London: The Old Smoke
London is often referred to as the New York of Europe; it is very deserving of this name. Just like New York, it is a city with a million and one things for you to do. You guys know I love cities, especially New York. So, London has been on the top of my bucket list for YEARS. Because there is so much to do, return trips are a MUST! In September of 2019, I went to four European cities in three weeks with my parents. Our first stop was Dublin, Ireland. We spent four days there before flying over to London. You can read about that adventure here.
One thing I learned from this trip is how to plan. When it comes to sightseeing, under plan. If there are five things you want to see, pick two or three. Being a tourist takes time. A lot of time.
So, while there were a million and one things to do, and I planned on doing about ten of them, we ended up doing a lot and seeing very little.
This is how it went…
Day One:
Traveling in a party of three means there is three times the chance something could go wrong. Our flight from Dublin International Airport to London-Heathrow International Airport departed at 9:15 am. The airport was about twenty minutes away from our hotel (InterContinental Dublin in the Ballsbridge neighborhood) and our goal was to arrive at the airport by 6:00 am at the latest. That didn’t happen. We left later than anticipated, but made it to the airport in fifteen minutes! We had a rental car to return, but that took less than ten minutes. After a short shuttle ride to the airport terminal, we checked our luggage and proceeded to security. We waited in the security line maybe ten minutes. We did have a delay at security because my mother didn’t adhere to the 3-1-1 rule with her liquids (TIP: Dublin’s security is very strict and allows only one plastic baggie of liquids per traveler. Ladies, they include your lipsticks as liquids). Fortunately, we got that situated quickly and proceeded to walk through the duty-free mini-mall towards our gate. We stopped at a Starbucks kiosk for breakfast (I’d advise against it), and waited an hour until it was time to board our plane. Dublin Airport wasn’t too crowded and the process from car drop-off to plane boarding was fairly quick and easy.
We were flying British Airways for the first time. And, hopefully, my last. The flight attendants’ customer service was sub par, to say the least. They didn’t seem too excited to answer questions or provide assistance. Because I didn’t enjoy my Starbucks breakfast (I didn’t even finish it), I was greatly looking forward to the complimentary snacks on board. But complimentary they were not. I didn’t pay attention to the fact that no one, and I mean NO ONE, in front of me opted for a beverage. When the flight attendant approached my row, my seat neighbors opted out of a drink as well (I still wasn’t getting the hint). I, however, eagerly ordered a coffee and awaited the option of pretzels, peanuts, crackers, or something! Instead, I was given a black coffee and charged €5. Now, €5 isn’t astronomical for coffee. But it would’ve been nice to know there was a price prior to ordering. I’m accustomed to Delta Airlines where non-alcoholic beverages are complimentary. So, I was a bit miffed that I had to pay. And then when I asked for cream and sugar, she gave me one of each. When I asked for more, she gave me one more of each and moved on to the next guest. She didn’t even ask if I needed more! But whatever! I was on my way to London! I sipped on my AWFUL coffee, started my travel playlist, and stared out my window for an hour and a half.
After being hypnotized by the English countryside, the greenery turned into high rises. The River Thames snaked down below, guiding my eyes from Tower Bridge, to the Waterloo, to the London Eye.
We took a turn and glided past the city to Heathrow, which was on the outskirts of the city. When we got off the plane, we proceeded to baggage claim but did not go through Customs (we didn’t go through Customs in Dublin either *shrugs shoulders*). When we booked our hotel, we booked a transportation service. Either the instructions were unclear, or Heathrow Airport was confusing, but it took over an hour to find our driver. We took the airport train (twice), several elevators, and walked until I started getting a hot flash before we ended up where we started…which is where our driver was waiting for us. One might ask, “Why didn’t you call the driver or customer service?” I tried. A billion times. But I wasn’t getting ANY service in that airport.
Within five minutes of peeling out of the airport, I knocked out. As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I noticed we were just crawling through traffic. So, I wasn’t missing much. The commute from the airport to the city was about an hour and ten minutes. Without traffic, it would’ve been 35 minutes. I woke up about ten minutes away from our hotel. I loved the numerous floral-themed storefronts lining the streets. Across the river from our hotel was Big Ben (that is unfortunately under construction, until 2021), and the Houses of Parliament. On our side of the river was the London Eye. Our hotel was in a prime location.
