Monday, March 2, 2015

Doing London, Solo.


Matt had to work pretty long days the week we were in London, and that left me with so much alone time that I hardly knew what to do with myself. When you're on the mom clock 24/7, and focusing on three other people's needs at all times of the day (and night,) suddenly having alone time is quite a shock, or at least it was for me!

I knew going into the trip that I was going to either have to be brave and go out into London by myself or just stay in our tiny hotel room all week until Matt was free. I had to give myself some pep-talks and do some deep breathing, but I am really proud that I pushed myself to explore the city all by myself. I felt so empowered and confident by the end of the week! 


Ready to go, and standing by the hotel room door, getting my nerves ready to go out. 

My first couple of days alone, I did a lot of walking. Our hotel was near the Tate Modern museum, and I spent a whole day just there, wandering around the galleries.




I think I went to Paul's Patisserie at least once a day for a cappuccino and giant vanilla macaron. The bliss of being able to sit and enjoy a whole cup of hot coffee and treat without being interrupted or having to share! (Allll the other moms reading this just nodded their heads in understanding.)


Halfway through the week, I started taking the Tube by myself. It really was very easy and mostly enjoyable once I got the hang of it. It was such an exhilarating feeling, being able to access the whole city on my own so easily!


London is expensive, and while most of the museums are free, a lot of the famous sites (the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's, etc) cost a pretty penny (pound, more like,) to tour. And I realized I just didn't feel excited to tour those expensive sites by myself without Matt. Opting to wait until a future trip when we could experience them together, I bought a hop-on-hop-off bus tour/boat cruise tour. 


The bus tour was totally worth the price for me. I think with it being the middle of the work week, every bus I road was practically empty. I had front seat views from the top of the double decker buses for two days! It was relaxing, fun and just the right pace for me. 


Westminster Abbey



Crossing Tower Bridge!



The Tower of London. Can't wait to tour the inside one day (hopefully!)



I snapped a sneaky picture of these cute school girls, because - sooo much cute!


The river cruise tour. 


By the time 3pm rolled around each day, I was exhausted, and it was like a dream to be able to go back to the hotel, grab a coffee in the lobby and go relax in a clean hotel room until Matt got back. 



Yes, that's a slice of pizza being eaten in bed on a white blanket! Because, I mean...

YOLO.

3 comments:

  1. i absolutely love the tate, when i lived in london i used to go there all the time. sounds like you had a great time :) id love it if youd comment back http://www.amyelizabethfashion.com/2015/03/hello-march.html xx

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  2. Oh my goodness what a fun adventure it looks like you got to have on your own! I'm glad you were able to muster up the courage to go out on your own! I'm so jealous that you got to explore London! Love that chunky red scarf you have on too!

    be the plebeian

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