Isabella+Bråtenius

Hello! My name is Isabella Bråtenius and I am nineteen years old. I am a cheerful and lively girl who loves new adventures. I am going to blog about my trip to London, and so I had better get to work. Enjoy! I have 50 000 Swedish crowns that I won at the lottery and I am going to travel to a country of my choosing. I have thought a lot about it and I’ve chosen England, London. My reasons are many; all the shopping, my dear friends who currently live there, the beautiful environment and frankly, because of the restaurants; especially Itsu, Zuma and Nobu. I will fly with BA (British Airways) from Arlanda on the 4 of February, arrive at Heathrow airport, and fly back to Sweden on the 12 of February.
 * //__ “A little bit about myself” __//**

Hi again! I'm here in London now, and I thought that I could start by telling you a little bit about my trip here! So I left with the airplane at 19.00 o'clock, and I arrived at Heathrow airport at approximately 20:30 PM, so I was a bit tired and very hungry, which is why I decided to take a bite at my favorite sandwich shop, Pret a Manger. I ordered a sandwich and a "grape and elderflower" drink which is my favourite. It was 14 pounds, which is about 168 crowns. A bit expensive but totally worth it. And the best part is that Pret a Manger has a “no nasty's” policy so the food is always fresh. When I had grabbed my sandwich, drink and luggage I headed for the taxi's. I got a hold of one, and told him to drive to Hogarth Road because I have an apartment there that I live in every time I'm here in London. The cab ride was about forty minutes from the airport and it cost me 46 pounds (roughly 552 crowns). As I arrived I was still feeling a bit tired but at least I wasn't hungry. This is when I realized that I had to walk up all of the 6 stairs to my apartment! After what felt like was an eternity I finally walked through the door and threw myself on top of the bed and fell asleep immediately, //with// my clothes on. That's how tired I was!  And here I am, on my bed (in new clothes), eating crumpets and muffins with strawberry jam that I just bought in the supermarket. It cost me 19 pounds (228 crowns altogether). The time is now 11 o'clock in the morning. At least it is here in London, but for you guys in Sweden it's already 12.00 o'clock. There is a one-hour difference. My plans for today are: to walk down Old Bromton road, passing South Kensington and continuing on to Harrods. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Harrods, it’s kind of like NK in Stockholm but much, much bigger. In Harrods you can easily get lost when you shop, eat and shop some more. And this is what I am planning on doing today. Now, you might wonder about my plans for lunch? Well, because of my late awakening, I'm not going to eat a whole lot of food; I plan on eating in Harrods, at a place called YooMoo. They mostly make milkshakes and serve frozen yoghurts, but also have food, like pizza, salads and club sandwiches. Speaking about food, I have booked Wagamama for tonight. It is an extremely good restaurant and it isn’t that expensive at all! Those are my plans for today. I have actually made plans for the next few days as well, and here they are: Tomorrow I am going to go on a sightseeingbus around London and I will then see the most famous places. It lasts for 2 hours and I will probably eat at Itsu afterwards; a very famous sushi restaurant. If I can get a table, a friend might join me. Then, the day after tomorrow, the 7th, I have made plans with an old childhood friend. We plan on walking down Oxford Street and we want to stroll in Hampstead Heath as well. Hampstead heath is a famous park in northern London. I heard it’s beautiful to walk around there and look at the nature and listen to the sound of the water, or just enjoy the quietness. The famous movie Notting Hill, was partly filmed here. The park is supposed to be extremely lovely and I really want to go. I hope I will have time to walk past Daunt Books afterwards so I can buy a book to read on the plane home. Then, later the same night, we will go see a movie. We have booked tickets to “Mission Impossible: Ghost protocol”. The next day I will go to Portobello Market, which is famous for being one of most interesting markets in the world, it has got a whole lot of street vendors. That is all I have planned for now, but if I want to get to Harrods //today// I’d better get going. Considering my extreme laziness, I will probably stay here for a while otherwise. Goodbye for now, and have a great day!
 * __Post 1 __**
 * //__“My way here” __//**

Flight there and home: 2928 kr Taxi rides: 46 pounds, ca 552 crowns Sandwich shops: 14 pounds, ca 168 crowns + 19 pounds, 228 crowns (supermarket).
 * __ Money check: __**

