My highly anticipated trip! London, at last. I went for 5 days with my friend Brittney and we did a lot more than we expected. I really really enjoyed my trip there and I would say that it my favorite city I have visited so far. I don't know how to really explain how I feel about it, but it is the city where I've always dreamed of visiting and it reached my expectations and more (as cheesy as that sounds). Here's the things me and Brittney did (by day)
Day 1 - Exploring
- Free walking tour (By NewEurope. They're free! I enjoy these tours and they can be found in main cities in Europe. I've been to one in Amsterdam and Berlin as well. The only thing you 'pay' is a tip to the tour guide). Visited the main sites (Buckingham Palace, Westminster, Parliament, etc).
- Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery Museum.
Day 2 - Super touristy sights
- Changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace (the queen was home during our stay!)
- The London Tower
- Viewed the London Bridge
- London Eye
- Browsed around Piccadilly Circus at night (an independent movie was being filmed right in the center of Piccadilly next to where me and Brittney were sitting !!).
Day 3 - Shopping!
- Camden Market
- Portobello Market
- Harrods
- Piccadilly Circus
- Oxford Circus
Day 4 - Nerd Stuff
- Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross
- CHIPOTLE
- Bakers Street, Sherlock's home
- Abbey Road (Got to write on the wall!)
- Shakespeare's Grove
- Viewing of the Millennium Bridge
- St. Paul's Cathedral
On the fifth day we browsed around Camden market again since our hostel was nearby it. We also had another round of Chipotle since me and Brittney felt deprived from Mexican food. Mainly, we relaxed on our last day because our bus didn't depart until 6:30pm. We did experience the rowdiness of the Liverpool vs. Cardiff game. We encountered the most uncomfortable trip on the metro line after the game ended because so many drunk fans came in at the same time we did and we were surrounded by them and they were singing and banging on the seats and the ceilings. It was hilarious. We encountered full on British culture right there.
The tube wasn't too complicated. I LOVE the underground. The only thing that annoyed me was how crowded it always was. When we were there, part of the Northbound line was closed off. Me and Brittney were close to missing our bus back to Swansea even though we planned an hour before leaving. It was chaotic!
London did take a large chunk of money out of my account, but it was worth it I would say! Me and Brittney got 2 for 1 deals off of many tourist attractions (you can find the deals here if you're looking into visiting any attractions - they're so worth it). They may ask you for your railcard, but me and Brit got away by showing our day passes for the day. They shouldn't be too strict about it if you have the coupons.
What I loved the most was how awesome the sights looked even from exiting an underground station. It continued to amaze me. It was so pretty everywhere. I don't know what else, but the feeling of being there was just awesome. I'm really bad at explaining how I felt exactly, but the energy was so inspiring.
I'll set up my flickr account soon so you guys can view all the photos I took during my stay. If you're not connected with me on facebook, I think this link here will let you view my photos.
This wasn't my first time in London though!The first time I went to London actually was a spontaneous night with my flatmates. My friend Otteh was going to see Adrian Lux, Morgan Page and more performing at Ministry of Sound in London with some friends and some of us tagged along last minute. We stayed all night at the Ministry of Sound and came back the next day. You could pretty much say that we were zombies by the morning haha. The nightlight was awesome and seeing London at dawn was beautiful!
Until next time!
Linda
i thought platform 9 3/4s was just in harry potter..didn't know it realy exist..wow!
ReplyDeleteYes it does exist! It's more of a set up at Kings Cross but it's still really cool! :)
DeleteWhat a fun trip! I'm jealous of all the stuff you did. It looks like you had a great time.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda! I've been reading your blog a lot lately because I'm going to the UK for the first time in July and your blog is really informative! Could you tell me where you stayed while there? My trip happens to be right before the Olympics and I'm already having difficulty trying to find places to stay. Anything you recommend seeing that you think you absolutely can't miss while being there?
ReplyDeleteHey! I am sorry it took me a while to reply. That's awesome that you're going to the UK! You're gonna love it! I mostly stayed in hostels while traveling around here. They're cheaper than hotels. I booked most of them on http://www.hostelworld.com/ It's a good site, they provide you with a lot of options and there are ratings on all the hostels. If you book with hostelworld, you only have to pay a pre-deposit and pay the rest once you check in. If you feel uncomfortable with any hostels (which I did in the first place) you can check out youth hostels (http://www.yha.org.uk/) they're usually safer because families tend to stay there.
DeleteI'll tell you which places I stayed. In London I stayed at Smart Camden Hostel (which I actually don't recommend. Go to YHA hostels in London I think they're more worth it). In Oxford I stayed at Oxford Backpacker's hostel (it's nearby the bus station and right next to the city center). In Cambridge and Bristol I stayed at YHA (again, a good one cause its YHA).
If you have any more questions let me know I can help :)
I also made a post on the cheapest ways to travel around the UK and cheap flights around Europe. Hope you find this helpful too. :)
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