The plan to visit London really began in March of 2010, while I was abroad in Aix-en-Provence. One of my closest friends, Brittany, had offered the sofa in her apartment to her sorority sister, Becca, who was completing an internship in London that year. Becca offered her time and her flat to Brittany to return the favor, and when Brittany extended the invitation to me, I jumped at the opportunity. We made plans to fly from Marseille to London at the end of our program in May: five days of sightseeing before Brittany boarded her flight to America and I boarded my bus to Paris to begin backpacking.
As fate would have it, in the days before our arrival Becca was vacationing in Northern Ireland. Her flight was delayed several days due to the ash cloud produced by the eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull several weeks prior. Luckily, Brittany and I were still able fly into London and use her flat in Bermondsey as our base for touristy activities while Becca was stranded on the other British Isle.
Brittany and I arrived in Heathrow Airport on Saturday, May 15th. We navigated the Tube, identifying the Piccadilly Line as our transport into the city. We hailed a standard red taxi from the London Bridge tube stop to Becca’s flat. Her flat was spacious and modern, with a bedroom, bathroom, and combined living room and kitchen – it was easy to make ourselves at home. We had tickets for a Third Eye Blind concert that night in Kentish Town at the HMV Forum. Although we had standing room tickets, an exceedingly kind usher led us upstairs to the cushioned red benches on the balcony. It was an unforgettable experience.
The next morning was ominously overcast but dry, and we set out on foot to the Old Spitalfields Market in east London. We took what I’ll refer to euphemistically as the “scenic route” to the market, but which in reality was the worst, most indirect route possible through northeast London. We jogged past Petticoat Lane on our way, dashing inside the Victorian market hall just as it started to rain. The market was fantastic – we tried on hats and scarves, admired framed photos of work by Banksy, and sampled some Caribbean-inspired vegan food for lunch from one of the vendors. Brittany purchased a comic pair of reading glasses. Afterwards, we made our way through the light but steady rain to the British Museum (the Underground made this trip considerably shorter and more direct!). We spent a couple of hours inside winding through hallways and exhibits, then fooling around in the gift shop. We bought a few souvenirs across the street and then made our way to the British Library. Both were impressive.
Another early start on Monday morning! It was a short Tube ride in the London Underground to Westminster Bridge station. This should be a first stop for any tourist: as soon as we climbed the steps outside, Brittany and I were delighted by this iconic panorama: a red double-decker bus crossing Westminster bridge from Big Ben to the London Eye, with the Houses of Parliament reflected in the Thames. After consulting our map, we chose a route to Buckingham Palace that would lead us through St. James’ Park. Our promenade through the park was like a fairy tale – I saw strange birds; one man was feeding some friendly squirrels out of his hand; the colors were soft but I still remember them vividly. At 11:15 am, crowds were building as hundreds gathered to witness the changing of the Guard.
It was a beautiful, mild English day and we decided to ramble down the Mall to Trafalgar Square. We breezed through the square and into the National Gallery. I especially enjoyed an exhibition of paintings by the Singh twins, who combine traditional Indian artwork with contemporary art practices, creating an aesthetic that straddles East and West and makes a sociopolitical commentary. We gawked at the chaos of Piccadilly Circus before choosing Wagamama Noodles for lunch. Later, we found ourselves in Camden Town, where we soaked up the youth and alternative culture at the markets.
On Tuesday, Brittany’s friend Caitlin joined us in London (she had just ended her own study abroad program in Florence). We began our day at the Imperial War Museum, in a remarkably quiet area of the city. I enjoyed the recreated trenches, and they were showing an arresting video. We took a leisurely stroll along the south bank of the Thames, stopping to pose with graffiti so bright it seemed electric and the painted elephants “on parade” placed throughout the city to raise money for Asian elephants.
[Side note: Elephants are my favorite animals, so I was pleased to read recently that the auction of the 260 elephants on exhibition that summer succeeded in raising over £4 million.] Our next formal cultural experience was a visit to the Tate Modern.
Later that afternoon, the three of us wandered through Kensington Gardens, searching for the Peter Pan statue, becoming miserably lost, and eventually crossing into Hyde Park. There we paused for a bit of rest and a photo shoot in the grass. We exited through the Edinburgh Gate and found ourselves at the top of Brompton Road – we just had to walk down to Harrods to window shop, you understand. From there we walked (yes, more walking! Sightseeing can be such spectacular exercise) down Constitution Hill to Buckingham Palace, which Caitlin had yet to see, and from there down the Mall to Trafalgar Square. This time, we climbed up onto the Nelson’s Column monument to pet a majestic bronze lion. However, cuddling with a bronze lion does not erase the exhaustion of trekking back and forth across London on foot. We were eager to head back to Becca’s flat afterwards, where we found – surprise! – Becca! Yes, our gracious host had arrived from Ireland. That evening, she led us through windy back streets to a flare bar, where one English bartender and one Spanish bartender chatted us up whilst tossing bottles and shakers expertly.
Wednesday would be another long day. I am happy to report that by our fourth day, Brittany and I had finally learned to look left for traffic! We safely made our way across Tower Bridge to the Tower of London, where for £16.50 we saw armor, weapons, and jewels – not to mention beefeaters! It was overcast that morning, but the weather cleared up for our afternoon trip to Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, located roughly 10 miles from central London. We loved every part of it. We even saw a peacock and a few hens wandering around. Don’t ask me how we found the time, but we also investigated the Covent Garden Market. We mulled over a tea purchase, took on the role of spectators at more than one street performance, and spotted a bunch of trendy university students grabbing a pint of beer. That evening, Brittany and I said our good-byes, and I boarded an overnight bus from Victoria Station to Paris. I was off to new adventures.
Obviously there is plenty that I still want to see! And soon I’ll return – I can hardly wait.
