Day 1:

We arrived in London at 8:45 am. Our red eye flight taking its toll, bleary eyed we made our way through customs. It was surprisingly easy and the whole process was digitized. A chauffeur from the hotel was waiting for us when we stepped out of the gate. He took our bags and we made our way into London.

As we arrived at The Berkeley Hotel in Belgravia, we were oblivious to the treat in store. Upon walking into the lobby, we were met with a luxurious cafe and a million dollar sheep. (https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5621953) The associate and I discussed said sheep (how I knew about these already I don’t know) but the artist Francois is famous for his flock of sheep and the hotel happened to have one, as well as an extensive collection of art. He then informed us that we had been upgraded and offered us a drink from the cafe. I got my usual, a vanilla latte with oat milk, and Colby got a hot tea and then proceeded to spill it all over himself and the hotel’s iPad. When he tried to clean it up the hotel staff apologized profusely and refused to let him clean, saying “we needed new iPads anyways.”

Since we were there so early our room was not quite ready, so the associate encouraged us to walk around the neighborhood. London in November was stunning! The colors were vibrant and changing hues of orange and yellow. The weather was crisp and it felt like the autumns we never get to have.

We took our warm drinks and headed into Hyde Park. We walked through gardens, past joggers, around pigeons, and to the lake. It felt like the opening scenes to 101 Dalmatians where there were dogs everywhere and people were out enjoying everyday life. We cut back into the neighborhood after a while and walked the streets. We admired the architecture, the weather, and the abundance of luxury cars. When our phones were at 4% we decided it would be best to head back to the hotel. Not the mention the 8 hour red eye flight and 8 am wake up call was getting to us.

I don’t think we had really thought about what an upgrade would mean because when the associate showed us to our room and began the tour, we were dumbfounded. The door had no knob just a spoon like fob. The walls were wood like a fine ship, glossy and detailed. When we stepped inside, we were met by a beautiful sitting area with a bottle of champagne and a gorgeous dessert from the cafe in the lobby. ( https://www.the-berkeley.co.uk/restaurants-bars/cedric-grolet-at-the-berkeley/) The room just kept going. Past the sitting area, were closets for the both of us and a stunning bathroom, with heated floors, bidet, and giant tub. At the end of the room was another sitting area, a massive bed, and a balcony that opened up to look at the church next door. Sitting on the beds were robes with an “E” embroidered for my new last name. The curtains opened with a press of a button and we had dyson blow dryers. It was the most perfect and luxurious start to our honeymoon.

After such a long travel day, the first thing we had to do was shower and try on our new robes (that we got to keep by the way). We tried to rest as best we could before our first thing on the itinerary. At 3, we made our way down the street and through another gorgeous park to Buckingham Palace where we would have a tour of the west wing. We weren’t allowed to take any photos inside the palace but it was beautiful. We were led through sitting rooms, the throne room, galleries, and more. It is such a unique experience to be where history takes place. For me, it’s honestly hard to fathom. We were in a place where so many decisions had been made, where people who sometimes feel like story book characters existed.

When our tour wrapped up, we decided to walk to our dinner reservation. We made our way back through Belgravia, stopping at Eccleston yards for a Photo Booth picture. Our restaurant was in Chelsea by the Albert Bridge. No. Fifty Cheyenne (https://fiftycheyne.com) was our designated stop for the infamous beef wellington. The restaurant was quaint with lit candlestick and white tablecloths. We started with “White Crab Thermidor Soufflé with melted white onions and lobster bisque sauce” and it was delicious. Pre arrival of our dinner, the chef came out with the beef Wellington to show it to us before he split it open. Beef Wellington is everything you expect it to be, beef wrapped in prosciutto and mushrooms and other layer of pastry. The dish was also served with Swiss chard and truffle creamed potatoes. At the end of dinner, I got a decaf coffee and the restaurant treated us to chocolate truffles with a happy honeymoon written in chocolate.

Day 2:

Our goal was to wake up and get the breakfast at the hotel… that didn’t happen. We slept in pretty late, but just in time for our lunch reservation at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. (https://ye-olde-cheshire-cheese.co.uk) You absolutely don’t need a reservation for lunch at this pub, but I wasn’t taking any risks when this was the most recommended thing to do in London by everyone. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is one of the most famous pubs in the world, the 17th century chophouse was reopened in 1666 after a fire and was a prominent spot for many literary figures like, Dr Samuel Johnson, Mark Twain, W.B. Yeats and Charles Dickens, who even featured it in his novel A Tale of Two Cities. Our reservation was for opening time, so we had a room to ourselves. They put us right next to a fire that crackled and popped, transferring us to the past. It felt as if we were a part of a story, there was a magic to it that I can’t explain. Colby had the fish and chips (which were amazing) and I had the “Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Famous Steak & kidney Suet Pudding” which was not really for me but I was being adventurous.

