People watching is my thing. Always has been. Put a hot drink in my hand, seat me somewhere comfortable and away I go. If there’s one place to do it, it’s London. It’s one of the biggest reasons why the capital is my kind of city. Go back five or six years; it was the place I called home. I do miss living there; the buzz, the shopping, the vast choice of places to eat. I could go on. Now, I probably spend three or four weekends down there a year. As you know, I’m a Yorkshire girl but London holds a special place in my heart.

When I know I am heading down for a long weekend, I get really excited and love to plan ahead so that I make the absolute most of my time there. Planning my outfits is one aspect of the excitement. As lots of walking is involved, shoes tend to be chosen on a comfort level rather than a trend level (or my boyfriend gets annoyed when I start to moan about my feet hurting). My trusty black loafers came with me this weekend, As it’s only September, a fully covered shoe or boot wasn’t required and so a loafer was perfect . You’ll perhaps know from last weekend’s blog that I’m quite a fan. I’ve discovered over the years, especially during the Autumn/Winter months, when it comes to choosing what’s best to take with me, it’s all about layering. Hardly rocket science but I’ve surprisingly only recently started to think about layers whilst packing. It must be a thing you start to focus on when you hit 30.

When I visit London, I tend to stay at a friend’s in Orpington, Kent. You might wonder why I don’t stay in a hotel but it’s only 22 minutes into central on the fast train, so it makes financial sense. And because I can’t just nip back to the room to grab my coat or change my shoes, I have to make the right decision in the first place.

This weekend’s trip was organised around the Bermondsey Street Festival. I went last year and it was so much fun that I wanted to do it again.

The street is lined with stalls full of fashion, candles, flowers, vintage pieces and of course, food and drink. A big group of friends descended on Bermondsey Square, loaded with Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, Gordons and Fever Tree. With the live music blasting, we were set for a fun-filled afternoon.

By 9pm it was time to move on to the champagne. Within our group of friends, one of the parents owns a building close to The Shard and so on both occasions a short rooftop party has been injected into our adventures. Most of us are taking photos, whilst trying not to spill any bubbles, as the views up there are just amazing. To one side we see people going about their Saturday nights in their penthouses (last night there was a teenager practising his magic trick performance – this is not a euphemism!) whilst to the other side we have the magnificent Shard in all its glory with London Bridge station below. What a place!

Sundays are always a more chilled affair, no matter where you are. A day for comfort food and cuddles. When I finally rose from my pit this morning, four of us made our way to Borough Market to feast on something wonderful. But wait. It’s Sunday. Borough Market isn’t open on Sundays. Error. Thankfully there were three or four stalls serving food to the other ‘tourists’ who had made the same mistake. I’d said on our way there that I fancied something cheesy and hot and I definitely got what I asked for, with some pulled pork thrown in for good measure.

The next time I’ll be visiting London will be in late November for one hell of a Christmas party. There will 100% be a blog post on that weekend. For now, I need to focus on eating less this week as I feel like I’ve put on a couple of pounds! That’s what trips away are all about though.

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog. Where is your favourite place to go when you visit London? Maybe I can include it in my next trip.

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Until next time… Natalie x