Style by Three

Hello everyone! Today I bring you a different post from the usual. We never really write long posts because we are mainly a fashion blog, so we usually want to focus on the pictures and the style, and to be honest since we are not fashion experts there is not a lot to write about when it comes to inspiration pictures. Since I love travelling, I decided to start writing occasionally some posts about trips I have had. Although I am not much of a writer and I am always too lazy to take pictures all the time when I travel (I know it's counter-intuitive considering I have a blog), I will try to do my best to tell a little about some places I've been to and show you some of the pictures.

This year I haven’t been travelling much, well considering that by this time last year, when I was living in Paris, I had already gone to Vienna, Barcelona, Tenerife, Rome, Ischia, London, Istanbul, Amsterdam and Bali. But last week I was in London for a few days, so I will talk about it today. I lived in London for one year in 2011, so it always feels like I’ve never left whenever I go back. Last year, I was often travelling back forth between Paris and London with the Eurostar, so I always felt like I had the best of both worlds. I had the charm and beauty of Paris and the excitement and vibrance of London. Many people ask me often: “so what did you prefer, Paris or London?” It’s a difficult question to answer. When I was in Paris I always said London (you know, the grass is always greener), I love big and fast-moving cities, and London certainly has this, although deep down I sighed every single time I walked through the city, especially when I lived in the beautiful 16ème, near the Champs-Élysées. Don’t get me wrong, London is beautiful as well, it has its own typically English elegance, a different charm from Paris, less obvious, but charming nonetheless. You also live a different life in each city, in Paris it’s more about having a nice glass of wine in a cafe with some friends or walking calmly around the city. In London it’s more superficial, there is no time to stop and breathe, everything is happening at once: work, a diner, a drink, a party, a club, a barbecue, a walk in the park, a coffee, a friend meeting, and you’re jumping around in the tube for 40 minutes to get to the other side of the city, walking for another 20 minutes or getting a cab because you’re already late. It wakes you up and makes you remember that you are young and alive. It shows you the different ways you can live your life, whether it’s a posh-club-going life in South Kensington (West end), or a more alternative-hipster life in Shoreditch (East end), or everything else in-between. To be honest, when I lived in London I always preferred the West end, I like dressing up (as you can see in the blog), I like the posh clubs, the nice restaurants, etc. So this last trip I had in London was interesting as I spent a lot of time in London’s East end, much more than when I lived there, partly because my friend’s place was in this area.

I stayed at Adele’s place, a good friend from my Uni in Paris. She lived near Angel, a really nice area where you can find some of the best places to eat brunch. The weather was amazing at around 25°- 30° C during the day. I was quite lucky considering this usually only happens once a year.

I arrived on Thursday afternoon, went for lunch with a friend at Carluccio’s, an Italian restaurant chain, and had as usual the Tortelloni di Cervo and the Tiramisù. As you might know, the British aren’t very well known for their wonderful traditional dishes, except fish & chips, so I don’t really make the effort to go to traditional English restaurants when I’m in London, although on the other hand it does offer some of the best restaurants in the world. I later met some old friends from University and went for some drinks near Regent's Canal, which is quite lovely.

Regent's Canal

Friday I went for lunch with some friends, some shopping around Oxford Circus, and later at night went to (another) Italian restaurant, Dolcetto, where I had an amazing Pizza and Tiramisù. I was with two Italians, two Germans, and a Bulgarian, so it was bit of a mixed group, as is usual in London. Later we went to some bars in Shoreditch.

Saturday I first went to brunch with Adele around her place, then went to a barbecue around Islington, and then went to meet Maureen, a friend from Canada who I worked with in my last internship in Paris, in Covent Garden for some shopping. Later I met a friend from Germany Nina, who I hadn’t seen in over a year, and we went for a drink at Dean Street Townhouse on outside part, and then headed to Burger & Lobster. We both had the Lobster with the garlic butter sauce, and I must say it was truly amazing! Although I would’ve liked to have tried the burger, I’ll save it for next time.

Burger and Lobster

After searching a cab for half an hour, we finally caught one and headed to Shoreditch House, a private members club, built over the top three floors of a converted East London warehouse. The cocktails were great and so were the ambiance and the view. It had a rooftop terrace with a pool, which is perfect for the (rare) warm days in London. We met a mixed group of people that included Australian, Swedish, Canadian and Austrian, who were all going together to the Burning Man festival in the U.S. later in August. We ended the night going to some house parties around the area.

Shoreditch House View

Shoreditch House

Sunday I went with Adele and Marina to another barbecue at a rooftop in Brick Lane. When the weather is good in London your weekends are mostly spent in barbecues and parks. It was great to walk around Brick Lane as it is always so lively on Sundays. The rooftop had a great view over the city and it was great to be outside in the sun. Afterwards I went with Adele for drinks (again) at Regent's Canal in Islington, and we had a nice walk along the water. Having lived next to the Ocean most of my life I always feel a bit suffocated when it is warm and I don’t have any water around, so it’s always nice to be near the water on hot days (however dirty they may be).

Adele, Me, Marina at rooftop in Brick Lane

Monday I spent most of the day helping my friend pack, since she was leaving her apartment. We went to leave her bags at the new place some friends, which was on the 14^th floor, and needless to say it had a breathtaking view over London. I saw many amazing views in London during this trip, but this one definitely topped them all.  We later went to celebrate Adele’s birthday in a Brazilian restaurant and ended the night by walking home along the canal, which was quite a beautiful walk and nice way to end my trip.

Unfortunately I don’t have many pictures to show you from this trip as I didn’t bring my Canon because my luggage was too small, and even with my phone I never remembered to take photos, which I now regret of course. I always do this and I always regret not taking more pictures.

View from 14th floor

Overall, I had a great time in London, I went to places I had never been to before, which is something I love about this city. I caught up with friends I hadn't seen in a long time, and was glad to see that some things never change.

Cate