London: Travel diary #6

This morning, we got ready quickly and packed our bags so that we could enjoy breakfast in peace. This was because a large wedding party had been announced the evening before and we wanted to leave for London early anyway. The breakfast was delicious. In addition to a buffet with muesli, yoghurt, fruit and a wide variety of drinks, you could also order numerous dishes from the menu. These included sweet waffles and avocado toast with fried eggs. But in general, everything was very flexible and special requests were easily accommodated.

After breakfast, we checked out of our room and made our way to the airport to return the hire car. After all, it's not very useful in a big city with public transport. Returning the car was much smoother than hiring it, and we were able to drive straight back into the city centre.

To get there, you can simply take the Elizabeth line from the airport. And what I personally find super convenient on the London Underground is contactless payment by card. After getting off at Tottenham Court Road, we arrived at our hotel, Hazlitt's, after a 5-minute walk.

This hotel is definitely not like any other ordinary luxury hotel. Our room is very cute with a small storage room. Don't imagine anything big. It's a bit like a display case. The rest is also very cosy and makes you feel like you're in an old manor house. The furnishings add a certain charm to the whole place. Fortunately, our room faces the back courtyard, so it's as quiet and pleasant as you can expect in a neighbourhood like Soho.

In this hotel, too, the rooms are not numbered but named after personalities associated with the building. A very nice idea. You can read the whole story in a small leather booklet. It's quite interesting to learn about everything this hotel has been through.

This little booklet also lists all the services that are offered. Although the hotel seems very small, there is a whole menu that you can order to your room. And I am really looking forward to breakfast at this accommodation, because it is also served in your room. The nice gentleman has already shown us the card, which resembles a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign and on which you have to tick both your desired breakfast and the time.

But of course, we couldn't stay at the hotel for too long because the next item on the agenda was already waiting for us: the Cartier exhibition. The receptionist at the hotel had already told us that the exhibition was supposed to be very good, so I was very excited to see if that would prove to be true. And indeed it did.

I had no idea that Cartier used to create veritable works of art from donkey stones and gold. I also find it fascinating how the three brothers ran their company. Their close contact with their customers and employees definitely contributed to the company's rapid rise to the top of the world. Overall, it was just super exciting and highly recommended.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to explore the rest of the Victoria and Albert Museum. But it's very interesting and you should definitely set aside half a day to see all the works of art and artefacts. As with most museums in the UK, there is no admission fee for this museum.

Immediately after the exhibition, we set out to find a restaurant for an early dinner. A quick online search revealed that there was a highly rated seafood restaurant right next to our hotel.

So we marched off and realised that we had already eaten at the partner restaurant in Amsterdam. And once again, it was a very good experience. The food at the Seafood Bar was delicious and we arrived at our hotel feeling well fed, ready to freshen up.

Because tonight there was a very special item on the agenda: ABBA Voyage. ABBA Voyage is a concert on the outskirts of London for which a special concert hall was built. This is because special technology is required to make the whole band dance and sing on stage as avatars. We had seats relatively close to the centre of the auditorium, so we had a great view of the show.

It looked really frighteningly real when the avatars danced on stage. Only on the screens to the left and right could you see a little from the facial expressions and hair that the band members were animated. Throughout the entire concert, a live band sang the songs in sync with the characters, and it was an incredibly beautiful experience. In general, the atmosphere in the stadium was very positive and cheerful.

It was definitely a successful evening, and now I'm looking forward to a restful night's sleep in our cosy bed.