Wednesday, July 14, 2010

going abroad need your help!!!

I am going abroad this summer and I was wondering if anyone had advice on places to visit in London. We are also going to Paris, Dubrovnik (croatia), Greece (don't remember where but my husband lived there for 2 years, so we're good), Ephesus (Turkey), and Venice. I have been given a lot of advice on where to go in Paris, but little on where to go in London. I need your help! I especially would love to know good fabric and craft supply shops, flea markets, and budget-friendly but delicious food. Or anything else we just shouldn't miss. We will only be there 4 days, and with a baby. so keep that in mind.

Please oh please give advice freely!!! Thanks!

16 comments:

Juliette said...

Holly over on Decor8 just went to London recently and had a few places she raved about. Design*Sponge has a London guide, I believe.

On my London short list is a re-visit to making my own brass rubbings and a first-time visit to Libery of London and a Cath Kidston shop. Have fun!

ashley mikell said...

Oh my I did a study abroad in London and it is MY CITY! I love it!
I would recommend:
Borough Market- food and flowers this is a different market from any of the others, but it's so worth visiting. check it out here http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/
Portobello Market- antiques, and great stuff check it out here http://www.portobellomarket.org/
(while you are at portobello you can also find the travel bookshop from notting hill)
You must go to KENSINGTON PALACE and have tea (or cocoa) at the Orangery It's gorgeous! They also have a little children's playground in the park (It's exclusively for kids, they won't let you in without one.
I loved shopping in Covent Garden (which is where the "Feed the Birds" song from My Fair Lady takes place. They have a little market there that is really cool and tons of pretty shops. Oxford Street has lots of great stores, like Top Shop. And you must at least visit Harrod's. It's gorgeous!
I don't know many craft supply stores.
But there are flea markets all over the place. If you find Christ's Church they have a really cool flea market sometimes.
If I think of more I will let you know!
Seriously this is the best place in the world!

ashley mikell said...

Also, I would eat almost daily at a little shop called EAT they have premade sandwiches, very inexpensive and easy to grab on the go. I didn't have a problem finding food. There's good stuff everywhere.
Plan on lunch at the Borough Market. They have the most amazing sandwich ever. It's the "American Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwich"
Really, I could go on

mendy said...

This is a list my dad wrote to some friends who recently visited london but it might be helpful for you too...

Things to see in London
Covent Gardens- bazaar type shopping and street performers, no admission price and a must see.
British Museum-free and great ancient history stuff to see from Egypt, Greece and the Mid east
Globe Theatre- Shakespeare plays in a replica of the original theatre, 5lbs for the peasant section
Plays of all sorts, besides Wicked, we caught Mary Poppins and enjoyed it way more than expected
Abbey Road studios maybe a little bit of a let down but I’m totally glad I have walked on that zebra striped cross walk. The best department store shopping we saw was not far from Abbey road.
Double Decker bus ride, free with your oyster card.
Taxi ride
St Pauls Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Halls of Parliament, 10 Downey Road (prime ministers residence)
Buckingham Palace during the changing of the guard.
Windsor Castle, slightly out of London
Serpentine lake, statue of peter pan, Trafalger Square, Picadilly Square
Things we wished we could have seen. Boat ride on the Thames, Eye of London, Tour of the tower Castle, Notting Hill, kings crossing
There is so much to do in London but my favorite memory is a couple of hours train or car ride to Salisbury, if you go by train there are bus tours to Stonehenge from Salisbury, we also drove to a more informal rock circle in Avebury and saw a giant ancient lime horse on a hillside north of Avebury. The time we spent in the English countryside was so rewarding for me, but may not have the same significance for Mendy. In that vein, I also wish we had gone to Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford on Avon.

mel said...

my fave things in london (been twice) are portobello market, the view from st pauls (tough with a baby though...) and the tate modern is free and great to browse if you get stuck with miserable rainy weather.
i also love shopping - and oxford st has a marks & spencers with the best bra department i have ever seen. every cute bra in EVERY size. heaven for busty girls like me. and primark was really cheap.
if you want advice on paris or venice i've been there too - in venice you need to find where you are in relation to the big canal. otherwise you get lost like you would not believe.
happy travels!

Amy said...

I just got back from a trip to London and absolutely loved it. I went with three teens and we did the most tourist-filled places (the tower, buckingham,etc.)

