• Home
  • About
    • Work with Me
  • Destinations
    • England
    • France
    • Italy
    • Scotland
    • United States
    • Wales
  • Mental Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
Life Well Wandered

Life Well Wandered

17 February 2015 · Leave a Comment

Macarons and Mews of London

Destinations· London

Share this post:

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on Email

On Saturday, my friend Siobhan and I decided to spend our Valentine’s Day at a Macaron and Mews tour of London. We met up with Yannick, our tour guide, outside the Lanesborough Hotel at 2. It was Valentine’s Day so we were the only non-couple there besides another girl so that was fun. She is traveling Europe and is from DC so it was nice to have another American in the group! There was also a very cute and incredibly well-behaved baby. The tour itself was great. I love nothing more than finding hidden corners of London and French pastries so this tour was right up my alley.

The tour took us around Belgravia and Knightsbridge, where we learnt about the history of the area and also went exploring the mews, which are houses converted from the former stables of the large houses. Let me just say that I found so many dream homes. And ate five delicious macarons. I highly recommend taking the tour. You’ll definitely go exploring through the mews and see parts of London that you never knew existed. And, you’ll fall in love with all the cute little houses. Check out some photos from it below!

Luxembourg Embassy
Our first mews. How expensive do you think they are considering all the
fancy cars?? Totally affordable right?
Obsessed.
I want a vine covered house

The Grenadier (pictured below) was originally built in 1720 as the Officers Mess for the First Royal Regiment of the Foot Guards. It became The Guardsman Public House in 1818. It was frequented by the Duke of Wellington and King George IV. Today, it is known as one of England’s most haunted pubs because of a a young grenadier named Cedric who got caught cheating during a game of cards. Legend has it that his friends beat him to death as a punishment and then threw him out of the window. Today, people pay homage to his spirit by putting money on the ceiling. A sign by the side door states “it is house policy that all customers should be suitably dressed. Persons wearing overalls or soiled clothes will not be served”. Who knew overalls were still a thing…

 

Such a great entrance!
See also  Strasbourg Part 2
Why are the mews houses all so cute?!

 

 

 

This was the pub that my parents and I went to over Christmas
break. So cool to stumble upon it again!!
Dream: to one day have a cute little door to my home.

 

 

A cool map of London. It even shows the old river that
ran into the Thames. You can see Hyde Park & Regents Park!

The Pantechnicon building was built in 1830 as a bazaar and this facade was the only part of the building that wasn’t destroyed in a fire in 1874. It now houses retail and restaurants.

Our first macaron stop was Pierre Hermé. He began his career at the age of 14 and has been called the “Picasso of Pastry. And man do I agree. The other pastries in the store looked phenomenal and the macarons were delicious and fluffy. I got vanilla (I know I played it safe, but I just love vanilla) and it was a really intense flavour. They had so many other flavours, some normal, some really interesting. I definitely want to go back. Perhaps when I’m in Paris again… :)

 

 

After that, we headed over to Harvey Nichols to get our second macaron at Fossier. I tried to be adventurous at this one and I got green tea! It wasn’t nearly as good as Pierre Hermé but who am I to turn down a macaron?? Plus, it came with a pretty design on it.
While on the food floor, we found these alcoholic gummies. Each whole gummy is about the equivalent of half a shot (these were cut into quarters). They first taste like fruit and all sugary but then you can really taste the alcohol. It was so weird/cool!! They had gummies with whiskey, rum, and gin. Like mini gummy cocktails in your mouth!

 

 

On our way to Harrods, we passed by a bedazzled Mercedes. Yes, you read that right. A. Bedazzled. Mercedes. What. Why. Why. Completely bedazzled. Only in Knightsbridge!

 

 

Julian Assange’s home! Yay Ecuador and the £9 million
it takes to police the embassy!

When we were in Harrods, we went to our final three macaron places. The first two were William Curley and La Maison du Chocolat. I got raspberry from the former and pistachio from the latter. Unfortunately, they both contained chocolate in the centre (sinful) so I could only eat the edges but the edges were good!

 
We then went to Ladurée. Yum. I got a raspberry, ginger, lavender macaron. See? I was adventurous! And it was delicious. I liked the fluffiness of Pierre Hermé more, so I think Ladurée comes in a close second.

