London Calling

The perfect spot to get a telephone box picture

I am the first to tell you that I would never live in a city, in fact my friends and family can most likely affirm that I said this. My reasons include lack of nature, the noise, the smell, and the fact that in movies where something bad happens people living in the city are the first to die. This being said, I absolutely loved London and honestly I could imagine myself living there. Now, I realize only having spent time in London for 5 days really doesn't mean you will enjoy living there, and this may be true. Often, when visiting a city there is a glamour about it and you think it's better than it really will be. I've visited cities before in Chicago I said I'll never live in a city after the first two days, in DC the first two hours but, in London every day I spent there just made me want more, I wanted to be a local and know all the places to go. I'm not saying I'm gonna move to London, the weather, the distance from KC and the cost are pretty big negatives for me. So don't worry mom and dad I'm coming back at the end of June and I'll be staying there for a while. The question you're all asking is why do I love London so much. Everyone has that one city, the one city they dream their whole lives about. For a lot of people it's NYC or Chicago maybe Rome or Barcelona. For me, that one city has always been London. As a child my two favorite book series/ movie series were the Harry Potter series and the Narnia series, then in high school my love for the boy band One Direction fueled my want to go to London even more. Lucky for me I only had to wait 19 years. I was very nervous (and of course excited) on my trip to London. I had been dreaming about this city for so long what if I was disappointed? I was not disappointed. My first glimpse of the tower bridge affirmed all my hopes and dreams about the city. Within just a few short hours I had pretty much mastered the tube and buses. I loved taking the buses although a bus gets you to your stop slower than the tube, you're able to see the city sitting in one of those famous London double decker buses. 

London Bridges Falling Down, except this is actually called Tower Bridge

The first day, I went to the Tower Bridge, which was absolutely gorgeous, then in attempts to walk along the river Thames to the millennial bridge we walked the wrong way. After about 20 minutes we realized we were in a pretty much residential area ( this is where I first imagined my self living in London) we took our first bus in the right direction. We ended up seeing the millennial bridge in the dark as well as St. Paul's cathedral. 

Statue of Queen Victoria, My favorite British Monarch

Standing outside the Palace

The next day in London, with an early start I went to Kings Cross Station platform 9 3/4. My hostel was actually 2 streets away from Kings Cross, something that happened by just chance. After my Harry Potter dreams came true, we left for Buckingham Palace, Westminster, parliament building, clock tower, and the London eye. All of these are in walking distance of each other. By far my favorite was the clock tower it is absolutely gorgeous. After this we walked to Trafalgar Square, we had to see the lions!, Leicester Square( all the major movie theaters are here as well as the largest m&m store in Europe, Covent Garden(a large market areas with lots of street performers), and Piccadilly Circus( basically an 1/8 of Times Square) to end the day we went back to the London Eye so that we could see it at night and ended in Soho with a pint of beer. I have got to say that London is beautiful in the day but stunning at night. I loved going back to the places we saw in the day at night. These usually loud and crowded places were suddenly quiet and clear of people. 

The London Eye

At the Large M&M Store

Living out my Harry Potter Dream

At Seven Sisters

The third day, I took a trip to Brighton which is about a 2 hour bus ride, here we walked around the small city as well as going to Seven Sister, basically a minor version of the Cliffs of Moher. Brighton is a smaller city and has some really cool antique shops. I slept the entire journey home exhausted from all my travels. 

Standing in Trafalgar Square

Millenium Bridge

My last full day was probably the best, on Good Friday and man was it a good Friday, the weather was beyond perfect. We started the day going to Camden Market. This is basically a huge market with tons of different shops and antiques. Lots of handmade jewelry and leather purses. There was also food from all over the world served out of food trucks and stands. For all my readers in Kansas City who love first weekends, you will be blown away by the Camden Market. While I was here I defiantly felt a little homesick mostly because the one person I know who would thrive in this market was my sister Natasha. One day I for sure want to take her there! After the market, we traveled back to the Millennial Bridge and enjoyed some caramelized peanuts, something you can buy in almost any touristy place. Another snack item that was popular was waffles, not only a breakfast food in London but also a nice treat with Nutella. Wanting to enjoy the weather even more we found a bar called The Alexandra ( I know how cool) and enjoyed some drinks while basking in the afternoon sun. We finished the day going to one of London's many musicals, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I enjoyed this so much more than I ever enjoyed the movies. My last day in London the weather decided to be typical London weather, rainy. We spent our last day at the British museum as well as a coffee shop.

Outside British Museum 

The Best name for a pub

I'm am going to truly miss London and vow to one day go back. My favorite parts about my trip included just walking around on the streets, being completely fine with taking some wrong turns because I was loving every second. I hope to type up the second half of my trip which was to Dublin and Amsterdam later this week, unfortunately "things do start to pile up when you've been gone for 100 years." -Santa Clause (The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe) In all seriousness I do have a lot of homework to do before going back to class on Monday. I will leave you with some tips in mastering a trip to London.

1. They drive on the left side of the road in England, do not get hit by a car because you look the wrong way1
2.  London is expensive but their are ways to be conscious of your wallet, the best tips include...
1. Get an Oyster Card, you pay 5 pounds to get it and then you put money on the card, the best part about it is it works on the underground and the busses and it has a max of 6.50 so once you hit the 6.50 mark the rest of your rides are in a sense free.
2. When using the oyster card you can use the buses which are double decker, this being said their really isn't a reason to pay for a hop on off tour because if you ride the public transport busses enough you'll get the tour in a cost effective way. 
3. There are a lot of free attractions such as the British Museum, visiting all the landmarks, going to the markets, and all the amazing parks
3. Walking is Always good for you
4. See the City at Night
5. Eat a waffel or roasted peanuts
6. Finally Chocolate is always good

Just to make sure

London At Night

Roasted Peanuts

I am once again so blessed to have the opportunity to travel to the places of my dreams, thank you to all the people reading my blog and stay tuned for part two of my Easter Travels where I decide if I have the Luck of the Irish on my side."A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions"-Oliver Wendell Holmes “

As Always, Love Alex