CITY: Sheffield

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

Abi & Dan’s house! I met Abi when I was traveling around NZ and we have been close friends ever since. We’ve even been to 6 countries together at this point. I was thrilled to start my trip with a stay at a friend’s place so I could rest & recover in a comfortable place. SO kind of her & Dan to let me crash. Good thing I was here too because my luggage didn’t make it to Manchester so Abi was sweet enough to let me borrow her clothes for the first 36 hours of being there

WHERE TO EAT:

Kollective Coffee & Kitchen – I had a yummy brunch here while I waited for Abi to get off from work.

Our Cow Molly – Once Abi picked me up, there was only one thing to do: immediately get ice cream in the countryside!

What to do:

Honestly, I spent most of my time resting & getting over jet lag. Also, because I was staying with friends, we mostly just want to spend some time together, rather than do anything touristy. That being said, I went on some lovely runs, Abi & I went on some evening hikes (yay for late summer light in the evenings), and some pub dinners.

Also, more of the our NZ friends came up for the weekend so we had a lovely reunion before I left them for London!

Overall Thoughts:

I just love love love spending time with Abi, so getting to do it in her city is just the best! I am really coming to love the North of England!

CITY: London + surrounding areas

HOW LONG: 6 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

Once again I stayed with friends for 3 nights (2 nights in East Croyden with Caitlin + 1 night in Twickenham with Tony). Always fun to see old friends + it’s lovely to stay in more local spots where normal people live. Also, I am internally grateful to have friends that always put me up when I am around for a visit!

Next up, Lilly (my friend from San Francisco), who is also backpacking around Europe for the summer, and I met up for a few days in London together. We stayed at Smart Hyde Park Inn. Overall, it was a decent hostel. Beds were comfy, had a personal reading light, curtains and plug for each bed. Our room had an ensuite bathroom, which is always a luxury. However, it wasn’t that easy to meet people and it was a fairly large hostel. Lilly & I agreed that while the stay was fine for us because we already had each & didn’t need to meet anyone, we probably wouldn’t have wanted to stay there again solo.

WHERE TO EAT:

I ate at so many yummy places!

Mallow– Caitlin’s roommate worked here so we met her here for dinner after her shift. Mallow is an upscale vegan restaurant near Borough Market. So yummy & the service was great! Highly recommend this spot.

The Black Dog – Caitlin & I met up with Joe (friend from SF) for dinner. Nice pub vibe for a casual dinner. It happened to be a Sunday so we got some Sunday Roast dinners.

Brown & Rosie – Super cute brunch spot! Everything we had was DELICIOUS. Located in Kensington so great spot to walk around in general.

Coppa Club, Tower – We went here right after visiting the Tower of London. Definitely priced knowing it’s in a touristy spot and food was average, but the restaurant is decorated nicely and has very cute “bubbles” to eat in outside.

Roti Chai– Indian food that Lilly and I were treated to by some of Lilly’s friends parents! While the food was slightly too spicy for me, the consensus from the table was that the food was incredibly good. Fun to have a family style meal with lots of dishes to try.

Golden Eagle– Classic pub to grab a pint!

Daisy Green – yummy Australian brunch spot

The Riding House Cafe – Lilly and I stopped here for some tea + cards while killing some time in the afternoon. I wish we would’ve had a meal here. It had a very cool modern + old vibe.

Gông Bar – This is the highest bar in Western Europe, located at the top of the Shard (an iconic London building). It’s quite expensive so I looked at this as more of an experience rather than just a drink. It was a £30 per person minimum, but I thought it was worth it as the views are stunning!!

WHAT TO DO:

Admittedly, I have spent a decent amount of time in London so at this point I don’t feel like I have to run around and do “touristy” things, which is quite nice. That being said, it was Lilly’s first time to London so we found some fun things to do!

• The Tower of London- I actually hadn’t done this before so it was nice to have an excuse to check it out. While it was interesting to walk around the Tower, the audio guide got a little bit boring at times. If you are super into history, it’s worth checking out. Otherwise, I think I would’ve been okay skipping out on it.
• Walking around Borough Market- I don’t think I’ve ever been to London without visiting Borough Market – it’s one of my favorite things to do! It’s fun to see all the yummy food, snacks, baked goods, &, of course, try to some ice cream.
• Have a drink at the top of the Shard. There are a few restaurants/bar options. This time we went to Gông Bar, but I’ve gone to Aqua Shard in the past. Don’t miss the bathrooms at Aqua – the views are incredible.
• Visit Richmond to see the pub where Ted Lasso filmed.
• Walk around and see Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Palace of Westminster, & Tower Bridge.
• Walk around Soho for some shopping.
• Visit Camden market for some quirky vibes & fun restaurants.
• Try fish & chips!

Overall Thoughts:

I mean, I love London, usually because it means I get to see some of my British friends! This particulary was a fun visit because it mixed seeing old friends AND running around London playing tourist with Lilly. This won’t be the last time I’m in London on this trip so can’t wait to be back!