No Passport Required

London is currently on lockdown. Until you can visit in person, pop in a movie or watch a series set in London.  It won’t be the same as touring the royal city in person, but it will temporarily transport you there and might tide you over until your next trip. Bon voyage!

You’re Invited to a Royal Tea Party!

Host a virtual tea party with friends and binge watch Bridgerton or The Crown on Netflix.

Dust off grandma’s tea set and serve Victoria Sponge Cake to make it a royal affair. Send out a fancy invitation and play dress up with some chic hats, maybe even gloves?

British Accents Make Movies More Romantic

Support your local restaurant by ordering fish and chips to go, and watch a romantic comedy set in London: Love Actually, About Time, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones Diary, or Parent Trap.

For my Madison friends, consider the family fish and chips special at Cooper’s Tavern.

Elementary, My Dear Watson

Follow the adventures of London’s own Sherlock Holmes by streaming one of the movie adaptations of the detective novels, or watch his younger sister outsmart him with her sleuthing skills, in the Netflix series, Enola Holmes. Whip up one of my recipes, the Wheat Berry Salad, inspired by the British pub, The Dog and Duck, that Sherlock himself might have dined at. 

Cherry Tree Lane, Abbey Road & Bond Street

Take a step back in time and try one of these classics that will have you walking down some of London’s famous streets: Mary Poppins, A Hard Day's Night, To Sir, With Love, or choose any of the Alfred Hitchcock or James Bond movies set in London. Try serving breakfast for dinner like Bond often did-scrambling up some eggs and washing them down with his signature vodka martini, “shaken, not stirred.” 

Bond 25 Postponed Again

The release of the latest Bond movie, No Time To Die, has been postponed until October, due to the coronavirus. Until then, we’ll just have to imagine the picturesque locations 007 jets off to in the 25th Bond movie; Jamaica, Italy, Norway, and of course London. Speaking of Bond… let’s test your knowledge of past Bond movie locations. 

Zabelicious Trivia

I snapped a photo of this scenic villa on a previous trip. Guess the location and which Bond movie was filmed here?

Answers:

Villa del Balbianello, Lenno, Italy next to Lake Como. Casino Royale

Once travel restrictions are lifted, if you ever do plan a trip to Lake Como, you must visit the villa, which continues to be used for movies and private events. You cannot sleep there, but if you want to live out your Bond fantasy and price is no object, there is another property nearby. Villa Gaeta, another historic home on Lake Como seen in the same Bond film, is available to rent for around $1,000 per night. A girl can dream, and always escape through the movies.