Abroad in London, England

So who hasn’t thought of all the things that make London ..well London. When I thought about London I imagined all the iconic red telephone booths and classic black taxis. I soon found that there is so much more to the city. It was so much to see and do, the question was where to start since I was only there for a few days.

So as soon as I made it through customs at London Heathrow, I grabbed a book for tourist and started circling things I had to see and do while there. I like to plan my itinerary on the fly. I always plan where I am going, but I leave the details to when I get there. I like to ask my Uber drivers what they do when their family visits them. I like to explore the city like a local, in spite of the handful of must do touristy stuff.

First thing was to take the tube to my hotel. I must say it was very clean and very easy to get to my hotel. The may was very similar to the color coding to the Chicago Transit Authority, with more options. My hotel was in the perfect location. I was a two minute walk from the St. James Park tube station. A quick check in and I was off to explore. Location is so important when you have a limited number of days to take in as much as possible. My hotel had a really cool history. It was once the the headquarters to WWII covert operations. I was literally a five minute walk to Buckingham Palace. I was thinking maybe I can catch a glimpse of the queen. Sadly that did not happen..lol

In spite of not seeing the queen, I did get to experience a cool thing. The changing of the guards. What is that you ask?/ It is when the new guard exchanges duty with the old guard right outside of Buckingham Palace. It was 10:45 am and it actually lasted about 40 minutes. The actual “handover” happens promptly at 11 am. The entire ceremony is accompanied by music and what i correlate it to is a small parade. I was great to experience a bit of a display of British pomp and pageantry and is all free.

Next up was a walk over to Westminster Abbey. At that moment I was a complete tourist. Just walking around and taking in the beautiful architecture. A bit of history- it dates all the way back to the 13th to 16th centuries, Westminster Abbey also presents a unique pageant of British history – the shrine of St Edward the Confessor, the tombs of kings and queens, and countless memorials to the famous and the great. It has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066 and for numerous other royal occasions, including sixteen royal weddings.

Next was a walk over to the clock tower of London or Elizabeth Tower at the House of Parliament. It is most commonly called Big Ben! It is an iconic London landmark. It looks amazing at night when all the four clocks are illuminated and glowing on the River Thames. Fun fact- the bell inside the clock tower weighs over 13 tons!

A quick stroll across the Westminster bridge and I am off to my next adventure. I ride on the famous London Eye. The London eye attraction takes about 30 minutes to make a complete rotation. The really cool is to take in the beautiful views from high above the River Thames. I could see Big Ben which i just walked from and how it towers above the House of Parliament. I could see the St. James Park all the way down to Buckingham Palace where my day started. Another fun fact was learned on the ride. I learned that if the Queen was home (she wasn’t) you can spot a flag at the Palace.

It had been a pretty full day so I was going to take a slow stroll back towards my hotel. I grabbed a bite and made it back to my hotel for a good night’s sleep. I wanted to get up and watch the sunrise the next morning.

My morning started by popping my head in the traditional red phone. A quick photo op and my day begins. I decided to take a stroll and grab some breakfast. Take my time and stroll down the River Thames. I snacked and walked and snacked some more. It was great. I took some time and did some shopping along the way. Shopping is always fun no matter what country you are.

I decided to take a river cruise to see the city from the water. The River Thames runs through the heart of London. It was a little chilly that day, so I welcomed a chance to take a rest and see the city from yet another view. I saw things up close, up high from the London eye, now from the water. The river cruised was by far the best way to see the city. We were able to hear the entire tour about the history of London and all the building and bridges. It was really cool. The boat ride was relaxing and informative and provided a panoramic view of everything.

After the boat ride, I realized I had walked quite a ways from my hotel. So I had an opportunity to take a ride in the iconic hackney, the traditional black cab. I had a full day and I was beat. A quick dinner at my hotel and I was off to bed.

The next morning, I would be off to THE Tower Bridge. Not to be mistaken with the London Bridge which was my mistake. Tower Bridge is the correct name. It is in fact London’s oldest and most historic river crossing. It’s one of the most recognizable landmarks in London and a must-see on anyone’s visit to the city. The bridge is suspended over the river. It is so cool because it has a glass walkways which gives give you unparalleled views and the Victorian Bascules are on show in the Engine Rooms – they still operate the bridge lifts to this day. If you are afraid of heights, you can walk along the side of the glass walkway and see the view over the river. The high walkways allows you to walk across the two towers.

I ended the day with another stroll along the Thames, more great food and city watching. Not to mention a little more shopping in a few cliche boutiques. I love to take a piece of the city back with me to the states. The next day I would enjoy another delicious breakfast at a little cafe and make it back to Heathrow.  

So stay tuned to see where we are headed next.