A Little London Getaway

Last week, Jack and I headed up to London (if the title didn't give it away) for some of his belated Birthday celebrations. It's tradition we always go away, or get up to lots of exciting things around his birthday; however this year, we didn't want to drive for hours in traffic to get somewhere.

We decided to stay a little closer to home this time so we booked London for 2 nights. Although we wanted to visit The London Dungeon, Madame Tussauds and all the generic touristy stuff that you would expect, we actually opted for some activities a little bit different!

We stayed just outside the city in Shepherds Bush. We got a cheap deal at the Hilton Kensington which was probably one of the best and cheapest we could find for the Summer Holidays. We were situated a 5 minute walk away from Westfield Shopping Centre (thank you shopping gods) and super close to the tubes which got us into Central London.

On the first day we arrived, after checking in to the best smelling hotel I've ever stayed in, we headed straight out to Battersea Park. Luckily, it was only 20 minutes away from our hotel so all we needed to do was hop on the overground to take us straight there.

 The main reason we chose Battersea over Hyde Park was for the Putt In The Park to get our mini golf on. It was quite a stroll through the park before we found it but totally worth it! It was probably one of our favourite mini golf courses; it was so inventive and you're immediately thrown into a challenge. If you're wondering who won - we drew and both scored 39! (Don't worry, I got a hole-in-one ;) #takingonefortheteam)

After some golfing antics, we then went to admire some more of our surroundings and came across the giant Peace Pagoda which looked out onto the river. It was quite a sight I must admit (as was this woman's thong half way up her back who was close by) but hey - each to their own! We didn't stay too long before we headed towards the pedalos. We only booked half an hour and trust me, that shit is hard work. I don't think either of us has ever been in such a big pedalo - it was seriously huge!

The lake was really pretty and we were surrounded by cute ducks and swans. I can't say the swans were that cute because they looked like they had evil intent and quite frankly, I did not want to take that risk. I've never turned a boat around so fast in my life when I saw them swimming our way. In hindsight, they were probably just minding their own business (..I do like to flap).

Srs brow issues going on here.

Later that evening we headed out for dinner at TGI Fridays in Leicester Square. I think it must be fairly new because the last time I was in that building, I was getting drunk underage with my best friend in Yates being that classy little rebel I once was.

I ordered a large Strawberry Daiquiri which was quite literally the size of my head (when in Rome) and the Jack Daniels Burger. I don't even like Jack Daniels but it was the closest to BBQ sauce a girl was gonna get.. It only made sense to go for it.

The sauce ended up being a bit gross but the rest of meal totally made up for it! Jack ordered the biggest burger I have ever seen (well, a close second) which had the likes of onion rings and mozzarella sticks in. Not gonna lie though, as much as I love all of those things, I think I'd vomit a little if they were in a burger. Soz, not soz.

Then came the main event we had both been the most excited about.. Aladdin The Musical! Eeep! I'm gutted that you weren't allowed to take any photos in there because it was the most colourful and amazing musical I have ever seen! No words can describe to you how breathtaking it was.

Despite being up at nosebleed height, we still got a brilliant view and the stage show was the most magical thing. Spoiler Alert: There was an actual flying carpet!! I mean, does it get better than that?! The show took us both right back to our childhood and I highly recommend if you get the chance to go and see it!

Tip: For the best seats, value for money and views, be sure to visit Seatplan!

The next day, we decided to treat ourselves and pop to Bills at Westfield for breakfast! I ordered the Watermelon, Peach and Raspberry juice which was soo good and we both got the Bill's Breakfast. Annoyingly, the waiter forgot to put our order through, so we ended up waiting almost an hour (whilst I had to put up with a very hangry boyfriend) for our food. It's a shame it was disappointing because I normally love Bill's and they can do no wrong, it's just a shame we had a bad experience. 

Anyway, we weren't going to let the crappy breakfast experience taint the day because next up on the agenda was a trip to Haggerston for Draughts - The Board Game Cafe. It was a little far out but Jack really wanted to go here, so we made a few exceptions. Jack opted for a few different games he had seen online so we started off with Once Upon A Time.

Sadly not anything to do with the TV series or Hook *daydreams* but a card game where you have to create your own story with the cards you are given. Now this wasn't really my strong point, I literally sucked. However, Jack totally aced it! The other games we chose seemed a little too complex, so we ended up playing loads of quick fire games to pass the time. 

All in all, I love how unique this cafe is; it's £5 per person and you get to stay as long as you like, playing as many games as you like. There are over 600 to choose from, it's basically a library for games! They sell local craft beers and a varied range of flavoured ciders, wines and ales. Sadly we didn't eat (besides a few pistachios) but the food smelt amazing. I'd love to go back with a bit more knowledge of certain games and experience it fully.

Before we knew it, we had to head back as it was almost time for dinner at our beloved Wagamama. There's something about that Chicken Katsu Curry and Duck Gyoza that always makes us go back! Luckily, the food experience was much more enjoyable and we got everything within a decent time scale. Can you ever be disappointed after a Waga's?

Instagram: @jackypants92

After we finished our meals, we jumped straight on the tube to Aldgate as later that evening we had the Jack The Ripper Tour booked. I was personally very excited for this as (forgive me if this sounds weird) any unanswered, gruesome history is right up my street!

The walk was an hour and 45 minutes of facts, mystery and each turn left you wanting to know more. Although the majority of the streets don't look anything like they used to, it was still great to discover a part of London I would never normally think about visiting. We chose this specific tour as it came with something called 'Rippervision' which is basically a handheld projector to show you all the gory images and things relating to the stories being told. We only got this during the latter half of the tour because it wasn't quite dark enough when we started.

I think the walk would be 10x spookier in the winter, especially around Halloween as pottering around when it's still light can taint the fear factor a little. Nevertheless, we discovered so much more about The Ripper himself, his victims and a little bit of London's history from back in the day. I think the best part for us was the conclusion at the end - it was so fascinating and let's say, a very convincing conspiracy! It was honestly amazing - I highly recommend it!

I can't get over how quickly the whole trip went and it was nice to see a few different parts of London! I think Jack enjoyed himself too which was the main thing :) I'm sure it won't be long before our next adventure!

Where have you been recently?

Tania x