I would recommend if your baby can fit on a back carrier to take one. It will be VERY HARD to take a stroller through the tubes and that is the best way to get around if you can't afford taxis.

Covent gardens has a great market but we found it was only open on weekends (thurs. through sun.) so go but be sure to go then. (btw. feed the birds is from Mary Poppins and that is St. Pauls, Covent garden is my fair lady where she sold her flowers.)

If you do the tourist spots be prepared for stairs, crowds and heat. Bring lots of water for your baby (we were there last week and they were in a heat wave).

Good luck, don't over plan and just enjoy! The parks are gorgeous!!!

sarah marie. said...

london is my favorite city. and prauge. and venice. just hang out in covent garden for sure. and just walk around venice and you'll be happy.

Gillian said...

YummyGoods http://www.yummygoods.com/ has just come back from London and really enjoyed it. I think she would suggest going on a day trip out of London, she went to Bath and Stonehenge.

We enjoyed going to Oxford for the day and went punting on the river.

The Victoria and Albert museum is free. The second hand shops around Brick Lane are fantastic and we really enjoyed the Tower of London, but it is a bit pricey to get in.

Take a picnic and spend an hour or so at Hyde Park, it's great to see so many people buzzing around enjoying a green space.

Remember to take different types of clothing and carry an umbrella with you, the weather changes so frequently, it's why us Brits talk about it so much.

You will love it.

Margret said...

Sounds like a great trip. I don't have any experience personally but I've just been enjoying these posts by Verhexts who's just been to Paris.
http://www.verhext.com/paris-walk-no-2-marais
you should see the hotel room, gorgeous!

Julia said...

I AM SO JEALOUS!! I did my study abroad there and absolutely loved it!
-Tate Modern and walk across the bridge to see St. Pauls cathedral
-Portobello Rd Market is a must! Find The Hummingbird Bakery and have a cupcake. So pretty and tasty!
-Marylebone High St. was my favorite street ever. Cath Kidston was/is located there and there is a sewing type store a few blocks down that road, near Waitrose and Tesco (well, it was there a few years ago)
-EAT or Pret Manger are great for sandwiches/soup/salads and is reasonably priced
-Regents Park is gorgeous and has playgrounds, a lake with ducks, and a zoo
-just get lost walking around looking at all the cool buildings
-Regent St will lead you to Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, Picadilly Circus

There are so many other things, but I'm sure you all will have fun doing anything and everything. Safe travels and can I come with you? :)

Mrs Bee said...

Hi, in London you have to go to this place http://www.shaukat.co.uk/ where you can find Liberty for very good price.In Paris : La Droguerie at
9 and 11 rue du Jour
75001 PARIS, the place where every french blogger go!!! Have a nice trip

Claire Kiefer said...

I've been to London twice, and both times the most memorable thing I did was see theater! There was a half price ticket both (day of) at Leicester Square, I believe, and you could get decent tickets at good prices . . . not sure if this is reasonable with a baby (i.e. if anyone will be with you or if you're comfortable with babysitters), but goodness gracious there are some amazing shows to be seen!

Ruth said...

I loved the walking tours.The beatles walk was so much fun. You have th biggest beatle nerd taking you on a tour of the city, it's hilarious(and informative)
I also loved eating at a place called wagamamas(google it). YUMMY. It's a japanese noodle house. SO good. If you go, they have really good fresh juice concoctions. My name is Ruth and I have been blog stalking for a while. Sorry. I felt I should finally speak up. Enjoy your trip.

Rina said...

This will not be helpful to you at all, but your London photo reminded me of Peter Pan which my boys are obsessed with lately. Have fun!

Eva / Sycamore Street Press said...

So excited for you!

London: Brick Lane (shops & places to eat... esp Indian and Pakistani), Spitalfields Market, Neil's Yard (Rough Trade Records, Pop Boutique, and yummy veggie food), the Tate Modern, a theatre show, Liberty, Harrods.

Design*Sponge Guide: http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/03/london-design-guide.html

Paris: You've heard of that shop called Merci, right? I've been dying to go there! Also, have a baguette picnic on one of the islands in the seine down by the water at sunset.

Christy said...

Hello! I have never posted on here, but something caught my eye and I thought I'd write you a little comment! My husband also lived in Greece for 2 years! When was your husband there? It is very unusual to find people who know greek or who lived in Greece,so I got very excited! We are very VERY jealous of your wonderful summer plans!! Hope you have a great time!