by Hanzky — Friday, July 16th, 2010 at 7:00 am
in Today's Outfit, Travel and tagged with Charles & Keith, Chicsimple, Forever 21, H&M, London, Primark, The Little Things She Needs, United Kingdom
Five countries and six cities. That’s where I had been from the end of June to the middle of this month. Started from London, Paris, Barcelona, Venice, Milan and ended up in Dubai. Have so many stories from each of the places, but since this is a fashion blog, I’ll take you there through my outfits, just don’t hold your expectation up high because traveling in style is much harder with two kids in tow. But I thought it would be fun to show you outfit pictures with variety of backgrounds that are not normally shown here 
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Day One
Arrived in London at 7 AM. We checked in to the hotel, showered, changed clothes and stepped right out for some London breeze. The weather was perfect as it was sunny but brisk. Where did I go first? Where else but the famous Oxford Street and Piccadilly Circus area 
. Our hotel was in Paddington so we took the tube to go there. It was about the only time we took the tube because navigating the stroller through the narrow and deep stairs, along with two 50 year olds turned out to be not so efficient. I also didn’t know that the tube doesn’t have air conditioner as it was built before the air conditioner was invented. So it’s roasting inside.
One of my missions in Oxford Street was to find Primark Store! Primark is an Irish clothing brand. I’ve heard about Primark from Loucee, our forum member who used to post her today’s outfit picture and recent purchases from Primark and they were all stylish clothes. She always said everything in Primark is dirt cheap but I didn’t believe how cheap it was until I stepped foot in the store. The prices are really the cheapest among any other high street brands. I’m talking about 3 quid legging, 15 quid shoes, 18 quid blazer. I don’t think I saw any clothes priced for over than 30 quid. Everything resembles the latest runway trends. The quality? About on par with the other brands, really. The store in Oxford Street is as big as a department store and has clothes for kids, women, men, underwear, accessories and even home decoration stuff. I even got a new big hard shell suitcase from there for only 35 quid. The other store I checked out was only H&M and Topshop but then after you shop at Primark, everywhere else seemed expensive .
Day Two
Time for some sightseeing. First stop was the Buckingham Palace. I wanted to see the changing of the guard but we got there too early for that and would be too long to wait 
Today was colder than yesterday and I loved it even more )
Getting our hoodies on
The famous London black taxi along with the red phone booth and London Eye
The Big Ben. It’s not too far from the Buckingham Palace and across it is the Westminster Abbey and London Eye on the right side. I walked a bit more towards Trafalgar Square and just hanging out by the fountain area absorbing the surrounding.
Of course, a London report in a fashion blog won’t be complete without a mention of Harrods department store. Previously owned by the Egyptian businessman, Mohamed Al-Fayed, whose son died in a car crash with Princess Diana. Being inside there feels like in a setting of Christmas movie. And obviously, I just got to buy something from there I needed a replacement for my compact powder and got a Diorskin Forever Compact with SPF 25. But I think I got a shade too light, especially that I’m getting tanned after the vacation. I hate the fact that I bought what the sales lady said about how the lighter one suits my skin best :< Anyway, if you go there, don’t miss the Food Hall, I was more entertained there than I was inside the fashion section. Since it’s a luxury department store, everything in there is high end designer stuff. After that, off we went to Chelsea stadium.
Day Three
In the morning, we walked around the hotel neighborhood and then went to see the London Bridge. I regretted that I didn’t have a chance to visit Portobello market because we had to catch the Eurostar train to Paris later on the afternoon But I got to meet my long time friend at St. Pancrass station and chatted for a little bit.
And the drink I was holding is happiness in a cup. It was a Hot Chocolate Milano from Caffe Nero. It’s a thick and smooth, liquid chocolate topped with whipped cream and Belgian chocolate. Tasted so heavenly I could drink it all day everyday. Too bad I didn’t find the coffee chain in other cities that I visited.
The street style in London is definitely like you’ve seen in street style fashion blogs. There are a lot of eclectic and quirky styles that were so interesting to see. When it comes to fashion, I think London is the king of high street brands as you can find almost any high street brands in Oxford Street, from Uniqlo to GAP to Miss Selfridge. But when it comes to food though, I didn’t see many fast food chains. It’s saying something about the quality of life the Brits are having. Not only the food, but the city itself is so charming, with the historical building, the clean streets, the parks in almost every blocks. Most of the people I met were so polite. I also noticed the difference between the African American in London than those in the US in terms of style. They are much classier in London and don’t sport any shocking colors and overly blinking fashion items. If you’re a Muslim, you will like London as there are so many people wearing hijab all over the cities. In fact, they are swarming Harrods like crazy. The businesses there obviously notice the growing number of Muslim population in London and UK that KFC and pizza chain Dominos have Halal certified branches.
