Westfield Wonderland

Friday morning was a very welcomed event: the latest we had slept-in since we arrived! Almost four weeks to the date (I can’t believe its been that long!) Carolyn and I had the pleasure of sleeping in until 10:30… and we definitely needed it! Unfortunately, we woke up to a chilly London morning complete with rain. It poured at first but led eventually to a drizzle. Our one mission for the morning was laundry. Awful. We schlepped our towels and sheets down to Bobo’s Bubbles (I wish I was kidding) where we essentially watched our laundry spin for almost an hour. With the weather so dreary, it seemed acceptable at the time. After that mission had been accomplished, we decided on the rest of the day’s activity. It wasn’t hard to convince either of us: the Westfield Mall. It’s claim to fame? The largest urban mall in Europe: 1.7 billion pounds, 43 acres, and 265 stores. Need I say more? Oh, there’s also a movie theatre and a library!

Of course, the blustering rain didn’t stop us from making our way to the Tube where it was only about a 15 minute ride to the White City stop, and only about a 3 or 4 minute walk additional to our final destination. The mall is absolutely beautiful; pristine with a modern feel, you could spend HOURS browsing the hundreds of department stores, shops, and boutiques. Not to mention eating something amazing every 10 minutes. Although the stores were great (we of course managed to spend more money at Topshop), Carolyn and I both agreed the different food vendors far exceeded the shops. From hot pretzels to make-your-own-milkshakes, cupcakes to crepes, any treat or snack you could desire can be found here. In addition, there are at least twenty different restaurants. Carolyn and I had been CRAVING Mexican food, so we made our way to the Southern Terrace Restaurants where we found Wahaca. Delicious and just what the doctor ordered. We opted for the “street food” option, where you choose two or three different small plates, which was perfect. We rounded out our evening with an after-dinner sweet: Carolyn got her beloved red-velvet cupcake and I opted for Snog frozen yogurt.
We headed back on the Tube utterly satisfied and within 20 minutes found ourselves back in South Ken. Worn out from all the excitement, we opted for a more laid back evening, just walking to a local pub to have a pint of cider with some flat-mates and a friend that was visiting from Brussels. Carolyn and I chose the pub, named “The Courtfield” after our humble abode, of course.
We called it an early night since we knew we had an early departure time Saturday morning… have to catch that train to Bath!
xo LC