Little Venice, London | TRAVEL

Hello!

"a beautiful little area in London that doesn't enough credit."

If you follow me on Instagram, you'd know of the 'mystery' blog post that has 24 pictures. "24 Pictures in ONE blog post?" I hear you say. Yes, you read that right, and this is it!

A new segment that might be somewhat of a thing on here in the future (who knows, hey?) is being introduced today. I don't know what you think of the whole Travel blog thing, and I don't actually follow any travel blogs, but it seems an interesting idea! So, I present you... Little Venice, London.

A little event was being held inside the boat - how cool?! It is also called 'The Floating Classroom', it's a pretty nice view for a student, isn't it?

These were actually the public toilets - the building looks so pretty and the potted plants on the top are just adorable!

The boats are so quirky!

I don't know why but this picture makes me think of minions...

Think they're real people? Think again.
(At first glance I thought they were real... *embarrassed emoji*)

They were such beautiful, white buildings - I couldn't get over how gorgeous it all was!

The building to the right is where our Afternoon Tea was, it's the Colonnade Hotel. See that post here.

Finally, on the way back home we spotted this little shadow figure in the underground station. It's Sherlock Homes... guess the station!

Little Venice is a beautiful little area in London that doesn't enough credit. So, if you are in London, and the weather is nice, then definitely pop by the canal in Little Venice (we went to Warwick Avenue Station and made our way).

So tell me, are there any places you've been to that doesn't get enough credit? Also, what do you think of the travel series? 

Afternoon Tea in London: The Knightsbridge Garden Hotel

Hello!

"I was a little disappointed as all they really needed was to stock up on the Twinings"

Living in London my whole life and never gone out for 'Afternoon Tea' - a disgrace? Quite possibly. Well, this is no longer a valid statement as last weekend, I did go out for Afternoon Tea and I can honestly say, I'd do it again.

"a pleasant mix of sweet and savoury to mix and match, and not get too sick of the same flavour"

Take the train to Knightsbridge and a mere 5 minutes walk later, pass the beautiful buildings and a huge poster of Cara Delevingne on the wall of Burberry, you see a white shop which looks calm around the hustle and bustle of the christmas shoppers on the high street. You enter into a room of utter silence. The wooden floors give a natural vibe and the monochrome outfits of the waiters suggest an ordered environment. After being taken to the room, you choose your table and are given an option: Champagne or Juice. From the picture above you can tell, I chose the latter.

"a cake stand with food and a cup of tea - alongside chatting with good company, it was a great day"

The juice tasted something poured out of a Tesco Value carton - not exactly the best thing in the world, but that's okay. The main beverage of the day was the tea, of course. Given a tea menu and asked to make a selection - I didn't know what to choose. Going with a friend meant you could choose and share more than one type of tea, as each order meant an entire teapot of the flavour. She went with English Breakfast and I felt something a little different: How about the Pomegranate White Tea, I asked. A little while later the waitress returned and said they're out. I was a little disappointed as all they really needed was to stock up on the Twinings tea bags, as that is what they used. Earl Grey it is, then, I responded. 

"jam and butter on the side of the scones was a nice touch"

Out came the cake stand with one layer of sandwiches, one of cakes and bakes, and of course a layer of the traditional scones. It was nice to share as it meant getting a bit of everything without having to finish it all and be extremely full! There was a pleasant mix of sweet and savoury to mix and match, and not get too sick of the same flavour. My favourite of them all was the brownie - dense and full of flavour. 

"never gone out for 'Afternoon Tea' - a disgrace? Quite possibly."

A nice little table on the side, with a view of the high street, a cake stand with food and a cup of tea - alongside chatting with good company, it was a great day. Overall, it was pretty simple, with regular service to see if there was anything else we wanted, and the atmosphere being calm, relaxing and just lovely.

"I did go out for Afternoon Tea and I can honestly say, I'd do it again"

Unfortunately my earl grey tasted extremely lemony, possibly because the previous tea in the teapot must have been lemon flavoured and not washed off properly. That tea was undrinkable, but due to an entire teapot being given with each order, we shared the English Breakfast, with still some to spare.
The jam and butter on the side of the scones was a nice touch, meaning we didn't have to ask for anything more.

On the whole, a lovely experience, a relaxing atmosphere and a nice area in London. Although I wouldn't go to the same place again, simply to visit new places. Would I go out for Afternoon Tea again? Most definitely!

Tell me, is Afternoon Tea something you formally have everyday, or do you grab a quick snack if you feel a bit peckish?

BerryWeekly: A Day At London Zoo

 Hello!

' Having never heard of these unusual creatures, I was intrigued. I must say, they had amazing legs!'