I initially planned to stay longer in UK and road tripping to other cities like Manchester, Liverpool, Oxford, Cambridge and the southern part. But then we had three additional company that it was just hard to rent a van fit for seven people Overall, I LOVE London. I would move there tomorrow if given the chance and would definitely go back there to explore more.
Up next: Paris report!
[blog post] EuroTrip: The London Times http://fdly.me/bjjqEK #fb
RT @fashionesedaily: [blog post] EuroTrip: The London Times http://fdly.me/bjjqEK #fb
travel in style.. RT @fashionesedaily: EuroTrip: The London Times http://bit.ly/d0V5dP
huhuhuhhu…envy you….suami lo juga ikut kan Han? *ngebayangin lo ksana cuma be3 with the kids*
Ikut lah..iseng bener gue pergi cuma bertiga..hehe. Ade gue yang cowo juga ikut sama nyokap gue dan ibu mertua..rombongan sirkus judulnya.
hani rambutnya dipotong gitu canteeek!! lebih keliatan muda *loh, selama ini? kabur ahh..hehehe*
btw, iri banget…gw pengen bener ke London! whoaaaa…
ada jehan pun! so cuteeeee…… btw, teteub stylish kok mama hani, suka sama biker jaketnya!
Memang potong poni dalam rangka peremajaan umur..ahahaha. Iya gue juga suka banget nih sama biker jacketnya, bahannya kaos gitu jadi nyaman.
Waah enaknya Han… Enjoy your trip
Udah pulang sekarang sih..hehehe but yes I did enjoy my trip
gambarnya tidak muncul sama sekali ;(
Wah kok bisa yaa di yang lain kayanya muncul2 aja…
seruuuuuu suatu saat akan kesana juga wif fam, someday
…amiiinnn…the kids r great ya han…jauh bgt loh perjalanan..T.O.B nih Jibran n Jehan *kiss
Iya leela..nanti kesana ya kalo Raemir udah gedean..:). Iya untungnya anak2 seneng2 aja dibawa jalan, kayanya hampir semua anak pasti seneng deh pergi2 gitu.
I love this article! I used to live in the UK and I visit London weekly.
Did you go to Selfridges? That is my favourite department store so far. I can’t wait for your Paris article. I love that city too. 
Where in the UK did you live? Pasti nggak jauh dari London ya secara tiap minggu bisa kesana. Iya sempet ke Selfridge juga yang di Oxford..tapi nggak sempet foto2 di depannya
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Scarf to foto pertama cakeeep, hehe. And the last photo, such a cool mama!^^ I’ll be waiting for next report Mbak Hanzky
Ohoho itu dari Toko Dua Amoi kok, coba di check mungkin masih ada..:D, lookalikenya Scarf LV.
Hanz, seru banget ya jalan2nya. Kalo mo balik lagi, ajak2 yak
Rambut berponi bikin Hani nambah seksiihhh
bukannya sdh sering diajakin cong? kok malah gak kesini2?
kesindang dong!!
*han, maap numpang nyela* :p
Iyah..apa Linda belum tau kalo elo itu tour guide yang sangat helpful yaa
. Nantikan fotomu dipostingan berikutnya yaa…
Haha…apaa lagi nih nambah seksi, yang ada juga nambah Arab bukan?…Btw, aku juga mau lho diajak ke Emrik tante…:p.
Hanzky kasihan banget ya roasting di dalam tube
. I also agree that travelling by tube is not easy for moms with prams/buggies. Even though in some stations they’ve got lifts there’ll be stairs waiting to be tackled. Did you visit Westfield by any chance?
If only you visit Harrods a couple of months ago, they’ve got this visit Indonesia thing going on over there. With a window display dedicated for Indonesian art & craft as well as clothing by Indonesian designers. Not to forget some Indonesian food were being sold in the food hall
Endah…kamu tinggal di UK kah? You sound so British..:)). Nope, I didn’t go to visit Westfield because I thought it would be just like any other shopping centesr. I limited my time on shopping and only went to the shopping places that can’t be found anywhere else.
I’ve heard about the Indonesian food display too, I believe one of them was tempe and it was arranged by Femina group. Gotta be proud!
