We traveled from Scotland to London via short flight on Day 6 of our trip. If you haven’t read my Scotland post, you can catch up here. We loved London! Bryan is ready to move there. It’s a bustling city with rich history and a melting pot of food and culture in the very best way.

Where we went: We stayed in Mayfield at the COMO Metropolitan. It was very nice. While waiting on our room, we walked around and grabbed lunch at a church that had been turned into a food hall, Mercato Mayfair. They served beer and ice cream (along with many other things) and my dad was a happy camper:)

That afternoon we took the most extraordinary Black Cab tour. Our guide was the ULTIMATE Harry Potter fan and he took us all over, had props and knew SO MUCH about Harry Potter and the filming locations and the history. He mentioned that Black Cab drivers go through a rigorous training and it was very apparent. I’d highly recommend taking a Black Cab – they know so, so much about the city. It was really incredible to stand in the exact spot in Kings Cross Station where Platform 9 3/4 was and he’d show us on his iPad, the exact scene from where we were standing. The boys had a great time. And he took my mom, the English teacher to Shakespeare’s theatre. She loved that. Our guide dropped us off at Borough Market, which was absolute insanity. It was so crowded and busy, we could hardly move. Even still, we loved it! It’s a food market mostly with loads of different stalls serving different things. I saw a cup of strawberries doused in thick milk chocolate that I never got my hands on – the lines were SO long – and I’m still thinking about it, weeks later. Some day! I had seafood paella for lunch and the boys had a sausage roll.

Our hotel was very near Buckingham Palace and although not yet open for tours, we got to see the Changing of the Guard and that was moving. I love that London has their traditions and can honor it’s history while still being a very progressive city. Obviously I was an outsider looking in but it seems as though they’ve really found a nice way to marry old and new.

After the Changing of the Guard, we took a brilliant tour of Westminster Abbey. I really, really enjoyed hearing the stories and getting to walk through the abbey. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable and funny. The abbey is a treasure and of course my mom loved seeing all the burial sites and memorials of her favorite authors. It was special. That afternoon we ate at The Red Lion Pub. Each of us tried to order something different but somehow the waiter insisted we all have fish n chips. So, we did LOL. And it was good!

Next was the London Eye. To be very honest, this was cool because it was a unique vantage point of the city, however, it wasn’t that awesome. It was a little like seeing everything we’d already seen from high in the sky. It’s a good thing to do once but I wouldn’t do it again.

That night we had THE BEST dinner at Nobu in our hotel. Lots of little plates with so many flavor pairings. It was expensive but well worth it. My parents, the boys and I shared everything and it was chef’s kiss!

The next morning, we toured Tower Bridge (which is actually a fortress), Royal Palace and  Infamous Prison (where the Crown Jewels are kept) and everyone enjoyed hearing the history and stories. Our guide was very animated and funny. I’m telling ya, we struck the tour guide lottery this trip.

That afternoon we drove out to the Warner Brothers Studio and saw allllll the Harry Potter things. It was spectacular. It is truly a behind-the-scenes experience like none other. We marveled over every detail and wished we had about 3 more hours to stare. I’d HIGHLY recommend it.

My favorite thing: My favorites in London were Westminster Abbey and Warner Brothers. The best of both worlds – old and new.

I would skip: Hmmm, I don’t know that I’d skip it if I’d never done it but, as mentioned, I don’t need to do The London Eye again.

Next up…Belgium. Getting back to my roots!! Check back for more.