I have a friend that studies in London, so I took the Eurostar (the chunnel!) over to visit him at the end of February. It's only about a couple hours from Paris, so it's a perfect weekend trip. I spent five days there, but three would be great, too. (Really, I just miss Paris too much if I'm away for more than three days). This is my finally-off-the-train breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien.
I stayed with my friend for the first couple days there (and at the Queen Elizabeth Hostel in Imperial Wharf for the rest - only 8 pounds a night!). He lives near Baker street, only five minutes away from the Sherlock Holmes museum that I didn't go to (the line was super long).
My friend and I went to see some of the touristy things, like Big Ben (which actually refers to the bell or something, not the tower which is super small in person btw), Westminster Abbey (we didn't go in - expensive and such), and Buckingham Palace.
London also has incredible gardens and parks. It was really sunny when I was there (strange for London), so everyone was out in the parks enjoying the weather while it lasted.
Here's the Buckingham Palace, or my future place of residence once Prince Harry actually realizes that yes, I am the one.
I didn't see the changing of the guards, but I saw a guard. Still cool. Fluffy hats and such.
I probably did more shopping than I should have while there. I went to Liberty London just for the history (it's gorgeous inside!). I went back several times actually, once for some tea, and then another time to get my mom some fabric with the famous Liberty floral print. Other incredible places to shop in London are the markets, Oxford Street, Picadilly Circus, Covent Garden, and my favorite area, Carnaby Street.
Carnaby Street is exceptionally gorgeous, and it has a slightly less mainstream feel to it. If you're there and feeling like shopping, definitely pop into Muji (my favorite store for organizers, travel things, and stationary), & Other Stories (a clothes, beauty, accessories store from the same people that own H&M), and Pixi (for the Glow Tonic, which will be featured on my other blog). There are also great places to eat around here, too. London in general has incredible food.
I also went to Brick Lane Market by the Aldgate East Tube stop, and not only was there awesome vintage and handmade shopping, but there was a ton of good food from all different types of cuisines.
I also wandered off and ran into Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery.
I didn't go in to the gallery because it was closed around that time, and the other time I tried going there was some guy trying to either jump off the ledge or doing something else really sketchy. It was all blocked off by the police.
Again, another example of the great food in London. I went to The Natural Kitchen on Marylebone. The kale salad I had there was amazing.
While the weather was still nice, I went back through the parks. There are so many types of birds there, it's unbelievable. I had never seen a pelican before, but here they were. And this very social squirrel.
Near the Imperial Wharf station there's an awesome café called Harris and Hoole. It was delicious. Also on the overground, there's a station called Clapham Junction. Get off there and explore the area, more around Battersea. It's beautiful. I could see myself living around there actually. Also, if shopping is what you're after, I would actually suggest going there. They have almost all the same stores you would find by Oxford Street, but it's less crowded, and things are easier to find.
I also went to the Natural History Museum. They have one of the coolest collections I have ever seen (and I've probably seen way too many museums), but the building itself is gorgeous. That day I also went to Tate's Modern to see me some Turner and William Blake. All free, for the poor students like me who are also interested. ;)
I actually did a ton of walking my last day. After the Natural History Museum, I walked along the Thames for about a couple hours (I think, I didn't really keep track of time), then back around the Big Ben area, through Covent Garden, all the way to Oxford Street. I explored a bit around the residential areas. The architecture is really different everywhere you go in London, which is very cool.
For those who have been there, when you were there, did you feel like the buildings were really short, too? I just felt like they were shorter and more dense in comparison to the apartments in Paris. Although, it just might be the buses that are half their height that make the buildings seem squat...
Anyway, I love London! It was absolutely lovely.
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