Around the World in Reality: London and Amsterdam

In 2020, we had our sights set on traveling back to Europe. We planned to fly into Paris for a few days and then take the Eurostar over to London. Well, we all know what happened in March 2020, and we had to cancel our trip. In December 2021, we were finally able to take our trip to Paris. I was a bit worried about the restrictions on traveling from the EU to the UK, so we chose to stay in Paris for the duration of our trip. Our Eurostar pass was set to expire in June 2022, and we still had a flight credit from 2020, so we decided to head to London and find a place to travel to with our Eurostar voucher. Amsterdam was on the list and the ride was only four hours. So, we chose London and Amsterdam, and it was the perfect travel combination.

Day 1 – Saturday, April 2

HIGHLIGHTS: Black Cultural Archives + Brix LDN

When traveling to a new destination, I’m always interested in finding the Black culture within that city. I found the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton and that was our first stop for the day. Unfortunately, we just missed the main exhibit by a few weeks, but we were still able to see another small exhibit that showcased the history of Black Britain. Leaving the BCA, we took a stroll through Brixton Village and explored the market.

We had some extra time before dinner and decided to explore the area of Southwark. They must have known we were coming because our name was on the sign. The cool thing about this sign is that it changes every so often, so I truly believe London was welcoming us. We made our way around and found the Borough Market as it was closing. I wish we had more time, but we needed to head back to meet my friend, Megha.

Originally, I wanted to have dinner at the Chip Shop, a hip-hop spot that I saw on a Netflix special. However, I received an email that their owners were opening up a new restaurant called Brix LDN. It seemed like a cool opportunity to experience a new restaurant during its opening week, so we thought we would give it a try. Upon arrival, we were welcomed with a complimentary round of prosecco. As we waited for the kitchen to open up, we had a round of starters and drinks. For dinner, I ordered the pan-fried pollack while Donnell and Megha ordered the vegetarian pot pie. Everything was delicious. While there were a couple of hiccups (which is expected for a new restaurant), we thoroughly enjoyed our time here.

After dinner, we were fading fast, so we took a stroll across the London Bridge and caught the tube back to our hotel.

Day 2 – Sunday, April 3

HIGHLIGHTS: Tower of London + Shoreditch + Seabird

Day two began with the Tower of London. Since it tends to get busy, we toured the Crown Jewels first. It was a beautiful exhibit, however, I was a bit conflicted viewing it.

We then headed to the front of the Tower to meet our Yeoman Wonder aka Beefeater. He gave a fantastic tour that really shed light on the interesting yet gruesome history of the Tower and the city of London. We finished up our time perusing the White Tower.

We left the Tower of London and headed to Shoreditch. For lunch, we stumbled upon a cute little pizza spot called Sleazy Pizza. We had delicious Margarita pizza and spent some time people-watching.

We headed to the nearby market and eventually ended up at Dark Sugars, a black-owned chocolate shop. The experience here was absolutely amazing! There were so many options to choose from that I ended up spending $25 on chocolate. I don’t regret it one bit because it was all delicious.

Next, we headed down the street to Boxpark Shoreditch, an eclectic place to eat and shop that is made out of shipping crates. On Sundays, they have an event called Sundaze in the RCRD Shop. We were able to sit in for a few minutes and listen while the band was warming up. It was an amazing vibe, and I wish we had time to stay longer.

For dinner, we ate at Seabird. The experience was amazing from the time we arrived until the time we left. This place has amazing decor inside and spectacular views outside. Though the terrace was closed, we were able to capture the sunset. Simply gorgeous!

We came back to our table and enjoy a round of craft cocktails including the Phalarope (pictured below). We had the Octopus Roll, Pan Con Tomate and Tuna Tartare to get us started. For our entree, Megha and I shared the Prawn Rice, and Donnell had the Aubergine and Romesco. It was a magical night out!

Day 3 – Monday, April 4

HIGHLIGHTS: Brigit’s Afternoon Tea and Bus Tour + National Gallery + Pick & Cheese

We planned to start the day with the Changing of the Guard. Though we didn’t see the entire change, we did catch some of it.

We left the Changing of the Guard early to head to the Victoria Coach Station for afternoon tea on a double-decker bus. Yes, Brigit’s Afternoon Tea is a bit nonconventional when you think about afternoon teas, but that’s a good thing. It was an amazing way to experience London. We were able to see many of the sights such as Big Ben, the London Eye, Harrods, and Buckingham Palace while enjoying a surprisingly delicious array of sweets and savories. I would highly recommend this experience!

Leaving the tour, Donnell was tired, so he stayed at the hotel while I met Megha at the National Gallery. I was super excited to see the Kehinde Wiley exhibit, and it DID NOT disappoint. The exhibit began with his phenomenal pieces, but it didn’t stop there. It continued with an excellent short film. I have so many thoughts and questions that I wish I could debrief with Mr. Wiley himself. Nonetheless, it was absolutely amazing.