Hello again! I am in my apartment right now, listening to Sheryl Crow on my stereo. I was thinking that I could tell you about the days I’ve had here in London so far. Just like I told you, I went shopping in Harrods the first day and I had so much fun! I bought a cute little blouse from a brand called “Tibi If you ever go to London I recommend Harrods! Anyway, the blouse was a mixture of beige and pink and had a black stripe running down along the buttons, it was 399 pounds, 4788 crowns. I continued to look at clothes, strolled around a bit and found the most beautiful dress I have ever seen, and it fit me perfectly! I decided that I would take the dress and then go and eat lunch. I paid for the dress, it was 400 pounds, 4992 crowns, but it was so worth it! So I walked to YooMoo which is, like I said before a sort of smoothie restaurant with frozen yoghourt, smoothies and other yummy things! I ordered a “devil moo”. It was a “Belgian chocolate frozen yogurt, with Oreo cookies and white chocolate buttons”, 7.25 pounds, ( 87 crowns). It was magical.
 * //__ Post 2 __//**
 * //__ A little catching up! __//**

As I walked home, I saw a schedule of a sightseeing bus for next week. I was so happy, because I hadn’t been able to find one before and after all, I had planned on going on one my first day here. So I walked into the shop which sold the tickets and booked a tour for tomorrow. They showed me three different routes; the yellow one, the red one and the blue one. I had a look at them all, and decided that the red one was perfect. It would last for 2 hours and 15 minutes. On the tour they would show us Buckingham palace, Big Ben, Houses of parliament, Madame Tussaudes, Tower Bridge and much more. I chose the bus that leaves at 11 pm. After that I walked home and then got a cab and went to Wagamama, a Haitian restaurant. The cab ride cost me 6, 70 pounds, (about 80 crowns).I ordered a “chicken ramen” 8,20 pounds, ( 98 crowns) which is a noodle soup with chicken and pork with some green vegetables, and also a “yasai gyoza” 5,25 pounds, (63 crowns), which was deep-fried vegetable dumplings, served with a sweet ginger soy dipping sauce. It was splendid! For drinks, I had two apple and limes, 8, 7 pounds,( 104 crowns) for both of them. And for dessert I walked by an ice-cream shop in my neighborhood, where I bought one cone with 2 scoops for 3, 25 pounds,( 39 crowns). They were coconut and chocolate fudge flavored, my favourites! After that I was so full I just //had// to take a cab home! I was so close though, so it only cost me 3, 20 pounds, (38, 4 crowns). And yes, this is probably the laziest thing I have ever done but I just couldn’t walk with that stomach! J That day I spent a total of 856.55 pounds, (10278.6 crowns to be exact!). I was shocked by this and decided to take it easier with the spending. And so I did. At least I tried…

The next day I went on a sightseeing bus, as I said before. To get to the bus I had to buy a week’s travel card and it cost me 28 pounds, (336 crowns). The card allows you to go anywhere you want within the city, for as many times as you want and it expires after a week. I think it’s a good deal for the money. I then took the tube to Victoria and joined the sightseeing bus there. We saw so much; The Horse Guards' Parade, Madame Tussaudes, Regent's Park, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, London Bridge, downing Street, Big Ben & Parliament. But that’s not all! We //also// saw The London Eye, London Aquarium, Covent Garden (which was extremely cool by the way), London Dungeon, Tower Bridge, Tower of London and Shakespeare's Globe! I think they managed to cover //everything!// It was excellent! The tour was 23 pounds, (276 crowns), and lasted for a little over two hours. I really thought it was worth the money as well. By the end of the tour, the time was half past 1 pm. I suddenly got the urge to see the River Thames, so I took the tube to the nearest station, called Embankment and strolled around a bit. The weather was beautiful and I could just feel that spring is near! I then ate some lunch at “Wayne’s coffee” that cost me 12 pounds (roughly 140 crowns), and while I was there, I booked a table at Itsu for the 6th, which was that very day, and I also booked it for the night of the 10th. It was a bit hard getting a table because I was so late, but after some negotiating I got it. I went for a walk and decided to give an old friend of mine who lives here in London a ring. I thought it would be so much nicer to eat //with// someone at a restaurant than to eat alone. And so that night we ate together at itsu, just catching up. Itsu is very special, because your food comes rolling on a conveyor belt! We decided to split the bill and my share was 40 pounds, (40.12) crowns. We went our separate ways and considering I wasn’t that tired at all, I walked home.

