When I realized we would be spending my birthday in London, I knew there was one thing I definitely wanted to do: have classic afternoon tea! It was my birthday, after all, so why not indulge, while doing something completely British at the same time?
To up the it’s-my-birthday-and-I-want-to-feel-fancy quotient, I chose the Orangery at Kensington Palace. (And only partly because that’s now where William and Kate live).
While we didn’t actually go into Kensington Palace for a tour (tea was quite expensive enough, thank you very much!) we spent a long time over tea and exploring the massive grounds at the edge of Hyde Park. In August, the gardens were pretty gorgeous, and I had too much fun taking a million shots of flowers, squirrels, and the lovely old English buildings.
(Hey, it was my birthday!)
The Orangery is a beautiful building set a little way from the main Palace. While we didn’t make reservations, meaning we had to wait for a bit, it was nice and sunny, so it wasn’t a big deal for us, although it’s something to consider with that damp English weather
. We went ahead and ordered the traditional Afternoon Tea service, complete with a variety of tiny sandwiches, scones and clotted cream, and an assortment of pastries. And, of course, tea is included. All of this for about 24 euros–each–so you will certainly pay for atmosphere as well.
It was the perfect birthday treat.
Especially since that was where we discovered clotted cream, and my life will certainly never be the same.
Which is exactly the sort of thing that should happen on a birthday, if you ask me. 
the full set up!
on retrospect, wearing a jean shirt maybe wasn’t the fanciest thing. 
we snuck a selfie! classy.
how gorgeous is the china? it has the little crown because it’s all on loan from the Queen.
my handsome tea date.
the front of the Palace.
This is the letter K for the A to Z Challenge!
