As you many know, two weeks ago I finally completed my
Masters’ degree and handed in my dissertation. It’s something I’ve been working
on all Summer and I feel so relieved, but admittedly slightly lost, now this
huge part of my life has been completed. I celebrated the end of this chapter
in my life by heading to Southampton and London for a weekend and although I
documented a lot of it on Instagram, I wanted to share some of my highlights in
a more detailed post.

As soon as I had handed in my dissertation, I headed
briefly to Southampton for dinner and drinks – I didn’t get much of a chance to
explore but I loved the docks and would definitely recommend Banana Wharf if you are looking for somewhere for a special meal. For breakfast, I had a huge and delicious ice-cream from Sprinkles, then I travelled to London
for the weekend. I loved having the time to play tourist and explore some
places I’ve been wanting to visit for a long time. Cocktails at the Aqua Shard bar were definitely a highlight; I’ve been ticking off my panoramic skylines
throughout the world and although I have headed to the top of tall buildings in
to New York, Paris and Rome, I hadn’t yet got a chance to get a good view of
London’s skyline. The Aqua Shard is free entry, as opposed to the £30.95 fee to
get to the top of The Shard, although if you want to drink, a cocktail is a
pricey £16, plus a service charge. However, the views were incredible, particularly at sunset and I
loved admiring the skyline as I sipped on a luxurious cocktail.

The following day, I spent most of my time in Shoreditch,
pretending to be hipster and trying out some places I’ve wanted to visit for a
while. First on my list was The Blues Kitchen, an American blues restaurant known for its food and fun events. I chose the Pig ‘n’ Biscuits
for brunch, which you can see above, and it was amazing; pulled pork, eggs, hollandaise and bacon bits on top of
traditional Southern ‘biscuits,’ a scone-like base for the perfectly cooked eggs and delicious pulled pork. Then, I headed to a rather
unique café; the London Cat Village. Now, I am most definitely a
dog person and if a puppy café ever opens, I will be the first one there.
However, I actually surprised myself by how much I enjoyed the cat café. For
£4, I got to spend an hour playing with cats and I have honestly never felt
more relaxed. There were a huge variety of cats and even adorable kittens, and
every animal was alert, friendly and loving the attention. I’ve spent the last
few weeks showing everyone I can the huge amount of photos I took on my phone
and if you head to London for the day, I would definitely recommend it as a fun and relaxed
thing to do.

I recently discovered the YPlan app, which is great for
seeing what’s on in London that evening, the following day, or at the weekend.
London is so huge that I can often find it so overwhelming I end up doing
things I could do anywhere, like heading to a chain for lunch or shopping.
Thanks to YPlan, I not only discovered the London Cat Village but I found out
that the London Festival of Heat was on and I headed there for a taste of
chilli and culture. Although it was frankly overpriced for a food market at £8,
as it would have certainly been free up North, I still enjoyed myself and had
fun challenging myself to try the hottest sauces on offer (in as small a
quantity as possible of course). Now, whenever I head to London, I know to
check YPlan to see what’s on and make the most of my time there.

I really enjoyed my weekend in London and having the time
to explore the city. I packed so much more in than I was expecting and I can’t
wait to carry on making the most of the capital whilst I work there part-time
and get used to the commuter life. I love UK city breaks for a weekend of travel without the need to hop on a plane and I’m excited to share my recent weekend in Birmingham with you all too!

Where would you recommend to visit in London?