It’s been almost two years since I was last in London, and being back after that amount of time meant that I had to revisit some of my favorite places. It being London, of course, my first day was grey and overcast (although luckily the rain stayed away from the majority of the day). I love being back, and part of what I love so much about revisiting places, is getting to see them again with slightly different eyes – this time, it’s revisiting after not only a long break, but also with a hint of pandemic (and now viewing the city as the place where I live, rather than just a place I’m visiting).
Despite the fact that travel to the UK has reopened, London feels emptier than when I’ve been before. I’ve never felt less jostled or surrounded by people than I have wandering around these past few days. I’ve taken some very touristy photos that I’ve felt too awkward to take in years past because there have been so few people around. That’s not to say that there’s nobody around anywhere, but it’s certainly not what I’ve experienced in peak tourist season (which is what it still is, to be fair). Some areas are still quite hustle and bustle, but others are shockingly deserted.
The first bit of sightseeing I did was to revisit the Sky Garden. The only other time I’ve done this was when I studied abroad in 2016, so it’s been some time. The experience and the view were virtually identical to what I remember them being, but since Sky Garden tickets are free, I can’t really complain. Plus, it’s never not fun to get a view from 35 stories up of London!
One of my favorite walks in London is along the South Bank. Starting at the Eye (although I prefer to start at Southbank Centre to avoid the crowd that can gather in front of the Eye), you’ll walk past the National Theatre, the Globe, Tate Modern, Millennium Bridge (the bridge destroyed by death eaters in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but also a bridge you can walk across to get to Saint Paul’s), and then I typically stop at Tower Bridge. When the weather is nice, you’ll get beautiful views stretching down the Thames as well. There are also some great outdoor restaurants along the South Bank where you can partake in outdoor dining (when the weather is nice), and have a lovely view of the Thames.
Something new I decided to do was visit Kensington Palace. I’ve wandered around the gardens before (although on the side closer to Hyde Park), but I’ve never made it into the Palace before. I had to prebook tickets for a designated time slot (I’m not sure if this was the case pre pandemic), but entry was easy. You can take the rooms at your own pace, but it took me about an hour from start to finish to walk through the Jewel Room, Queen Victoria’s childhood, the King (George II) and Queen (Mary II)’s state apartments, and the special Royal Style exhibit. Without needing to enter the palace, you can see the Princess Diana status and garden located very close to the entrance. Once you’re done with the palace, you can wander through Kensington Gardens, and over into Hyde Park – if you go far enough, you’ll end up at Buckingham Palace! You can also stop to have tea inside or just outside the gift shop.
Another fun thing that’s happened is I’ve gotten to see Tower Bridge open twice! That area of London isn’t one that I’ve massively frequented in the past, so I never timed it right to see it happen, but I managed to catch it twice in two days within my first week in London. It’s a very fast process (a far cry from the Interstate Bridge between WA and OR – if you know, you know), and it’s quite cool to see it up close. I managed to see it once from afar, and once from the pedestrian walkway on the bridge (as they say, it’s all in the timing).
As another way of recreating my first time in London five years ago, I decided to visit the Tower of London again, something I did in my first weeks in London all those years ago. It’s been enough time that I remembered some of it, but certainly not all of it. Given the pandemic, you have to prebook your tickets for one of three allotted time slots (10:00, 12:00, or 14:00), but tickets were pretty easy to book. In some areas of the Tower, it felt very crowded, and others felt fairly empty, but I can’t imagine what it would be like without them restricting numbers to a certain extent. The indoor exhibits were where you felt the crowd the most, I’ll say. As with all the Historic Royal Palaces, you get to see history, and learn all about it. The Tower is where Anne Boleyn was famously beheaded, where the Crown Jewels are kept, and of course, the home of the ravens (and so much more). I managed to spend a solid three hours there, which is in line with the amount of time they say you should allow. It’s pretty easy to navigate, and a definite must visit!
Historic Royal Palaces tip: If you’re thinking of visiting Kensington Palace and the Tower of London, or any combination of the sites included in the Historic Royal Palaces, think about purchasing a membership, or upgrading your first full price ticket to a membership. At £59, this ends up being cheaper than purchasing multiple entrance tickets, especially if the two sites you want to visit are Kensington Palace and the Tower of London. If you’re like me and have just moved to London, you’ll then get one year of free entrance to any of the Historic Royal Palaces sites!
As another fun little way to celebrate my moving to the UK, I decided to partake in an afternoon tea! Since this is London, there are countless places to do this, at various price points. If you want to fully indulge, you can do Fortnum and Mason’s afternoon tea, which is divine in so many ways, but does run a steep price tag. If you’re more on a budget (like me), you can still fully partake in the afternoon tea tradition. I opted for a £15 tea at Cafe Rouge, and while that’s a chain, I have no complaints about the food! I was given my pot of English breakfast tea, and then some savories (mini jambon beurre baguette, mini brie baguette, a sausage roll, and a vegetable quiche), and some sweets (a lemon meringue tart, chocolate cake, a mini orange chocolate gateau, and a scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam – the true highlight of tea)! It was definitely enough food to eat, and you can never go wrong with a pot of tea.
Obviously my wanderings have barely scratched the surface of all London has to offer, but since I’m here for a while now, I know that I have the time to see all my old haunts, and to discover some new ones as well! I can’t get over the fact that I get to (for the foreseeable) call London home, and wander the streets whenever I want. It feels like this has been a longtime goal of mine, and I can’t quite describe what it feels like to have achieved it (although really, that’s a whole other blog post). I’m not fully employed, so my free time is more limited than when I first moved over, but I’ll be doing my best to enjoy London – even just being here is enough some days – but here’s to more London wanderings!
Not Your Average Giraffe 