Setting up the pups for a day by themselves and with the neighbours being left a key, my Mr Warehouse and I hit the road ready for the big smoke. Now, normally we would hire ourselves a cottage or a cabin for the weekend at about this time of year and head out to the countryside for a bit of rest and recuperation with a chance to reflect on another year being together. However what with the wedding and Christmas, we decided to have ourselves a day trip to London to celebrate instead.
Starting our day with a cheeky trip to Camden Town, we hit up a chic and niche culture and even sampled some tasty delights of hipster North London. Unable to bring forward our Chocoholic Afternoon Tea in a top Paddington hotel, we stole a few moments in a greasy spoon cafe for a cuppa and to get out the chilly November air. As we sat and talked about our day, the conversation soon turned to the last few anniversaries and some of the memories we have had over the last half-decade. From trips and holidays to days mooching around our little starter flat - Most of it enjoyable and full of laughter.
Soon it was time to head off, across the city on the London Underground in search of our Chocoholic Afternoon Tea. After walking past the scenic Hyde Park and Serpentine, we arrived early but only after Mr Warehouse had to pull me away from a posh pet store before I nearly bought the puppies presents and overpriced treats. Stepping inside the four-star hotel, we marvelled at the marble floor and high ceilings. Nestled in the idyllic corner of Queens Garden at Paddington, the Park Grand London Paddington offered the perfect calm to outside on the busy city streets and all whilst still being in the heart of all the buzz in the capital with bustling Oxford Street and the dazzling West-end only a short distance away. As Mr Warehouse and I sat after relieving ourselves from a bathroom stop, we wondered on the clientele and the rooms, although looking at the prices of £170 per person per night it would appear it was slightly out of our normal price bracket.
Nevertheless, it was soon time to be indulged. The glorious waiter, a little Indian chap came along and offered us a choice of tea to pick from a snazzy looking box. Sitting back in the chair after he left I sighed and looked over to my Fiance. We were certainly relishing an unforgettable afternoon in London and as our decadent chocolate afternoon tea for two arrived we were perplexed when we were asked by our waiter if we would like our bubbly now or later. Confused we asked for it to be given later.
"I thought this didn't come with Champagne?" Mr Warehouse asked to which I agreed and frantically began reading through the voucher details. Nothing. Maybe they were trying to swizz us and make us pay for an overpriced bottle of plonk? despite this, however, I accepted the seemingly free glass of Prosecco.
Diving in and ignoring my Slimming World plan, our delightful afternoon was filled with delicious sweet and savoury treats. To start we had an array of freshly made finger sandwiches including a yellow, carrot infused bread and pink, beetroot infused bread, along with your standard brown and white. Inside was crammed with egg mayonnaise, chicken with bell peppers, tuna a la cucumber and cheese with houmous. More delights come on the second layer and whilst the website described the indulgent chocolate swiss roll, it was nowhere to be seen. Instead, we had two massive warmed chocolate scones, a smooth milk chocolate moose topped with berries and a slightly dry, chocolate and banana loaf bite. But, to top it all off was a cute little selection of petit fours consisting of chocolate brownies, macaroons and a mini key lime pie.
Sat in our window box seat in luxury surroundings I just simply couldn't fault the utterly wonderful service. The afternoon tea had been a scrumptious treat and all the better when the waiter came to top up our prosecco and leave the bottle on the table. Returning with I asked rather baffled if the whole bottle of Prosecco was included and to mine and Mr Warehouse's surprise he said yes! Winning! I didn't think that the voucher Miss Tweedle-Dee had got us included any booze, let alone a whole stinking bottle. Over the moon, we chin-chined our way through and by the end were a bit of a mess, stumbling out onto the streets of Paddington, half-cut and still daylight.
Honestly, everything combined was the best Afternoon tea I think I have ever had and Mr Warehouse agreed. Just impeccable.
Giggling all the way back to the tube we headed for part three, a trip to the London Dungeons. After blagging a freebie from someone in the village (all because I was too lazy to have found a two-for-the-price-of-one on the back of a cereal box somewhere) I was excited to have finally gone somewhere I have always wanted to go. Exploring the capital's most perilous past, Mr Warehouse and I were able to be fully immersed in the unique experience and able to see, hear, feel and even smell the chilling atmosphere as the characters of Ye Olde England came to life.
Starting in the year 1536 in medieval Britain, we were greeted by a gruesome Jester and taken to the basements of Parliament in the year 1605 and watched on as the actors told of Guy Fawkes and his plot to blow up the Houses where laws are passed and lives controlled (something I think many British people have thought about in recent times with Brexit looming). Onto the Torture chamber, we went to be met by a grizzly soul that informed us of certain methods used in order to obtain information.
Wandering through the darkness into 1665, Mr Warehouse and I were met by the Plague Doctor with his long pointed beak and menacing look. Taken to the "Plague House" we were sneezed on and told of the misery that would await should we come down with such an ailment. Fast forward a year and its the 2nd of September 1666. Sparks from Thomas Farriner’s bakery in Pudding Lane have set the packed timber houses of London alight and the city has become a raging inferno with the plague rats scurrying and the helpless left to burn we experienced the sites and smells of what it may be like to be stuck inside a burning building - seventeenth-century style.
"Now this was my era right here," I thought as my Date and I found ourselves in quaint surroundings, although this wasn't no dream but a nightmare as we noticed our surroundings were of Mrs Lovett's infamous pie shop. With Sweeney [Todd] upstairs in his barbershop, I was sure of our next fate on Fleet Street. Heading into the seats I could hear children screaming and crying as the dramatic settings and surroundings had become too much for their little heads, I however was loving every moment of it. Finishing up our hair
The final stop was 1783 (don't know quite where the chronology has gone but nevermind) and we were met with The Long Drop. One of the only rides that was working when we were at the Dungeons I considered not doing it, simply because had done ride like this in the past and hated them, however not wanting to look like a pussy, I sucked it up and accompanied a pompous Mr Warehouse to the coaster where an exhilarating vertical free fall drop ride awaited us.
Heading out of the establishment I was disappointed in the extortionate prices for photos, and, even though it was priceless now I look back on it, I couldn't have justified twenty-quid for a photo of Mr Warehouse looking like he was screaming his lungs out on the ride (which he was by the way). Hunger had yet to take ahold so we cancelled our further plans for dinner out and headed home to the fur-babies. Five years has seemed to slip by so easily and yet it already feels like a lifetime. I am so glad to have Mr Warehouse as my Fiance and cannot wait to be this time next year a Wifey!
'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx
No comments:
Post a Comment