The Park Plaza Hotel Westminster Bridge was great! It’s a modern hotel in a great location, with great amenities (that I did not use *smh*). At check-in, we opted for the breakfast package. It was $15 per person, per day. Most days we ordered room service for breakfast. Only once did we eat at the buffet downstairs. Room service was better. It’s everything offered at the buffet, plus a few paid upgrade options. But it’s hotter and fresher. Also, they do the whole Canadian bacon thing (which was actually really good). And their scrambled eggs look really, really weird. They were a pale, yellow color, and had the consistency of oatmeal. But, with cheese, it was really good. Moving on.
Perks of the 15th floor
We stayed in a two-bedroom suite with a kitchenette, living room, and terrace. The view from the terrace was amazing. And sitting out there, day or night, was so relaxing. After we settled into our rooms, we went downstairs to Brasserie Joël for lunch. It was a French restaurant. The food was tender and delicious and in large portions. Plus, it was absolutely empty. Seeing as it was four o’clock, most guests were probably out and about. After lunch, we returned to our room and took naps. After we woke up, we just lounged around and ordered room service for dinner. We had another week of constant moving ahead of us. This evening of rest was much needed. On trips of four days or more, I heavily suggest having at least one day of R&R.
Day Two:
Our first official day of English adventure was upon us! We had a two-day Big Bus London tour bus pass. I loved this company! They have 1, 2, and 3 day passes (and others) that all come with unlimited on-and-off access to 4 different routes, guided walking tours, and a pass to a river cruise (the 1-day pass is a one-way river cruise ticket). We purchased the 2-day pass for £40.50 per person. That’s a GREAT deal. Also, you save 10% when you purchase your tickets online.
We didn’t have much of a plan as far as what sights to see, but we had a dinner reservation at Coppa Club at 5:00 pm. So, we needed to be back at the hotel to get dressed by 2:30 pm-3:00 pm. We figured, if we left the hotel by 9:30 am, we’d have plenty of time to see several attractions. Well, after dragging feet, we left the hotel at about 10:30 am. I didn’t plan it this way, but one of the Big Bus London stops was just across the street from the hotel. We checked in with an agent that was standing next to the stop and waited about five minutes for a bus. We rode around for about thirty minutes. We saw Westminster Abbey and the MI5 Secret Service building. We chose to tour Buckingham Palace first. Unbeknownst to us, it was Changing the Guard’s day. There was a HUGE crowd. But we were still able to see quite well. We arrived exactly five minutes before the ceremony began. It lasts for forty-five minutes, beginning at 10:45 am and is done every other day. A schedule is available on the official website of The Household Division.
Buckingham Palace and the Queen’s Garden seen from above
Buckingham Palace is only open during the summer months. Be sure to check the dates on the Royal Collection Trust website before planning a visit. The stateroom pass was £26.50. At the end of the tour, you can inform one of the wardens that you would like your admission to be considered a donation and they will voucher your ticket as a one-year pass. Another reason to come back!
Again, not due to proper planning, we had arrived just in time for the next tour, so we didn’t have to wait at all. After security, we were given iPhones and headsets. They were our digital guides. THERE ARE NO PICTURES TAKEN WITHIN THE PALACE! They are very strict about this. They sell a souvenir photo book of the palace if you want images of what you’ve seen.
The layout of the palace was very straight forward. We snaked from room to room “oohing” and “ahhing” at royal artifacts and paintings and the palace itself. There were a TON of things to learn while touring the palace. Such as, there are over 350 clocks in Buckingham Palace that all tell the correct time (some are hundreds of years old). There are staff members that ensure the clocks are wound every week. I was truly in awe of the royal processes and proceedings and rules and the madness!! I can see why Harry and Megan left! It was a beautiful and historic palace. I especially enjoyed the Marble Hall which was a hall lined with statues such as Mars and Venus.
After the tour, we visited the gift shop. It was so cute! All the colors and gifts were aesthetically pleasing! We spent about an hour in there trying to figure out which gifts to purchase. I felt like another notebook would confirm my obsession with notebooks. And a felt pencil with a royal crown instead of an eraser would just serve as a souvenir dust collector. So, I decided on tea! I love tea! I prefer it to coffee. While the Queen enjoys a good Earl Grey, English Breakfast is my personal favorite. And, that’s what I got! After the gift shop, we went to the Royal Ice Cream parlor. We strolled along the pathway while eating our DELICIOUS ICE CREAM, observing the Queen’s Garden.
After Buckingham Palace, we didn’t really have a plan. We walked past Wellington Arch to our next bus stop by the Bomber Command Memorial. My favorite part of this trip was when we walked. Yes, my feet were exhausted after walking for 18 days in a row, but experiencing the city on foot is the best! It’s grounding and that is when I truly feel the euphoria that traveling creates.
