Day 2 in London | Kensington Palace, Afternoon Tea, Notting Hill & Preparing for Stonehenge

Jun 20

My second full day in London definitely didn't start the way I expected.

Instead of waking up refreshed after my first day exploring Canary Wharf, I found myself wide awake at 4:00 a.m. in a surprisingly warm hotel room.

At first, I thought maybe I had forgotten to turn on the air conditioning, but when I reached over to turn on my bedside lamp, nothing happened.

Then I noticed my phone hadn't charged overnight.

The entire room had lost power.

Thankfully, I had packed a small portable desktop fan in my suitcase, which ended up being one of the smartest things I brought on this trip. It helped cool me down enough to fall back asleep without having to call the front desk in the middle of the night.

Sometimes it's the smallest travel essentials that make the biggest difference.

☀️ A Hotel-Wide Power Outage

When I finally woke up around 9:00 a.m., I called the front desk to see what was happening.

Thankfully, it wasn't just my room.

The entire hotel had lost power overnight.

Luckily, emergency generators were keeping the elevators and lobby operational, which was a huge relief since I was staying on a higher floor with heavy luggage.

I had showered the night before, so I didn't have to worry about whether the hot water would be working, and once I opened my curtains, all my frustration disappeared.

Outside was another absolutely gorgeous London day.

Blue skies.

Sunshine.

About 75°F.

I couldn't have asked for better weather.

🚖 A Race Across London to Kensington Palace

I had booked a guided tour of Kensington Palace Gardens followed by traditional afternoon tea at The Orangery, and after the unexpected hotel situation, I quickly realized I was running behind.

Originally, I planned to take the Underground, but after checking the travel time, I knew I wasn't going to make it.

Instead, I booked a FREENOW taxi, London's rideshare app that's partnered with Lyft.

It estimated I'd arrive around 10:30 a.m. for my 11:00 a.m. tour.

Perfect...

At least, that's what I thought.

😅 When Things Don't Go According to Plan

My driver was friendly, but almost immediately I noticed something strange.

Even though he had GPS running, he kept missing turns.

Every missed turn pushed my arrival time later.

Then we drove straight into completely stopped traffic that the GPS had originally routed us around.

My estimated arrival changed from 10:30...

...to 10:45...

...to 10:55...

...then after 11:00.

At that point I started getting nervous.

I called the tour company to explain that I was on my way and apologized for running late.

They reassured me that if I missed the walking tour, I could simply meet everyone at afternoon tea afterward.

That instantly took so much pressure off.

Meanwhile, in the backseat, I quietly started channeling Reiki.

Not because I believed it would magically clear traffic, but because it helped me regulate my own nervous system.

Sometimes the only thing we can control is our own response.

✨ Sometimes the Universe Has Better Plans

As it turned out...

Everything worked out even better than I could have planned.

When I finally arrived, the guide was waiting specifically for me.

She had already sent the rest of the group ahead.

Instead of rushing to catch up, she gave me my own private walking tour through Kensington Gardens before meeting the others.

What started as one of the most stressful moments of my day unexpectedly became one of the most memorable.

It's such a beautiful reminder that sometimes what feels like everything going wrong is actually making room for something even better.

👑 Exploring Kensington Palace

Walking through Kensington Gardens with my guide was such a peaceful experience.

We wandered through the beautiful gardens surrounding Kensington Palace while learning about the history of the royal residence and the people who have called it home over the years.

Eventually we caught up with the rest of the group at The Orangery, where afternoon tea was waiting.

There were eight of us altogether.

Everyone happened to be from the United States, including travelers from Arkansas, Colorado, and South Carolina.

Two women were actually in London for the Harry Styles concert, which I thought was such a fun reason to plan an international trip.

Travel always reminds me how quickly strangers can become friends through shared experiences.

☕ My First Traditional Afternoon Tea

I've wanted to experience a proper English afternoon tea for years.

I ordered a warm chai tea with milk and a little sugar, and we were served beautiful three-tiered stands filled with:

Finger sandwiches
Fresh scones
Clotted cream
Strawberry preserves
Mini desserts

I'll be honest...

I don't usually eat many sandwiches or carb-heavy meals, so I mostly sampled everything rather than finishing it all.

The food was delicious, but I also hate wasting food, so I tried at least one bite of everything before deciding what I loved most.

If you're visiting London, I highly recommend adding afternoon tea to your itinerary at least once.

It's such a uniquely British experience.

🛍️ Wandering Through Notting Hill

After the tour, I met up with another friend who joined me outside Kensington Palace.

From there, we walked to Notting Hill, which is surprisingly flat, easy, and incredibly walkable.

One of my favorite purchases of the afternoon came from the Notting Hill Shopping Bag Company, where I picked out a denim-style tote bag.

Even better?

If you followed them on Instagram, they gave you a second bag for free.

Naturally...

I couldn't pass that up.

As I continued exploring, I noticed something funny.

Nearly everyone riding the Tube carried reusable shopping bags.

Ironically, I saw more Trader Joe's tote bags than I expected, despite there not being Trader Joe's stores in the UK.

It was one of those quirky little travel observations that made me smile.

🍵 Matcha Stops Are Mandatory

No travel day would be complete without another matcha.

Finding local cafés has honestly become one of my favorite parts of traveling.

Every city seems to put its own creative twist on matcha, and London continues to impress me.

🧺 Preparing for an Overnight Adventure

That evening, I needed one very practical item.

I was heading to Stonehenge later that night for the Summer Solstice celebration and knew we'd be sitting on the grass for several hours.

I originally searched for a yoga mat but couldn't find one nearby.

Instead, a local shop owner recommended a waterproof picnic blanket with built-in padding.

It folded up into a compact carrying case and cost only £3.

Honestly...

One of the best purchases of the trip.

I can already picture using it for beach days back home in San Diego.

🌙 Getting Ready for Stonehenge

After spending the afternoon exploring Notting Hill, I headed back to my hotel for a few hours of sleep.

That evening, I was joining the London Social Hiking Group, which I discovered through Meetup and Eventbrite.

The group had organized transportation to Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice celebration, leaving London at 11:00 p.m. and returning the following morning.

Knowing I'd be awake through sunrise, I wanted to squeeze in as much rest as possible beforehand.

Thankfully...

When I got back to the hotel, the electricity had been restored.

The first thing I did?

Turn the air conditioning all the way down.

Mission accomplished.