GUEST POST: Laura + Sarah, from "Sprezzatura: The Wonderful World of Us"

Hello readers of Lacey in the City! Our names are Laura and Sarah, and we are the writers of Sprezzatura: The Wonderful World of Us. Who the heck are we, you ask?? We are an international girl-girl couple, and our blog features our many travels, loves and any news we find interesting. We are avid readers of Lacey's blog - we love it so much, we jumped at the chance to be a part of it as guest bloggers! We'd really like to tell you all about our city - London, England - all the things we love about our home. Hopefully it'll give you a short list of some of the amazing things you should see if (when?) you visit!

Our journeys to London began separately in 2008, with Laura arriving all the way from Boise, Idaho, and Sarah moving from her hometown of Reading, Berkshire. First and foremost, we love where we live - Fulham, Southwest London. Fulham is perfect because it's right in the middle, in all ways. It's so close to everything. It's a short bus/tube ride to the West End (where all the action is), you can easily get on the freeway to go out of London, and can be at Windsor Castle in 40 minutes! We are lucky enough to live in a penthouse flat overlooking the Thames. (We have no idea how we got so lucky!) Here is the view from our balcony.

Now, we're not biased, but we both agree that London is one of the best cities in the world - if not the best! Living in London (and visiting, too) means never running out of things to do, places to go, people to meet - the city runs at a pace we've never seen anywhere else. It's so diverse, a real mixing of cultures. It's impossible to be bored, or to not have anything to do. We hope you enjoy our list of favourite things to do and places to go around London. Visit any of the below, and you're bound to happen upon something spectacular. 

1. Southbank, we would say, is the top place to go in London for random goings on. It's literally an area of the south bank of the Thames in the city. If it's a clear day, we recommend doing the London Eye, a more-or-less a giant futuristic ferris wheel! It is one of our favourite things we've each done in London, before we met! It gives you a bird's eye view of the city, and as Southbank is so close to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, it offers a panorama you won't see anywhere else! You can also go to the London Aquarium, which is massive and well worth it. The best thing about Southbank, however, is that every time we have been there, we've happened upon festivals, markets, art installations, street performers. Sarah saw the Thames Festival there, a glow in the dark parade celebrating the river (see more info HERE). You can almost guarantee you'll see Darth Vader, Charlie Chaplin and Jack Sparrow. And you can even fight them if you want to!

2. London has fantastic markets. Our favourite two are the world-renowned Camden Market, and Borough Market for foodies (like Laura). Camden began as a 3-stall Sunday market to sell to the boats coming through the Camden Loch on the canals. Today, however, approximately 10,000 people attend each weekend, and it is a haven for anything or anyone hip, young, wild, alternative, which is why celebrities like Jude Law, Jonathan Ross and the late Amy Winehouse live in the area. However, not quite as hip and cool people, like us, also love love love it there. You can find anything you are looking for in the stalls and more - crafts, clothes, jewelry, shoes, sunglasses (so many sunglasses!), exported items, neon coloured tutus (a favourite stall of Laura's), and they have a big section where you can sample delicious foods from all over the world! There are lots of tattoo and piercing shops too, in case you want a more permanent souvenir or your time in London. 

Borough market is on the Thames, between the area of Southbank and the Tower Bridge. It's Laura's favourite market in London, because it sells rich, gorgeous food. A cheese fanatic, Laura spends WAY too much money on the soft smelly cheeses, and lovely goats cheese, at Borough market. They also sell delicious meats (deli meats, a fish market, and there is an exotic meats stand as well - you can even buy ostrich eggs!) and artisan breads that are to DIE for. You can buy delectable desserts, and they cater to every need - vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free, all deliciousness! There is a large fruits and veggie market also, and most everything sold at Borough market is organic. It's pretty much the best place ever. Can you tell who is writing this bit of the blog??

3. The West End is London's answer to NYC's Broadway. With fantastic shows and musicals everywhere you look, it's a theatre-lover's dream, and absolutely everyone can find a show they love. We've seen countless musicals in the West End, and we even saw a horror play called 'The Woman in Black' with Laura's parents. We went in thinking 'A play can't be that scary' but by a third of the way in, we were SO scared, and Laura kept her eyes closed and fingers in her ears the rest of the play! Our favourite thing we've ever seen on a West End staqe is the musical rendition of Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert. It is FANTASTIC and if you ever get a chance to see it, do. It's adapted from the Australian 90's movie of the same name about three drag queens that drive across Australia in a campervan. Quality viewing, right?? We've seen it three times, and the last time we got to meet the cast!

This area of London is amazing for more than just theatre. It has some of the best nightlife, and restaurants. Chinatown has the most authentic Chinese food in the city, and Soho, the gay area, is trendy and artistic, and with a famous music scene, always has events and productions on! Carnaby Street is another must-see place in the area. In the 'Swinging 60s it was the place to go for 'mods' and hippies, and bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Who have performed there. The West End also has one of four giant M&M stores - it's 3 floors, full of London themed M&M memorabilia, and it's incredible! 

This time next month, it will be Christmas! And there are few better places to experience the Christmas season than London. This is by far Laura's favourite month of the year! The lights on Oxford and Regent streets are beautiful, where you can shop and enjoy the atmosphere at the same time. In Hyde Park they've set up Winter Wonderland, a German-themed Christmas market and funfair. Southbank also do a wonderful Christmas market (which we are attending this weekend!). There are lots of stunning places to go ice skating in the winter, our favourite is at Somerset House (it's so romantic, and sponsored by Tiffany's, so it's beautiful!). Every year, Oslo, Norway gives London a massive tree- and it goes up at Trafalgar square. It is the tallest tree I've ever seen, and well worth going to the lighting ceremony!

So we hope you've enjoyed our rather long blog about London - and make it a destination on your to-do list! We'd love to see you over at Sprezzatura: The Wonderful World of Us, and we'd of course be happy to answer any questions or give travel tips!

And thanks again Lacey - we wish you a speedy recovery!

With love, Laura and Sarah

**I cannot figure out why the font won't stay the same throughout...sorry for that, Laura + Sarah! Thank you so much for your post!! xoxo