You Must See London at Least Twice...

London is great the first time you see it.  There is so much history, great museums, wonderful restaurants, and all sorts of other things to do (many of which you have read about on our blog).  However, coming back the second time may be even better.  All the real tourist attractions are out of the way, and you can spend more time really exploring.  Since Megan and I spent three weeks here in college, that's exactly what we did this time around for her visit over yet another bank holiday weekend.

We started with a visit to Leadenhall Market after work on Friday for a nice cheese plate.  The market is a German-looking series of covered walkways with shops and restaurants.  It is located within "the square mile" - the true City of London - and right down the street from my office.  We sat outside, and watched all the rowdy insurance underwriters and brokers at the nearby pubs, while we enjoyed some wine and cheese.

On Saturday, we started our afternoon with tea at the Ritz, which was pretty much as fabulous as it sounds.  You choose from one of several types of freshly-brewed tea, which is served in a silver teapot alongside finger sandwiches, fresh scones, and mini desserts.  I think I've already made it clear that I love scones, so I'll leave it at that.

Next, we went to the sequel to Phantom of the Opera, called Love Never Dies.  The original is the longest-running show in history.  We were all happy we saw the sequel, but it wasn't as good as the original.  We then had an early dinner at Villandry - The French Kitchen (http://www.french-kitchen.co.uk/).  There is a ton of French food here, as you can imagine, and this was among the best I've had.  Finally, we ended our perfect London Saturday with a stop at a local pub, to catch the end of the Manchester United vs. FC Barcelona football match.  Unfortunately, that ended with a pub full of pouty Brits, so we headed home where we could unabashedly discuss what a nice day we'd had, and to laugh about Megan icing Derek at the pub.  If you don't know that that is, you should search for it on Wikipedia (it's out there - I checked).  People seem to actually drink these here...I keep seeing girls drinking them out of straws.  I won't even start on how many things are wrong with that.  He never saw it coming...

On Sunday, the three of us went to the gym and for a roast (shocking, I know), and then Derek had to leave for Madrid.  Megan and I continued on with a bit of London shopping, a visit to a champagne bar, sushi at Nobu, and a few cocktails overlooking Green Park.  We spent the evening making friends with White House correspondents, a handful of bartenders (all of whom were women or gay, so no need to worry about the trouble I get into when Derek is in another country), and a guy with a murse and a Chelsea Handler book (love it).  I had a fabulous weekend, and it makes me excited to see my friends all the time when I get home!

So that concludes what is, in my estimation, a fabulous girls (plus sometimes Derek) weekend in London.  Cheers!