AFTERNOON TEA

What better day for afternoon tea than Valentines Day?

A couple of my gal pals and I had tea yesterday at Hotel Indigo’s Mansion Bar and Parlor.The atmosphere of the Parlor was lovely; it was decorated in modern but eclectic décor. 

The menus were so cute; they were like little newspapers and listed all the teas available.

I opted for vanilla chi tea and it was served in an individual pot and it was awesome. The food arrived on a 3-tier tray, the top had scones with jam, and the middle had finger sandwiches and the bottom an assortment of desserts. The presentation of the food was exactly how I imagined it to be, the sandwiches were super tiny and colorful.

Once we finished with our tea and treats we were served a cocktail and it was pretty disgusting. I remember the waitress telling us it was a long island ice tea but it most definitely wasn’t considering it was served with whipped cream on the top. I didn’t attempt to drink it after I had the first sip and realized how strong it was but other than that everything was great.

We were able to experience this traditional afternoon tea at a steal because we found a voucher on Groupon. The whole experience would have been 28 pounds a person but instead we got it for 12 pounds. In addition to being a great value afternoon tea was an awesome experience and a great start to my Valentines Day here in London.

-AMV

ALTERNATIVE LONDON

Bored of expensive and uninspiring tours? Think tours are just for tourists?  Forget about the open top busses and the droning guides shoving through crowds. What if a tour could give you an insight into today’s real London, giving you the opportunity to discover the East End’s most incredible street art with the help of an enthusiastic local artist.

Alternative London offers a pay what you like walking tours around the East End, this tour is a really different yet affordable way to experience London.

My guide, local street artist Ben Slow, was fantastic- friendly, knowledgeable and more than happy to explain the origins or street art as well as how the pieces were created and the types of techniques used. I was surprised to learn that the street art does not stay up for long, after a few months new artist come in and paint over the preexisting artwork since there is a shortage of wall space. Another interesting fact that I learned is that most of the street art is actually done legally. The artists get permission not from the local authorities but from the property owners themselves. The local community is united on the art front and recognizes its importance in keeping the East End unique by combating gentrification, which is sweeping the rest of London at a brisk pace.

Here’s a little taste of Alternative London:

-AMV

WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER

Who knew that one of nature’s greatest gems was only a 1-hour train ride from central London?

Today I took a breathtaking walk along the White Cliffs of Dover. To put it simply, this place is stunning! There are a lot of paths along the cliffs and the view is unbeatable. We watched boats coming and going and if we strained our eyes really hard (today was a bit cloudy) we could just about see France in the far distance.

We walked for two miles or so to the South Foreland Lighthouse, which was closed due to the season, but along the way we were able to take some amazing shots of the English coastline.

WARNING….WINDY WEATHER on the cliffs but that didn’t ruin our day in fact it made it more fun. When we first started walking there was a slight wind but as we climbed higher the wind intensified. After a mile or so we were getting blown around like feathers! 

At one point my ear warmer flew off my head and Tiffany nearly dove off the cliffs trying to catch it (she caught it btw). You would think that windy weather would have deterred us from walking close to the cliff’s edge but....life’s to short, why not live it on the edge (corny, I know)?

In case you can't tell that little mound is me

-AMV