Excellent Vegan Food in London

Okay, I have to admit that a lot of other European countries need to look towards London when it comes to vegan food. They have really stepped up the dining out vegan game! Holy moly! Everywhere I went there were good vegan options, and at a good price point as well!
I was thoroughly impressed!

So today I’m sharing three restaurants that I fell in love with while on my latest trip to London.

The Diner

397 Strand, Covent Garden, London WC2R 0LX, UK

My good friend David introduced me to this place, and I will be forever grateful, and never worried about having to go hungry while in London ever again.

It’s a 50s style diner, and they have their very own vegetarian/vegan menu, packed with delicious meals that will make it hard for you to choose.
I ate there twice and tried both the Triple Tacos, and the Mac and Cheese. Both were equally as delicious! It’s the perfect place for hungover/comfort food, no matter if you’re craving something sweet or something savoury.

Highly recommend!!

Find out more on The Diner’s website here!

Pizza Express

You can find Pizza Express all over London, but I went to the one right next to London Bridge. So, what made me go there? I had seen them advertise a vegan pizza, and that made me curious! I do love a good pizza!

So I took myself out on a date to Pizza Express. They had two or three different vegan pizzas to choose from.

I ordered the Vegan Giardiniera:

Artichoke, closed cup mushroom, red onion, and black olives, with tomato, vegan mozzarella alternative and garlic oil, finished with fresh parsley on a Romana base.

It’s the best vegan pizza I’ve had so far! So much flavor, crunchy base, and that vegan mozzarella it was absolutely delicious!

I paired it with a glass of rosé wine and had a wonderful me-date right next to the London Bridge.

If you’re a pizza lover, then definitely give the Pizza Express’ vegan options a try! You can thank me later😉

Find out more on the Pizza Express website here!

Ethos

Image from the Ethos website.

48 Eastcastle St, Fitzrovia, London W1W 8DX, UK

Ethos is one of those restaurants that I just stumbled upon while strolling through the streets of London. I actually almost walked right past it, but I’m so grateful that I didn’t.

It’s a beautiful restaurant with a very open, but warm atmosphere. They make vegetarian/vegan food and desserts, and a lot of the dishes are glutenfree as well. The concept here is that you take a plate and fill it with whatever you like (buffet style) and then they weigh it to find out how much you should pay.

I tried a little bit of everything, but my favorite was probably the lasagne, broccoli & cauliflower fritters, and their hummus. But there’s so much to choose from, both cold, hot, sweet and savoury. There’s something for everyone!

I made the mistake of having too much dinner so that I didn’t have room for any of the tasty looking desserts! You may learn from my mistake and try to contain yourself a little so there’s a little bit of extra space for the sweets and cakes afterward. I sure will next time😜

Find out more on the Ethos website here!

As if I didn’t miss London enough before I started writing this, now I miss it even more and I’m hungry as well!

Let me know if you’ve tried any of these restaurants, or if you have any recommendations for other restaurants with good vegan food in London❤️

Was it Fruitful?

So I went to London, I ate plenty of good food, drank the whisky and met some wonderful people too.

But Christina, you went to London to write! I didn’t see a lot of Insta stories of you doing that, so how fruitful was the trip really?

It was even more fruitful and creative than I imagined it would be! And the thing is, when I get into the mood of writing, that’s pretty much all I focus on, so that’s why I don’t show that much of it. And I can imagine that me posting a lot of pictures and videos of just me in a bar with my computer would be very repetitive and not really all that interesting to watch in the long run.

But I got down over 10 000 words on my novel! 10 000 words in 5 days!

There’s something magical with the relationship between me and London. My creativity blossoms as soon as I get a little bit of that London feeling.

A nice walk by the Thames, a coconut latte from Pret and then I’m all set. The words just pour out of me, and it feels so good!

And the best part of it all, is that the words have kept coming since I got home. It feels like I took a little bit of that London magic with me home this time around, and I’m so grateful for it!

I will be sharing more about my trip in the next couple of days! Have some wonderful restaurants to recommend to you guys, and maybe also a few personal stories to tell!

But now, I have to get back to my novel!

Hope you are all doing well❤️

Oh, and let me know; Do you have any places you go where you just get instantly more creative, or is that just me? And if you do, where is it?

Holy Doughnut!

Those who know me (or have been following me for a while) knows that I have a love for doughnuts. But finding vegan doughnuts isn’t always that easy, and sometimes not that tasty.

April last year I found a vegan doughnut at Vegabond in Amsterdam that was truly amazing, but today I think I found the one that outranks that one.

I was walking down the south bank from London Bridge to London Eye, and when I came to Blackfriar’s Bridge, there was a big sign with a picture of a doughnut, and underneath it the beautiful word “vegan” was written as well.

