K&C Travel: London & Brighton

Okay….a little back story as to why we ventured to France and England this summer…..

It all began with a message from my dear friend Aileen that she was engaged and would be getting married in England….Brighton, specifically, and she hoped we could attend. A little history about Aileen… She and I met at Ole Miss when we were both pursuing a degree in fashion merchandising! She has always been a gem of a person….unique and special and just a breath of fresh air always with a vibrant smile and a glass have full attitude….in all things! We both wanted to try study abroad in another country and while there weren’t exactly any “fashion” specific programs available, after a little deep digging in the back of the files, there it was! American Intercontinental University in London, England, and the University of Mississippi had a “sort-of” relationship with them….although I’m not sure anyone had ever tried this specific program out before….haha! No problem….we were willing guinea pigs! And before anyone could really double check to make sure it would all work out, we had signed on the dotted line for a semester abroad during our junior year!

We were flatmates in the Lancaster Gate area in London just on the north side of Hyde Park. Our flat was in a predominately Middle Eastern area of London which for two girls from Mississippi was a fast track lesson in another culture! Our residence was called The Spire House, and we were awstruck by the architecture from the second we arrived! The building was originally a gothic style church. At some point it had become dilapidated, and half of it was rebuilt into very modern apartments. The look of it alone was an amazing dichotomy of two very different worlds and times! We were in love!! Plus, we had a Porter (aka a door man) that always looked out for us! We honestly thought that we had been placed there by mistake living in such a huge flat in London, but again….we didn’t ask ANY questions…haha!

Soon after graduation, Aileen was a bridesmaid in our wedding in 2002, and she moved to NYC shortly after and most recently to London. Through it all we have maintained our friendship with the occasional visit, message, or phone call, but she has always been someone very special and influential in my own life!

Adam and I started our travels in France (read about France Part One here and France Part Deux here), and then took the chunnel from Paris to London. It was so fun to be back in a city where I have such fond memories! The culture is prim and polished while completely rebellious and cool!

We stayed in a boutique hotel called Batty Langleys….beautiful antiques mixed with total kitsch! Plus, it was located close to a lot of the local sites and the Thames River! Having not been in London for almost 18 years, we thought it might be a great idea to sign up for one of the Hop On Hop Off double decker bus tours! It takes you around the entire city hitting the major sites, and you can literally jump on and jump off as you please! Well, the city was so jam packed full of tourists that traffic was crazy. It would take us about 10 minutes to travel one entire block! Plus, it was record heat in London so when you were sitting still in traffic in a bus with no air conditioning, it was almost unbearable! We decided that even if we were walking at least there would be some air movement so we hoofed it the rest of the day! And man! did we walk….we clocked almost 11 miles that day! We saw Westminster, Buckingham Palace, walked St. James’s Park, walked Hyde Park, and by that point we were gassed and totally needed sustenance!

Enter our favorite pub in all of London The Swan located on Bayswater Road on the edge of Hyde Park. We ordered a Pimm’s Cup (you have to try one if you never have!!) and a cider to start! Of course Adam had fish and chips (his favorite!), and I had the “pie of the day” which is like a pot pie with mushy peas….sounds gross but sooooo yummy!

Happy Boy! Favorite spot for fish n chips!

The restaurant was right around the corner from The Spire House where we had lived during our study abroad in London! It was too close to not pop by! The Porter buzzed us in, and when I mentioned living there 17 years ago, he said, “no, you didn’t….I would remember you! I worked here then.” When I explained that I had lived in a flat with five other girls, his response was, “OH!!!! Yes!! The American girls!!” Haha….I guess we had left an impression! This struck something in his memory because he totally remembered both Adam and me….what a fun treat!!

After that, Adam humored me with a trip down memory lane as we walked one of the routes that Aileen and I used to take to AIU London for classes. We took the route not only because it is a pretty walk along Hyde Park, but it also turns into Oxford Street which is full of shopping! (I know….I have a problem!) Then the funnies thing happened….I thought I was losing my mind. We arrived where our school had been….and it wasn’t there….literally! The block had been transformed into retail and apartments and my school was gone! Kind of sad but we learned that it had been absorbed by another college and had moved locations.

By this point we were exhausted so we tubed it back close to our hotel for a great charcuterie platter on a patio around the corner before crashing for the night!

The morning brought what you think of typical London weather….cool and rainy! After a quick cup of coffee in the room, we hit the streets (with our umbrella!) for a little light shopping before we headed to Brighton! For the boys, the LEGO store was on the agenda, and then we hit a street market!

The train from London to Brighton was the perfect recharge to get us ready for the weekend’s wedding festivities! We checked in at the Brighton Harbour Hotel before grabbing a quick bite to eat down by the seaside! The rocky beach was so pretty, and you can tell it is a fun tourist destination for the UK!

That evening we met the wedding party and friends for drinks! It was a total reunion with a mix of sorority sisters, London friends and flatmates, NYC friends, and Adam even had a former fraternity brother there! There is nothing quite like reconnecting after so many years only to find new common ground with old friends! Plus, we made some new connections, too!

Wedding day morning, we had a quick breakfast in the hotel before hitting the town for none other than….yep!….shopping! BUT we found some real treasures in the boutiques around town and loved how walkable the old roads were in The Lanes and The North Laines shopping areas!

Before the wedding we met for drinks with a former flatmate Angie and her husband Brian! They turned out to be our wedding weekend buddies, and we had lots of fun and giggles…and dancing…and reminiscing! It was so great!

If you’ve ever attended a wedding in England, it is basically an all day affair! We arrived around 2pm to the Stanmer House outside of Brighton and were greeted with a glass of champagne to have at the ready to cheers the new couple! Oh the hats and fascinators and beautiful dresses! It was just so pretty inside the tent in the garden of the stately manor home!

We had cocktails on the lawn and took photos after the ceremony. After that we were called to a seated dinner where it was fun to meet some of Paul and Aileen’s friends sitting at our table! Again….at an English wedding there is a slightly different procedure followed. There is an order of ceremony even to the reception. The best man “hosts” the reception, and there are only a few speeches usually given by the fathers, the best man, and the maid/matron of honor as opposed to the open mic policy at most American weddings. BUT those with speeches had better bring their A-game because these speeches carry a lot of weight in this piece of the evening! And these speeches certainly did not disappoint! And the final speech was made by my dear friend Aileen because as she said, “of course I would have the last word!” 🙂 After that the dance floor was constantly filled and the music was great!

Needless to say most in our party were moving a little slower for the send off brunch the following morning! It was at a pretty little restaurant down by the beach, and the weather was beautiful and sunny! Perfect to round out such a special weekend! We visited and said our goodbyes before heading back to London for a quick evening before our flight home to the states.

AND….we couldn’t help ourselves. We had planned to eat somewhere down on the Thames River, but we ended up back at The Swan….simply our favorite London pub!

The next morning was super duper early, but we were so happy to be making our way home to our babies! It was such a wonderful summer getaway and a wonderful celebration of a great friend. We feel so blessed to have made the trip!