It was my birthday in January (January Aquarius… be careful!) and I took myself to London for a long weekend.
If you’ve known me for a while, you’ll know that I’m completely in love with London and plan to move there once I’ve finished my studies. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. The fancy hotel I had booked was so below standard that I had to complain about how small the room was! I was given another room which was bigger, but still nowhere near the standard I expected for the price I paid.
I arrived on Friday, walked up and down Regent Street, and finally settled with a delicious steak at Black+Blue. I am such a lover of steak, but it’s become a tradition that I only eat it in London. I don’t know why! A couple of cocktails later and I’m walking over Waterloo Bridge to stare at the view. I fall in love with this city all over again when I visit.
Saturday was my birthday so I decided I had to start with an indulgent breakfast of French toast, followed by a wash and blowdry at a sweet little salon. I quickly searched the TodayTix app to see if I could get any last minute theatre tickets and was in luck – Dirty Dancing was available! I booked my seat, popped onto Oxford Street for a last minute outfit (which I didn’t even wear…) and jumped in a taxi back to the hotel.
There is something so luxurious about the theatre, regardless of what you’re watching, and my first theatre trip was a panto when I was about 6. If I don’t see a show for my birthday, it’s a day wasted. I put on my new knitted black dress and heels, did my make-up with a red lip, and off I went.
Dirty Dancing was everything I expected it to be; the dancing was hypnotising, Johnny was scrumptious, and the iconic lines were delivered perfectly.
Sunday was a day of traditions. I can’t come to London and not get a Starbucks by Tower Bridge, so I hopped on the tube and wandered along the Thames. There were the usual tourists taking selfies, but there was also a couple having a pregnancy announcement shoot! Adorable.
I must’ve sat by Tower Bridge for over an hour, falling more and more in love with the view. My bum was almost frozen so I knew it was time to go. The train home is always bittersweet for me. I love the city so much and become determined to live there, but I know that my dream life is a little way off yet.
London will always have my heart and I’ll no doubt be back in a couple of months to wander around Portobello Market.