“Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” – Samuel Johnson
I’m sure people will argue with me but for me, London wasn’t anywhere close to being the most aesthetically beautiful city I’ve been to in Europe. Nevertheless, this was one of the few cities I would seriously consider living in and definitely one of my favourites.
London is so vibrant. It’s full of eclectic, multicultural, wonderful people. It’s got amazing food from around the world and there’s always something to do. It’s gritty and real. It’s perennially busy – everyone always seems to have somewhere to be. It’s hard to be in London and not get caught up in the flow of this fantastic city.
What I really love about London is how well the “old” is integrated with the “new.” On any given block you could find a cathedral, a ramen shop and a fancy apartment. The city is a seamless blend of thousands of years of history and I found that incredibly fascinating and alluring. I spent most of the time walking around the city (logging almost 60 miles over the course of the ~4 days!) and I felt this really helped me get a feel for the city. I felt totally at home among the fast-moving, trench-coat clad population – I will definitely be back in the near future.
My favourite parts of the trip:
- Fantastic Beasts Midnight Movie Release – this was the real reason I planned by London trip for the weekend I did. It was very nostalgic arriving a couple hours before midnight and seeing other Harry Potter fans dressed up in their house colours (some in some really fantastic costumes). It made me wish I brought some stuff with me!
- Westminster Abbey – so much British history is tied up in this beautiful cathedral!! I especially enjoyed seeing the grave of Elizabeth I and walking around the Poet’s corner. I almost felt like the spirits of Chaucer, Dickens, Kipling, Tennyson and so many other great literary masters were walking with me.
- Museums – there are not many places in the world where there are so many museums with such important collections of art accessible to the public. In exploring some of the many museums in London, I felt like I was traveling back in time.
- Mamma Mia – what can be more fun than singing and dancing along to one of the best musicals of all time while surrounded by the women who are doing the exact same thing?!
Sweet:
– Most museums around the city are free!
– Food! Everyone says that Brits don’t know how to cook but I found that London has a much more diverse range of food offerings than most European cities and this was such a blessing.
– People – I’d heard that Brits weren’t necessarily the most talkative people but I had such pleasant / helpful interactions with everyone I met!
– Christmas decorations – from festive shop fronts to towering Christmas trees, London was absolutely magical this Christmas season.
Salty:
– Although museums are free, historic monuments (Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower of London) easily cost between £15 and £25. This was very difficult to stomach – especially as a ‘starving student.’
– Traffic – drivers are aggressive!
Itinerary:
**my favourites
Day 1:
– SoHo
– Fantastic Beasts Midnight Showing **
Day 2:
– Buckingham Palace
– Westminster Abbey**
– Palace of Westminster (Parliament)
– Big Ben
– National Gallery**
– Mamma Mia!**
Day 3:
– Hyde Park
– Kensington Gardens
– Victoria and Albert Museum
Day 4:
– St. Paul’s Cathedral
– Millennium Bridge
– Tower Bridge
– Tate Modern**
Day 5:
– British Museum**
– British Library**
– King’s Cross