Ya tinggal di London daerah Bayswater hihi, dekat banget loh dari Padington where you were staying
. Btw, gak rugi kok gak ke Westfield, emang kayak mall biasa cuma gede aja sih. Next time ke sini lagi mesti maen ke Borough Market Hanzky, jualannya makanan sih tapinya 
Huaaa…Hani…*iri* komentar dulu ahh: poninya kereeeen…jadi keliatan meremaja…*Peace*, biker jacketnya juga TOB..pingin pinjem…aku ingin ke London lagi deh…tp bawa bocah2 kayak Hani..ngurus Visa-nya gampang ga Han? Lhooo…nanya…nanti aku PM aja yaa…
Hihi..beli aja An, masih ada kok di Matahari..:D, ada warna lain juga. Ngurus visanya gampang banget, 5 hari selesai. Siiip ditunggu PM nya.
hanzzzkyyyyyyy… gw tertariknya sama cup of Hot Chocolate Milano from Caffe Nero…
duhhh cafee nero kopinya juga enak. jadi pengen kesana lagi 
Iya Tie lattenya juga enaak. Duh itu ada dimana lagi sih? Gue nggak nemu di tempat lain..:<
how could you still be stylish holding a tot and walking around the city? *garuk2 aspal saking irinya*
Ngiluuu deh ngebayangin garuk2 aspal gitu..:D. Enggak lah Pi, ini di foto aja keliatan mendingan…padahal aslinya sih biasa aja…hehe…
han … did you go there arranged by a tour from indonesia?
Enggak..arranged sendiri aja dari browsing2 Internet and with the help of FDers di traveling forum
aku tak sabar menunggu liputan spanyol
Han, pake poni malah kayak cewek latin Han… *compliment ini, oleh2 ntar gw ambil yak* hahahaha
Akupuun tak sabar untuk menulisnya..haha, tapi terpaksa harus ngantri dulu…:D. Oleh2 adaa..mau warna apa? :p
You’re definitely travelled in style mbak
Gorgeous photos! Did you take any photos inside Harrods food hall? Would love to see how tempting it really was! hehe 
Yah hari hari pertama masih terlihat rada niat deh..tapi makin ke belakang makin seadanya..hahaha. Sayangnya nggak ada foto2nya, selain takut nggak boleh, rada susah foto2 karena harus jagain anak. Coba di google image aja ‘Harrods Food Hall’ gitu.
ahh asiknyaaa.. *nada sirik*
btw, Hanzky, u’re inspiring me with your outfit.. flats dan scraftnya stunning bgt, bikin ibu yg satu ini klitana tetep fashionable..i love it!
anyway, poninya bikin kliatan muda.. *jd kepikiran mau bikin poni*
Have fun there!
Thank you yaaa. Iya bener, yang agak bikin beda itu gladiator sandalsnya, coba kalo diganti sendal biasa pasti efeknya beda..:). Yuk mari berponi..gue kalo poninya udah jelek jadi di jepit ke atas gitu dan berasa lebih tua.
you made it to Primark!! YAYY!!! akahkak.. kalap gak, han? ;P
that is one shop i’ve missed the most since moving to HK, and i miss UK too!! *sobb*
I DID!!. I made it and didn’t want to get out of the store..:D. Kalap? menurut loo gue sampe beli koper disitu buat apa?..hahahaha…
Wah, Primark…baru kebagian beli dr ebay doang,he2. Moga ntar bisa beneran belanja disana spt Hanzky
BTW ribet ga han arrange perjalanan wisata sendiri gitu?
Di Ebay tetep masih murah murah juga yaa? Ntar gue ceki2 deh
. Amiin..mudah2an gue juga bisa kesana lagi. Enggak kok nggak ribet, memang harus banyak browsing2 sih, but it can be done as long as you allow plenty of time. Kalo gue agak2 last minute sih arrangenya..jd kurang mateng plannya dan sekarang nyesel ke Londonnya cuma 3 hari 
Haniii…senangnya yaaa jalan2
duhhh jehan dah gede yaaa.. perasaan baru brojol kemaren sore hi3 berlebihan deh gue..
Duh iri ihhh ngeliat toko2 itu XD
Jehan udah sekolah lhoo..hehehe, tapi emang bener, it didn’t seem like too long ago.
haniii, rambut barunya lucu banget.. cocok di eloo..
have fun ya anak2 d sana? foto2nya bagus2 bener..
rasanya ingin ikut masuk di koper hihihi..
tentengan hnm nya puas ya han..
Puas beneerr..hehehe. Iya aturan masuk koper bisa tuh, cuma 23 kg kaan elo beratnya?..kekekke…..
