A Celebratory Weekend

Two weekends ago, Jeff and I spent some time in and around Central London. We stayed one night in a (surprise) hotel, which turned out to be The Royal Horseguards. It's located just off the Thames by the London Eye. Jeff arranged our night here as a surprise in celebration of me getting the Parliament gig. It turns out The Royal Horseguards hotel was the HQ of the Secret Service during the First World War. How awesome is that? Not only did we stay at an amazing hotel, but we also ate lots of tasty food and checked out new parts of London. What a wonderful time it was to be together.

Jeff and I in our flat before the celebratory activities began.

Confession - I had Dishoom for the first time just a few days before this. I had to share the awesomeness with Jeff!

Egg Naan Roll with the House Chai - delish.

The day was perfect with these bright blue eyes.

Lovely grounds in the back of the hotel.

View of the front of the hotel.

Front entrance of The Royal Horseguards.

Beautiful reception. The tiled floors are original.

Our room.

Television in the bathroom - a first.

 

View outside of the hotel.

After we checked into the hotel, Jeff and I then went for proper afternoon tea at Charing Cross Hotel, which is next to his office on the Strand by Trafalgar Square. I love me some scones and tea sandwiches!

Our view during tea.

Inside of the tea room.

I really like large staircases. I always think about Rose being reunited with Jack at the Grand Staircase in Titanic.

After tea, Jeff and I went back home to get Monk, and after dropping him off at a local kennel, we then headed to Soho to book a spot at Burger and Lobster for dinner later that night. Just to get our names on the waiting list,  we queued outside for about 25 minutes. Once our names were down, we then waited a little over two hours before we ate. Thankfully, they take your contact details and give you a call when you have a table. During the wait, Jeff and I walked around Soho and hung out a pub nearby called The Ship. The wait was long, but oh so worth it. When faced with the option of a burger or lobster, it will hands down be lobster every time. Delish!

Popular place.

Excited for some lobster.

I was drooling a bit at this point.

Fruit tarts from Patisserie Valerie are a weakness of mine. Jeff enjoys their tiramisu.

After a tasty breakfast at the hotel that morning, Jeff and I headed to Angel to check out some of their antique and street markets. After months and months of searching, we found a used record player for an insanely cheap price! Jeff and I had brought most of our records over when we moved, and for the past year they've collected dust. Now we are able to listen to them and the new records we have accrued since we've been in London.

Happiness.

Such a score on all of these except the Benny Golson record. It turned out to be a play-along, so there was no great saxophone. What a downer. Killer Joe is Jeff's favorite.