London

July 16-18, 2016

When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.

—Samuel Johnson

Day 1

View from nap.

Once we got settled into our cozy flat (just a stone's throw from the cathedral), we set out to do Rick Steves' Westminster Walk audio tour (if you ever go to Europe, Rick Steves will be your best friend).

Westminster Walk

We started on Westminster Bridge, from which we were able to see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the Statue of Boadicea, the London Eye, and of course the River Thames.

We walked along Whitehall Road and saw Westminster Abbey, Parliament Square, the Cenotaph, #10 Downing Street, the Banqueting House, and the Horse Guards, before ending in Trafalgar Square.

It was unusually hot and sunny for London, and we were relieved that we had packed shorts last minute just in case, though we wished we had been wearing them...

Dinner in Covent Garden

The line for Dishoom extended all the way down the street, so we settled on Wildwood Kitchen, a lively little Italian place.

Day 2

We began our day with a full English breakfast at The Happenstance, to power the 528-step walk to the Golden Gallery at the top of St. Paul's Cathedral.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

We lucked out because the cathedral is typically closed on Sundays, but the walk up to the Golden Gallery is open on select Sundays - including that day!

We were able to see the orchestral mass inside afterwards, which was epic. The orchestra and choir in that setting was truly magical. Check their schedule and try to align your visit with when it's going on!

East London

Afterwards we headed over to East London to spend the afternoon with Emilie and Peter in their neighborhood of Haggerston.

We went to the Columbia Road Flower Market, which was a bustling affair, full of fragrant flowers, jolly salesmen, and live folk music.

Haggerston Park

Afternoon Tea

What else to do at teatime but have afternoon tea?! We went to Dalloway Terrace at the Bloomsbury Hotel. It was a lovely, quiet patio with string lights and ivy. Add cakes and scones and tea, and I was in heaven.

The menu included - among many, many tasty things - lemon meringue mousse, freshly baked buttermilk scones with Devonshire clotted cream and homemade preserves, and chocolate éclairs. I believe that loading up gluten and sugar is a totally legitimate meal when it's this tasty.

Walking Across London

With full bellies, we ambled through Soho, Piccadilly Circus, and Green Park to Buckingham Palace, where we sat for a while, soaking in the sunshine and our first two days of adventures (also, our feet felt like they were going to fall off - note to self: bring legit walking shoes next time!).

Green Park

Cambridge

The next day's adventure...Cambridge!

The Last Breakfsat

The morning after our trip to Cambridge, we had our last London breakfast forty floors above the city at Duck and Waffle.

The "Full Elvis."

If you like good views, wonderful service, and amazing waffles, you should probably visit them.

I love London for the Brits, the diversity, the greenery, the incredible history (and the Indian food!). Whenever I hear about the influence the people from this tiny island had on the world, it makes me proud to be British.

For now we said goodbye to London and made our way to the city of love - Paris!

What is your favorite place to go to in London?

• Attractions

  • Rick Steves' Westminster Walk audio tour

    • Houses of Parliament: Made up of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Monarchy.

    • Big Ben

    • Westminster Abbey: Gothic abbey church that is the final resting place of 17 monarchs.

    • #10 Downing Street: The prime minister's office.

    • Trafalgar Square: Public square in the City of Westminster surrounded by museums and galleries.

  • St. Paul's Cathedral and the Golden Gallery: Check that they are open for when you plan to visit!

  • Millennium Bridge: Steel suspension bridge for pedestrians.

  • Tower Bridge: The iconic symbol of London!

  • Columbia Road Flower Market: Open Sundays 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

  • Piccadilly Circus: Public space of London's West End in the City of Westminster.

  • Soho: Center of London entertainment.

  • Green Park: One of the eight Royal Parks, situated next to Buckingham Palace.

  • Buckingham Palace: Administrative headquarters of the monarch.

  • Covent Garden: Food and shopping center.

  • Borough Market: I was disappointed we didn't get to go here this trip (closed Sundays!), but I absolutely loved this market the last time I visited London.

  • Tate Modern

  • The British Museum

  • Harrods: We weren't able to squeeze this in during this trip, but this high-end shopping mall is quite a sight to see.

  • Satchi Gallery: Contemporary art gallery.

  • Somerset House: Arts and cultural center.

• Restaurants

  • Villiers: You must try their espresso martini (non-alcoholic - just great coffee)!

  • Wildwood Kitchen: Small Italian restaurant in Covent Garden with good food and ambience.

  • Dalloway Terrace: The perfect spot for an affordable afternoon tea (30 pounds ($40) per person).

  • Dishoom: Tried to eat here twice, but the wait was over an hour and a half each time! Came highly recommended from friends for good Indian food. The ambience of the Shoreditch location looked especially awesome.

  • The Happenstance: Upscale interior, surprisingly cheap food.

  • Albion: Restaurant in Shoreditch, with a store of food goodies attached.

  • Duck and Waffle: For over-the-top waffles and a view of London from the 40th floor!

• Tips

  LOCATION

  • We stayed near St. Paul's Cathedral, which was a great homebase because of its central location. However it's a business district and many shops and restaurants are closed on weekends, so it's not the liveliest of areas (but it is quiet at night if that's a concern).

  GETTING AROUND

  • The Tube was essential for getting around. The city does a great job of making the Tube system quite easy to grasp, but if you don't have experience with subways, it might be helpful to familiarize yourself with the system before you leave.

  • We used Oyster cards to hop on and off the Tube. If the card runs out, it's easy to top it up at a machine at the station entrance.

  VISITING PLACES

  • Check open and closing times of the places you plan to visit. I naively assumed St. Paul's Cathedral and Borough Market would be open on Sunday - we got lucky with St. Paul's...not so much with the market!

  DINING

  • Make reservations if there's a popular restaurant you really want to go to.

  OTHER

  • I like to read up on my travel destination a bit before I visit, so I began reading a British history book my dad got me for my birthday, The Story of Britain from the Norman Conquest to the European Union by Patrick Dillon. The chapters are only a couple of pages long and easy to read.