Week Re-Cap

Another week, more adventures. I did a lot more exploring and on Saturday I took the train out to Bletchley Park {post coming soon}. Sunday I was going to see Churchill's house, Chartwell, but some train issues prevented that from happening! I settled on the Royal Botanic Gardens instead and was extremely pleased. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I had my internship so there wasn't a whole lot of exploring done but today my parents fly in! Tomorrow we head to Scotland for the weekend and I am so pumped about it! If you have any recomendations, snapchat me {hayden213}! How have y'all's weeks been? -xoxo darling, Hayden

 Celebrated a friends 21st birthday with brunch at Bill's.

 Found my new favorite department store: Liberty. 

 The Royal Arcade

 The Burlington Arcade

 The Duke of York Column

 Near Trafalgar Square

 Fortnum and Mason is absolutley whimsical. 

 Had a Kit Kat milkshake at Candy & Cream near King's Cross.

 Hung out with my girl Maggie at the National Portrait Gallery {via}.

 Couldn't resist sending this postcard to a friend! 

 After my Sunday plans were foiled by trains, I headed out to Kew Gardens 

& had a blast. The grass was my happy place.

 Note my sensible shoes...{via}.

 Monday night exploring with a friend at Regent's Park led to Baker Street.

 Dinner at Wahaca was ahhmazing on Tuesday night.

And last night we went to Ben's Cookies in Covent Garden! 
SaveSave

A Rainy Museum Day

So I completely messed up and forgot today was Wednesday {this whole abroad/intern thing has me really messed up}. So tomorrow you will be getting the regular "Week Re-Cap" but today is all about museums in London. To be honest I am a complete museum nerd. I love them and whenever one is available I want to go...especially if the architecture of the museum is exciting. Which is why London is the perfect place for me! Without further ado, "A Rainy Museum Day":

For my travel writing class we have to do a round-up of something in London to create a guide for future students. So I got creative with mine & am doing the 7-8 most instagramable places in London. I started working on it a while ago and these are some of my possible locations/shots. It was raining all day & I wanted to get away from the downpour. What better way than to go to the Natural History Museum {despite its screaming children}, the V&A and stop by the house from The Parent Trap? They are all right next to each other {get off at the South Kensington stop} and provide a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle. After that it was to the Imperial War Museum which was one of my favorite things to do when I was little, it didn't disappoint again!-xoxo darling, Hayden.

 The Natural History Museum

 The Victoria & Albert

If you are going to the V&A you have to eat lunch or grab a snack in their cafe. All three rooms are gorgeous & they comprise the oldest museum restaurant in the world. 

 {via}

The V&A garden.

 Christian Dior from the Fashion exhibit.

"Undressed" is an extra exhibit but it was totally worth it! 

I was seriously wishing Lindsey Lohan had been the day I went! 

 Flowers outside the Imperial War Museum.

 The exhibits are absolutely amazing, especially WWI. 

Also, the Holocaust exhibit will bring you to tears. 

Linen Love

So I have fallen in love with this linen shirt {that I cannot find for y'all anywhere, so see the kind of similar ones below}. I wear it all the time especially during this study abroad program. I wore it on the blog before {here} but not in this capacity. We were in Daunt Books & Regent's Park so we decided to take some quick photos {excuse the iPhone photos}. Hope y'all have a linen shirt you love too-xoxo darling, Hayden.

Quotes of the Week

Saturday Inspiration

Articles I'm Reading

1. These photos are just so cute of Emma // Memorial Day Outfit // Dash of Serendipity
2. I love train travel so much // These Bucket-List Train Trips Prove It's All About the Journey // MyDomaine 
3. So. Cute. // Tiny Hamster's Best Day Ever at Walt Disney World 
4. Everything is so beautiful // Behind the Scenes: Sofia Coppola Directs La Traviata Opera, Rome // Belgrave Crescent 
5. Love love love the skirt // J. Crew Carrie Cami + Striped Shirt // Design Darling 
6. These ladies are amazing // Syncopated Ladies Tribute to Prince 

Royal Ascot

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend Royal Ascot and let me say, what.an.experience. An amazing experience. 