With the amazing weather in England at the moment, what better place to go to than the.. you guessed it.. ZOO! London Zoo has been known as the kindergarden trip - and that was the last time I had gone. Fast forward a couple of years and here we are again! 

'He was (to my surprise) very big and that cage was just too small'

First up was the Aquarium and Reptile House... neither of which I got good photos of (the lighting in those things is not good!), and didn't interest me too much. You probably didn't know this about me but I used to be a goldfish owner - but that and looking for 'Dori' fishes were as far as my interests went with the Aquarium! The Gorillas, however, were much more 'up my alley'. 

Seeing the gorilla in the cage like this made me sad. Poor Kumbuka didn't look too happy and I wish I could have set him free. He was (to my surprise) very big and that cage was just too small. He would only need to take about 8 steps and he's done the perimeter of the room. Though, it's quite cute that Mjukuu had a little crush on Kumbuka!

Llamas! Did you watch 'Zoey 101' and remember that episode with the llama?! 

Seeing these were pretty cool and later I spot them on a walk with a zookeeper around the zoo. Be aware: they smell... A LOT. 

Donkey's also smell. But they're super cute! Oh, and this camel had a loopy hump - didn't even know that was possible!

'If you've seen the 'compare the market .com' advert, you would know about meerkats.'

If you've seen the 'compare the market .com' advert, you would know about meerkats. They're so super cute and this one thought it was running a little meerkat meeting or something, standing on top of the rock like that! 

"we went during Tiger nap time"

Apparently we went during Tiger nap time. Three tigers were laying on top of a big tree and the daddy tiger laying near the glass where we can see it close up. His paw was huge! 

'was in the James Bond movie!'

Also, we saw some rather famous animals, this dragon (yes, it's actually called a dragon, how cool?!) was in the James Bond movie! There was also a snake featured in Harry Potter. 

'giraffe...looks like they're wearing falsies!'

Also, take a look at this 150 year old tortoise! He seems like a wise one. 

The giraffe was super cute too, they have the most gorgeous eyelashes - looks like they're wearing falsies!

'stripes were gorgeous and their little spiky hair looked adorable.'

Finally, we saw the zebras. They're breathtaking in real life. Their stripes were gorgeous and their little spiky hair looked adorable. In the same area as the zebras were the Okapi's. Having never heard of these unusual creatures, I was intrigued. I must say, they had amazing legs! The way the stripes blended into the rest of their body was so beautiful.

Well, that was pictures from the zoo! There were so many more taken, such as ones of teeny tiny monkeys, penguins and some taken in the deadly birds show. If you're thinking of going to London Zoo any time soon, I recommend the Deadly Bird's show - it is mind-blowing how well the birds follow their routines. 

Did you know camels can have a loopy hump?

Chiquito - Dinner in Leicester Square

Hello! 

"As soon as you go in, you notice the lively atmosphere, full of fun and good food!"

Last weekend I went to dinner with two of my lovely friends. The place we decided to go: Chiquito. Having it been my first time, I had high hopes for this famous place! It was super busy and I doubt we would have got in without a reservation. Hint: Make a Reservation!

"When in a Mexican restaurant, the starter to order is obviously Nachos!"

As soon as you go in, you notice the lively atmosphere, full of fun and good food! The first thing they do: give you popcorn! This is a smart idea as popcorn makes you thirsty, so you order lots of drinks! Not to worry - you have a wide range of thirst-quenchers to choose from!

When in a Mexican restaurant, the starter to order is obviously Nachos! They served lovely nachos that went down well. Note: they have very big chips!

In terms of drinks, I went with a piña colada - and it looked super yummy! Plus, the pineapple slice was a nice touch!

"they have a wide range from burgers to fajitas to burritos..."

For mains, they have a wide range from burgers to fajitas to burritos... you know, the usual mexican food! I went with the vegetarian quesadilla. It was good. I tried the vegetarian burrito and was not a huge fan. The filling of both the quesadilla and burrito was both basically the same, but the burrito had a lot more of it.

As for desserts, we chose the 'Mexican Mess' which was basically meringue with churros, brownie bits, ice cream, chocolate fudge sauce and strawberries in a bowl, topped with whipped cream (picture above)! It was a bit of everything and was scrumptious... definitely recommend. 

"Leicester Square, people playing musical instruments, the fountain going and the lights looking gorgeous "

The lovely thing about it was also the view. Sitting on the ledges on Leicester Square, people playing musical instruments, the fountain going and the lights looking gorgeous - it was the perfect setting. We also went to Yates, a club near chiquitos - which is also worth a visit if you go to the L. Square Chiquito's.

The Verdict: To me, chiquitos is like any other mexican restaurant. Nothing special or unique about it, yet a lovely place all the same.

Are you a fan of Mexican Food... or prefer another cuisine?