 |
| Classic Telephone Booth Photo Op outside of the British Museum London, England January 2018 - courtesy of Mashi Scanlan |
A little bit of my personal travel history: I had never been to Europe until June 2015 and I had only very limited experience with international travel until that time. All other trips prior to that were family road trips (5 of us jammed into a car with me reading for hours on end) to close destinations such as San Francisco and Las Vegas. My limited experience with international travel consisted of two trips to Toronto as a child, an afternoon visiting Tijuana with my family as a child, and a trip to Jamaica in 2011. Since 2015 most of my international travel has been in tandem with Mashi's work schedule. Thus, he flies somewhere internationally for business, and I join him a few days later for vacation. These upcoming trips were going to be different - although there would be pockets of vacation time with Mashi, I would be exploring these cities on my own for the most part.
This trip to London was from January 26-30, 2018. This visit was much shorter than my nearly week long stay in August 2017. I took this opportunity to explore places that I did not hit up during my initial trip (which was filled with many touristy stops - Abbey Road, Sherlock Holmes's house, Kings Cross, Buckingham Palace, etc.). Despite this extra time in London, there are still so many things to see and hopefully, someday, I'll get an opportunity to return.
England is the country of all things Harry Potter and the Beatles; however, it is also the country of amazing museums with free admission (donations are strongly encouraged). I decided to take full advantage of this while Mashi worked GP London. After landing, I recharged and dealt with jetlag the first two days. I visited the ExCel Convention Center to spend some time at GP London. Although I decided to seize this opportunity to see the world, it was equally important to me to spend time with Mashi and experience his life on the road firsthand. It was an awesome ride because not only did I see Mashi in action but I met people (and magic players & judges) from all over the world.
Getting Cultured at the National Portrait Gallery and National Gallery
After doing some research and polling amongst some awesome English Magic judges, I decided that I would hit up the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery on this trip and save the rest for future trips (Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Natural History, etc.). The Galleries are funded by the Royal Family and admission is free. Both Galleries are located next to each other in Trafalgar Square. I figured I would kill two birds with one stone - go to both museums and see the square. I am a lover of art and one of my favorite artist is the bad boy of Renaissance art, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Since I started traveling internationally a few years ago, I like to try to see as many Caravaggios as I can and take selfies with them. This trip was no exception and I could achieve my goals at The National Gallery.
After jumping out of my uber, I stumbled upon the National Portrait Gallery first. My main focus was the National Gallery itself (for the Caravaggios and then some) but I enjoyed my time going through the Portrait Gallery as well. It was quite packed when I arrived in the early afternoon. The Portrait Gallery contains portraits of more contemporary British icons (members of the Royal Family and the Beatles) but also historical ones (Shakespeare and Jane Austen). It was a fun experience and served as the perfect visual appetizer to the National Gallery.
After having my fill of the portraits, I ambled across the way to have some lunch (and wine of course) and take in all the art offered at the National Gallery. To date the National Gallery has been one of my favorite museum experiences because of the excellent audio guide and the outstanding selection of work from so many artists throughout many different periods of art history. We are talking about several works from Van Gogh (one of the most crowded areas), Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Degas, and the list goes on. I only had a few hours in the museum but I wish I spent all day there.
I stayed until closing time and was herded out to the square by security. Trafalgar Square was still teeming with tourists that evening. It's a beautiful and busy square that houses Britain's smallest police station (you can spot it by facing the street from the steps of the Gallery and look towards your left). It has also been the site for many protests through out history.
British Museum - Mummies and Teatime
After GP London ended, Mashi had one free day in London with me - we took this opportunity to sightsee and eat Indian food together. Since we were both fascinated with ancient Egypt as children (who am I kidding? we are still fascinated), we decided to visit the British Museum for the Egyptian art and mummies.
Upon entering the British Museum, Mashi and I took in the glorious rotunda. Unfortunately, I was so stunned at how beautiful it was I did not get a picture. The rotunda allows all the natural light to come in and light up the center of the museum. We took in the beautiful atmosphere with some delicious eats and drinks at the Court Restaurant. Mashi loves tea time and so he indulged in some afternoon tea service available at the restaurant.