We got up and took the tube to Waterloo from there we took an hour train to the tiny town of Ascot where we walked to the racecourse. I was in the Windsor Enclosure {which is a nice term for the cheap seats} not that I am complaining. We had really nice views of everyone enjoying themselves as well as the races/the Queen when she went past. It was my first horse race & we were allowed to bet one pound on each race so on my second try my horse {Sir Isaac Newton} won! It was very exciting {I was standing on a chair at the time and my friend captured a photo}! 

Everyone was dressed to the nines in their hats/fascinators {including my friends & I}. I have included a few photos so check them out below-xoxo darling, Hayden.

The Queen is the one in the turquoise hat.

The moment when I won! {via}

All three of us won a race! 

Week Re-Cap

It's been another aweome week in London! Last week I did a lot of exploring {see the photos below} and on Friday some of my friends and I did the East South Bank. Then Saturday was Royal Ascot {check back for tomorrow's post all about it} and Sunday we all slept in & got brunch. Then on Monday I was able to go back to the V&A for their "Undressed" exhibit, which I loved and since I was with friends I was able to get a photo of me in front of the Parent Trap house. 

In other exciting news, I started my internship! And to be honest it is way more fun than the one I thought I would have. I'm working in their publishing house wing and we are working on something really big that I will probably be able to tell y'all about in September!

Today I have my last tavel writing class, then I am off to explore some things in London on my huge {144 item} list. This weekend I am thinking about heading out to Bletchley Park & Chartwell because all of my friends will be out of town. 

What are y'all up to? -xoxo darling, Hayden

An out-take from a photoshoot on Bywater Street.

On Thursday I had a picnic in Green Park.

The view from the beginning of St. James Park.

Portobello Road in Notting Hill.

Hay's Galleria

London Riviera is on South Bank and it is so cute! 

An amazing view of Tower Bridge from City Hall.

It's Pimm's o'clock.

Trying to find my winning ticket after a horse I bet on won 

at Royal Ascot {more coming on that event soon!}.

Breakfast on Sunday at Look Mum No Hands.

 A delicious milkshake at Kensington Creperie! 

 My savory Italian crepe.

 Spitalfields Market

{via}
SaveSave

The Trooping of the Colors {Happy Birthday Queen Elizabeth}

 Saturday morning at 6:20am my alarm went off signaling that it was time to go get a spot for the Trooping of the Colors at Buckingham Palace. When we finally arrived at 7:30am there were no front row spots, but we got a spot on a ledge and then the waiting game began. We brought along some breakfast bars and mimosas to snack on while we were waiting and took a lot of snapchat photos. Then at 10am everything started up, the bands played, the Queen went by and then we had a flyover. Check out the photos below for an upclose of the event-xoxo darling, Hayden.

Kate, Camilla & Harry

Mimosas with Natalie! 

 The Queen is wearing lime green.

 Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip

 Part of the flyover.

My face when my friend brought me a flag.

 Resting our feet while waiting for the Queen! 

 {via}

I just had to include some of the cute geofilters Snapchat had for the Queen's birthday! 

Quotes of the Week

Saturday Inspiration

Articles I'm Reading

1. Capturing the suprisingly beautiful doors of the world // Lonely Planet
2. North Toward Dome // Texas Monthly
3. Sprinkles for Breakfast
4. Map: New Deal projets in Austin // My Statesmen
5. The Hidden Stories of Arab Women // The New York Times
6. National Doughnut Tour // Sprinkles for Breakfast

Books in my Tote

It's very interesting, now that I am living abroad I thought I would have even less time than I do in the states, what with exploring and class. But it turns out I have more, because I'm not attending all of my organization's meetings {duh HAP}. So I have been reading a lot more {also because the wifi is sketchy in a lot of places}. Below I have compiled a list of books on my list to read after I finish Eligible-xoxo darling, Hayden. 

P.S. I have no idea why there is a navy & yellow theme, it just happened. 

{Vinegar Girl // The Monogram Murders // All The Light We Cannot See // I Take You // The Nightingale // The Summer Before The War // The One That Got Away // The English Girl // A Hero Of France // Laura Lamont's Life In Pictures}
SaveSave

Week Re-Cap

It has been an interesting week. Some things happened with my internship that have made it so I get a few extra days to seriously explore. Last week we went out on Thursday night & then I did a food review for class on Friday. Saturday morning we got up super early for the Queen's birthday parade and then Sunday we did some exploring/shopping. Monday & Tuesday I did a ton of exploring all over London so check back for some of those posts-xoxo darling, Hayden.