The next day was the day I went to Hampstead Heath. It is so beautiful and has such a marvelous view that you simply want to live there. It almost feels like you’re swallowed by the forest, in a good way though, and it makes you forget about everything else. At one point I even turned my phone off just so I could enjoy everything. I met up with the same friend I had dinner with yesterday, Olivia, and we walked together. We got there by taking the tube to Hampstead heath tube station. And from there we walked through the park, looking at the nature, the lakes and the giant big table and chair! The 9 meter high chair and table is a piece of art really, and I thought it was very cool. On our way to the tube station, I conveniently passed Daunt Books shop! So we both walked in looking for some books for me to read on my flight home. Olivia was patient and waited for me but one can only last for so long. You see, I was in there for quite some time, looking at every book, at every detail trying to see which one would be the best for me. Eventually she left to go home and prepare for tonight. We were going to the cinema, to watch the movie to “Mission Impossible: Ghost protocol”! After a while in the book shop, I decided to buy The Hunger games. Number one and two. They cost me: 7.95 each and so I paid about 16 pounds, (191 crowns). After that I walked home and made myself ready for the night. I met up with Olivia at the tube station, at Covent Garden, and from there we walked to Odeon, the cinema. The movie was great! The ticket to the movie cost me 10 pounds,( 120 Swedish crowns). Afterwards we ate at McDonalds. I ordered a cheeseburger, some fries and a coke. That was 7 pounds,( 84 crowns). After that I went to bed. And now we get to today. Today I have been to Portobello road //and// I’ve walked down Oxford Street. As I walked down the road I bought seven tops and two pair of shorts, after all, summer is almost here! Three of the shirts were from “French Connection” and for all of them I paid 211 pounds, (2532 crowns). They were quite expensive, so it was lucky that the next shop I went to was “River Island” which is cheaper and a favourite. I bought two blouses there, the same one in different colors. One in turquoise and one in pink. And then I also bought a blue t-shirt, and black lace top. It was 96 pounds, (1152 crowns) altogether. And then I looked in a few stores but I didn’t find the things I wanted, until I walked into “Urban Outfitters” and found myself a pair of shorts! They were both jeans shorts and they were 20 pounds each, so 40 pounds, 480 crowns. After that my feet hurt so bad that I just had to sit down. So I sat at a Starbucks café and bought a muffin and a Frappuccino for 7.55 pounds, (90.6 crowns). When I was done I took the tube to Portobello road. I got there and walked around a bit and I bought a couple of things; first I bought two cardigans for 15 pounds each, (180 crowns). The total was 30 pounds, (360 crowns). I also bought three cups for 6 pounds each. So 18 pounds,(216 crowns). Then I happened to walk by a vendor that made fruit juices, so I thought I could try a cup. The one I tried was ginger, orange and papaya. It was so delicious that I just had to buy another one! They were 4.20 pounds, (50.40 crowns). After that I took the tube back to the station next to my apartment (Earl’s Court) and I walked to my apartment. By now the time was 5 pm. I realized I had no food left in the fridge so I walked down to the supermarket down the street and bought a whole lot of food and Tropicana for the next days. This cost me about 21 pounds, (255 crowns). Later that night I ate at the restaurant Nobu. I had to take cab there and the ride was 13 pounds, (156 crowns). I had booked the restaurant before I left Sweden, because I know how hard it is to get a reservation there. It is a top-class restaurant and famous people go there a lot, so I really wanted to eat there. Plus I heard the food is absolutely superb. The dinner cost me 106.25 pounds, (1275 crowns). It is a //very// expensive place but it is so worth it. So I went home, with a cab of course, 15 pounds, 180 crowns. And here I am now, listening to Sheryl Crow, eating some cookies and writing this. The time is late now, so I have to go to bed but I will blog in a few days again and then you will know what I have been doing! Goodnight and sleep tight! Shopping : 1296.2 pounds, 15554.4 crowns. Taxi rides: 35.9 pounds, 430.8 crowns. Restaurants: 205.45 pounds, 2465.4 crowns.
 * __ Mone __****__ y check __**__ : __

