London, England: A Bloody Brilliant British City

I’ve heard some mixed reviews about London before going here. Many people love it so much they move here. Many others have no desire to go back.

I think London can be hit or miss depending on the time you go. We found it incredibly enjoyable. If you are planning a trip here I would suggest making sure it isn’t one of the busier weeks for the city. It is easy to see how this city could be very overwhelming if you came at the wrong time.

London consists of high rise buildings downtown, but all very low structures outside of downtown. It made the entire city feel much more cozy and small town, even though you are in one of the biggest cities in the world.

There are tons of parks locates all over the city. We stayed on the east side of Hyde Park which was a perfect location. The park has many well-manicured walking paths and ponds.

On the west side of the park is Kensington Palace where William, Kate, and Harry all live.

The gardens are beautiful to walk through!

We visited many street markets while we were here. There are different markets open on different days of the week. Portobello Road is the market to visit on Saturday. The street is known for its colorful buildings.

Camden Market and Brick Lane are where to go on Sunday.

We had the chance to visit Friar Covert which is the oldest surviving palace. This was where Henry VIII reigned as King. If you remember, he was the king obsessed with having a male heir. He went through 6 wives: beheaded two, divorced two (legally changed one to become his sister), one died during childbirth, and one outlived him.

The Buckingham Palace has been the primary royal palace since 1840. The changing of the guards is a popular event to see. It was a bit rainy while we were here.

Most of the activities here were reasonably expensive, so we really had to pick and choose what we wanted to do. The London Eye was a tempting choice.

We ultimately decided on the Winston Churchill War Rooms.

These were the actual bunkers that Winston Churchill and his advisors used during WWII to protect them from the bombings.

You were able to see the meeting rooms, communication areas, and even the bedrooms. It’s hard to imagine living down here in these small, dark chambers.

You got to learn a lot about Winston Churchill’s personality and life. In addition to being a great leader, he was also an artist and loved to paint. He is definitely a unique character as evident from some of his famous quotes. One of my favorites: “Trying to maintain good relations with a communist is like wooing a crocodile. You do not know whether to tickle it under the chin or to beat it over the head.”

The world is truly lucky to have had a leader like Churchill. After spending many weeks traveling through Eastern Europe and learning about the horrific events of WWII, it was refreshing to see what successful plans were happening to fight the corruption.

There are many pubs named after Winston Churchill all around the world, but The Churchill Arms has the be one of the best. The entire corner pub is COVERED in colorful flowers.

And not only is this an English Pub, but there is an amazing Thai restaurant in the back! If you come here I would highly recommend trying this Fruit Loop beer.

There were many other unique pubs scattered all over England. We really enjoyed the Canadian themed bar called Maple Leaf.

Right down the road was a Sherlock Holmes themed pub.

And one of my favorites, The Old Bank of England pub and restaurant.

London is a huge, very spread out city. There are many walkable areas, but the underground trains make it very easy to get to the different parts of the city.

We took the train downtown to walk along the river and see the bridges. Here is something that may surprise you- this is NOT London Bridge.

This is actually called Tower Bridge.

This is London Bridge which sits just a short walk down the river.

There were a few other fun things we did while in London that could be worth checking out. One of them is the famous Platform 9 3/4th’s from Harry Potter.

Another neat place to visit is the House of MinaLima. This is a shop with a free exhibit filled with original artwork and props from Harry Potter.

A neighborhood that can be worth a stop, especially if you’re hungry, is Chinatown. The blocks are lined with wonderful smelling restaurants around every corner.

And if you are looking for some evening entertainment, there are tons of plays to choose from. We got a recommendation to see A Comedy About A Bank Robbery.

We liked it so much we went the next night to see another play written by the same people: The Play That Goes Wrong. They were both extremely entertaining and very funny.

As far as food in England goes, check out my previous post about Woodhall Spa. One addition is the British Meat Pies. We got the steak pie which was amazing!

Cheerio, until next time!