After finishing there, we walked down Fleet Street. We passed the Royal Courts of Justice and decided it seemed too interesting to pass by. I don’t think we were allowed to take any photos inside but it felt like Hogwarts (surely that’s what every American says describing anything in the uk.) Colby really enjoyed this stop. The surrounding area was really beautiful and I wouldn’t mind staying in that area next time we visited.

Next on our list was Covent Garden, which as you could image was crazy busy with the start of the holiday season. There were street performers, pop ups, and so many people. The food smelled delicious here. Another time, we will be back to try the pizza/flatbread place we saw. We popped into a few places but ultimately it was a little too crowded for our taste. Around this area, there are a lot of spots that are said to be inspiration for parts of Harry Potter, so we walked around to see those. We ended up on a street called “New Row” that had multi-cultural cuisines. I had always wanted to try the Portuguese pastries, so we popped into Santa Nata for one. I am still dreaming about it, it was one of the best things I have ever had.

Most of our time in London, was just slight seeing. We love to walk around and just take it all in. We may have done too much walking because we were exhausted every night. We spent the afternoon going into antique stores and just taking it all in. (Cecil Court for Antique stores)

Our next stop was highly anticipated, the 007 pop-up bar at Burlington Arcade. Burlington Arcade was a beautiful spot on its own, their Christmas decorations were gorgeous. The 007 bar was tucked away in a small store front. We sat at a booth in a gilded room and had a glass of champagne and a martini. Everything was Bond from the wall decor to the bathroom. Upstairs, there was a gift shop where we got a few gifts for my dad who is a huge James Bond fan.

Post cocktails, I needed a pick-me-up, so we headed to the Ralph’s Coffee shop on Bond Street. I was so excited about this because I love the Ralph’s in New York. I got their gingerbread latte and then we headed back to the hotel before it started to rain.

For dinner, we had reservations at Margot. (https://www.margotrestaurant.com) Initially I booked this restaurant because of their Dachshund logo and found it from watching one of Lydia Millen’s vlogs. It turned out to be one of our favorites of the whole trip. We started with the beef carpaccio topped with shaved truffles as well as cocktails. Colby’s old fashioned came with an ice cube with a weenie dog on it. I ordered the “TORTELLI DI ZUCCA” which was Pumpkin tortellini with brown butter, sage, coffee and amaretti. Colby had the “PETTO D’ANATRA” or Duck breast with beetroots, pickled blackberry, honey and lavender glaze. For dessert we had TORTA AL CIOCCOLATO a d another chocolate glazed happy honeymoon plate.

Day 3:

Once again, we (I) slept through the intended breakfast plan, but my sweet husband surprised me with room service breakfast all ready to go when I woke up. We had English breakfast tea, cheeses, meats, fruits, croissants, jam, and more. We sat in our new robes and enjoyed all of the pastries while we eased into the morning. Our original plan was to go see the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace but we were late. Lucky for us, it worked out because we had no idea how busy it would be and we wouldn’t have seen anything. As we passed by the now dying down crowds, we were glad we ultimately missed this activity.

Next on the list was West Minster Abbey, which we had been gifted tickets to as a wedding present. We opted for the narrated tour and we loved it. It was so beautiful and so full of history. At the end of the tour we saw another tour, The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, that would take you to the top and be able to see another collection, so we opted for that. Unfortunately we couldn’t take any photos, but it is worth it if you go.

I have a bad habit of trying to squeeze a lot of things into a trip and I accidentally overloaded this day. We walked to the London bridge with the idea that we would go on the London eye, but the closer we got the less we wanted to go up. So we kept walking. We walked all the way to borough market. Where we tried a sausage roll, Turkish delight, and cake covered in custard. Now crunching time, we quickly took a car to Camden Passage for an antique market. They had tea cups and prints and jewelry. It is only open certain days of the week but I definitely recommend it if you’re an antique lover. At this point, Colby was hungry for a real meal and not just snacks, so we headed into Marylebone for asian food. I didn’t get any photos and I don’t remember the name of the place, but it was really good. When we walked outside, we realized there must be something happening tonight because we could hear lots of people and Christmas music. We walked over to Daunt books and realized there was a whole block party happening. It was lovely. All the stores were decorated and a choir was singing. It was a fun little surprise.

Our last stop of the night was Harrods. Just a heads up, it stays packed especially in the holiday season. We browsed the holiday section and the tech section and then made our way to their food hall for dinner. We ate at Dim Sum by China Tang. It was really good but we could’ve had bigger portions. This day wore us out and it was bad planning on my part but we learned our lesson. We finished the night with room service French fries in bed.