I had slept in, and hadn’t had breakfast yet, but I knew I wouldn’t be able let this opportunity pass. I headed in to the station and found a little Doughnut Time shop in the wall. They had doughnuts on display and two of them were vegan. I’ll be honest, I stood there for way too long trying to choose between the two, but finally ended up with the one called Ice Ice Bae Bae (vanilla buttercream, vegan cookie pieces, chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate chips)! They gave it to me in a cute little turquoise box, and I walked away smiling like a little kid.

I had planned on saving it for after I had found my breakfast, but it turns out that I have zero self control, so I ended up sitting down on a bench by the River Thames, sun on my back, and with a box of my biggest craving on my lap.

Unfortunately, there’s no picture of me actually eating this thing, because trying to eat this beautiful big piece is messy and needs two hands, but if you want a mental image, just picture an enthusiastic ginger Cookie Monster that it’s hard to tell by facial expression if she’s actually eating or having an orgasm!

You’re welcome! 😂

This was a delicious treat that turned into a party in my mouth! Should I have had breakfast first? Probably! Do I regret it? Absolutely not!

So, if you find yourself in London and craving a vegan doughnut, then find your closest Doughnut Time and go at it!!

You can thank me later 😜❤️

Why I Decided to Not do VidCon This Year

When I heard that the 2019 VidCon Europe would be in London instead of Amsterdam (like last year) I got super excited!

It’s no secret that I was extremely disappointed by last year’s event. The tickets were expensive, they changed the venue to a smaller one, the food options were bad (and not included in the price), and it just felt like they themselves weren’t taking it seriously. It felt like a joke, a waste of money and a waste of time, unfortunately.

But when VidCon London was announced, it really did seem like they had decided to really go out all. They had booked a lot more YouTubers, and the ones that are scheduled to be there are more known than most of those from last year. The venue is huge, and the overall impression of the 2019 event is a heck of a lot better than what I expected.

I decided that I would go. I booked my flight, a bed at a hostel, but then I was kind of hesitant about booking the actual ticket. Like I mentioned, it is quite expensive, and for some reason I had a gut feeling that told me to wait a little longer. The backside to waiting is that the price for the ticket goes up.

Then came the time when I sat down to actually book my creator pass. I sat there, staring at the pay now button, and I thought about how interesting it was going to be to hear creators like Rhett & Link, and Patricia Bright share some of their secrets, but then I thought about last year. I went for a walk, and had a long inner conversation with myself about what it was that I felt like I needed in my life, where I was at creatively and what I really wanted to do.

I love making videos, and I want to get even better at it. I love expressing myself on the YouTube platform, and the BookTube and travel community there is awesome! I have big plans for my channel and for future content, but I also need to finish my novel.

I’ve been writing for such a long time, going back and forth with projects, started over, started new stories, gone back to the old ones, and round and round and round it goes. Now though, I am finally in a place where I don’t struggle with my writing routine. I ind words upon words, and I can see that my two novels are going somewhere. They are growing into something that I’ve been dreaming about since I was a little girl, and I love that!

Then I thought about the 36 hours writing trip I took to London two years ago, and not just how much I loved it, but also how much work I got done.

And that’s when I decided that VidCon could wait another year. I would still go to London, because I had my flight and hostel booked, and made plans to see some friends as well. But I would go there to work creatively for me. To write, film and take pictures. A four day writing trip.

That would also give me time to find out if the changes that they’ve made to VidCon Europe really make it worth the money, and then I can go next year instead.

I got home, closed the VidCon page, and I felt incredibly happy about my choice. It felt right!

So here I am now, at Oslo Airport Gardermoen, waiting to board my flight and to get back to city that I love.

London, I hear you calling, and I will be there soon❤️

We Went to London!

Leander and I have taken some smaller trips together over the years, but we’ve never actually had the opportunity to travel by plane anywhere, just the two of us. So for Leander’s 11th birthday this year, I booked us a trip to London.

We were going to do the Harry Potter Studio Tour, but unfortunately, that was sold out by the time I was able to book our hotel and plane tickets. So we will just have to go back I guess 😝

So where is the London vlog, you might wonder? Well, I did film a little bit during the trip but decided pretty quickly that there wasn’t going to be a vlog for this trip. The main reason for this was that I wanted the London trip to be about Leander, and for him and I to have some really good quality time together. And if I’m focusing on getting as much good content as possible for a vlog, then my mind would often be elsewhere than on being mindful of all the experiences we were having together.

So what did we do on our trip? We walked around the city a lot, sat down at cafés, ate yummy food and cakes, spent some time at Hamley’s, did a little bit of shopping, had fun in the hotel swimming pool, got to meet some wonderful people, went to the science museum and we stayed up late, eating candy in our hotel room.

