We returned earlier this week from a really great long weekend in
London. We were there for the best part of three action packed days and enjoyed every minute of our time in this great city. Normally being based in the Netherlands we'd fly to Heathrow, this time we drove as far as
Brussels and and boarded the
Eurostar service for
London St. Pancras. A great service, so much more relaxed than flying, less time consuming and more pleasureable as you have a lot more leg room and the seats are much more comfortable. So if you were thinking of trying Eurostar, go on and give it a go.
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| Enroute via Eurostar |
Prior to leaving for London we pre-ordered a London Pass for both of us. London is jam packed with places to visits and other activities to take part in. Most, not all charge some sort of fee, for example it costs £18 for an adult to visit Westminster Abbey. So quite quickly a trip to London can become very expensive. If you buy a London Pass you get "free" entry into over 60 of London's top attractions. Take a look at their website, you'll find the link under Travel in the Our Favourites section at the side of your screen. Plan what you want to see as well as the time it will take and work out if buying a pass makes sense for you.
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| Illuminated South Bank |
We stayed at the Waterloo Premier Inn which is very close to Waterloo station. With great staff and really comfy beds, the location is great for exploring London. The London Eye, situated on the South Bank of the river Thames is just across the road and Westminster Bridge is about 5 minutes away. The South Bank itself is full of activity from street performers, bars, restaurants and independent shops, its a great place to spend some time.
After quickly dumping our cases at the hotel, our next stop was Oxford Street for a visit to Nike World, from there we made our way back through the city via Regent Street, Picadilly Circus, Covent Garden for dinner, down through Whitehall and back across Wesminster Bridge to our hotel. All on foot, the best way to see London.
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| Regent Street |
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| Picadilly Circus |
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| The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square |
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| Westminster by night |
The following morning fuelled by a great Full English breakfast we were ready for a days sight seeing, first destination Westminster Abbey about 10/15 minutes walk from our hotel. An easy walk back across Westminster Bridge and past the Houses of Parliament.
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| Houses of Parliament |
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| Westminster Abbey |
Westminster Abbey is an amazing place, packed with history and you could easily spend two or three hours there. It does get very busy, do get there early if you want to avoid the queues. If you plan to visit London, be sure and visit this historic landmark. Sadly as with many of London's historic attractions it is forbidden to take photos inside.
After leaving the Abbey, Buckingham Palace was next on our itinerary. We walked through St. James's Park, stopping off for a coffee at the Inn in the Park on the way. The coffee was fine but the filthy pigeons outside were a bit of a pain.
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| Horse Guard's Parade |
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| 5 Mins to Buckingham Palace |
As you'd expect there was a crowd of tourists from all over the globe milling around Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial.
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| Buckingham Palace |
After spending some time enjoying the sights and sounds around the Palace we walked back up the Mall to Admiralty Arch.
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| Victoria Memorial |
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| Admiralty Arch |
By the time we reached
Trafalgar Square we were ready for a break to rest our feet and sought refuge in the
Silver Cross Pub, heading down into Whitehall Direction. After a beverage and some delicious crisps we were on our way again back up to
Trafalgar Square where a gigantic Blue Cockerel is currently in place on the 4th plynth.
Our final destination for our days sight seeing was St. Paul's Cathedral in the heart of the City of London. So we hopped on a tube from Charing Cross and where there in no time. As with Westminster you can expect to queue to enter, however if you have a London Pass there is a separate desk for pre-paid tickets and you also get a free audio guide. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren, the cathedral is magnicent and well worth a visit.
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| St. Paul's Cathedral |
As time was ticking by quickly as it tends to do in London, we made our way back to the South Bank via
Blackfriars Bridge for a very late lunch.
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| Blackfriars Bridge |
We came across
Gabriel's Wharf on the South Bank and had a really tasty lunch in
Studio 6, see below for visual proof. Good food, decent value for money in a nice location.
From there it was back to the hotel for a very quick rest before departing for the Victoria Palace Theatre and the evening performance of Billy Elliot. If you've seen the movie you'll love this inspirational stage musical. It is brilliant so if you are in London, don't hesitate...book some tickets.
The following morning we were up earlish for a run along the South Bank of the Thames, this was like a mini London Tour as we passed many famous landmarks, as you'll see from the following photos.
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| Shakespeare's Globe Theatre |
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| HMS Belfast & Tower Bridge |
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| The Anchor, Bankside with the Shard in the background |
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| The Tower of London |
So after a refreshing shower and a "healthy" cooked breakfast, our destination was Greenwich, along the Thames on a City Cruises boat from the London Eye Pier. Another excursion covered by the London Pass. With the Cutty Sark, the Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory, two markets and some lovely shops you could easily enjoy a day at Greenwich.
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| Arriving at Greenwich |
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| The Cutty Sark |
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| The fabulous Greenwich arts & crafts market |
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| The old (Greenwich) & the new (Canary Wharf) |
We could have stayed a lot longer in
Greenwich but our feet declared enough was enough for one day and we headed back to the pier to catch the return boat back into London. That evening we went to see
Rush, the movie about the rivalry between Nikki Lauda and James Hunt in one of the cinemas in Leicester Square.
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| Kensington Palace |
The following day was our last in London and
Kensington Palace was our the last destination for our busy weekend. Far more relaxed than some of the other Royal homes, it too is well worth a visit, easy to get to from the tube station on
Kensington High Street. There is plenty to see inside the Palace including an insight into the life of Queen Victoria as well as some of the dresses belonging to the Queen, her sister Margaret and Princess Diana.
From Kensington Palace we popped back into London for some lunch at the Shakespeare's Head on Great Marlbourough St, just before Carnaby Street. The Chip Shop Platter was delicious. After that it was back to the Netherlands via Eurostar to Brussels, the end of a fantastic weekend.