Day 4:

This was our last full day in London. Time was just flying by. I let Colby sleep in since I made him do too many things the day before and I went down to the lobby for a coffee and a croissant. Today’s agenda was starting with walking through Marylebone and Mayfair. Mayfair was beautiful and had gorgeous town homes. We didn’t have much of a plan this day and were justing taking things as they came. We decided to stop in a place called Côte for lunch. I had a take on crab avocado toast and Colby had the pork belly. It was really lovely and a nice surprise. We then popped into a chocolate shop/bakery I have followed for a while called marchesi where we got coffee and some chocolates to-go.

After a short refresh at the hotel we headed to the tube to take us to Hampstead. The tube was actually fairly easy to navigate and we were wishing we had used it the day prior. Hampstead is beautifully. It’s a quaint neighborhood outside of London with houses covered in ivy, pubs, and nature trails. We went down one of the nature trails but it quickly got dark and headed back. We had wanted to eat at the Holly Bush but they weren’t serving food when we arrived and we were too hungry to wait. So we headed to The Old White Bear. We had such a good time at this pub, Colby got a beer and I got a hot cider. We called it an early night, finishing our dinner by 6:30 and headed back to the hotel… Ending the London portion of our trip.

Day 5:

We were so sad to be leaving London, but we could not wait to get to Edinburgh! We took the LNER 8 am train from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverly station. Upgrading to first class was a great decision, because you get access to their lounge pre-train ride as well as extra room and an included meal on the train. Colby opted for the sausage roll while I went for the traditional English breakfast with pudding, beans, and all. And honestly I liked it. I could eat beans with breakfast no problem. The ride was about four hours but it wasn’t bad because it was so scenic. I loved seeing the ocean and coastal towns as we passed through. When we arrived to Edinburgh, we called a cab (using the app citycabs) and made our way to our hotel, Hotel Roseate.

The hotel was so quaint but next time I would stay in Old Town for convenience. It was a little further from the action than I wanted to be.

Upon arrival, we were shown to our room while they prepared our afternoon tea. All of the little sandwiches were so good and I definitely have a scone addiction now. We allowed ourselves a slow day relaxing at the hotel to recuperate from traveling.

For dinner, we headed to the castle or next door to the castle to eat at the infamous Witchery.

The Witchery’s name comes from all the witches burned at the stake at this location. They have two dining rooms and we chose the original dining room. It was everything you would expect from historic Scotland, dark woods, tall burning candles, baroque decor, and timeless elegance. We started with the aged scotch beef tartare. Colby and I both ordered the LOIN OF GLENFESHIE ESTATE RED DEER. For dessert we finished with a decaf coffee and tart tatin with custard. After dinner, we finished our night with a little stroll through old town and past the Christmas market.

Day 6:

As the trip progressed, the later and later we slept in. We should have utilized transportation more throughout the trip instead of walking everywhere but we liked the walking. Note that Edinburgh is a city of stairs and a lot of walking. Our day started out on the royal mile. We just wanted to get our bearings and take it all in. First on the list was Milkman coffee. The iconic coffee shop sits on Cockburn street as a clear indicator of Jk Rowlings inspiration. There are actually two locations, both on that street. Being the opening weekend of the Edinburgh Christmas market, the line was quite long but definitely worth it.

We continued to pop around and take it all in. We stopped in a beautiful art market called Tron Kirk Market that is put on by the Scottish Design Exchange. The medieval style building was full of local vendors and amazing art. We bought a few little paintings for family members as well as one for ourselves. The best souvenir is local art because not only is it unique and special but it supports local artists.

It was a lovely sunny day which apparently is not frequent this time of year. We walked into lots of shops, listened to the bagpipers on the street, and just wandered. Our wandering took us to Greyfriars Bobby, a statue of a terrier who waited at his owners grave for fourteen years until he died. When you visit the statue, you rub his nose a d let him know he was a good boy. Right behind the statue is Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetery. This graveyard not only is beautiful but holds the graves that inspired McGonagall and Voldemort.

Next on the agenda was afternoon tea at the Edinburgh Castle. The castle is a must when you visit. We didn’t have time to go into every part but the view alone is worth it. At afternoon tea we enjoyed coronation chicken sandwiches, bruschetta, smoked salmon, macarons, scones, and more.

By 4 pm the sun was already setting. We continued our stroll through the city down Victoria street. It was so lovely! The colors of the buildings were so vibrant at dusk with the warmth of light peering through the windows as the sun went down. At this point, we were so cold., so we popped into a Swedish store to get hats and gloves and then headed to Uplands Roast for their famous hot chocolate. It was so delicious, very rich, but delicious.