England is the country of all things Harry Potter and the Beatles; however, it is also the country of amazing museums with free admission (donations are strongly encouraged). I decided to take full advantage of this while Mashi worked GP London. After landing, I recharged and dealt with jetlag the first two days. I visited the ExCel Convention Center to spend some time at GP London. Although I decided to seize this opportunity to see the world, it was equally important to me to spend time with Mashi and experience his life on the road firsthand. It was an awesome ride because not only did I see Mashi in action but I met people (and magic players & judges) from all over the world.
 |
| A glimpse of GP London at the ExCel Convention Center. London, England 2018 |
 |
| Mashi & Me at the Judge Party at Aloft by ExCel London, England 2018 |
Getting Cultured at the National Portrait Gallery and National Gallery
After doing some research and polling amongst some awesome English Magic judges, I decided that I would hit up the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery on this trip and save the rest for future trips (Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Natural History, etc.). The Galleries are funded by the Royal Family and admission is free. Both Galleries are located next to each other in Trafalgar Square. I figured I would kill two birds with one stone - go to both museums and see the square. I am a lover of art and one of my favorite artist is the bad boy of Renaissance art, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Since I started traveling internationally a few years ago, I like to try to see as many Caravaggios as I can and take selfies with them. This trip was no exception and I could achieve my goals at The National Gallery.
 |
| My selfie with Caravaggio's The Supper at Emmaus The National Gallery, London, England 2018 |
 |
| Some of my favorites - Jane Austen as rendered by her sister, Princess Diana, and Paul McCartney National Portrait Gallery, London, England 2018 |
 |
| The Van Goghs on display. The National Gallery, London, England 2018 |
 |
| Trafalgar Square with The National Gallery in the background London, England 2018 |
 |
| Nelson's Column Trafalgar Square, London, England 2018 |
British Museum - Mummies and Teatime
After GP London ended, Mashi had one free day in London with me - we took this opportunity to sightsee and eat Indian food together. Since we were both fascinated with ancient Egypt as children (who am I kidding? we are still fascinated), we decided to visit the British Museum for the Egyptian art and mummies.
 |
| Ramesses II. British Museum, London, England 2018 |
 |
Tea service and cute china at the Court Restaurant.
British Museum, London, England 2018
|
The British Museum did not disappoint us. There were so many things to see - including not only all the Ancient Egyptian artifacts but also the Rosetta Stone and many other collections (Asia and Ancient Greece & Rome to name a few).
 |
| Mashi and I were not disappointed with the Egyptian artifacts. British Museum, London, England 2018 |
After spending all day getting lost among ancient relics, we headed out into the evening and enjoyed London at night.
 |
| British Museum London, England 2018 |
 |
| Inside the gates of the British Museum London, England 2018 |
Indian Food - Dishoom Part Deux
When Mashi and I visited London during our August vacation, we ate our fair share of fish and chips but we were most impressed with the Indian food. We ventured to Brick Lane to partake in as much Indian fare as we could. We also paid a visit to Dishoom. After we explored the British Museum, we window shopped and walked through London's theater district to revisit Dishoom.
Dishoom is a little bit more posh than some of the restaurants you will find along Brick Lane but the dishes are just as delicious. There are a few locations but we went to the one by England's Theater district. It was nice to stroll through London at night and then stand in line to get into Dishoom. Although there always seems to be at least a bit of a line, it moves rather quickly and they serve you tea while you wait (chai or mint - both delicious). It is worth the wait for the hip ambiance, cuisine, and cocktails.
When Mashi and I visited London during our August vacation, we ate our fair share of fish and chips but we were most impressed with the Indian food. We ventured to Brick Lane to partake in as much Indian fare as we could. We also paid a visit to Dishoom. After we explored the British Museum, we window shopped and walked through London's theater district to revisit Dishoom.
 |
| Dishoom - London, England 2018 |
Langshott Manor: Tea Time Before Gatwick
After our final day of sightseeing, we hopped in a car heading towards Gatwick to catch our flight to our next adventure in Bilbao, Spain. As always, Mashi was in search of his next tea time. Some men love golf, my man loves Earl Grey and scones. In August we had afternoon tea at Sketch in the heart of London- it was trendy and quirky. This time we opted for something different. We made a detour for some pinkies up tea time at Langshott Manor in Surrey.
This has been one of my favorite places we have had tea. It was like having tea at an English countryside cottage. Langshott Manor is a picturesque hotel with a restaurant that has an afternoon tea service. We sat in comfy armchairs by a fireside and enjoyed some scones, sandwiches, tea, and champagne. After tea we explored the grounds while we waited for our taxi. I highly recommend making a stop here if you are around Gatwick. It was the perfect way to close out our trip. Cheers!
 |
| The Minis at Langshott Manor. Surrey, England 2018 |
This has been one of my favorite places we have had tea. It was like having tea at an English countryside cottage. Langshott Manor is a picturesque hotel with a restaurant that has an afternoon tea service. We sat in comfy armchairs by a fireside and enjoyed some scones, sandwiches, tea, and champagne. After tea we explored the grounds while we waited for our taxi. I highly recommend making a stop here if you are around Gatwick. It was the perfect way to close out our trip. Cheers!
 |
| Enjoying tea inside Langshott Manor. Surrey, England 2018 |
 |
| The spread before the cakes, scones, and sandwiches arrived. |
 |
| The Minis exploring the grounds and admiring the sundial. Surrey, England 2018 |
✈️✈️✈️My next stop on the road? Spain! First stop - Bilbao, final destination - Barcelona!