 

On the way to the Tube we came across this fancy car. Again, only in Knightsbridge right next to Harrods.

 

 

See also  Goals for the New Year
#obsessed with these stairs

If you’re in London and want an excuse to eat French pastries and walk around some hidden parts of the area, check out this tour. Yannick is a great guide. Very entertaining and informative. Plus, for a 2.5 hour tour including 5 macarons for £20, how could you resist?! Walks like these just make me fall in love with London even more!

 

You may also like

Share this post:

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on Email
Previous Post: « Photo Journal: Doors & Streets of Rome
Next Post: Oxford »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Life Well Wandered

alex life well wandered

Welcome to my corner of the internet! Life Well Wandered is a travel blog where you'll find a little bit of everything. I love sharing itineraries from past trips, secret spots I've discovered on my travels, histories of places I find fascinating, and stories about my mental health.

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Life Well Wandered

Search

What’s New

  • A Guide to Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cotswolds
  • The Real-Life Inspiration for Moria? Exploring St. Edward’s Church in Stow-on-the-Wold
  • A Lord of the Rings Guide to the Cotswolds: Places That Inspired Tolkien’s World
  • Day Trips from London: Stonehenge & Salisbury
  • Visiting Upper Slaughter in the Cotswolds: A Guide
Follow
college tourist

Note: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Please check our disclosure page for more information.

lifewellwandered

Alex | Travel Blogger/Wanderer
One of my favorite things about traveling in Franc One of my favorite things about traveling in France is the constant reminder to slow down. ✨ On a spontaneous stop in Tours after a busy morning of castle-visiting, we visited the cathedral (more on that soon) and wandered over to Place Plumereau. My former self would have wanted to maximize sightseeing, making a quick stop and moving on. 💥 However, the groups of people enjoying the beautiful weather with wine and cheese made it impossible to refuse a snack and break myself. 🍷🧀 Sitting on a terrace surrounded by others just ~being~ was a great reminder to slow down and soak up the moment 😌 #lifewellwandered #mindfultravel
What's one thing you always notice when you visit What's one thing you always notice when you visit a historical building? 🤓 I always notice floors and staircases, constantly imagining who used them and the history they've witnessed. ✨ The staircases in the châteaux in the Loire Valley did not disappoint 😍 #lifewellwandered
Château de Châteaudun has one of the largest and Château de Châteaudun has one of the largest and best preserved keeps in France, dating from the 12th century 🤓 at 102 ft (31m) tall, it dominates your view when you visit. SWIPE to see more shots from the château, including centuries-old graffiti from the castle's prisons 😯 #lifewellwandered
This view was not something I expected when I visi This view was not something I expected when I visited Chartres 😍 I would love to sit in that sun room with a good book 🤓 Wishing everyone a lovely weekend (hopefully with pleasant weather) ☀️ #lifewellwandered
Do you prefer French or English gardens? 🌸 Some Do you prefer French or English gardens? 🌸 Something about the symmetry of French gardens (pictured here) is very pleasing to me, but I really dislike the rules that come along — no walking on grass, no random meandering from one spot to another, limited to the confines of your current trajectory. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I enjoy the freedom and wildness (is that a real word?) of English gardens much more! #lifewellwandered
Which half-timbered building would you live in? 🤔 Whenever I'm in Europe, I always find myself drawn to these quirky, wonky buildings, each with a unique history. 🤓 Drop me in any one and I would be content 😍 #lifewellwandered
Weekend plans: hiding from the heatwave in DC whil Weekend plans: hiding from the heatwave in DC while wishing I was in France 😫 🏰 #lifewellwandered
Take me back to beautiful French châteaux 😍 Ch Take me back to beautiful French châteaux 😍 Château d'Azay-le-Rideau is one of the most picturesque castles I have ever visited—it was built in the early 16th century and seemingly rises straight from the river Indre 🏰
Me every 5 seconds walking around a medieval town Me every 5 seconds walking around a medieval town 📷
Load More... Follow on Instagram
  • Home
  • About
  • Destinations
  • Mental Health
  • Lifestyle

Copyright © 2023 · beloved theme by Restored 316