 A {typical} rainy day in London.

A half pint of Well's Bombadier at

 the Duke of Kendall near Hyde Park.

 Sierra & I out on Thursday night. 

 Cheers-ing a week of school done. 

Thoresby House 3rd floor.

 10/10 would recomend this chocolate bar. 

 I had to do a food review of Home Slice for my class {coming soon}! 

 Drinks with Nat on Friday.

 You go Nancy! 

Old Town 97 in Chinatown is delicious.

A rainy Sunday afternoon at the Churchill War Rooms. 

10 Downing Street! 

 Brunch at The Ivy Market Grill was just what I 

needed to get me out of my homesickness.

Get the pancakes {what I had} & the sourdough bread {what a friend got for the table} with a hot chocolate {what two people at our table got}, you won't regret it. 

Gelato filled macarons for Sierra's first macaron.

 Spent yesterday at Greenwich Park, it was perfection. 

 Greenwich is quite possibly my favorite place in London thus far. 

 Leadenhall Market is absolutely stunning {it was in the first 

Harry Potter movie, if you think you recognize it}.

 I found an amazing rooftop terrace online that gets you right next to St. Paul's dome.

 Spent the afternoon at the Tate Modern.

 Then had a little photoshoot at Regent's Park...in which this photo was taken.

 Right before we got on the Tube we stopped to 

take a photo at 221 B Baker Street.

The most amazing bookstore in Marleybone, Daunt Books. {via}

Peggy Porschen Cakes

So there is this little pink shop selling cakes in the Belgravia area of London that my friend & her mom could not stop saying good things about. So a week into my program I decided to celebrate and go have a slice of cake in the shop. I wasn't disappointed. 

First of all, they have an adorable floral entryway over their front door, how cute is that?! Second, the shop is everything you could want in a cute cake shop complete with lucite chairs. Peggy Porschen is a famous cake baker so you can purchase her various cookbooks & merchandise right off the shelves.

Then there are the cakes. You can get tons of different flavors of cupcakes but I opted for a slice of Strawberries & Champagne. It. Was. Delicious. I went late in the day & it was still moist. Not to mention the flavorful filling and the sweet icing. 

If you love cake, check it out-xoxo darling, Hayden. 

{via}

Quotes of the Week

National Seersucker Day

Happy National Seersucker Day y'all! Below I've rounded up some of my favorites for the summer-xoxo darling, Hayden.

 

Articles I'm Reading

1. The story is old but she impresses me so much & I'm going to her birthday parade tomorrow // When Queen Elizabeth took King Abdullah for a drive in her Land Rover // PBS NewsHour
2. This is on my summer reading list // The After Party: A Novel // Anton DiSclafani 
3. I want to visit all of them // 12 Brilliantly Literary Hotels for Book Lovers // Travel + Leisure
4. Straw totes are one of my favorite things about summer // 16 Timeless Straw Bags You'll Tote Summer After Summer // Design Darling
5. I. want. to. read. all. of. them. // Summer Reads 2016: Best New Books for Easy Reading 
6. This dress is gorgeous // Open Back Lace Maxi Dress // Summer Wind

Tacky Tourist

On Sunday after we went to the flower market we decided to get some of the super tourist-y sites out of the way. We visited Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, & walked all over the South Bank. We literally walked nine miles that day (which is insane)! It was such a nice day & we had a lot of fun taking the photos below, enjoy-xoxo darling, Hayden. 

 The telephone booths are just lined up so you can get a 

great photo with Big Ben in the background.

 An actually pretty day in London! 

 Millenium Bridge

 Some of my new friends & I at Buckingham Palace! 

 Hook 'Em Liz! 

Week Re-Cap

It has been a super aweseom week! I was sick (I think I'm still getting over it) but Sunday we did some serious exploring (check back tomorrow for more on that). This week's re-cap is a lot of delicious food, mainly from the Angel area of London. This week I am going to the Queen's birthday parade & the Churchill War Rooms! What are y'all doing? -xoxo darling, Hayden

My adorable tour guide during my Unseen Tour.

A super cute postcard from Harrods.

 Grabbed a latte & worked on some stuff.

A delicious chinese place in Angel.

Couldn't help but get dome gelato on Friday night.

The Columbia Road Flower Market was amazing. {via}

Throwing what I know at Buckingham Palace! 