So this is the last blog post I will do. You might be wondering what I have been up to these last four days so here I go! The morning after I had blogged on the 8th of February I woke up to the sound of rain. I was planning to go to Camden Street but it’s no good a rainy day, so I decided to go to Harvey Nichols instead! It’s a department store, much like Harrods, but smaller. If you remember, I went to Harrods the first day I was here. But now I would go to Harvey Nichols and shop and eat and just enjoy myself. I woke up at 10 am and to count my money. I checked how much I had spent, and how much I had left. I had exactly 27673.4 Swedish crowns left (about 2306.12 pounds). So I decided to go nuts with shopping! I bought two dresses, a jumpsuit, a cardigan, two pair of shoes, and three tops. The first dress I bought was very cute and so I thought it was worth the money. It cost 107 pounds, (1284 crowns). The second dress was a cocktail dress and cost 324 pounds, (3888 crowns). They were both from a brand called project D and they are gorgeous. Then I bought a jumpsuit that cost 33,25 pounds, (399 crowns). After that I sat down at a café and ate some lunch. It was a bit of a late lunch, the time was already 2.30 pm. I ate a sandwich (more like a baguette), a chocolate muffin and I drank a cup of earl grey tea. That cost me 12 pounds, (144 crowns). After that I just strolled around, looking at different sort of clothes until I found a cardigan from Forever 21. It was blue, with a leaf formed lace part on the back. It was 14.75 pounds, (177 crowns), and also a pair of jeans from Acne that was 176.45 pounds, roughly 2117.4 crowns. I then started walking to the shoe department. I found two high heels, one form Alexander McQueen that was 490 pounds, (5880 crowns), and one pair from 567 pounds, (6804 crowns). I spend a large amount of time in the shoe department, because it took me a while to find the right size so when I was on my way home, the time was 5.30 pm. I decided to eat at home tonight, considering I haven’t done that yet and I have already spent a whole lot of money today. I ate some noodles with chicken pieces in them. I bought it that very day for 9 pounds, (108 crowns). I decided to walk along Camden Street tomorrow and to eat at Fortnum and Mason. This is also a department store, but I only go there for the tea and the scones! It is so delicious! It isn’t very healthy but so yummy.
 * __ Post 3 __**
 * __ The last one __**

The next morning I didn’t wake up to rain, I woke up to a beautiful sunny day. So I took the tube to Camden Town tube station. I walked around looking at clothes, jewelry, antiques, photographs and all sorts of stuff! They really had everything you can possibly imagine! I passed buildings with large things on them. For example, one house had an airplane placed vertically on it. Another had a large shoe! I was there for quite a while, and it ended with me buying a black leather jacket for just 74.25 pounds, (891 crowns)! Usually it costs more than 200 pounds for a real leather jacket, but of course it might not be a //real// leather jacket, it could be a fake. The man I bought it off said it was real but what are the odds? I then wanted some something to eat so I went by the subway to Fortnum and Mason’s to have some scones and tea. I had earl grey tea and some scones with clotted cream and jam. It cost me 34 pounds,(380 crowns) and was //so// absolutely worth it! After I had eaten, I walked down to the ground floor where you can buy different teas. I bought a jasmine one, and they came in the most beautiful tins. I bought it for 4.25 pounds, (51 crowns). I strolled around smelling all the different teas and looking at the bakery they had, and before I knew it the time was already 5 pm so I headed back. I remembered that I had made a reservation for tonight at Itsu a few days ago so I took the tube back to my apartment and got myself ready. I walked to the restaurant and I ate, and ate and looked at the chefs who stood in the middle of the conveyor belt preparing the dishes as you watched. My bill was 45 (540 crowns). I ate a lot that night… I walked back to my apartment, and then went to sleep.

The next day I strolled around the neighborhood and then looked at some recipes online to bake. And to be honest it all ended in catastrophe! I’ve got to say, I am not a genius in the kitchen. But at least I managed to make a chicken, bacon and green pea pasta. I sat down to see how much I had left to spend. I had 4716.56 crowns left. That is about 393 pounds. That night I ate at Zuma, a high-class restaurant that serves only the best. I took a cab there for 17 pounds, (204 crowns). The dinner cost me 283 pounds, (3396 crowns). I then took a cab home for 15.75 pounds, (189 crowns).

The next day u went back to Sweden. My plane left at 14.45 pm so I left my apartment with my bags at 12 pm. It was hard getting all of my new clothes in the same bags and it dawned on me it couldn’t be done. So I bought a bag for 21 pounds, (252 crowns). Now, I could get all my clothes back to Sweden. I then ordered a taxi to come and pick me up.

Later on, at the airport, I had paid 43 pounds for the cab ride (516 crowns) and I had eaten at a café, taking it easy for 6 pounds, (72 crowns). I now only had 7.25 pounds left (87 crowns). I walked to my gate and boarded the plane. While on the plane I read “The hunger games” and I bought a pack of Pringles and a few glasses of apple juice. This cost me 7.25 pounds, (87 crowns). When I landed in Sweden I had no more “lottery-money” left. And so my sister came and picked me up and here I am now, in my bed at home, in Sweden. I have had so much fun these days that has passed and I really recommend everything I did. Goodbye! Shopping: 1573.95 pounds, 18887.4 crowns Taxi ride’s:75.75 pounds, 909 crowns Restaurants: 396.25 pounds, 4755 crowns.
 * __ Money check: __**

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