Hailing from a Commonwealth country (Canada) I had the sense that London would have an air of familiarity. Many of my friends’ families came from England. My heritage is certainly based in British culture. And, for the most part, it was like returning to my roots. However, it had so many rich, unique and unexpected experiences to offer as well.
My husband and I had 7 glorious days in England. We spent the majority of our time in the city and the surrounding area. Also, we slipped in a day trip to Stonehenge and Bath. Our meanderings were guided somewhat by our trusty London Pass which we had shipped to our home before we departed. We included an Oyster Travelcard with our guide which allowed for unlimited travel on any buses and subways (tubes) within the city. The pass allows for free access to many of London’s top attractions. These included the Tower of London, Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, and the London Zoo. As a first time visitor, I certainly got my monies worth. Most of the must-sees are included, but one notable omission is the London Eye attraction – which currently will set you back about £29.95 per adult.
Eating Out
When travelling anywhere, food is one of the biggest draws. And yes, we had the obligatory Cod & Chips from a recommended spot – the North Sea Fish Restaurant. However, finding tempting restaurants from a wide variety of cultures wasn’t hard to do. Whether we were feasting on the Jade three course set menu at Pearl Liang or chowing down on some street meat at the First Class Cafe near Camden Market we were not disappointed. When I think about it though, perhaps the best meals were the ones we started our day with everyday. The buffet breakfast served at the Hilton Park Lane was delicious, abundant and much more than just fuel to power through the day.
Although expansive, we found London to be a very easy city to navigate once comfortable using the Underground. There was a tube station within walking distance of everything we wanted to see and do in London. Alas, it would have been fun to try out one of the iconic local black cabs – maybe next time.
Future Posts
I’ll be going into greater depth discussing some of the highlights of our trip – Kew Gardens, the London Eye, the Natural History Museum, British Museum and the Tower of London. As well as our day trip to Stonehenge and Bath. But there was really no part of London that I didn’t find charming and worth returning to in the future. Whether we were staring at the Crown Jewels, or strolling through Hyde Park, or even taking a tube ride from one station to the next we felt like travelers. We felt the charm, the history, and the culture of the city. Although there are places on our bucket list that we’ll be visiting first – if The Fates are kind we will be returning to London soon.