Han Primarknya mantaaff yaaa…gw betah berjam2 di situ doang..sampe akhirnya bawa koper kecil yg gw titip di cashier, jadi muter2 belanja tinggal plung plung n geret deh pulang ke hotel hahaha
Good idea San..:D, kasirnya baik bener mau dititipin. Makanya mereka jual koper disitu ya karena tau yang belanja disana biasanya sampe berkantong kantong.
UK and Spain are 2 European countries I wanted to visit the most, so really enjoyed reading your stories han! Btw iyahh tetep gaya kok han biarpun pergi dgn rombongan sirkus. Ini sendalnya masih dalam kondisi prima ya? hehehe
Nah dua duanya itu yang gue cinta banget Fi, wish I stayed there longer. Iya ini sendalnya baru dipake..hehehe tapi terakhir2 biar udah belel juga nggak begitu keliatan sih difoto.
han, emang di London gak panas yah, kok masih bisa pake scarf n jaket ? but agree, you DO look good ! bisa yaaahhh….jalan kaki bawa rombongan sirkus and be stylish ? *envy*
psstt…intipin dong label dress linen hitamnya…keren bok !
Enggak..rada chilly gitu kok, apalagi kalo pagi, enak banget. Serasa spring time. Tapi memang summer disana nggak begitu panas kan? Temen gue yang tinggal disana sih bilangnya gitu. Pokoknya pas gue kesana kemaren udara London paling enak dibanding Paris, Barcelona, Venice & Milan. Btw, dress hitamnya merknya conexion
, ada warna lain juga tapi size gue waktu itu nggak ada…
Hanzky,
injek jempol gw dooonk…*lol* ENVY…huhuhu, kerennn bow
Pake hak nggak nginjeknya?..hehehe..baru tau guee kalo ada orang yang abis jalan2 minta diinjek ya biar bisa pergi ke tempat yang dia kunjungi?..
Seruu Han… duh Primarknya gede yah.
Jehan cool banged sih di foto, gemess deh.
Jehan seneng difoto Jen, susah banget gue mau foto TO sendiri aja, pasti dia ngikutin. Kalo Jibran udah males di foto.
Mbak Hani, couldn’t agree more with you. after you shop at primark, everywhere else seemed soo expensive. hihii surga dunia bgt itu ya, mbak ! semoga aku bs kesana lg someday amin
Iya bener, surga dunia!!. Amiin, mudah2an kita berdua bisa kesana lagi yaa…:)
I Love London tooo ^^
Me too ^^
Hanzky thank you yah udah bawain titipan dr amal… sayang ga ketemuan.. glad that you enjoyed London. You had the best weather when you were here!
Sama sama Iren, maaf yaa gue pas lagi mandi, baru dateng soalnya..dan lagi agak rusuh karena hotelnya tidak sesuai dengan ekspektasi..:D. Oh jadi pas gue disana aja yaa yang lagi enak..hihihi, I guess it was just my luck.
Hanzky, simpple questions… brapa hari in total untuk ke smua negara itu dan ada yg naik kereta gak ke negara tetangga nya?
ps: you looked like a college girl di foto day two yg pertama,cute
Aww college girl, I like that..hhehehe. Total 16 hari. Naik keretanya dari London ke Paris, naik eurostar 2 jam sampe. Trus paling dari Venice ke Milan juga naik kereta, 2 jam juga. Tadinya mau naik kereta dari Paris ke Barcelona, night train gitu yang ada tempat tidurnya, 12 jam, tapiii sold out.
Hannnn…
Gileeee jalan-jalan bawa anak masih cantik aja! Mana masih pake baju-baju cantik pulaaaaa.. Ruarrr biasa
Kalo gue ga pernah bisa bawa rok/dress tuh kalo travelling, bole dicoba kayaknya ya.. Secara disini pun gue jarang banget pan pake rok.
Tiap travelling foto gue bajunya ituuuu aja! Jaket, sepatu, ama tas udah pasti ga bakal ganti deh..
Ditunggu penampakan berikutnya
Iya ya Pai, gue kayanya nggak pernah liat elo pake rok deh..tapi emang lebih practical pake celana kayanya kalo jalan2, sama legging juga ternyata enak banget Pai karena ringan gitu kan. Duh sepatu dan tas gue juga minim banget niih gantinya….
envy… pengen banget ke london…
makin cantik aja deh…
jaketnya beli di matahari?
Iyaa jacketnya Chicsimple beli di Matahari juga..hehe….
Di tunggu report selanjutnya…
i heart PRIMARK!!
gue juga beli koper lagi pas disana, cuma 28Pound saja
total2x gue belanja sekitar 200GBP dan dapet sekoper hehehe
foto lu bagus2x deh..love the lipstick color