A Love Letter to London

Dear London,

Even though my friends raved about you, I still wasn’t convinced that you’d be a good fit for me.  After all, you aren’t really known for your food or great weather – two very important things to me. But it didn’t take long for you to surpass any expectations that I had.

When WOW Air announced discounted fares from BWI to London via Reykjavík, Iceland, I thought there was no better time to visit you than on a discounted flight.  I’d be able to cross you off my bucket list and finally say I saw you.  I had never been to visit and honestly, never really had a desire to.  I know; shame on me.  I always imagined you to be cold, foggy, and quite frankly, white-washed. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

I’m not going to lie.  My visit started out a little rocky.  My friend and I got lost on the way from Gatwick to our hotel and once we finally arrived to our room at the Z Hotel Shoreditch, it was the size of an actual shoebox – literally.  I have come to expect small European hotel rooms, but this room took my expectations to a whole new low level. But that’s another story for a different day.

Once we began to explore you via the Tube (which really puts DC’s Metro to shame) and the Big Bus, I realized that every inch of you was at my disposal.  It was awesome.  You always felt so alive. Everywhere we went, there was always something to see.  From Picadilly Circus to Shoreditch, Covent Garden to Camden Town and more, I looked forward to the next place more than the last.

I’m not naive in knowing that most of the places we visited were touristy. You can’t blame me for wanting to see Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the London Eye.  But still, you’re a big city, much like New York or  DC, with many neighborhoods, sites, restaurants and so much more to see.

More than anything, you made me feel welcome.  Not only was there was way more diversity than I expected, but everyone I encountered was friendly.  Not like fake Paris friendly (actually, people in Paris weren’t friendly at all, but again, that’s another story for a different day).  But each person I encountered had a genuine desire to want to help me explore every inch of you.

There was a familiarness about you that I still can’t quite put my finger on, but you left enough of an impression for me want to return for a longer period of time.  And truthfully, I can’t say the same for many other cities.

While it would have been great to catch a play, have high tea at Kensington Gardens or explore the city outskirts, I did the best I could to see you in 3 days.  I hope I did you justice.  I don’t say this lightly, but I think I love you.  I hope to see you again soon.

Your newest admirer,

Ashlee

Tower Bridge

Big Ben

London Eye

View from London Eye

Photo Credit: Ashlee Tuck

Walk Eat Talk Eat Food Tour in London

Since this was my first time in London, of course I wanted to do all of the major touristy things like visiting Buckingham Palace, the London Eye and Big Ben.  However, I came across Walk Eat Talk Eat tour and I thought it’d be a great way to see London in more ways than the typical first-time touristy ones.  And I could try some of London’s food?  Sign me up!

We met our tour guide and owner of Walk Eat Talk Eat, Charli, at the Shoreditch High Street Tube station and we set off on our tour.  There are so many amazing parts of London, so why Shoreditch?

According to Charli, Shoreditch has so many different types of cuisine, done really well in the area. The neighborhood has a really unusual, gritty history and isn’t super touristy. Charli’s goal is to help people get off the tourist trail and see a Londoner’s London.  Sounds fantastic, right?

Stop 1: Constancia Food Truck

We walked a short distance to the Shoreditch Food Park for Constancia’s Argentinian choripan sausages.  Constancia is actually a restaurant but they’ve branched out to reach the masses via their food truck.

The sausages were delicious.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I knew that if this was the first stop, there was so much more to look forward to on the tour.

Stop 2: Albion Caff

Walking into Albion Caff was like a breath of fresh air.  It was so open and airy, and there were tons of goodies and pastries on display.

Here, Charli picked up a fougasse (French bread) sandwich stuffed with mushrooms and some sort of creamy cheese.

I have to be honest.  This was my least favorite dish on the tour.  Not because it wasn’t good, but mushrooms just aren’t my thing.  What made up for it was walking to a neighboring park where Charli gave us a history of the area.  I loved learning more about Shoreditch, all while eating food made in that very neighborhood.

Stop 3: Beigel Bake

Next, we headed a short distance to Beigel Bake for beigels (not bagels) and oh. em. gee. These beigels were pure heaven.  We tried salt beef bagels sandwiches, which tasted much like a corn beef sandwich.  It. was. delicious.

When I return to London, I’ll definitely be going back to Beigel Bake. The owner even said Beyonce and Mariah Carey have been in to try their beigels.  And if their beigels are good enough for Beyonce and Mariah Carey, they’re good enough for you and me too.

Stop 4: Anti Shop

After walking through much of “Little Bangladesh” (think Chinatown but Bangladesh), we ended up at the Anti Shop where we sampled sugar-free and gluten-free brownies. Usually I’m not the sugar-free, gluten-free type of girl, but they were actually really delicious and a welcomed treat.

People are able to buy the furniture in the Anti Shop, which is made by local artists.  I thought this was a pretty cool concept.

Stop 5: Ambala

Our final stop was to Ambala for barfi – Bangladeshi sweets.  I’ve never tried Bangladeshi foods, so this was a great gateway.

Barfi may not be the prettiest but it was sweet and the perfect way to end the tour.

We didn’t taste any typical dishes that come to mind when thinking of London like spotted dick or shepherd’s pie.  And I was completely okay with that.  I loved tasting internationals foods offered in London with the perfect-sized portions.  I would have never explored Shoreditch in such a way without a local tour guide to lead the way.

Thank you to Charli for a great tour!  I guarantee that you’ll be glad you took this tour and saw London from a different point of view.  Walk Eat Talk Eat offers other tours in case you have different interests.  Be sure to check them out and tell them we sent you!