Chelsea Bird

It has officially been one whole month since we landed back in the states from our European vacation! And truth be told, we got off the plane and basically started running once again – but only this time it was to prep for orders that came through for Citizen HD while we were gone, upcoming markets and and a whole lot of life admin (all good things, though!). With all that said, I’m feeling pretty stoked to revisit our time abroad and share with you all photos + stories from our adventures through the streets of London and Paris. To kick things off, we’re going back to our first day in London! 

After landing in the early afternoon, we made our way to our hotel in Soho (The London EDITION — which we LOVED) to refreshen up, stow our bags and get a recommendation for the nearest coffee shop. Much to our delight, there was a darling coffee shop nearby that was still open (a rarity we found on a Sunday) – so we made our way to Tap Coffee for a little pick-me-up and our first walk around the city. 

Tap had an ultra cozy feel to it and reminded us one of our favorite local coffee shops, Cartel Coffee. Before coming to London, we had been reminded numerous times that “iced drinks” weren’t really a thing around here – which for these daily iced coffee drinkers feels like a bit of a deal breaker, but much to our surprise — the first coffee shop we wandered to not only had iced lattes, but even cold brew (which they were out of at the time, but it’s still the thought that counts)! Anyways, after grabbing an iced latte and quick snack we found a place toward the back and settled in to enjoy our coffee, people watch and get a feeling for what we wanted the rest of the day to hold. 

We were feeling pretty jet lagged at this point, so dinner seemed like our best option before turning in early for the night to get some rest and hopefully feel more awake for our first full day in London. We came to London (and Paris) with a full list of restaurants to try out, and it seemed that the closest to us was Percy & Founders, a recommendation that I found via one of my favorite UK based vloggers, Lily Pebbles. After taking in the sights and sounds of Tap for just a bit longer, we made our way down the road, past our hotel and onto the restaurant for an early dinner.

After scoring a table outside on the patio (even though the inside looked SO quirky and charming), we searched the menu for something delicious that would fill our bellies until morning. The menu was a mix of traditional English dishes and seasonal options, and since it was Sunday — a traditional Sunday roast felt like a must! We started with the most delicious house pickles and enjoyed the cooler weather while we waited for our feast. To say it felt surreal sitting in London in the most beautiful space would certainly be an understatement.

Once our dinner arrived, Scott and I both dug in to our respective plates — him the roast, and I the pea risotto that looked so delicious after a full day of travel. We left the restaurant with warm bellies and smiles on our faces as we walked back to our hotel on a gloomy London day. 

I hope you enjoyed hearing about our first day in London! Writing this led to a whole rush of emotions coming back to me — ya’ll, London was so, so good to us! I’ll be back soon with our second day, but until then I would love to hear about your summer travels or fall travel plans! We don’t have anything on our calendar just yet, but I’m already itching to take a drive (or fly) to a favorite destination! 

-Chelsea xo