As the winter drew to an end here in New York, I was ready for a much-needed vacation so I hopped on a plane at JFK, London-bound. I was excited to spend a few days there without the stress that comes with going home for Christmas when everything is crazy-busy and I made the most of the time to catch up with friends and family.

First stop was Champor-Champor, a Thai-Malay restaurant, with my friend, Sophie. We started with a delicious but really spicy papaya-tofu salad which had both our mouths on fire for about 20 minutes, followed by (luckily) less spicy main dishes which were still great – I had a sizzling steak dish and Sophie had edamame dumplings.  

I still struggle to hold back my inner tourist now I live in NYC so Sophie indulged me and we walked off our dinner via Tower Bridge which was all lit up and looking pretty awesome…

The next day was even more touristy, starting with a spot of afternoon tea. The scones (and pink champagne) were definitely the best part but I’m ashamed to say we got so full we barely made a dent in the cakes (Note to self: must train weekly to improve afternoon tea-eating stamina so I can devour it all next time – I hear Berdorf’s in NYC has a good one):

We walked off our afternoon tea by climbing the 528 steps to the top of St Paul’s Cathedral and although the sun failed to come out for us, I have no complaints about the view! London, you still have my heart, even if it’s temporarily based in NYC (New York, pretend you didn’t hear that – there’s still plenty of time for adventures with you too).

Brunch at Somerset House with some of the girls was Sunday’s activity where we enjoyed catching up over every different kind of eggs under the sun:

And then enjoyed the “Beard” exhibition afterwards – is it me or do 50% of the population of London look like this at the moment?

A great weekend in London but I also wanted to guarantee seeing the sun so me, my Mum and my sister hopped on a plane to Barcelona for a few days away. We stayed in an air BNB which was actually great and enjoyed a leisurely few days of good food, wine and sunshine (although I think we slightly overdosed on Patatas Bravas)! Here are a couple of highlights:

Me and Lulu (briefly) braving the sea at Barceloneta beach:

The outdoor escalator on our way up to Park Guell (if only they had had one of these at St Paul’s…)

We were rewarded with this view at the top:

Not sure it was quite warm enough for bare legs…

Walking around the Gothic Quarter:

All too soon we were back and it was time for Easter celebrations. I decided to bring a bit of America to our celebrations and whipped up an Easter-themed Key Lime Pie which was a roaring success. Don’t worry, we did still have hot cross buns!

And on my last day the sun did finally come out in London, showcasing the blossom in all its glory!

Bye England, you were awesome!

I have survived a slightly jet-lagged week in NYC and have been promised that the temperature and weather are onwards and upwards from here on out so watch this space for more fun activities in the sun!