London Called, I Answered. Here’s What I Learned.
I have returned from my world European travels! I’m still having a hard time believing I basically lived in London for over two weeks. The city certainly holds a piece of my heart now, and I can’t wait to return.
I managed to check off most of the items on my last bucket list post, except meeting the royals (I’m surprised too). We never made it to Sketch, even though we talked about going all the time. I did complete the most important item on the list, which was to attend two Harry Potter tours and visit Platform 9 3/4. Priorities, people.
So, similar to my top 10 bucket list, I have now created a top 10 list of places to visit/sights to see if you’ve never been to London before. If you’re an English accent-loving, history nerd, royal family-crazed white American 21-year old female, this list (in no particular order) is for you!
1: Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
Obviously. I’m not kidding y’all, this place is actually magical and worth every last pence you will pay to get in. Even if you’re not a Harry Potter fan, you’ll be blown away by the number of sets and props on display. The studio is a bit of a drive, and our group had a bus pick us up and take us to Leavesden. You walk in what is essentially a huge warehouse to the entry room, where large posters of the main characters when they were 11 and at the end when they were in their twenties border the tops of the walls. We paid five pounds for an audio guide voiced by Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy in the films) then queued in line; they let maybe 50 people in at a time, and while you wait in line you can see the cupboard under the stairs and look at all the content on your touchscreen audio guide – do this if you have to wait in line, because there is tons of information on that guide – we were at the studio for over three hours and didn’t get through half of the information on it. Once you make it through the line, you enter a large room where HP movie posters from all different countries flash on the walls (this is when I started crying). A video about the films plays on the screens, then you walk into a large theatre for another video featuring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. After, the screen rises and THERE IS THE ENTRANCE TO THE GREAT HALL. Another tour guide opens the doors and you walk in; this was almost too much for me to handle. The tour guide talks to you about the Great Hall and the costumes on display there, then the rest of the studio is yours to explore. There are thousands of props here; it seriously is amazing. Almost all of the sets are “hot”, meaning the lighting and placement of everything is ready to film at any time. We were lucky enough to be there during Animal Week, where the actual animals used in the films as well as the trainers who worked with them were spread out all over the studio to answer questions and talk about their experience with the films. Just so you all know, I pet Sirius Black’s owl – one of my prouder moments. The end of the tour boasts a fantastic surprise, and I won’t ruin it for you here. I will say it made me cry, but then again that’s not all that surprising or telling.
2: Royal places: Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Westminster Abbey
The only place I actually toured of these three was Westminster Abbey. Buckingham Palace is only open to visitors July-September, and even then only a small section is open; despite this, it’s worth it to take the Tube ride and see it. We saw Kensington Palace toward the end of our trip when we were running low on money, and decided to spend our funds on a tour of St. Paul’s Cathedral instead of Kensington. When I go back, I’ll definitely tour Kensington. The grounds are beautiful, and I’d love to see more of the inside. Our class toured Westminster Abbey together. You have to see the inside of this place, if only to imagine you’re Kate Middleton walking down the long aisle to Prince Will.
Panoramic view from the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral
3: St. Paul’s Cathedral
This. Place. Is. Beautiful. We didn’t have long here before we had to meet up with our class for another tour, and I was bummed I didn’t get to spend more time listening to my audio guide; however, we did climb the first 200+ steps to the Whispering Gallery, then another 300+ to the very top – 528 steps total. This was no easy feat, and seriously, if you’re claustrophobic or afraid of heights, don’t do it. Many of the steps are on tight spiral stairs, and the people who work there will tell you that once you start the climb, you can’t change your mind and turn around. This isn’t just a rule, it’s a fact: there is no room to turn around and pass people coming up. That being said, the top is so worth it. You’ll get the best aerial view of London; much better than the London Eye, which I don’t think I’ll be wasting my money on again. Like the climb up, there’s not much personal space here, but you can circle the top of the dome as many times as you like before heading down more cramped stairs.
