travel diary: london
London, what an amazing city! Fast-paced and buzzing, everything about this place was seriously spectacular. Honestly, there was so much to see, making it at times a bit overwhelming; however London has some of the best public transportation out there. There's no need to waste money on cabs when you can easily hop on and off the Tube or take an iconic double-decker bus. With our handy Oyster cards, we were able to roam all over the city with the ease of a swipe. Taking the Tube might have been one of my favorite memories of London- being with the people, all immersed in the London hustle and bustle. The visuals are also just stunning: the amount of people moving so quickly, the geometrics and colors at the different transfer points, the endless length of escalators, the list goes on. Okay, I am rambling about trains, but on a serious note, after traveling through a total of ten different cities in five separate countries, London wins the transportation award. I guess that happens when you are the world's oldest underground.
Cameron and I had a blast exploring the city, finding cool areas, and obviously eating some amazing food. Here are a few of my recommendations for places of interest and eating out...
If you want to educate yourself on some proper British history and culture, check out the Tate Britain and the Queen's House. We preferred the Tate Britain over the Tate Modern, but it was great to see both. Y'all know I had to get a little LFW fix in with the latter. The Queen's House was a little outside of the city, but the Tulip staircase is worth the commute. Cameron became a bit fixated on spiral staircases, so we made a point to hunt them out in each country.
As this was my second trip to London, I had already seen some of the major points of interest like Buckingham Palace. We decided to skip on the long tourist lines, but made a point to physically see each location. We were lucky to catch the changing of the guards which was an experience in itself. Although I'm a person that believes in hitting up some museums and tourist attractions along the way- doesn't that defeat the purpose of traveling if you don't?- It is true that sometimes just taking in the sheer magnitude of the architecture can suffice (i.e. Westminster Abbey, Buck Palace and Big Ben).
You must shop (or window shop) on Bond Street- a quick trip into Harrods doesn't hurt either! Don't forget to check out some amazing eclectic antiques on Portobello Road.
Street performers are super creeps that being said though, we became obsessed with one DJ STOP (also known as DJ Grandpa) who was performing in Trafalgar Square. If you are a Beatles fan as well, Abbey Road is a no-brainer. And no, I did not take an album photo across the road- yes, shocking. I did catch a really awesome sunset walking back to the Tube.
For food, there are too many great places to list. Our top three eateries were: KEEN for some fast healthy food, Albion Cafe for a nice lunch sit-down, and Poppies for some classic fish and chips.
London, you're a gem. Cali, I'll see you in a few days.
xx,
AKL
Adrienne Kwok-Lundy