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Travel Bloggers

Ali
Katie

London, England

As the battery runs down on my laptop, I concentrate earnestly on what my and Ali’s trip to London brought us: cold frothy English ales, rare sunny days with sunlight bouncing off the tall buildings of downtown London, many relaxing walks to the local grocery store, and two unexpected colds that turned into acute bronchitis.Wait, that last part isn’t on the tour itinerary! It was damn bad luck.Yes, the Get There Girls were down and literally not out whilst in London, however, we weren’t discouraged. In fact, we stayed two extra days to cram in what we originally wanted to do in a week! In these two days, however, we discovered the elegance of London, the beauty of Hyde, St. James, and Green Parks, and yes, the often-bitter cold winds that made us love the inventor of winter jackets and long johns.

If things to do in London were made into a pie chart, the biggest piece of the pie would be Zone 1 where many of the major sites reside. Big Ben (that’s the giant clocktower in case you didn’t know), Parliament, a beautiful array of buildings that surround Big Ben, the Eye of London, which is much more than just a giant ferris wheel, Westminster Abbey, one of the oldest and historically interesting churches in all of Europe, not to mention hundreds of places to stop to eat, drink, and be merry (but wear a warm jacket!).

The walk along the Thames River isn’t difficult nor is it disappointing. It’s what often makes sightseeing worthwhile. Taking the time to enjoy, savor, and metaphorically devour the newness of an unknown city. So we walked along the South Bank, stopped to tip some of the street performers, ate some good food, and made sure to go through Borough Market, a market that provides not only loads of fresh fruit and fine cheeses, but random entertainment as well. That is, for those who like to hear a bunch of drunken Irish boys sing homeland chants until they pause to refresh their course throats with more beer. Okay, maybe we were just lucky to get to see that . . .

Although walking is something a lot of people do in London, if you need to get somewhere far, taking the London Underground tubes is the easiest way to get around. They might seem confusing at first, but get your hands on a tube map (free at many of the train stations or printable online) and you’ll be able to get to some of the farther attractions like Piccadilly Circus-a super fun street that resembles a smaller New York Times Square and has great photo ops-maybe catch the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, or possibly empty your pockets shopping at Carnaby Street or eating in Chinatown. When heading back to your hotel or hostel or even to another tourist attraction, take a London bus at least once. You’ll see why, …can you say “double decker?”

The biggest and most famous tourist spots are always definitely worth seeing, but it certainly helps you appreciate the smaller pieces as well. For example, places to eat and just hang out. Ali and I scarfed down way too much excellent Thai food at Busaba Eathai, splurged on major badness, but oh so goodness at the most popular burger joint, Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK), and drank some fine English ale at the Porterhouse, a super fun, 3-level, busy pub where a lot of people gather after working hours to unwind and chat about their weeks’ worth of labor.

The next day, before our colds hit full force, we walked down to see the tallest building in London that sits in the middle of Canary Wharf, and at 771 feet high, will remain the tallest for a bit longer. If you’re in that area, stop for a beer at Brown’s and take a look downstairs at its really neat piano bar, then order a drink on their patio that overlooks the Wharf’s pathway and bridge.

I’m truly a dork because I felt the greatest thing about London was that it was Londony! Okay, so it’s not a word, but it’s the only one I could think of to sum up London’s personality. Tourists swarm the big sites day in and day out, despite the reputable weather that’s often cold, harsh, and windy enough to mess up any attempt at having a hairstyle. Yet the city breathes and continues to thrive contently on its own merits, with the people, places, and things that co-exist there, going about as if every day is business as usual. There’s so much to see, take in, eat, drink, take photos of, and general fun to be had, it’s hard to know where to go. A week would have been great, but you can and should experience London no matter how much time you can allot.

As for the Get There Girls, we bade farewell to foggy London town as anyone who visits there should-we got up early, drank some strong English coffee, ate a hearty English breakfast, zipped up our jackets, and through the cab window, watched the city go past our eyes. Just one last time.

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