I Saved the Best for Last

As I told you earlier, I managed to save the best Starbucks for last. It all started about two weeks ago when my roommate, Michelle, came home and told me she had found the most amazing Starbucks near the River Thames. She shared a photo of it with me and from that point on I could not wait to pay it a visit. I ran by the shop briefly on Monday, but did not actually have enough time to go in. Today however, I made a special run on the Tube just to go to Starbucks. I'm sure you all are thinking, how exciting could a Starbucks possibly be, but this shop is in fact special. Everything from the location to the building itself is far different from any other Starbucks in London or the U.S. for that matter. This little gem is tucked away in the middle of some docks and surrounded by beautiful boats. Walking up to the shop it looks like it is on an island. There is a darling little bridge that leads up to the shop and a nice spread of tables and chairs outside. The building itself if the best part of all. As you can see from the photos, the shop is quite small, round and looks like a small Jefferson Memorial. I could not believe my eyes when I saw this darling little shop. I was eager to see the inside so I hurried in to check it out. It was the middle of the warm afternoon and I was in need of water and a snack. As I approached the counter I began to scan the glass case. I instantly locked my eyes on the Victoria Sponge Cupcake and knew that I must try it. As I waited for my turn to order I took a little video of the first floor of the monument. I hope this video will give you a little taste of what this shop is like.

After getting my water and cupcake, I headed up the spiral staircase to explore the upstairs. I found a table with a gorgeous view of the water and all the boats and sat down to enjoy my treat. I would like to share with you my initial thoughts on the cupcake that I purchased. Notice all the windows in the background and just imagine looking out the windows over the beautiful water. Here is just a taste of the cupcake:

I think it is quite obvious from my video that I loved the cupcake. The cupcake was not the only good part about this Starbucks quest. I have learned so much and really become aware of the differences and changes that were made to make Starbucks such a success in the UK. This process has been loads of fun and really allowed me to visit a variety of areas and get a feel for each one. I really liked how each shop resembled the area in which it was located. Even if I was just making a brief stop in an area to grab a coffee, I knew that I could tell a bit about the area based on the decor and offerings of Starbucks. I have many more photos and videos that I will be sifting through during the next week. I hope you will check back during that period to see everything that I have to share. Once I have put my final report of information together, I'll will be sure to share that as well. I hope you all have enjoyed this journey as much as I have. If I had to pick one thing from this experience that I learned it would be to study what you love because it will be so enjoyable and you will learn far more about it. Talk to you all soon. :)

AM