All of us had been craving Tex Mex & found a really good place in Angel! 

SaveSave

Columbia Road Flower Market

When researching London over the past four months there was one place I really wanted to visit from movies and instagram. The Columbia Road Flower Market is located int the heart of Shoreditch every Sunday from 8am-until they run out of flowers. Other people open little antique tents & there are multiple outdoor breakfast venues. It is a fabulous site to get some gorgeous flowers or the perfect insta. Some of my girlfriends & I started our "Sunday Funday" at the market around 10am & had a blast! If you are in London & haven't been, go! -xoxo darling, Hayden.

Can we just take a moment and appreciate these hydrangeas? 

Starting a Sunday morning girls day with some Pimms! 

These bagel sandwiches where A+. I had ham & cheese on a plain bagel.

The Americano was strong {in the best way possible}. 

Cheers y'all! 

Quotes of the Week

Sautrday Inspiration

Articles I'm Reading

1. An interesting way of thinking about it // The Right Dose of Exercise for a Longer Life // New York Times
2. This is totally happening // 17 London Desserts That Are Better Than A Boyfriend // Buzz Feed
3. I love that she went to my hometown! // The Gasparilla Inn // College Prep
4. Fascinating // The Hunt for Poland's Buried Nazi Gold Trains // Buzz Feed
5. I love love love this // City Guides // Bon Appetit
6. This is Glamorous is an awesome site & this is a beautiful editor's letter // Editor's Letter: Happy (Belated) 2016 & Exciting News // This is Glamorous 

Lilly Planners

BREAKING: The Lilly Pulitzer 2016-2017 agenda patterns have been released & you can now pre-order them! Every August I purchase a new agenda and I am pretty pumped to see the inside of the new ones! However, I am a little disapointed by the prints, I think there could be more/have a little more variety. I prefer the large size because I can fit all of my events/assignments/life events into the spaces. But they also have jumbos, mediums, smalls, and monthlys.  I'm leaning toward the star fish or the elephants but I haven't made my final decision, what are y'all leaning? -xoxo darling, Hayden

Week Re-Cap

This week was absolutely insane for me. I cannot believe I have been in London for an entire week. To be perfectly honest it hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows {literally because it has been really cloudy & rainy}. I got really homesick on Sunday but I've been a lot better since then. We haven't done a ton of exploring but we have been to Hyde Park {my favorite thing of the week}, had a lot to drink, visited Camden Lock, and more. This coming week I want to get out even more & I think I am going to start doing a hall a day at the British Museum after class. What are y'all up to? -xoxo darling, Hayden.

When I took this photo I texted my two best friends and was 

like "oh my goodness it is really happening." {via}

To be honest I really did not enjoy the food on Virgin Atlantic.

I randomly woke up & caught this shot of my plane over the Atlantic.

First meal? Had to include a beer! 

And of course, fish & chips. 

Trying some new candy {that I really liked}! 

Also, had Nando's for the first time & 

kind of fell in love. 

Before we saw Sunny Afternoon we grabbed pizza at an adorable Italian restuarant near Picadilly. 

The musical was pretty good {but very loud}. 

In one of my class sessions we literally had a tea making competition. 

My delicious POD lunch. 

Some ice cream from a truck outside of our center {via}.

My friend Sierra & I at a pub watching the friendly between England & Australia. 

I went on a walking tour of the South Bank & 

just had to snap a photo of this amazing view! 

Saturday morning we started off with a trip to Camden Market. 

To be honest I am still dreaming about this Chinese food. 

Lola's Cupcakes was the cutest little stand! 

 I got a mini cookies & cream {via}! 

 Sunday morning we went out to the Tower of London & Tower Bridge. 

And we grabbed a sandwich at an adorable pub near Tower Bridge. 

On Monday morning we got brunch at an adorable restuarant called The Breakfast Club.

Then we proceeded to get on the Tube and visit Hyde Park.

And see Marble Arch

Lastly, we made a stop in at Selfridge's to see what the hype was all about {it was amazing}.

 Tuesday my class had 45 minutes to explore the British Museum & 

I just quickly snapped a photo as I was walking through.

 Tuesday night my program hosted a pub quiz night in King's Cross Station 

& I had some of the classic Fuller's London Pride.

And of course I couldn't not stop for a photo. {via}