When we got back on the bus, we decided it was best just to head back to the hotel at that point. We had a late start in the day and Buckingham Palace took up more time than I had anticipated. I’m not sure what I was expecting in a palace of over 700 rooms, but the tour took us two hours. And we skipped some stuff! So anyway, we rode the bus back to the hotel while sitting on the upper deck. The tour guide was pointing out lots of landmarks such as the first Hard Rock Café, the Marble Arch, Piccadilly Circus, and Trafalgar Square. Despite not being able to actually explore many of these places, the bus tour was a great way to see a lot of landmarks and learn about them in a shorter period of time.
Once we got back to the hotel, we got dressed for dinner. I had been excited to visit Coppa Club ever since I had discovered it on Instagram a year prior. Their igloos are so picturesque and they change their theme based on the season. When I first learned of it, it was winter. So, it was decorated like a winter wonderland. Since we went in September (technically still Summer), it was dressed like a tropical beach hangout. I loved it! Now, I did not know the full extent to how the reservation worked, I just knew that we had an hour and a half slot reserved. Due to their popularity, they adhere to a strict schedule to allow for a pleasant experience for all. Parties of 1-4 people are placed in shared igloos and parties of 5-8 are placed in a private igloo. It can feel a little snug in the igloos, but I loved the experience! If you are looking for a more traditional restaurant experience, Coppa Club is still the place for you! They have a lovely indoor seating area as well. The food was EXCELLENT, the staff was SUPER nice and friendly, and it is a great photo op location.
On the way to Coppa Club, we took a taxi (which was SUPER easy because Park Plaza had many taxis on standby). But we took the river cruise home. We took a City Cruise along the Thames River that ended at Westminster Bridge (a third of a mile from our hotel). We saw Tower Bridge, London Bridge, the Millennium Bridge, and more! I saw the Shakespeare Globe, the Shard, a GREAT angle of the London Eye, and more. When I tell you I love river cruises, I LOVE RIVER CRUISES! They are so tranquil and relaxing. Whether alone or with a significant other, they’re fantastic. The lower deck had a concession stand with hot and cold beverages and snacks. But I remained on the upper deck, breaking my neck from side to side.
Day two was wonderful. It was my first day of seeing the city of London. A city I’ve wanted to visit my WHOLE life. It did not disappoint.
Day Three: Day three had a later start than day two. My mom felt like she may have been coming down with something and wanted to get herself situated before we went out and about. London is generally rainy, and during the evening, it could get quite chilly. After some tea, some Emergen-C and another wonderful room serviced breakfast, she was feeling better. On day two, I wanted to see a couple of sights but seeing Leadenhall Market was on the agenda at all costs. We walked across the street to our bus stop again and took the bus on a similar route as the day before. We saw some of the same sights from the day before, and others that were new to us. The day before, we rode the Red Route. On this day, I chose the Orange Route route because I wanted to get off at the Tower of London. I wanted to take a tour if possible, but I did not realize it would take TWO HOURS to get there! We arrived at 5:00 pm and the Tower of London closed at 4:30 pm. But no matter! We still had Leadenhall Market! So, we marched on! With my trusty sidekick, Google Maps, I navigate my parents and me to Leadenhall Market. I missed a few turns and we stopped a few times to be tourists. But that’s the whole point of traveling, right? Well, after almost 30 minutes of walking, we made it! Leadenhall Market is a covered market with four different entrances. We approached from the South taking Bull’s Head Passage to Lime Street Passage. For my Harry Potter fans out there, The Glass House is an optician’s office that served as the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron in Philosopher’s Stone. I missed it. -_- Leadenhall Market is beautiful and a great place for pictures. Unfortunately, we arrived at happy hour and the Market was bustling with people. It is open 24/7, so if you can go late at night/in the wee hours of the morning, that’d be best. There are a lot of things I’ll do differently next time. But with each adventure comes more knowledge.
As you can imagine, our perilous journey through the streets and alleys of London was tiresome. We had worked up an appetite. We had a few options to choose from, but none of us could agree on a restaurant. I searched for other restaurants nearby and found a place called Giorgio at Leadenhall. It is a basement Italian restaurant with great food and friendly staff! After eating, my mother connected with her cousin that lived in London. We met after dinner and he showed us some major tourist spots. We saw Trafalgar Square (again), Piccadilly Circus, and Regent Street. We walked down Oxford Street, which is similar to 7th Ave in New York. Our cousin took us into Selfridge & Co. I am sorry to admit, prior this trip, I had never heard of it. I felt ashamed to call myself a fan of the city, less alone fashion. My cousin explained this store is THE store to come to when in London. Several stories of designer stores. SEVERAL! And we only explored one. I’m sorry! We were tired! We walked up and down the street for about an hour. I was so in love with the New York-like energy! Before heading back to our hotel, our cousin took us out by Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to see the ArcelorMittal Orbit and London Stadium.
