First Time in London!

I arrived back in France safely last night after a week-long trip to England.  It was my first time in the UK.

We left Perpignan on Saturday morning and flew direct to London.  The airport in Perpignan is extremely small with a very limited number of flights.  Lucky for us, Ryanair, which is a budget airline that operates in Perpignan, flies direct to London.  I received my first passport stamps for both Perpignan and London!

After arriving in London Stansted, which actually isn't in London, we hopped on a train to get us into the city.  We stopped for lunch (I had a delicious duck stir fry) and we made our way to the hostel, Palmer's Lodge Swiss Cottage.  It's a unique place, situated in a historic building with a knight's armour hanging out by the staircase.  It was a perfect base for our three-night stay. We dropped off our things and promptly left to start exploring.  We took the Underground to Baker Street (famous for Sherlock Holmes) and started walking.  It's fun to explore a city's architecture and culture just by wandering around.   Eventually we decided to change pace and hopped on the tube to go see Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the London Eye.  These looked and felt like the "London experience" that I was expecting since they're some of the most photographed tourist sites in the world!

It was getting late, so we found some dinner and then met up with a friend.  We joined him for a birthday party and then went to a pub/ dance place for the night.  Getting back at 4AM, we took a quick but much-needed snooze before meeting up for brunch the next day.  Brunch at The Breakfast Club was delicious (I went with the "All American" option including eggs, potatoes, bacon, and pancakes). 

With full bellies, we continued our day with the British Museum, which houses the famous Rosetta Stone.  We only had time for a couple exhibits, including Ancient Rome, Egypt, and Japan.  That night, we decided to see the city from a different point of view, and met up with a free Jack the Ripper walking tour.  As the sun set, our guide led us through what was the dirtiest and most dangerous part of London (in the late 1800s), the Whitechapel district.  He explained the events that occurred during the murders by a man whose identity we can still only speculate.  Our guide explained the most likely culprits and the theories surrounding them.  

The gardens in bloom

The next morning woke us bright and early and we joined another walking tour, this time to learn about arguably the most famous area of London.  We saw the National Gallery, Buckingham Palace, the royal park, Churchill's bunker (or rather sat on top of it), Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, among other places.  We also witnessed the end of the changing of the guard that went to St James' Palace.  Our tour ended at a pub, where we grabbed a bite to eat.  I had my first fish n' chips.  We decided to go back to the National Gallery via Piccadilly Circus and see some of the art.  Sadly, many of the rooms were closed due to a strike, but we still saw many great works of art.  We had a little time left, so we went to see the iconic Tower Bridge and I enjoyed a creamy ice cream there.  It was our last night in London.  We grabbed a romantic dinner nearby the hostel and got to bed early since our bus for Manchester was leaving first thing in the morning.

The three days were a great introduction to London, but I feel like I barely scratched the surface of all that the city has to offer.  London is definitely a big city with a big city feel. 

Changing of the guards

The Rosetta Stone at the British Museum

Always being watched

National Gallery

Buckingham Palace

Big Ben (which is actually the bell inside the clocktower) and the iconic red telephone booth

Tower Bridge

With love from London...