If you read my previous post, I talked all about what I wore in the beautiful city of London when I went down not long ago with one of my best friends. The weather was amazingg and if you go to London often you know that the weather really makes a difference towards your time there. We went for one main reason but ended up doing a ton of cool different things! So, grab your cup of tea this one’s guaranteed to be a long one.
To start our adventure we got to London Euston at around 1pm when we checked into our hotel (Travelodge London Central Euston) which was literally outside the train station, no exaggeration! We got changed from our travelling clothes into something more exciting and instantly hit the city. We walked from our hotel up to the Palace theatre where we took photo’s outside the Harry Potter display like we always do but didn’t go inside like we always want to get round too (reminder to any Potter head if you’re travelling to London get The Cursed Child theatre tickets!!).
Still on Charing Cross Road (the road of the theatre) we ate some dinner at the local Wetherspoons. I had a tonnn of onion rings as I knew I had to eat a lot before the concert and this was possibly the only meal of the day. Now you’re probably wondering why I only ordered onion rings and not a proper meal? Answer – because Wetherspoons isn’t exactly the best for vegetarian options. I ordered three sides to keep me going which were onion rings, chips and a salad but unfortunately the chips came with cheese and bacon which knocked that one off the list 😦
After our ‘meal’ we walked a longer way back to our hotel to see more views which took around an hour and a half and then got back to our room to start getting ready for the night. We planned to be at the venue for 6pm so we would get relatively far to the front but being in London we kind of expected that this wasn’t going to happen. We left at around 6:20 and although it was basically down one big road (the 02 Forum) it seemed to take around 20 minutes to get there. The doors didn’t open until 7pm, it was a pretty small venue, we got out the taxi and there was one small line at the front of the venue waiting to go in.. yessss we’ve made it we can still make the front row!! Except for the fact that there was a corner by the side of the building that the queue went down and then a corner after that, and another corner after that and then probably another 500 yards of people queing. We had to do the late walk of shame past them all. Every head turning as we walked past, every kind of trendy London teenager looking our outfits up and down, ughh why didn’t we leave that 20 minutes earlier?
We got into the venue at around 7:30 when Lucy went to get us a spot to stand in (she choose just above the steps and it was perfect for the view) and I went to buy merch. Jaden Smith’s designs are the ultimate reason I got into fashion. I remember a few Christmas’s ago I wanted a lightening bolt outfit set from MSFTS.Rep where everybody thought I was crazy but I loved it. Our town is a small town where nobody is very experimental which is why I always love to get out in the city where everybody is dressed to express themselves, this was a time where I’d only just started experimenting with fashion and ordering clothes over from America (I lived in a Zendaya jumpsuit and tee for about a month) and thought that this msfts outfit is 100% crazy and is 100% me. Of course I didn’t get it. With everybody from my family thinking I’ve lost the plot, shipping being $30 and then custom charges being £20 there was just no way.
So of course when better to get it than at Jaden’s actual concert? I queued for about 15 minutes before getting to the front where I asked the lady how many white jumpers they had left in a small (at this point there were only large tee’s or Harry Hudson merch) and one of the other workers went to check behind the stage. There were 3 tills at the front and I was waiting anxiously while the lady served the man behind me. The worker came back shaking his head which meant it was war between who was getting the 2 last small white Erys hoodies that were on the display wall. I basically threw my money at this lady telling her I’ll have it but the two other workers from the two other tills got to it before her. Frustrating or what. Also I apologize for the rant but I really liked this hoodie.
Harry Hudson came on stage at 8pm and played for about 30 mins. I knew who he was but had never listened to his music before and I actually really enjoyed it. After he left the stage we waited until 9pm for Jaden to finally start.
It was amazing. The visuals, graphics, lighting, vocals, everything was amazing. If you know me then you know that his songs inspire most my art work, designs and even fashion sense, so to see him in real life was honestly a dream come true. I’ve worn some of the craziest outfits, experimented with fashion, felt comfortable going to college in red pants, blue pants, purple pants all because of his influence. I hope he continues to inspire the youth and comes back to the UK often because I have never sang that hard at a concert before. The energy of that night truly was breathtaking I never wanted it to end.
The next day we decided to get up early and explore London more. We walked down to Camden Market and spent the morning there. There’s so many unusual shops and the market as a whole basically sells everything. There’s a lot of independent brands that I loved looking at. There was sparkly jewelry, American candy, Harry Potter paintings, you name it. It was a great morning and really kick started our day. Before we left we had a hot drink in Pret-a-Manger and decided what we were going to do with our day.
Firstly, we went to the Camden Underground station and got train tickets that would last us the whole day and could take us anywhere. The first place we decided to go was to see The London Eye so we hoped on the underground and got off at Waterloo.
Once you’re at Waterloo station you have to cross a bridge across the river thames to get to the side of the Eye. This was the moment that the heavens opened and the rain poured and poured until we had to run under the tram track and stay there until it blew over. After about 20 minutes of debating whether to run there or wait, the rain eventually vanished and the sun instantly came back out. We walked along the south bank towards the Eye avoiding the puddles and took in the view of the Westminster. BTW The Westminster is currently full of scaffolding – sorry tourists, as they’re currently renovating.
We walked across London Bridge past Boris Johnson’s house and towards Buckingham Palace. We walked through The Household Cavalry Museum to get to St James’ Park. We got to see the guards and horses changing shifts in a royal manor, since after all they do guard the Queen’s area, but it was something I’d never seen before.
