Flying to London:

Nisheet had to travel to the UK for a business trip, so we jumped at the chance to turn it into a vacation. He left for the UK before I did and worked for about a week before I joined him to see the London attractions, Dover, Edinburgh, and the Scottish Highlands.

I took an overnight flight from Chicago to London on Virgin Atlantic, and I have to say, it was a really pleasant flight. I had an economy aisle seat in the center section of the plane, and I had plenty of room (for my 5’2 petite build). Each seat had the standard pillow, blanket, and TV that are basically on every international flight, but the little goodie pack filled with a pen, socks, eye-mask, etc. was a nice touch. Shortly after the plane takes off, they came around and served (free) cocktails! Perfect way to start the trip in my opinion. A little later we were served a snack, then dinner, and then coffee and dessert. I tried to get some shut eye, but I was too excited about exploring the UK, and the guy sitting to my right was reading a newspaper while the guy on my other side was chatting away.

Arrived in London:

When I arrived in London, I headed towards The Tube which, for non-Londoners, is what people refer to the city’s extensive metro system. It was easy enough to purchase an Oyster card, and then I was on the train headed to the city. Nisheet was still in Southampton, I was pretty tired, and I had all my luggage with me, so I planned a rather easy and relaxing day for myself. I spent the day walking around all the Royal parks and taking photos of the flowers, fountains, and statues. A little before 3pm, I headed towards our pre-planned meeting point (one of the iconic London attractions, Buckingham Palace). I got there a little early, so I waited…and waited…and waited some more. Nisheet was late. We had said we would meet between 3 and 4 and it was 4:05! I started to have a mini freak out because his name was on the hotel reservation and I had no cell or data coverage to call anyone. I realize it was only 5 minutes after our meeting time, but I was ridiculously tired from not sleeping and I had just carried my bags all over the place. But he got there. And he snapped a picture of me looking mad. Ha!

Did I mention it was Nisheet’s birthday? That was the reason I chose that particular day to fly into London and meet up with him. So after we checked into the hotel and I was able to freshen up, we went out to celebrate! Our first stop was the Churchill Arms which was a beautiful little pub. They decorated the entire outside of the building in live flowers! I definitely recommend their Pimms and Lemonade. This is where I had my first unforgettable sip of that delicious nectar, and I do believe I will be ordering it everywhere we go. While we were there, we were able to catch the ending to a World Cup Soccer Game (US lost, boo), and then we were off to dinner!

If you didn’t already know, London has some of the best Indian food in the world (according to Nisheet, and I trust his opinion on all things Indian). So, we of course had to check out an Indian restaurant for dinner, Tayyabs. The restaurant was completely packed, and the lines were crazy long, so I’m really happy that we had reservations. The food was prepared surprisingly fast considering how full the place was, and it was absolutely delicious!

Top 10 London Attractions

The next two days were spent seeing as many London attractions as we could squeeze in. Since I don’t want to be writing for days, I’m only going to list my top 10 London attractions.

#1. Enjoy a full English breakfast. This consists of a minimum of baked beans, tomatoes, mushroom, sausage, eggs, toast, potatoes, and coffee. This is a perfect way to start your day. If you travel like Nisheet does, you won’t have time for lunch, so it is necessary to eat everything on your plate. Plus, it is one of the few things that the English do right in the kitchen 😉

#2. Changing of the guards. It is a must. Don’t stand at Buckingham Palace like everyone else though. You will have to get there super early to see anything, and there is way too much to do in London to stand around waiting for something. Instead, head to the side streets leading to the palace and you can catch both guards marching in.

 

#3. Westminster Abbey. This isn’t free, and there will probably be a really long line, but it is worth it. The history in the Abbey is mind blowing. This is not only where all the kings and queens are crowned, but for those of us who are nerds, this  is where Newton is buried.

#4. Iconic red phone booth. This is one of the cheesiest London attractions, but if you don’t get your picture with one, no one will believe you actually went to London. Pick any one. There are lots to chose from. We went for one that had Big Ben in the background. Makes for a sweet photo!

#5. Portobello Road Market. The entire street is lined with tents selling everything from vintage teacups to tourist t-shirts to vegetables. And behind the tents are stores and restaurants. My favorite part of the entire market was the Crepe stands making them right on the spot and filling them with treats such as nutella and strawberries. Yum!!

#6. Borough Market. Unlike the Portobello Market, this market is mostly covered making it a good choice if it is raining. You will find all sorts of gourmet food here. Cheeses, breads, vegetables, meats, pastries, etc. There are also really cute bars and pubs all around. We walked around the market, bought a couple things to try, and then headed to a nearby pub for a real meal.

#7. Go to a pub. It is a great way to meet locals and see how the Londoners live outside of work. Grab a drink and eat some traditional pub food such as fish and chips or Indian curry. Either is an excellent option in my opinion. And be sure to try the Pimms and Lemonade.

 

#8. Attend evensong at St. Paul’s Cathedral. It is a free service held in the evening, and you are still welcome to walk around and see the cathedral (even though you didn’t buy a ticket). The music during the service is wonderful and the acoustics are…heavenly!

#9. Royal Parks, especially St. James’s Park, Hyde Park, and Kensignton Gardens. St. James’s park has a pond/lake in the middle that is filled with ducks and other birds. It also has a bridge over the water with views of Buckingham palace and other famous buildings making a perfect photo op. Hyde Park has the most beautiful rose garden that I have ever seen, and it also has the Diana memorial. Kensignton Gardens, of course, leads to the Kensignton Palace, but it also has Albert memorial which was very impressive.

#10. The British Library. The main attraction here (at least for me) was seeing the Magna Carta. The real thing! The library also houses manuscripts such as Beowulf, maps, and original illustrations by Da Vinci. It was surreal to see in real life what we had always seen in textbooks.