My Week in London Pt. 1
May 17–22 + June 2, 2017
My dad searched cruise deals while I searched flights, and this research eventually culminated in our most elaborate (and expensive) family vacation to date — 10 destinations all over the British Isles (plus a day in Brussels, Belgium)!
For my husband and I, it would be our second trip to Europe (but all new destinations), and for my parents and sister, their very first. Our flights were booked in and out of London on Norwegian Air. And in between these flights, we had also booked a cruise out of Southampton with (coincidentally, the unaffiliated) Norwegian cruise line. Filled with much anticipation (after months and months of planning), we finally flew out of Orlando airport on May 16th, and our “holiday” began!
FYI: any great pics to follow were taken by my sis, Courtney McGrady (not me). I’m sure it won’t be hard for you to tell the difference.
DAY ONE: Arrive at Gatwick Airport + the London Eye
Our flight had been delayed, customs took a while, we had to buy SIM cards and train tickets at the airport, and then ride the (35ish min) train into London — so, by the time we made it, most of the day was already gone. But that was okay because we only had one goal for Day One: the London Eye.
We rode the train to the London Bridge exit (inside the Shard), then got our coats and umbrellas out of suitcases to face the elements (drizzling cold), and walked the rest of the way to our Airbnb. Upon arrival at our Airbnb (both spacious and modern), we spent a short time freshening up and settling in. And then we started our journey back out to the London Eye, to make it in time for our pre-purchased reservation.
As is often the case when arriving at a new place, time was in short supply. The tube + walk to the London Eye took longer than anticipated, which caused a bit of family stress in the process of locating the tickets in time of our reservation. But, all turned out just fine as we got the tickets (a combined ticket for the London Eye, hop-on-hop-off bus tour, and river cruise) and found our place in line to board what is essentially an extremely large ferris wheel. By this time, we were all very sleepy, hungry, and soggy, but still unbelievably pumped to be in London!
The London Eye is situated right across the Thames from Big Ben and parliament, so the views are very picturesque-London — a lovely introduction, even in the rain! With 20+ people per “capsule,” the large wheel gives a 360-degree birds-eye view of the city and takes about 30 minutes to make it all the way around.
At the end of our ride, we walked along the river a bit, before landing inside a Wagamama for a warm and comforting dinner — where each weary traveler thawed out and found renewed energy at the bottom of their steaming bowl of ramen! This was just the fuel we needed for our walk back “home.”
Borough Market was on our way back (though closed for the day), and it was there that we happened to spot a chocolate shop/restaurant called Rabot 1745, which provided the absolute PERFECT end to our first day in London. We were seated on their upstairs porch (outside), which had both heated seats and a view of the market below, and we each ordered our own gourmet hot chocolate (for instance, Gabe got an 85% Honduran hot chocolate). Freshly roasted cacao beans were served like bread for the table, with the following explanation: “Twist bean to break thin skin and savour the inner bean’s deep flavour notes. Cacao is a fabulous, healthy savoury ingredient as well as the secret of chocolate’s power…” How unique! We also got a couple of desserts to share: a sticky toffee chocolate pudding and a molten chocolate lava pudding. And we were elated! Beyond exhausted, but also so full of joy and celebration in the moment.
DAY TWO: The Queen’s Walk + River Cruise + WICKED
We woke up to a beautiful day in London. Not warm, per se, but blue skies! To start, we made the short walk from our Airbnb back to Borough Market, and straight to Monmouth Coffee Company, where Gabe and I shared a much-needed fresh brew. Meanwhile, my mom and sister went back to Rabot 1745 for white hot chocolates with added espresso, bc they fancy. Our breakfast was meant to be at the London Grind a short walk away, but the boys got distracted by some of the market fare: Scottish eggs and wild boar sandwiches (much like hot dogs). So, you could say they got some breakfast on the way to breakfast. After more breakfast and coffee at the London Grind, we began our stroll along the Thames (a.k.a. “the Queen’s walk”) toward the Tower Bridge. We enjoyed this walk immensely, and took lots of pictures!
Next, we crossed to the other side of the Tower Bridge and searched for where the river cruise boarded its passengers. It was not easy to find, but ended up being very worth the effort, because the perspective from the water is very unique and cool!
We saw Shakespear’s Globe (a replica of the original), went under the London Bridge and the Millennium footbridge (the one that gets destroyed by deatheaters in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” — my personal favorite of the HP movies), St. Paul’s Cathedral (though at a distance), another angle on the London Eye, and ended in front of Big Ben. Definitely recommend seeing London by river cruise on a sunny day!
Getting off, we made our way closer to all the Westminster “touristy” sites like Westminster Abbey (where a line wrapped around the building to go in…we did not) and Big Ben (whose 12 chimes we heard at noon!)
There were swarms of people, so we saw this area only briefly and then hopped on the tube toward Baker Street (for the sake of Sherlock and 221b).
Around this area, we boarded a hop-on-hop-off bus, which took us in the direction of our lunch destination on Carnaby Street: Dishoom.
We ate a family-style meal of mixed kinds of rice, meats, and various spicy sauces — all very delicious! And, afterward, grabbed some coffees at the Department of Coffee and Social Affairs.
While re-boarding the bus, it started to rain. And, as we were sitting on the top deck of the bus, this was not so enjoyable, even with ponchos — so, our bus-riding was short-lived (and IMO, not worth the money).
Our last activity of the day was to see WICKED at 7:30 in the Apollo Victoria Theatre. But first, a bite of dinner. We ended up finding Franco Manca for some quick, sourdough pizzas (yum!), and then walked about 5 minutes to the theatre.
Gabe and I had surprised the fam with these WICKED tickets back at Christmas time — a very fun reveal! The seats we got were in the balcony (so it wasn’t a huge splurge), but the show was still really great! A few of us legit fell asleep during the intermission — jet lag hitting hard — but we all loved it! And after that, we were off to bed!