We finally packed it in and our cousin dropped us off at our hotel. The day started late and ended even later. But no rest for the wicked! We had 5 hours before our next day started.
Day Four: Another day to be up bright and early. Listen to me. If you take nothing else away from this blog, know this: NEVER plan a full schedule. Do you hear me? FOMO (fear of missing out) is real and it can get the best of us. Instead of thinking, “I don’t know if I’ll ever come here! I have to see everything!”, think, “I’m so glad to be here and will enjoy whatever time I have here.” I’m telling you. You got here this time. Don’t pre-exempt yourself from coming back. Leave yourself something else to look forward to. Because trying to fit it all into one trip isn’t the best idea and sometimes, you’ll end up doing NOTHING on your list and spend your time being miserable rather than enjoying the experience. Don’t do that. Plan lightly and enjoy the experience. Anyways, day four. I was greatly looking forward to it. We were going on a day bus tour. We woke up on time, got dressed, and had breakfast. But, as always, time managed to somehow slip away from us. We left later than I would have liked to. We needed to be at the pick-up location by 8:15 am for check-in. The bus departed at 8:30 am. We arrived at 8:24 am. Fortunately, Golden Tours was extremely accommodating. They checked us in quickly and within 5 minutes we were on our way. Golden Tours has MANY tours, both inside and outside of London. This tour was taking us to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Oxford University. A GREAT package! We purchased our tickets online from Visit London. They were £102 per person. Our tour guide was great! He was funny, informative, and genuinely entertaining. Not to mention easy on the eyes.
Windsor Castle
At our first stop, Windsor Castle, we were left to our own devices. We just had to meet back at the bus at a certain time. We went through security and then proceeded on. You can get an audio guide, but we opted out. We took pictures of the castle and gardens and made our way to St. George’s Chapel. It is the chapel where Prince Harry and Meghan got married. It is also the final resting place for King Henry VIII, King George VI, and Queen Mother, and it is the planned burial site for the Queen. After the grounds and the church, we toured the castle itself. It was a lot bigger than I thought and we didn’t have enough time to properly tour it. So, it was a rushed tour, but again, very educational and a lot of historical artifacts. We only had an hour and a half to tour the entire town. I wish we had more time because we weren’t able to explore the town at all. And it was so cute and quaint! Next time.
We half ran, half walked to get back to the bus on time. Fortunately, we weren’t the only ones running behind! After a quick headcount, we were on our way to our next stop: Stonehenge. I booked this tour specifically for Stonehenge. Windsor Castle and Oxford were just the cherries on top. I love landmarks and sightseeing. But my favorite landmarks are ancient or natural. The older, the better. Stonehenge has been around 4,000 to 5,000 years. Their longevity is so fascinating. Not to mention how they were built during prehistoric times with prehistoric tools.
Stonehenge was about an hour and forty-five minutes from Windsor Castle. It was mostly grasslands. Village homes dotted the countryside. I’m not sure if it is this specific part of England, or it was the weather for that day at that time, but Stonehenge was very foggy, misty, windy, and cold. I was ill-prepared. Bring an umbrella, wear boots, a scarf, and a raincoat/jacket. There were SO many sheep. Stonehenge was another time-restricted adventure. We took a shuttle from the parking lot to the actual stones. It was a short five-minute ride, if that. We took our pictures, ogled at it, then lined up for the shuttle back. We had an hour and a half here, too, but we had to use the restroom and grab lunch from the visitor’s center. Yes, the tour provides lunch (which I thought was delicious), but it’s not the most filling. So, we cut our touring short for these side missions. There is an option to walk either to or from (or RT) Stonehenge, which I wanted to walk back. You’re able to walk in the field among the sheep and other livestock. Also, with the foggy atmosphere, pictures in the field would’ve been awesome. But alas, time did not allow for this.
Being that Stonehenge was what I was looking forward to the most, I was slightly disappointed at how rushed the experience was. Also, my audio guide died as soon as I got on the bus, so I missed out on all the cool facts. Yes, I am that nerdy. There were also authentic huts that were preserved from 3000+ years ago. Another thing we didn’t get to explore.