But the thing that I take away from the trip that was the most wonderful, was all the time we spent talking about life and thoughts. I’ve always said that the best way to really get to know someone is to travel together with them, and I do believe that Leander and I got to know each other even better than we already did throughout this trip. It’s so easy to get caught up in the hectic everyday lifestyle, and we probably don’t take as much time as we should to actually just sit down and talk about our feelings and experiences, but while we were away, we really did get the time to do so. There was no rush for anything, and we just had a wonderful time. Even when getting soaked in the rain, or when Leander was so tired on the evening of our first day that he walked like a drunk person, we still smiled, laughed and talked so easily.

It is also so fascinating to me to experience how he’s growing up so extremely fast. And he constantly takes me by surprise when he’s wording these really profound thoughts that are running through his mind. But even though he’s getting closer and closer to becoming a teen, he still finds the joy in toys and playing, which is something that I think is so important!

And he’s so funny and entertaining my little guy!

It’s so wonderful, but also scary at the same time, to watch him finding himself and taking on the world.

Solo traveling with kids is a little different from when I do travel completely alone though. There are a lot more breaks, earlier nights, and a bit more planning. But it was such a joy, and I do hope that I get to travel more with my little man in the near future.

Not only because I think it’s an absolutely wonderful way for us to get quality time together, but also for us to personally grow through traveling together. Some of the most vivid memories I have from my childhood are the adventures I went on with my family. We didn’t have to travel far or by train, but it was something about just getting out of the comfort zone of home, and try new things and explore new places.

And that is something I wish for Leander to have plenty of; ADVENTURES!

 

London was an absolute treat, and as I’ve mentioned before; London always feels like coming home! It brought me so much joy to share that with Leander, and it was just a pleasure to watch him fall in love with the same city.

London, thank you for all the wonderful memories we got to bring back home❤️

Took this photo as we were landing at Oslo Airport Gardermoen. Fall, you sure are pretty😍

 

 

 

 

London, My Dear London!

It’s one of the hardest things to watch someone you love hurting. Especially when you know that there’s really not much you can do to make it go away, except for being there and trying to ease the pain.

When the news hit Oslo about the London Bridge terror, I was out having a few drinks with colleagues. At first we didn’t really know what was going on, and we hoped that it wasn’t as bad as we feared. Knowing we couldn’t do anything from the distance away that we were, we tried not to obsess over the news and continue on with our pleasant night out. It is safe to say that it wasn’t an easy task, but we managed to steer the conversation to other subjects and so the night went on. I left central Oslo to go home earlier than I planned. My party spirit had left the building.

Sitting on the bus on my way home, surrounded by drunks and lovers, I started reading the news once again. What met me on the screen made my insides twist and my heart ache.

Oh London, my sweet dear London, haven’t you hurt enough by now? Not only have you been struck several times, but your nearest and dearest that surrounds you was struck as well.

I got home and fell into a restless sleep, but have no recollection of my dreams. Maybe it is just as well.

The next morning I hurried out the door to catch my bus down to my hometown to visit family. I watched the news as I sat there on my way to the people I love. One news reporter after the other talked into their cameras from the same spots, and the blood drained from my face. I knew that spot. Borough Market, why hadn’t I recognised the name the night before? It is right next to the hostel that I stayed in when I traveled to London both in February and when I got stranded because of the British Airways disruption. I walked passed that market several times a day, just under a week before this happened.

“You never know. It could have just as easily have been you.”

My mom said to me as we talked about what had happened. And she was right. We never know when something like this will happen. It could just as easily happen to you or me, as anyone else.

“You shouldn’t go back for a while.”

This is where we disagreed! I will admit that every time something like this happens, I get angry. I get confused by how someone could find it in their hearts to justify something like this. But most of all, I get scared.

No matter how scared though, I will not let them take travelling away from me. I will not let them take London away from me. London has always felt like a home away from home, and I won’t let them take my home away from me.

In times like this, we need to focus on the love and not the hate or the fear. And this is why I promise you, my sweet dear London, that I will be back soon!

I love you London, and even though I’m far away, my heart and thoughts are with you and with everyone else who holds you dear.

 

Texas and London Book Haul

2017 Vlog 3 – Went to Texas and got stranded in London

Dear British Airways

Our relationship started a short while back and I had to say that when we first met, Friday a week ago, I was very pleasantly surprised. You made everything so easy and comfortable for me, and when it was time for food, you were thoughtful about my preferences. I was met with smiles and good fun, and I thought to myself that this could be the start of a long lasting relationship.

I even missed you when I had to get a ride from your friend American Airlines for the majority of my way back home yesterday. When I got to Heathrow though, I could see that we were scheduled to be reunited once more, if only for the couple of hours it would take me to get from London to Oslo. I was looking forward to it, I really was!