We left the National Gallery and headed to Neal’s Yard. It’s a really cute street in London that you could easily miss. We continued on and found the Seven Dials Market. Inside, we stumbled upon Pick & Cheese, and I am so glad we did. This was the cutest place to enjoy cheese pairing that came to you on a conveyor belt. Read that again, CHEESE ON A CONVEYOR BELT! It was outstanding, and I wish we had one in the States. My favorite was the gouda paired with the clotted cream fudge. YUM!

Day 4 – Tuesday, April 5

HIGHLIGHTS: Tottenham Hotspur Tour + Sky Garden

On our last day in London, we choose to visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the largest and newest stadium in England. The tour was amazing. Everything in the stadium was state-of-the-art. It was extra special because NFL games are played there, and we were able to see the visiting team locker room. I can only imagine how it would be on a game day. My favorite part was the suites. No two are the same, and they have fantastic amenities (as they should for the price).

Leaving the tour, I realized we hadn’t had fish and chips, so we stopped at the Williams Ale & Cider House. We started lunch with a cider flight, and then had the largest fish and chips I’ve ever seen. I’m glad we decided to split it because I’m not sure how someone could eat all of it in one sitting. It was everything I expected fish and chips in London to be!

With only a few hours remaining, we went to visit the Sky Garden. This was named perfectly because it is truly a garden in the sky. It had amazing views with two restaurants and a bar to enjoy. It was such a great place to savor our last moments in the city.

Then, it was time to head to the train station. We took a four-hour ride to Amsterdam on Eurostar. It was my first experience on a train, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will certainly be traveling by train again in the future. It was quick, easy and efficient.

As soon as we walked out of the train station, I instantly fell in love with Amsterdam. I can’t put my finger on it, but I could immediately sense its charm. We arrived at our hotel, the NH Collection Amsterdam Doelen, and were blown away by its beauty. Our room was even better as we were greeted with macarons and a beautiful view of one of the canals.

Day 5 – Thursday, April 6

HIGHLIGHTS: Albert Cuyp Market + Those Dam Boat Guys Tour + Anne Frank House + Vegan Junk Food Bar

Our day began at the Albert Cuyp Market, an outside market with a little bit of everything. It was here that I had the most amazing stroopwafel. It was made fresh in front of me, and it was everything and more. Though it was gigantic, I still managed to eat the entire thing. DELICIOUS!

We did a little shopping at the market and then made our way to the other side of town. We grabbed lunch at a pub, and this was the first time I tried mayonnaise with my fries. I was very hesitant at first, but I challenged my apprehension and went for it. IT WAS SO GOOD! I can’t believe how good it was. It was so good that I’m still mad at myself for not bringing Dutch mayo back home with me.

Though the weather was pretty chilly, we decided to take a boat tour with Those Dam Boat Guys. It was truly a great experience. The tour group was small which gave us an opportunity to interact with our captain and each other. Our tour guide, Leeroy, shared the history of the city and showed us the lay of the land. It was such a nice way to view the city.

We left the tour and went to visit the Anne Frank House. While it was an emotional experience, it’s a place everyone should visit when in Amsterdam. It’s so important to keep Anne’s story alive.

For dinner, we hit up the Vegan Junk Food Bar. This restaurant was very hip with great vegan food and drinks. We had the Mc Cruelty Free Burgers and Onion Rings for our meal and the VJFB for President and the Pinky Tonic for cocktails. All was delicious! On the walk back to the hotel, we took a stroll through the Red Light District… because you have to.

Day 6 – Thursday, April 7

HIGHLIGHTS: Heineken Brewery Tour

Originally, I scheduled a visit to the Keukenhof Gardens. However, due to the cold and extreme wind, we decided to stay in the city instead and take the Heineken Experience tour. We had heard mixed views about the tour, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. It was certainly a great way to end our time in Amsterdam.

Though we didn’t get to see Keukenhof as we planned, it was a delight to see the tulips placed strategically throughout the city. They certainly made me smile.

And of course, I couldn’t leave the city without another stroopwafel for the road. I found this beauty at Van Holland Stroopwafel where they offer stroopwafels with different toppings. While it was delicious, I prefer my stroopwafel plain and fresh!

We then made our way back to the train station and caught the Eurostar back to London. Before heading to the hotel, I did some damage in Fortnum & Mason. I mean who could leave London without tea and biscuits?

Day 7 – Friday, April 8

The bittersweet moment arrived. We woke up in London and went to sleep in Raleigh. Everything in between was seamless.

Final Thoughts

Though the weather was a lot colder than we anticipated, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in London and Amsterdam. If I had to do it all over again, I would’ve spent more time in Amsterdam. As I mentioned before, it is a very charming city!

This was the first time we didn’t check luggage on an international flight, and it worked beautifully! We are now looking forward to living the carry-on only lifestyle.

It’s only the beginning of our adventures for the year. Our five-year anniversary is this month, and we plan to visit five new countries to celebrate our five years of marriage. Two down. Three to go!