4: Hampton Court Palace
This may have been my very favorite place we visited in London. One thing you’ll find when you visit London is that information about the Tudor Dynasty is everywhere. Hampton Court Palace is one of two palaces left in good shape that Henry VIII owned. We spent three hours here, and it honestly wasn’t enough time. The audio guides are fantastic (and free!) and there wasn’t a better place we visited that gave you a true taste of what living like a king is all about. One of my favorite things about this tour was that actors portraying people like Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and others walk around and interact with each other right in front of you; we walked upon Henry and Anne having an argument about him finalizing his divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. We later saw Anne arguing with her brother about becoming the queen; I’ve never seen anything like this at a museum, and it was awesome. Everything is preserved extremely well, and we saw original 500-year-old tapestries that have an entire team devoted to keeping just those in top shape. The chapel and gardens are two of the most beautiful sites here. Definitely, definitely, definitely make the trip here; I’ll be going back.
The closest I got to Zach Galifianakis.
5: Leicester Square
This is sort of the go-to place for the theatre; we attended the premiere for The Hangover Part III here and were at the square during the world premiere for Brad Pitt’s World War Z, though we got there too late to see him (saddest part of my trip). It’s a great area to see and walk around in.
6: Camden Lock Market
A friend recommended I visit this market, and we absolutely loved it. Clothes, jewelry, trinkets, art, food and many other things are sold here. We spent no less than four hours wandering through the hundreds of booths and even thought about revisiting it before we left.
In front of Tower Bridge on the River Thames
7: River Thames
This is another great area! The beautiful Tower Bridge crosses the River Thames, and so does the Millenium Bridge (destroyed by Death Eaters in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!). There are a lot of restaurants down near Shakespeare’s Globe Theater and Tate Modern that have a really cool vibe, and you have a great view of the river while you eat!
8: Crown Jewels Exhibition at Tower of London
This seems ultra-touristy, but you’ll be surprised a how impressed you are by the jewels. The Tower of London is actually a complex of several buildings. The jewels are located in the Waterloo Barracks, and you walk through several rooms of history about the jewels before actually seeing them. I began thinking the crown jewels referred simply to the crown placed on the monarch’s head. Really, they are so much more: scepters, rings, swords and used during coronation ceremonies of many past monarchs are all on display. While you wait in line to see them, a video reel of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II plays on a screen. To see the jewels, you actually have to step on a moving track to prevent visitors from standing too long. The guards are like hawks; one visitor tried to take a photo of the jewels while we were there (strictly prohibited), and he took her phone and deleted the photo before giving it back to her. The regalia are, as you can guess, beautiful – but the fact that you’ll never see more magnificent jewels is worth the entry fee to see them.
9: Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is home to many beautiful statues and fountains, as well as the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, both of which are fantastic and no charge to visit. We also really liked the dining options around here; food in London, admittedly, isn’t that great. However, we found several restaurants and pubs we really enjoyed in this area.
Pimm’s
10: Not a location: eat and drink like locals
Like I said, this isn’t a location. However, a post about any trip isn’t really complete without talking about dining experiences. For drinks, try Pimm’s, the English gin-based liqueur that’s usually served with English-style lemonade and various fruits. I had several local beers with names I don’t recall, but I do remember a fantastic brew I had at a pub in Trafalgar Square: Samuel Smith Pure Brewed Organic Lager. That’s right, organic beer. It was great, and if I can find it in the States, I’ll be purchasing. We kept going around asking for mimosas, and nobody knew what we were talking about until we discovered from one restaurant’s menu that in England, they’re called Buck’s Fizz. We then ordered it as often as we could, just for an excuse to say “Buck’s Fizz” over and over again. My favorite coffee place was Costa, which has locations everywhere. There are also many Upper Crusts, a fast-food type baguette place that was great. Millie’s is an awesome cookie place. There was a restaurant right down from our hotel in the Paddington area called Nimo’s that we fell in love with. We walked down several mornings to grab breakfast sandwiches for take-away, and the cook knew our orders by the time we left. I told him on our last day in London I’d recommend his place to my friends, so now I’m making good on my word. Make your way down there for a breakfast sandwich on ciabatta bread with bacon (really ham), fried egg, white cheddar cheese, avocado and mayonnaise. I’m craving one now.
I had the best time exploring London, and I can’t wait to go back. Cheers!
CB 