When the time came, we shuttled back on the bus, did another headcount (fell behind schedule because a group was late returning to the bus), and proceeded on to Oxford University. I didn’t do too much research on Oxford University. I just knew it was the school of recent greats such as Stephen King and Emma Watson, and forever greats such as C.S. Lewis, Oscar Wilde, and J.R.R. Tolkien. The school was very fascinating and historic. It is the world’s oldest English-speaking university and the world’s second-oldest university in continuous operation. Oxford is also well-known for its quirky traditions, such as hustings, Formal Hall, and professors being the only people allowed to walk across quads. As my fellow Harry Potter fans may know, Oxford is home to several HP filming sites. There is the graveyard that serves as the burial ground of James and Lily Potter (with the help of a green screen) in Godric’s Hollow in Deathly Hallows Pt. 1. There’s also the New College Courtyard that was the setting for the scene Harry tells Cedric about the dragons in the first challenge of the Triwizard Tournament (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and where Mad-Eye Moody turns Malfoy into a bouncing ferret and then shoves him down Crabbe’s pants. Ahh, good times. Good times. Most famous of all the film settings is the staircase in Bodley Tower at Christ Church College. It served as the infamous moving staircase seen throughout the films. They also had multiple HP memorabilia stores, but I barely had enough time to look, less alone buy.
Also, on this tour, we weren’t left alone. Our tour guide was the one to lead us around and inform us of the culture within the university.
To be honest, I would book this tour again the next time in London. I think it is a tour that requires two visits. I’m not sure of other tour companies that take you to all three locations. And if there is, I don’t think they’d be allotted any more time than Golden Tours. So, aside from driving yourself and exploring, this tour may need to be taken twice. The next time I go, I’d go straight to touring Windsor Castle and then exploring the town, straight to Stonehenge and then walk the trail back to the bus and explore the huts, and I’d explore Oxford on my own (which was an option) and go straight to the HP filming sights.
Once our bus made it back into the city, we were offered two drop-off locations for convenience. We got off at the second stop, which was closer to our hotel. I would definitely recommend this tour company, but I would advise you to research the stops first. Figure out what is most important for you to see, and prioritize that. Or resign to taking the tour twice. Just not on the same trip. This day was exhausting. Every time we were on the bus, I was asleep. As were most other tourists.
Before hailing a taxi home, we walked around the area to see if we found any restaurants we liked for dinner. We didn’t. I looked up some places and found one we could agree on. We took the taxi to an alley behind Regent Street near Picadilly Circus. There were many restaurant options, but we chose Gaucho Piccadilly. It is an Argentinian restaurant that had a 30 to 45-minute wait. We decided to wait it out and they gave us a cocktail table to enjoy some drinks while we waited. We ate outside, which was cold, but they had heat lamps, and they felt amazing. Our food was also amazing. Their steak is AHH-MAAAZING. As well as the staff. So far, we hadn’t had one bad meal!
When we returned to our hotel, we mustered the last of our strength to pack our bags. We had a train to Paris in the morning. Did you know the Eurostar takes you from London to Paris by crossing the English Channel UNDER water? Super cool. I was asleep for that. Smh.
Day Five: Another bittersweet day. I didn’t want to leave London yet. There was so much more to be done. But I was headed to the City of Love! I was so excited to be going to King’s Cross to take my picture at Platform 9 ¾. But alas, our train was departing from St. Pancras, right across the street from King’s Cross. So close, but a world away. After arriving at St. Pancras, via taxi, we went inside and printed our tickets. We were early enough to grab a bite to eat at one of the restaurants in the Station, but we didn’t have time to explore anything else. After going through security, we waited in a large area with tons of people to hear the announcement of what platform to go to. We waited about thirty minutes before we were able to board our train. A dilemma I never expected to have was struggling to load our luggage onto the train. The doorway is high and narrow. I can’t say if it’s easier to board the train then bend down and get your luggage, or toss your luggage on first and then board. I’m not sure how I would’ve done it on my own. Especially having three bags! Another issue we had was finding our seats. We thought we understood the signs stating which section of the train was which, but apparently we did not, as we were in someone else’s seats. After getting that rectified, it was smooth sailing. We sped through the English countryside for about forty-five minutes before I fell asleep. I got about an hour’s rest before waking up in France. I saw some of the countryside and a million wind turbines before our view changed from farmland to apartment buildings.
London didn’t go as planned, but it was an amazing trip! It nurtured my love for the UK. Visiting London again is towards the top of my travel list for 2020 and I would strongly consider staying at Park Plaza Hotel Westminster Bridge again. The only reason I wouldn’t stay there again is to experience a different hotel. But if I don’t find another hotel that matches Park Plaza in location, accommodation, and price, then Park Plaza it will be!
If you’ve been to London, I’d love to hear about your experience! Comment below with your story or any recommendations you may have! I’m always adding things to my list!