Then you stood me up. I waited and waited. For hours I sat around, just hoping to at least hear from you. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, I had to hear from a third party that you were delayed because of some technical issues. That’s okay, shit happens! So I settled myself with a coffee and my book, and kept on waiting. The rumours started spreading throughout Terminal 5 about you standing us up completely, so after reading a couple of chapters I went looking for someone who could give me more information.

It took a while to even find anyone who could actually answer my questions, but when I found that person, I was told that things were very uncertain. The only thing she could tell me for sure was that our date was definitely cancelled. After seven hours of waiting I got in the line (that hardly moved) to get help from your coworkers. I knew that the chances of getting a ride home that day wasn’t going to happen, but at least they would have to help me find a place to sleep, right?

After standing in line for an hour and a half though, a female friend of yours came up to us and told us that standing in that line wouldn’t do any good. All they could do when one got up to the counter was answering questions about rebooking and reimbursement. We would all have to stand in a new looooong line just to be able to get out of the airport, then we’d have to find a place to sleep and try to get in touch with you the next morning.

I was overwhelmed, jet lagged and utterly exhausted. I ended up calling my mom in tears, telling her that I had no idea how or when I would be able to get home to Norway, and even worse I struggled to just find a place to spend the night. I had a mini-breakdown right there in Terminal 5, because I felt so stood up and left out to dry.

You weren’t there and I felt like event though we’d spent some good times together, I no longer mattered to you.

That being said, the friends of yours that I did get in touch with at the airport they tried the best they could to lift my spirit. They gave me the help they could, even though it wasn’t much. And I feel bad for all of them, as well as all of us travellers.

When all of this is settled, I think I’m going to have to reconsider our future relationship.

The fact of the matter is this:

I’m angry and very disappointed. Not for the fact that some power surge ended up with me being stranded in London for who knows how long. Not for the fact that I’m here, and I have no idea where my luggage is. The reason why this is getting to me is the utter and complete lack of communication. There were children all over the airport crying and asking about when they would be able to go on their long awaited holiday. People who’d been away from their family and friends for months, just trying to get home. Old people who couldn’t stand in line for hours just to get information.

I looked around and saw plenty of speakers throughout the airport. Why on earth were we not given any kind of general information through those? Why did we all have to seek out airport staff to get the minimal amount of information that they had been given? Like I said; Shit happens! I get it! You can’t be prepared for everything, but at least help us out when you screw up. Give some kind of information so that people know what they should be doing.

So, what now?

I honestly don’t know much. I stranded in London. Luckily there was an available private room at St. Christopher’s Inn (the hostel I stayed in last time I was in London), so I have a place to stay. They won’t let me get my luggage, so now I have to go and get some clothes and toiletries for today and tomorrow. I can’t get through to British Airways’ customer service line, and they’ve told us to not show up at the airport. The only thing I know is that I won’t get home until earliest tomorrow, but I might have to stay here until Tuesday.

So I’m pretty much stranded, but at least I’m in one of my favorite citys. The sun is out and life is too short to stay mope around, so I’m going to go and lay down with a book in Hyde Park, keep trying to get a hold of British Airways on the phone, and pretend that I’m just still on holiday.

Life is a journey, not a destination, and sometimes the journey takes us on completely different paths than what you expected.

Hope you’re all having a wonderful Sunday!

Let’s make new memories!

I’m currently at Oslo Airport Gardermoen, having breakfast and doing a bit of writing while I’m waiting for boarding to open. Last time I wrote a post from the same place as now, I was headed to London. This plane is bringing me to London too, but this time around I have a transfer flight for a much longer trip. This time I’m headed to somewhere I haven’t been before to see someone I haven’t seen in a long time!

I’m headed to Austin, Texas!

It feels like forever since the last time I was onboard a plane, even though it’s only been a little over three months. That urge to travel is just growing and growing, and I’m very excited to finally be back at an airport, knowing that I’m about to head somewhere new. There’s something so utterly special about the airport atmosphere. It’s like you can feel the excitement in the air, radiating from all the other travellers. And that very feeling feeds me with energy and creativity. I write a lot when I’m at home, but the urge to put words onto paper/screen grows so much stronger the minute I’m on the go and surrounded by other adventurers who are headed to all kinds of places!

Traveling with British Airways will be a new experience for me as well (I don’t think I’ve ever traveled with them) and one thing I’m really curious about, is the food they’ll serve. I’ve requested vegan/vegetarian on my flights and from what I’ve heard it’s usually either a hit or miss. Crossing my fingers for a hit!

My camera is along for the ride, and there will be a Texas video up on my YouTube channel when I get home.

Wish you all a wonderful Thursday and hope you get to go on your own adventure, even if it’s just a minor one! Go out there and make some new memories to treasure!

Bon Voyage!