We walked pretty slow next to St James’ Park taking in the whole view of Victorian buildings. It was warm, and a lovely day for sightseeing. Although I’ve seen Buckingham Palace a handful of times now, it never gets old. It still looks exactly the same and it’s still absolutely breath taking. It’s a ritual that every time we come we see it.
We took photos outside the gates like every other tourist. And sat by The Queen Victoria Memorial taking it in for awhile.. it was lovely. Everywhere we looked we were surrounded by history and inspiration. I always love visiting the Palace because of this. It’s such a lovely stroll to get there and once you’re there I promise you will not be disappointed.
We walked through Green Park and went for food in a cafe at the other side which was once again a Pret-a-manger. The previous week I was in London with my God mother and we had avocado on toast at ‘The Farm Girl’ cafe and ever since I’ve been in love with it. So since almost everywhere in London sells avocado with something, in Pret-a-manger I had an avocado baguette to re-energize. Even though it sounds like we’ve done so much already, it was still only around 3pm so we decided to go shopping for a while on Regent Street. We went to all the good shops looking for back to college clothes and of course had to pop into Selfridges. We went down to Soho to pop into Supreme but unfortunately it was closed while they restocked for the new season 😦
Once we were shopped out we went up to the BBC Studios which were only around a 10 minute walk away from the shops. I study media in college so we went down just to check it out. If you live in the UK then you obviously know The One Show. When you watch it do you ever look at them plonkers that are standing outside in the background behind the presenter wanting to get onto live TV? This time we were those plonkers. The cast on the show that day were from the new and upcoming movie Dad’s Army. The van was outside on display and when the program ended the guests on the show came outside to take pictures with everyone waiting which was lovely. An idea that Lucy and I thought of is as soon as we hear Tom Holland’s going to be a guest on The One Show we’re buying a train ticket and shooting to London BBC Studios as fast as Peter Parker can sneak away from his school and save the universe.
That night we went back to the hotel to get changed and decided to have tea in the Hard Rock Cafe. We got a bus to Piccadilly Circus, walked through all the flashing lights from the billboards, watched a street act and then finally walked our way to the Piccadilly Circus Hard Rock. As always the atmosphere in Hard Rock Cafe’s are amazing, the american rock and roll vibe as well as the classic throwback tunes makes it one of the most popular restaurants worldwide. We shared nachos and got mocktails and overall had an amazing night before going back to the hotel and getting ready for bed.
The next morning we did face masks in the hotel room and got ready for the hectic day ahead. Unfortunately we had to leave London that night so we had to pack that morning as we went straight to bed the night before. Once we’d checked out we left our bags at the hotel and got a bus to Trafalgar Square. We ate some breakfast at ‘Cafe in the Crypt’ which is in an underground church and set off to the main tourist attraction areas. We took photos by the fountains and watched street entertainment for a while it was a very warm day so perfect to slouch around all the different acts.
Afterwards we got the underground to The Tate Modern. It is sort of out of the way but the walk there is beautiful. It’s along the bank side and the view looking across the other side is breathtaking. Once we got into the Tate we went for a refreshing drink in the cafe downstairs and then started taking in all the art work. One of my favorites were by an artist named France-Lise McGurn. I’ve decided to do an art piece inspired by her work in my Graphic art lessons so seeing her work in real life has not only given me major inspiration but also bonus points in college ;). The Tate is huge and there’s so many different types of art to see. We were in and out of each room taking in everyone’s work and overall had such a great time. Memories were made in there after we lost my dad and had to ask the assistants to help find him before leaving with embarrassment and not even getting around each exhibition. It was a really funny time and a story to tell when talking about one of the most famous art galleries on the planet.
After leaving the Tate we walked back along the Bank Side to Trafalgar Square. We decided to go into The National Portrait Gallery as we’d never seen it before and although it wasn’t the same art in which I do, it was still hugely inspiring. We spent most of the afternoon there looking at all the paintings admiring the art and reasoning behind them. The building was so beautiful and such a great place to showcase the art.
There were artists there such as Vincent Van Gogh which as you could imagine had the biggest crowd around it. It wasn’t too crowded and we were able to push our way to the front to get good photos and really see it properly. All the artwork was amazing but the ones that draw my attention most are the detailed ones in European countries where a lot is going on in one painting.
After exploring the gallery we got food in the Silver Cross directly across from Trafalgar Square. It was coming up to home time now so we took a stroll towards Leicester square and got the bus back to the hotel.
After getting our bags and heading to the station, I brought a book to read on the train and we rode home 1st class so the carriage was so quiet and the perfect place to read on a long journey home. Although I love London and weekends away there, I always love the journey home too and knowing I’ll be back in my own bed that night. Also let’s just talk about how good 1st class is?! The food kept coming and coming, the drinks were never left empty, WiFi, and the quietness, it was the perfect way to end the weekend away.
So that concludes my weekend away in London, I really had the best time there and I can’t wait for adventures similar. If you want to know anything about our time away, please let me know in the comments or if you want any recommendations of where to go while you’re there, I’ll be more than happy to share.
I would love to explore London further and be able to suggest the best places to eat, shop, drink etc. I really do love the city and every time I go there is always amazing. I hope you guys enjoyed this post (I told you it was going to be a longggg one) and I hope you guys have an amazing week!
Thank you for reading xx
TJ BLOGS 