Our original plan for dinner was to just pop around the Christmas market but after an hour of wandering the market and the mass of people, we decided sitting would be nice. Something to note is we thought it would be more shopping, but the market is mostly food and drinks. A friend had recommended Cannonball for a nice dinner so we headed there. We ordered the haggis cannonballs to start which were not bad. Haggis seems very similar to boudin. For dessert we had the chocolate cannonball and I was in heaven.

Day 7:

The day prior wiped us out. We didn’t leave the hotel until right before our lunch reservation at The Spence at The Gleneagles Townhouse for a Sunday roast. Wow, I can’t even begin to describe how beautiful this hotel and restaurant were. Next time we visit, this is where we will stay.

We started our meal with a hot latte and some tea. At The Spence, they had two options for the roast, you could either get the pork or beef option. Colby opted for the pork and I got the beef so we could both try each. Served with the roast is roasted carrots, Yorkshire pudding, and yummy delicious cheesy cauliflower. We loved this meal. If you love southern cooking, you will like Scottish meals. Post lunch, we continued to wander Old Town. We stopped by the School of Divinity, the Red Door gallery, W. Armstrong and Son, and Armchair Books. I was really hoping to find an early print of Tolkien, but the only thing I found wasn’t in great condition. Before heading to the hotel to rest for a bit, we popped into Waterstones (the uk version of barnes and noble) to grab a warm drink. The view from their cafe is one of the best views of the castle. I bought the Uk version of Stephanie Garber’s Spectacular and then we headed to the hotel for an afternoon nap.

After a time of recovery, we made our way to The Dome for Christmas drinks. The Dome has the most amazing Christmas decor I have ever seen. It is a must see for the holiday lover. We knew we wanted to eat at a pub for dinner, so while we decided on a spot we walked back through the christmas market to get Colby a beer and a spiked hot chocolate for myself.

We landed on The Beehive Inn for dinner. Colby was craving more fish and chips and I had a duck dish.

Day 8:

After having a coffee from one of the Milkman’s, I knew I had to go to the other. Our mission today was to find some christmas gifts for our family. We continued to wander Old Town. After walking back up to the castle, we popped into one of the big tourists shops to invest in some quality cashmere and tweed.

For lunch, Colby picked a quaint little cafe called Zebra Coffee co. where we enjoyed coffee and tea of course, as well as, smoked salmon toast, French toast, and a sausage roll. This was actually one of Colby’s favorites from the whole trip.

Our afternoon was designated to art. We visited the national gallery, which I highly recommend. I loved seeing not only some of the big names but some uniquely Scottish art. From there we went to the portrait gallery and if I’m being honest I didn’t care for it. The art there just wasn’t my thing.

At this point, we had time to spare before our dinner reservation, so we found a cool bar called Nightcap Bar. Not only were our drinks great, but the table was heated! I had never seen anything like it. We were so excited for our dinner this night. We found the restaurant from instagram. Noto is nyc inspired, asian fusion, shared plate restaurant with a Michelin star. We had the North Sea crab with sourdough, the beef tartar with black garlic and crumpet, chicken yakitori, and pork belly bo ssam. Just typing about it has me reliving how amazing these dishes were. I could eat the crab every single day.

Day 9:

Bright and early we headed to the train station back to London. Unfortunately our train was delayed and we arrived almost two hours later than intended. We had a driver pick us up at London Kings Cross and drive us to Cliveden House. Our driver was amazing. He had the most amazing accent and entertained us with stories the whole drive.

The drive through the English country side was so beautiful. The fall colors were at their height and leaves scattered the forest floor. When we arrived at Cliveden House we were in awe. Cliveden House was built in 1666 by a duke as a hunting lodge. Not only was the service impeccable, but the hotel was stunning and felt like you were transported back in time. They took our luggage and we headed straight to afternoon tea. It was so beautiful. It was by far our favorite afternoon tea we went to. The sausage rolls and the smoked salmon sandwiches were divine. Post tea, they escorted us to our suite, the Westminster suite. It was crazy to think that we slept where people in history had slept.

For dinner, we grabbed something light at the hotel and had an early night in.

Day 10:

The next morning, I was woken up by the beautiful morning light shining through the window. The estate was covered in frost and I knew I needed to get out and explore. I let Coby sleep in while I took in the beauty of morning in the countryside. I walked all around the property as the golden light brought it to life.

When Colby woke up we headed to the most beautiful breakfast I have ever seen. We didn’t leave until noon, but we tried to soak it all in while we could.

We truly loved every minute of our time in the UK and can’t wait to take another trip back.