I don’t like popular food markets for just this reason: nowhere to sit! I had to sit on the curb near the walkway.
Later on in the night, I remembered I needed to get ready for my photoshoot the next day. I made an emergency run down High Street to a pharmacy.
The photoshoot was a success!
Day 6 started out with breakfast in bed.
Being in a metropolis meant I could easily find food that was more suitable to my strict diet. I got on Google Maps and looked for a gluten-free bakery. Libby’s in Notting Hill came up so, I decided to use the day to finally explore Notting Hill!
This was the most bread-like food item I’ve had in years! It was amazing. So good that I went back for another… and three more the next day!
Exploring Notting Hill.
Famous street of pastel-colored terrace homes in Notting Hill.
Tourist-y photo time!
My itinerary had more thrills in store. I rode 40 minutes by tube to Stratford for the ArcelorMittal Orbit Slide!
I rode the elevator to the top of the slide.
You know, I’m always hot to sign up for fun activities like this and I do it because I know I can handle the ride. But, when it’s my turn to go, I almost always forget that I can handle these kinds of thrills. As the ride facilitator strapped me in, giddy with excitement, I kept earnestly telling her I was scared. I guess I was just looking for assurance that I was safe. She even said so… but, I was still scared.
Off I went!
The first 3-5 seconds of the ride were awful because there’s a very fast descent that feels nearly vertical. After that, there is lots of jolting and fast turns. I wanted to keep my eyes closed because the dark was actually kind of frightening. But, I also wanted to keep them open so I could prepare myself for the rough turns…
What fun!
There’s actually a short video in my Instagram stories of me squealing with delight as I’m dropping down the last 10-20 feet of the ride!
The ride was a little uncomfortable but, it’s the kind of safe fun that makes you feel alive. I would definitely go again.
Later on in the evening, I went to Jacuzzi. For the amount of time I had to wait for a table, the food wasn’t worth it. Actually, it wouldn’t have been worth even a shorter wait. Unfortunately, I didn’t make reservations because I wanted my itinerary to be loose. This restaurant wasn’t on my itinerary at all. I just wanted to eat somewhere within walking distance of my hotel.
Day 7: I made it back to Harrod’s, my favorite attraction from my May 2025 visit. You can’t really enjoy yourself in Harrod’s without spending a lot of money but, what the hay.
I don’t like the idea of buying perishable souvenirs especially when you’re on a budget. But, I compromised on a container of sugar-free chocolates because I had only 2 more days left in London and I thought I could eat just a few before going back home. That way the souvenir could last at least a few days after I’d returned to the states (I’d have to eat a maximum of 2 per day).
I’d eaten all of the chocolates by the morning of my flight home.
Here, I’m dressed up at The Maine in Mayfair. I mistakenly booked dinner reservations on the wrong night of the week (I meant to book on burlesque night but I booked on a live jazz night). No matter: dinner was great and I enjoyed the music.
Octopus and escargot.
Dover sole.
Live band at The Maine.
Right as I was leaving, a group of young women invited me to their table for drinks. One of them guessed that I was American before we even spoke (still not sure what gave that away). We chatted for a little and exchanged phone numbers. I ended up seeing them again on my last full day in London (more on that later).
Day 8 was awful. The night before, I felt a cold brewing. Sure enough, I woke up the next morning with what felt like the flu. I don’t know what did it. I blame it on gorging on all those gluten-free croissants from Libby’s (probably caused a build-up of mucus). In any case, the day was meant for a day trip to Paris. I wasn’t well enough to make that trip. I had to cancel my $600 non-refundable Eurostar train tickets (I still haven’t gotten over that loss). Instead, I used the day to find a clinic. On my way back, I bought some trusty ginger, lemon, and turmeric and boiled it in the hotel room kettle.
After running around the city for about 2 hours, I finally found a clinic with availability. I knew there was nothing wrong with me but needed confirmation. The appointment cost £100 (so painful) and it was mostly useless (even more painful) because the doctor confirmed that I was fine and likely had something viral. He said I just needed time to get over it. All that wasted energy and money when I should have just stayed in bed and self-medicated. I hadn’t even bought the zenzero and limone yet. I should have been in bed drinking my cold remedy instead of burning all that energy looking for a clinic.
Never say die. Even though I was sick and knew I should have retreated to my hotel to rest, I couldn’t resist a little sight-seeing. Would you look at that sky?! No way was I going back just yet. I was in central London and decided to walk over the London Bridge for the first time. When I crossed over the bridge, I took some stairs down to see the under side.
It was now around 4PM and I’d been sweating and speed-walking all day. It was time for another £11 green juice.
When I got back to my hotel, I felt sure I’d be well enough to accept the invitation from the girl I met at The Maine the night before. Later in the evening, I coordinated with her over text message and she was very receptive to seeing me. We arranged for lunch the next day (lunch was actually her idea. I originally suggested coffee but, apparently, she was ready to commit more than I was!).
Day 9 and I was feeling 75% better. On my way to meet my new friend for lunch, I saw this sweet little fox in Kensington. He was scared and confused. I wanted to pick him up, tuck him inside my jacket, and tell him everything would be okay.
Lunch with my new friend actually turned out to be at a private club. I wish I could have gotten photos of the place but, I was sure photos weren’t allowed. All the visual memories I have left from our lunch is this picture of these tasty lamb chops (her treat). After lunch, she invited me to stay for a talk with a writer. The entire afternoon was so unexpected. I felt warmed and grateful to have such meaningful company in her.
My lunch mate was a born-and-bred Brit and my talk with her revealed some uncomfortable things about me. I can’t really make assumptions about the differences between Americans and Brits based on her alone but, our conversation at lunch made me so aware of my cynicism and inner turmoil. I don’t want to say I’m an angry American but, maybe that’s who I actually am? Are all Americans as angry and cynical as I am? Are Brits more positive and happier people? Again, it’s absurd to draw these conclusions from just one conversation with one British person but, I am now curious if living in America really has blackened my heart.
Well, deep and depressing thoughts aside, the day was wonderful. I wanted to mark that lunch as the end to my trip to London so, I got on the bus and went back to my hotel in Kensington. I really wanted to explore more of London but, it was best I not push my luck given that I still had the flu and my head was so clogged up with phlegm that I couldn’t even hear out of ears properly. I was happy to get back to my hotel and rest. The trip had been perfect despite getting sick and missing my trip to Paris. The trip was exactly as it should have been.
Souvenir Show & Tell!
From left to right: Buckingam Palace gift shop tote, water bottle, and crown (my favorite souvenir from the trip! I’m going to encase it so the velvet doesn’t collect dust).
From top to bottom: Harrod’s Christmas shop ornaments for my sister (her Harrod’s gifts were the most expensive set of souvenirs I bought!); nutcracker from the Harrod’s Christmas shop for myself (I really wanted to buy a very traditional Christmas decoration in London and I felt a nutcracker was as Christmas-y as it can get!); a tin cup from the HMS Belfast gift shop with nautical flags and the military phonetic alphabet. I love and cherish all my souvenirs from London.
I want to go back to London next year but, I think I will add a couple of more cities to my journey: Paris (mostly because I took French lessons just for this trip and I need to put it to use). Maybe somewhere in Spain. And, possibly Edinburgh for the architecture.
I can’t wait.