We departed from Bristol on a Wednesday to the final city of our tour around the United Kingdom. The ninety-minute train ride to London was a beautiful blur of lush landscapes accented by the passing towns. We snacked on cave-aged handmade farmhouse cheddar we purchased while visiting Cheddar Gorge and marveled at the all greenery. Upon arriving, we took a quick ride down the tube to our home away from home for the next few days: Vauxhall. Since this was the longest section of our visit, we booked an extended stay hotel so we could buy groceries to prepare some of our meals for the week.
This trip was planned around our attending Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour in London, so you can imagine my surprise when our hotel was located down the block from The Black Dog pub. It was the middle of the week and the Swifties were out enjoying the sun and warm weather, with a beer in one hand and friendship bracelets adorning the other if not both wrists. After running a quick errand to gather our groceries for the next few days, we got a table at The Black Dog and exchanged bracelets with other fans.
On the day of the show we managed to get a workout and coordinating manicures before meeting our friends at the stadium. We took the tube from Vauxhall to Wembley Stadium and excitement buzzed in the air as more Swifties filled the train in their sparkling outfits. We saw her in Houston last year in April when she first began the tour and had yet to re-release Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version), and publish her newest album The Tortured Poets Department. When my friend Moshiel told me he got four tickets for his partner and us, I was ecstatic for the chance to see her again with new music, an entirely new section, and seats that gave us a direct front view of the stage.
The fourth night of the London shows was spectacular! We saw the full intro in the daylight and entered the 1989 set as the sun began to set over the horizon, providing a striking background of colors as I sang my heart out to my favorite album. I was most excited to see the new TTPD set and avoided any spoilers online so I could have a genuine first reaction and was blown away! Speaking of surprises, jaws dropped and shouts filled the air as she played a triple mashup featuring one of her best friends and collaborator Ed Sheeran as they performed “Everything Has Changed” from Red, “End Game” from Reputation, and Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” from his album X. The night ended as we queued the tube with over 70,000 other Swifties joyfully singing various songs from Swift’s discography in the rain.
Another warm, sunny day greeted us the next morning. So we collected our remaining friendship bracelets and returned to Wembley Stadium to pick up our VIP package and browse the official tour merchandise at the pop-up shop. Our VIP package included a special VIP badge and lanyard, souvenir concert ticket, collectible pin, set of four poster prints, a postcard set, collectible pin, and commemorative tote bag. Afterward, we dropped off our items at the hotel and visited the Tea House Theatre for afternoon tea before exploring the shops in the Theatre District. While Jared and I tend to have a difficult time shopping for clothes in the U.S., we knew to pack an empty suitcase when traveling to the U.K., and needed to purchase another suitcase to fit everything we found!
Two weeks is the longest period either of us have traveled, domestically or internationally, and I was worried that we would be aching to return home after such a long time away. We originally considered visiting other countries across Europe during our two-week holiday, but travel time between them would have shortened our stay at each. To celebrate the end of a wonderful holiday in the United Kingdom, we made dinner reservations at the acclaimed Dishoom in London’s Covent Garden. Indian cuisine is among our favorites and their menu of fresh and flavorful ingredients did not disappoint!
It’s difficult to say goodbye after two spectacular weeks in the United Kingdom, but all good things must come to an end. We were graced by unseasonably warm weather and sunny skies which enabled us to see more of each city than we would have otherwise had the opportunity in less favorable conditions. I can’t pick a favorite from all three cities we visited, between Manchester’s friendly locals, Bristol’s gorgeous countryside views, and London’s plethora of activities. So long for now, London, we had a good run!
