Oh London you beautiful thing. Thanks for giving me an amazing final month to top off an even more amazing 7 months. Here are 10 reasons why my last few weeks in London were some of the best! 

1.  Kew Gardens – if you’ve never been, you seriously need to go! Miles of beautiful gardens full of cherry blossom trees, tulips, a seriously cool palm house packed with rainforest from all over the world – and that’s just the start. Check out Kew Palace and the Prince of Wales Conservatory! 

2. The Breakfast Club – a chain of brilliant brunchy restaurants that make THE best pancakes in the world (except from maybe NYC pancakes). It’s definitely worth the guaranteed long-ass queue! 

3.  A day trip to my first London home – I visited Judith and Graham the Sunday before I left and had one of the best days I’ve ever had in London! Judith and I had a lovely walk around a very sunny Greenwich, stopping for food at the markets and visiting the Naval College. We had Sunday dinner at teatime when the rest of the family came around – don’t think I stopped laughing from start to finish! It was so nice to be surrounded by family, tummies full of food, hearts full of laughter. 

4. The Hemingway – a return trip to the Hemingway pub in Victoria Park was a must in my final weeks. Jamie, Amelia and I spent a Saturday afternoon drinking, eating and playing Jenga! The Beef Wellington still tops the list – try it next time you’re in London as well as the scotch eggs (I’ve heard it’s the local of Florence from Florence and the Machine!).

5.  Glaston Berry cocktails at Adventure Bar – a cocktail in a bucket that comes with a wristband- YES it exists and it taste amazing! 

6.  A walk along the river – there’s nothing quite as amazing as a walk along the Southbank, especially when you walk under the Embankment bridges and are greeted by Big Ben and the London Eye! Even the most seasoned of Londoners are a sucker for a River Thames view. 

7. The West End – I was lucky enough to see another two shows this year before I left London – Half a Sixpence and Dreamgirls! Both were amazing but come on it’s the West End, we can’t expect anything less than the best! I am always in awe of how talented theatre peformers are – night after night of singing and dancing must be gruelling but they make it look effortless!

8. Pizza in the park – Megan and I paid a visit to this cool little pizza place in Farringdon we’d been to a couple months ago that does the nicest pizza ever 😍 -throw in some sunshine and ice cream and it made for a very lovely lunch break on one of our last days! Plus we got some really thoughtful leaving presents from work – a personalised travel journal (of course) and a framed photo of the team ❤️. 

9.  And of course an EPIC final night out with the Travioor tribe. Cocktails and dancing in the Cuban in Camden – the finest way to end an amazing 7 months (followed by a McDonald’s on route home and a god awful hungover train journey home the next morning). 

10. I fell in love with the city again. It’s been a rollercoaster to say the least! Earlier in the year I was having a London life crisis and thought about packing up and heading home but being offered another 3 months at my dream job made it a no brainier – I had to stay and make the most of this crazy city. Luckily the past few months were fantastic, so my final farewell was a little bittersweet. Like I’ve always said, London is the lover who breaks your heart but picks up all the pieces and puts you back together again. Every single time. 

So what now? Well I’m back in Durham, I’ve got a new job (after three interviews in one day – so stressful!) and I plan on saving lots of money to travel again! 

London you have been unbelievable – I fell in love with the city, the people and loved living life in the fast lane. You were crazy, out of control, overwhelming and life-changing, so thank you. I will most certainly be back…it might be in a couple months or a couple years but I’ve left a piece of my heart in the city, so London I’ll be seeing you. ❤️