Out & About in London (Part 2): Afternoon Tea & More
The last few days of a trip always feel like a whirlwind. For my second short stay in London, I’d scheduled several meetups with friends. And a last bit of shopping for gifts to bring home.
The weather was mostly cold and damp, so spent most of the time indoors. But when I saw sunshine outside my window early Sunday morning, I hot-footed it over to Hyde Park to enjoy while it lasted and take a few more photos…
But mostly, it was “indoor weather” for the rest of my stay. Still, I managed to get together with some friends while I was there. (Always the best part of any trip!)
Meetups!
One afternoon, Alyson of That’s Not My Age and “Mr. TNMA” came over to Mayfair where I was staying. They’d suggested an “art gallery crawl” in the area to see some new exhibitions (many featuring women artists), which I really enjoyed.
I especially loved the Shizuko Yoshikawa exhibition at the Marlborough. If you’ll be in London between now and May 18, go see this one.
Afterward we went out for drinks and an early dinner. And then walked back through the Soho area and Carnaby Street (which I’d somehow missed on my prior London visits).
Next time I’m in London, I’ve made a note to do more exploring around Soho!
Afternoon tea in London
Another thing I’d never managed to do on my prior UK visits was a “proper” afternoon tea. My friend Tarra Rosenbaum was game, and graciously came all the way across town after having just arrived on a red-eye flight earlier that day.
The Beaumont, where I was staying*, does a lovely tea, and we were not disappointed. We both opted for a fennel/ginger herbal infusion, and loved it. I think we may have gone through three pots of it. 🫖 The scones were served with clotted cream and jam, as one does. It was quite filling, and I couldn’t even finish the last couple of pastries.
You can read more about Tarra and her lovely jewelry creations HERE.
*I’ll be writing more about where I stayed in future posts.
And, my friends at Red Leopard were holding a Color and Style training session, so I volunteered to be a color model.
Manina and I will be doing another Red Leopard Color Event in Los Angeles in May! We’re offering personal color analysis sessions, and makeup artist extraordinaire Brian Haugen will be on hand to do makeup. It’s booking up fast but there are still a few spots left. So don’t miss out, details HERE.
I’m now home and unpacked. I’m sorting through stacks of mail and messages, but will be back with my Travel Wardrobe Recap early next week. 🧳
Where’s your favorite spot for afternoon tea?
Stay in touch
Sign up to be notified of new posts and updates from une femme d’un certain âge.
Oh wow thank you so much for sharing your travel photos! Nothing like a “proper English tea” and seeing Hyde Park budding in spring was an extra bonus. We’re heading to Munich and Vienna this fall and already planning travel wardrobe. Like you, if it won’t fit in a carry on too bad! I’m too old to schlep a heavy suitcase!
My favorite spot for afternoon tea is the Cadogan Hotel. Just wanted to say how much I enjoy your blog. The color analysis is very helpful.
Wow, you did cram a lot into those last few days. Afternoon tea is one of my favourite things to do. No need for dinner after that spread, eh? Lovely that you had a meet-up with Alyson Walsh. I’ve been reading her blog for years. What a great trip you’ve had overall. You and Frances inspire me to try solo travel. 🙂
Ritz Carlton’s used to do wonderful afternoon teas, even in their warm weather locations. Haven’t done one in years. Have recently found a bakery in Safety Harbor, FL, that makes real scones, though. Other bakeries’ scones are more like turnovers with frosting and sugar–tasty, but nothing like a real scone. joeybiscotti.com is the bakery in the Tampa Bay Area
The Ritz in London was fantastic! Plus we had a glass of champagne with it;). Still dreaming about their scones.
That is some afternoon tea you were having with Tara.
I am glad you were able to see so many friends in London.of course, now you are back home, the weather is improving a lot. Typical.
Greetje
Can’t believe you’ve never gone for tea! We always try to go at least once on a trip. Tea at the Ritz is a splurge, but worth it for the tasty food and also the ambiance. One of the best teas I’ve had was at Selfridges tea room a few years ago, however.
Glad you saw the John Snow pump; I’m fascinated by it because, in the course of my genealogical research, I’ve found that my family lived a street or two from that pump at the time of the cholera epidemic. Luckily they must have frequented a different pump, otherwise I might not be here! I can recommend an excellent book on the subject, The Ghost Map by Stephen Johnson. It may not sound like a book on cholera and public health in Victorian London would be riveting, but it absolutely is!
Thank you for the recommendation, it sounds like an interesting book!
I love reading about London history (my maiden name is “England”); so I appreciate the book recommendation!
I second The Ghost Map! As you said riveting!
Oh my gosh! That afternoon tea looked scrumptious! It caught my eye immediately! I try to have an “afternoon” tea about once a month. Down here in southeast Texas, it’s not something you run across very often.
But I have a great collection of recipes for tea sandwiches.
My favorite spot for tea in London is at Kensington Palace, in the gardens: the food is wonderful and you cannot beat the ambiance. We had a lovely tea at Selfridge’s when we visited in 2018 so I can recommend that as well. And if you’re on your first trip to London then I highly recommend the Afternoon Tea bus tour which combines a tour of London from the top of a classic double decker bus with an absolutely delicious afternoon tea from Brigit’s Bakery.
My fav place for tea The Plaza NYC back when our daughter was young. Now it’s on my deck haha! Loved your packing list and travel posts from London and Paris. I’m hoping to go back to Paris after the Olympics. Perhaps a trip to Brittany before that… Scotland and the Faroe Islands is in the works too… thanks for your great blog Susan. Let me know if you’re coming to Manhattan and I’ll show you some fun places…☺️❤️
Your tea looks so lovely! I just had tea at Butchart Gardens out of Victoria, BC in the lovely dining room overlooking a sea of beautiful daffodils and tulips. It’s 1/2 the price and better than The Empress Hotel tea.
You gave me a twinge of nostalgia when you mentioned Carnaby Street. That was the place to shop for current and trendy styles back in the 1960s.
As “tea travelers,” my husband and I have been to many tearooms in Western Europe. Even though we enjoyed every one of them, we both agree that our favorite is Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly. Not only is the tearoom itself wonderful–food, service, ambience–but it is located on one of the floors of a multi-story old brick building. The other floors are categorized into foods, silver and china, clothing, etc., all very high-end and beautifully displayed. We had so much fun exploring each of the floors and hope that sometime in the future we will be able to return.
Love, love, love your travel photos. Along with all your other many skills, you really take great photos! Glad you are having such a good trip, it’s fun to see you with other bloggers I follow, and thanks for sharing your stories!
That tea!!!! Fabulous. I LOVE your cinnamon jacket with the perfect bracelets as accents. You’re wearing YOUR perfect lip color – just beautiful! Lovely and what an exceptionally great shot of you and Alyson.
Envious of your trip. I absolutely love London and haven’t been back in several years. Amsterdam is on the short list as I’ve never been but definitely want to go and your pix increase the desire. An overall wonderful trip with great photos, fashions, and amazing things to do to add to my list when I am luck enough to return. Thanks, Susan!
I’m headed to London in September and grateful for your blog and travel wardrobe suggestions. We’re planning to have tea at Cadogan Gardens. I’ve never been there but it was highly recommended.