This post is long overdue. I will likely never catch up on this blog, but I love trying!

You may notice while reading the content below, I stole a significant portion of my content for this post from my friend Natasha’s blog: http://www.thosedamscotts.com.

Why?

1) She is better at blogging and faster than I am

2) she took all the pictures!

Natasha and Cole moved from Amsterdam to London last summer and Bryan and I were crushed. They are not only incredible friends, but also fellow country music fans. You may be surprised to learn, some of Nashville’s greats come this direction for tours quite often. And when they do, we like to attend. The four of us saw Thomas Rhett in concert in November of 2016, and knew we started a tradition.

Natasha told us (right around the time they moved) that Thomas Rhett was playing in London in the fall of 2017, and so we knew it was the perfect opportunity to see their new digs and go to the concert together.

Unfortunately, the London show sold out ridiculously fast, so we grabbed tickets to the Birmingham, England show. We spent Friday night in London at Natasha and Cole’s place and then took the train to Birmingham on Saturday for the night.

I took a later flight on Friday than Bryan did, and so Bryan, Natasha and Cole arrived to pick me up. They brought drinks in tow, of course. Who doesn’t love a welcome with gas station beers and cheap bubbly!

After the hilarious welcome subsided, we walked to a late dinner in NOVA near Natasha and Cole’s apartment. We ended the night at Vagabond wine bar.

The next morning, we explored Natasha and Cole’s cute neighborhood and went to a delicious brunch place near their apartment called Cambridge Street Kitchen. The food was delicious and the ambiance was superb. Next, we headed to Fitzrovia to grab coffees and explore a bit before our train to Birmingham.

 

The train was only 2 hours and so we arrived into town in the early afternoon. You cannot see Lucy in these pictures below on the train, but the Scott’s dog is under our table! She came with us on the trip and was an excellent travel companion.

 

When we arrived, we found a cool brewery restaurant called Purecraft Bar & Kitchen and then stumbled across this amazing restaurant/cocktail bar called Lost & Found.  It looked so good, we made dinner reservations there for later in the evening.

 

After dinner, we walked over to the concert venue, which was right on the outskirts of town. Old Dominion opened up for Thomas Rhett and they were unbelievable! We loved jamming out to all of our favorites. Old Dominion and Thomas Rhett were both amazing.

During the concert, Thomas Rhett told the story about how he told his mom he was playing a show in Birmingham. She replied, “great, I will drive down!” He said “no mom, I don’t think you can drive because I am in Birmingham, England!” The crowd loved it.

Right after the concert, we raced to the local sports bar to catch the UGA playoff game. Natasha and Cole, our dedicated Bulldog friends, called ahead to make sure they played the game on the big screen. Sadly, right after halftime, the game took a turn for the worse and Georgia did not recover. Fortunately, you know how the championship game ended a few weeks later?

 

The next morning we went to an easy breakfast before heading out. Bryan needed to go back to the US for work, so he flew out very early in the morning. Natasha, Cole and I then spent a few hours walking around the city.

Birmingham, while not the prettiest European city, surprised me with its charm and food scene. We enjoyed seeing another city in England and spending time with our dear friends.

Until next time,

Hila