Greetings from London! We arrived last Thursday in England and were greeted with weather that rivaled the heat in LA! We flew Virgin Atlantic in premium economy which is ideal for us- we don’t have to pay the exorbitant prices of upper class and still get to sit towards the front of the plane with larger seats and plenty of leg room… they even give you champagne! (Which I turned down of course, never drink while up in the air… water only, thank you).
Anyhow, customs was a breeze, luggage retrieval was a breeze and the moment I stepped outside I became rather hot in my jeans, cardigan and trench coat- what was I saying before I left about getting away from the eternal summer of California? Maybe I brought the weather with me…
The first evening was spent in Surrey at my wonderful in-law’s house. We got to see most of the family including my adorable niece who has decided I am her favorite person in the world (for now, anyway).
Since then we have spent every evening in London- Chelsea to be exact. I love it here. The people are so chic- my people watching skills are in full swing. Yesterday we had lunch at a new restaurant in Sloane Square called The Botanist. It was packed with people and I must say they could have all qualified as connoisseurs. I think the English subscribe to the same mantra the French do: quality over quantity. I loved looking at the well dressed men and women lunching daintily over sea bass and salmon cakes. The English love high quality accessories- gorgeous handbags, lovely watches, tasteful jewelry. Now I know this is a generalization but I can truthfully say everyone lunching at The Botanist fell under this category
Yes, everything is going swimmingly, in fact so far, I only have two problems with being here. Number one being jet lag- there is nothing as maddening as finding yourself wide awake at 3am, finally falling asleep at 4am and then having to wake up at 9am. Number two being expense. The exchange rate of dollars to pounds is slightly better than it used to be but still- we just had a modest brunch that cost almost $60- and on the way to brunch I saw a pair of True Religion jeans that I own (I spent $165 on them) for sale for nearly $400!
I did, however, manage to find an outfit to wear to the wedding this weekend. I am going with a lovely deep blue dress by Temperley, London and a fantastic hat by Vivien Sheriff… all purchased at Selfridges.
The plan for this week? Lots of dinners with family and friends, an Agatha Christie play in Windsor with my cousin on Friday night (how could I resist?!) and, of course, the wedding on Saturday.
I hope you all have a wonderful week!
Image of The Botanist Restaurant courtesy of: www.squaremeal.co.uk
12 comments:
That is a sad sad opening for London to find it is hot; although I imagine the Londoners are loving it. Sounds like you are having a lovely time and I am very jealous.
Hi Jena- I know, I thought of you when I was actually hot in London... you'll be happy to know that it is freezing now and threatening to rain :) Hope you are well!
Hooray, you found your wedding outfit! I'm sure it's smashing. Hope you're past the jet lag by the end of the week...and continued good wishes for a fantastic visit.
Thanks Scentscelf! Went out for a lovely Italian dinner last night in Chelsea- but I think all of this rich food is getting to me (I'm used to cooking at home)...
Hi DC- so glad you're having such a good time! I'm always very happy when people enjoy London (and Surrey- I'm from Surrey originally!). I'm glad you have found everyone chic.
I did think of you when we were having those hot days- obviously now they are all gone and it's drizzling.
Your outfit sounds perfect, Temperley is beautiful. I read an interview with Alice Temperley saying that she wears La Chasse aux pappilions by L'Artisan Perfumer with some oils added, I think it was ylang ylang. She's obviously also into scents.
London is expensive even to Londoners! and that's the reason we all go mad when we come to America shopping, we seem to pay sooo much more for American goods.
Glad you liked the Botanist, I haven't been but it looks great, I was eyeing it up on the way to shop on the King's Road the other day.
Ooh and read that you went to Liberty- I'm so glad you liked it. Selfridges has a great scent department too which i'm sure you checked out.
Hope the rest of your holiday is fab- and enjoy Windsor too.
Hi Rose- it's great to hear from you! Yes, I absolutely adore my Temperley dress- there is something so absolutely lovely and festive about her clothes... worth the investment.
'm glad that you think London is expensive too- I was beginning to think I was crazy! My husband and I just walked into a shop on the king's road that sells "LA" clothing- and this men's shirt was for sale for 300 pounds ($600!) It was a t shirt! Yikes.
Yes, now I know why Londoners love coming to New York or LA- it must be like shopping heaven.
On the way to Selfridges, I saw Liberty and was SO excited! I kept saying to my husband- "This is the place that Rose writes about in her blog!" lol. I loved it- It seems like a very intimate department store- very high class.
I hope you have a wonderful week!
Hugs!
Global warming has that effect...and then it gets all weird and it starts getting windy and you feel the chill...you should see how it's even southerner in Europe where I am: its' become rather crazy.
I love London for soooo many reasons: the architecture, the beautiful antique and book stores, the eclectic dressing (sometimes it veers into peculiar), the dainty jewels and the feeling of being in a metropolis which allows for individuality to show through though.
Darn expensive however (the highest in Europe I believe), you can say that again and I live in an expensive city so I am not exagerrating.
Have fun!! The restos are really fab there and Temperley clothes are great :-)
Hi Perfumeshrine... I had no idea you were in Southern Europe- lucky you!
Yes I love London for those very reasons too... I just went on a mad, frantic dash to find the right shoes for my dress and FINALLY found a pair.
Mission Accomplished!
I hope you have a wonderful week...
Ohhh - cold and threatening to rain - now that's the kind of weather I'm jealous of!! It's sunny and smoky back here in SoCal.
The dress sounds lovely but I want to see a picture of the HAT!! Make sure you don't poke anyone's eye out with your feathers;)
We miss you here!!
Jules- lol- I already thought about that- poking someone in the eye with my feathers would be a catastrophe of the first order. Right now I'm just trying to figure out how to keep it on my head :) I miss you too! xo!
Oh, I am so glad you're having such a wonderful time! I love your positive attitude (the only attitude worth having when travelling! I'm itching to travel lately too - even though I am gonna have to miss a couple of classes to do it I am totally flying back home for a few days after my exams. I think I've earned it! Wishing you a wonderful wonderful time for the rest of your trip :) Enjoy every moment.
Thanks Divina! It is wonderful to hear from you... I'm so glad you get to go back home after your exams- you deserve it! Lots of Hugs!
Post a Comment