Skip to main content

William Curley’s Mayan Spiced Hot Chocolate

 Day two in London was a blast! We spent the day in central London  walking around Westminster, Mayfair, and Covent Gardens.

We started by checking out the London Eye and Big Ben, some classics. It was incredibly packed everywhere we went, but understandably so. This city is such a cool mixture between the old and the new. London truly is the gateway drug to Europe, there everyone speaks English and yet you still hear so many other languages and get the “European vibe”.

London Eye

Big Ben

Obviously we had to go and say hi to the King at Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace

And then we remembered the Broad Street Pump and detoured towards Soho district for a visit. This felt like a true fan-girl moment for me, as it would for anyone who’s studied epidemiology. In 1854 John Snow conducted one of the first known epidemiological investigations and determined that a cholera epidemic in London was clustered around this pump, showing it to be the cause of the outbreak.

John Snow’s Broad Street Pump

And it wouldn’t be a day travelling with Ola if we didn’t stop for a good snack. Unplanned, we came across William Curley’s Chocolatier in Smiths’ Court… what a happy accident this was! I got the most delicious, rich, creamy hot chocolate which was well worth the 5 pound price. This Mayan Spiced hot chocolate was flavoured with ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon! On top of that Liam got a small Piedmont Hazelnut chocolate, and the kind shopkeeper also threw in a free wasabi-apricot chocolate for us to try - both were such unique flavours that I really enjoyed :)  For any chocolate lovers this gem of a shop is a mush try.

Treats from William Curley’s Chocolatier

Our last big stop was at the National Gallery. Here we saw lots of lovely art work, and my personal favourites were by van Gogh. Particularly his Sunflowers, whose bright yellow colours are associated with hope and friendship.

A Wheatfield with Cypresses, 1889

Sunflowers, 1888


Labels:

Comments

  1. amelitaMay 6, 2025 at 6:29 AM

    What a whirlwind of fabulous activity! Van Gogh art in person is such a gift.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OlaMay 6, 2025 at 1:56 PM

      It really is! Feels quite surreal to see such famous artworks in person

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pastel De Nata

We had an absolutely stunning day today! Although we spent about 3 hours driving from Lagos to Sintra on Portuguese tolled highways, our time in both those cities was incredible. We had a fantastic breakfast spread in our hotel today, and we we spent about 45 minutes tasting Portuguese delicacies, including tomato and pumpkin jams, honey fresh from the comb, and many breads and baked goods. Delicious breakfast We were now fueled to take a walk on the beautiful boardwalk in Lagos. We walked along the Atlantic towards the Ponta da Piedade, a rocky outcrop where a small lighthouse stands. The water was a gorgeous blue, the sandstone cliffs a calm beige, and the weather was on our side gracing us with a nice cool breeze.  Gorgeous cliffside Made it to the end of the boardwalk! This is definitely a place we’ll have to return to…I would love to do a kayak trip along the coastline and explore the beautiful rock formations from below. Steps down to the water Going down the stairs Turquoise...
Post a Comment
Read more

Francesinhas & Port Wine

 Today was our first full day in the city of Porto! The name Portugal actually originates from the name of this city. We arrived here yesterday afternoon after a pretty miserable travel day, but the taste of port wine helped us forget about late busses, lost things, and exorbitant ATM fees. Port wine originates in Porto, but was actually invented by the British as a way to help wine survive the journey from Portugal to England. This fortified wine comes in several varieties. The main two are “Ruby” and “Tawny”. Ruby is generally more fruity and has a more vibrant colour, whereas tawny is aged in oak barrels and is more nutty and honey tasting. We both enjoyed the tawny more than the ruby. Sampling white, ruby, tawny, and reserve port wines This morning we took a “free” walking tour through the old city of Porto. Our guide told us many interesting tidbits about Portuguese history and society.  The city has many beautiful buildings, but also lots of construction everywhere ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Home cooked meals

 Our time in Cockermouth was spent relaxing and recuperating from a busy few weeks. We were able to stay with the grandmother of one of my friends so we were wonderfully taken care of :) On our first day we slept in and then did a little walk up to Watch Hill, a local walking route. This path takes you right through sheep grazing fields! It was quite fun to see all the sheep up close as you walk through their home. Generally they’re very calm, although a few did stare us down as we walked by.  Walking through the fields Relaxing sheep Mama and her babies Views from our walk In the afternoon, we explored a bit of the town centre. Most shops were closed as it was a Sunday, but we could still appreciate the lovely architecture. It was still warm today so there were quite a few people bathing in the River Cocker, enjoying their time off. Interestingly, the River Cocker’s name comes from a Celtic word which means “the crooked one”. The River Cocker Cute little houses Kirk in the ce...
Post a Comment
Read more