London’s entertainment scene is proper mental!

This weeks entry is simple compared with the past few, but after traveling so much, I thoroughly enjoyed hitting pause and also hitting snooze on my alarm a few times this week. My 4000 word essays are also begging to be worked on, so staying in london was very much the right thing to do this week.

From attending not one but two concerts to meeting the queen (metaphorically ofc...or was it? I guess you'll just have to keep reading), this week's entertainment was insane. If you didn’t figure that out by my terrible use of British slang — it really hasn’t improved nor has my accent -- I'll take some time in this entry to break it down.

After doing like five loads of laundry and unpacking, I settled in for a nice quiet week where I did absolutely nothing but rest. Just kidding, obviously. My friend Mia came to visit, and it was great to have a friendly Champaign face in the London neighborhood. A special shoutout to Mia for keeping me company, boosting my tour guide ego, and sleeping on a mattress that can only be described as a death wish (yet you didn't complain once so all the power to you).

Mia and I did my London go-to itinerary. I'm feeling generous, so without further ado, I have posted my London favorites below. If you're in London traveling for a quick trip (in the span of 3 days) here are the MUST attractions and restaraunts. Thank me later, when you're eating the best salad in the world at the Avocado show or wandering around Spitafields market.

Sharon Zavlin's TOP favorite London Must-Sees:

The market scene: literally there are 100000 markets and they’re all amazing

• Camden (about an hour away from the city)

• Spitafields and brick lane market (vintage clothes, crafts, juices, flowers, and every kind of food imagineable)

• Covent garden (evening magic, fire, comedy shows + a mandatory hot chocolate from hotel chocolat)

• Portobello market in Notting Hill

• Broadway market

Food:

• Mercado metropolitan (every cuisine of food imagineable with a garden and bar, especially great Friday and Saturday nights)

• Borough market (be prepared to be overstimulated though!)

• The avocado show (if u like avocados this one is a must, and be sure to try their lemonades!)

• The alchemist (cool cocktail bar and dinner spot that has drink effects)

• Flat iron (12 pound steak and fries dinner)

• Pretty much any Nicholson pub (I recommend the fish and chips & Old Mout Strawberry & Pomegranate cider)

Other stuff and attractions:

• The view by tower bridge and river from tate modern is amazing

• Go to the tate modern (my fav museum)

• Trafalgar Square (best spot in London)

• Westminster square

• Carnaby street

• Regents Park (especially during spring/summer it's beautiful)

• Stroll through Kensington Gardens

Bars:

• Piano works Farrington (amazing live music all night but 15 pound cover)

• London cocktail club

• Simmons (cheaper chain and open later)

• Spoons (cheap cocktails and food)

Now, obviously this doesnt include what everyone's going to do anyway: seeing the changing of the guards at Buckingham palace (this may or may not be super overrated lol but its still a thing you've got to do once), shopping on Oxford Street (make sure to stop at my favorite store, Accessorize), wandering around Picadilly Circus, the london eye, and seeing Big Ben (sike this building is called the Elizabeth tower, do your research amateurs)-- but I thought I'd add some things that are the Sharon discoveries, meaning that slightly less people know about them.

Sunday, Mia and I embarked on the coolest thing I've done in my life to date, going to Mamma Mia! The Party! I think I've included enough pictures below, but I know it's kind of a big deal so feel free to ask for videos in the comments/dm box of course. If you haven't heard of it from tiktok (which is ofc how we heard of it) MMTP (an acronym I just made up to avoid spelling out mamma mia the party 100 times) is an immersive theatre experience, where you eat, dance, and sing along to mamma mia classics. The show was to die for (believe me, I think I felt my sense of reality "slipping through my fingers") but I loved becoming a "dancing queen" with Mia for the night. So performers from Sunday night: "thank you for the music". I'm done now, but MMTP was really amazing. It truly felt like I was back in Greece and I cherished every moment. Plus nothing is cuter than watching old people dance to "Waterloo", which has been stuck in my head since. Mia I hope you enjoyed your tour through my little home of telephone booths, markets, and busses.

After Mia left, I took 6 hours of rest (or more like school) before going to concert #2, seeing One Republic! After a slightly stange opening act, we listened to all the classics and I even caught a streamer. Despite going into the concert knowing like three One Republic songs, "I lived" (lol OK im done now). I also learned I'm a total mom at concerts, since I love to turn my flash on and move my hands to the wrong musical tune.

The rest of the week was a lot of school and also watching london bloom (hence the Regent's park rec), but then it was the weekend! On Friday, I got my hair done at a British salon, which was also pretty cool. I mean it costs an arm and a leg, but at least they ask you how you take your tea, instead of automatically putting milk in tea. And on the subject, even after four months of living here, I still cannot tolerate (and will never tolerate) the idea of mixing milk and tea. Some pictures below show my new hairdo, but I think it'll be perfect for summer!

Friday night, I watched the Downton Abbey: A New Era movie, which only comes out late May in the U.S. but magically premiered here this week. It was so exciting to be one of the first people to see the movie, and me and the grandmas and grandpas in the cinema all definitely shed some tears. No spoilers though, so I guess y'all will just have to hang on a month.

Saturday I explored a bit of Marylebone and learned the sad truth that while there are a lot of things London does really well, Acai bowls are not among them. Then I went to "The Loop" bar in Soho (another great bar I should have mentioned above) with some of my friends and we danced the night away. Today (aka Sunday), some of my friends and I headed to Windsor castle, where queen Lizzy currently hangs out. I was hoping she'd ask to grab a cuppa tea with me, but 1.) I didn't see her sadly 2.) she's probably getting ready for the platinum jubilee and 3.) she'd probably put milk in it....so I settled at looking at pictures and statues of her instead. Still a really cool experience though:)

That's all for this week! I can't believe how long I've already been in London, but what I can't believe even more is how quickly the days fly by! As this entry comes out May 1, we have just one more month of being lost in london, and I can hardly imagine saying bye to all of this. So instead of saying bye this week, I'm saying cheerio-- see you all soon!