London Landmarks and Scottish Sites

My workweek consisted of meeting with the manager of the Loveable Rogues to discuss album promotion ideas, playing games on Twitter with PopShack’s followers (such as a Cockney Rhyming Slang game and MASH), and writing blog posts about celebrity Disney doppelgangers and Ed Sheeran’s enchanting new album.

At night, we wandered around London to see the London Eye and Big Ben lit up and Buckingham Palace with no crowd. London at night is a completely different experience. It’s somewhat magical gazing at these landmarks in a new, twinkling atmosphere.

My roommate’s aunt lives in Scotland, so we decided to go visit her for the weekend. Waking up at 4:30 a.m., we took the 4.5-hour train ride to Glasgow. The wide, green countryside welcomed us with sunshine and fresh air when we arrived. It was so nice to stay in a house and enjoy home-cooked meals (shout out to Aunt Susan’s meringue topped with vanilla ice cream and strawberries—yum)! We took a bus to Edinburgh for the day and took it easy with some shopping and sightseeing. The castle sitting on top of a huge cliff was breathtaking as we strolled through Princes Street Gardens, surrounded by flowers and good company.

The following day, we explored Glasgow. The landmark we wanted to see the most was a statue of the Duke of Wellington with a traffic cone on his head. Aunt Susan told us that if anyone takes the cone off, someone else comes along and puts it right back on.

Back in London, we visited Trafalgar Square, which is another area that I believe epitomizes London. I loved seeing the huge lions, the blue chicken, the mermaids in the fountains, the National Gallery, with Big Ben and the London Eye in the distance. Everything about it is perfect!

To provide you with some helpful information, so far in London I have gathered a list of favorite restaurants:

• Yum Cha Silks & Spice (Half-priced Dim Sum every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday after 5:00 p.m.)
• Soho House (It’s a hidden, exclusive club—eat on the rooftop terrace)
• Nordic Bakery (The cinnamon buns are addictive!)
• Nando’s (Get the “chips” with the peri peri salt)
• Pret a Manger (They are all over the place—try the Yoga Bunny Detox drink)
• Amorino (You can put gelato inside crepes!)
• Ping (It’s a pizza place with ping pong tables and live music)

Until next time,
Kelli