It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but I have a good reason – I was in Europe! My family and I had an amazing vacation, traveling to London, Paris, and Rome. This will be a series of posts, containing my travel guides for each city I visited. We booked our trip through TripMasters. We flew from Tampa to Detroit, then travelled from Detroit to London. The Detroit to London flight was very do-able, only 7.5 hours. Plus, our flight left at 5PM, giving us enough time to try to sleep and wake up refreshed when we arrived at 6:30AM London time. From London, we moved onto Paris, taking a short flight that was a bit over an hour. Next, we headed to Rome. This flight was a bit longer, being two hours, but it was wonderful! While flying, we were able to see the Swiss Alps close up. They were absolutely stunning and such an unexpected surprise for us! We flew out of Rome, taking a direct flight to Atlanta, which was about 11 hours. Then, a quick flight from ATL to TPA and we were home! It was a whirlwind but such a wonderful vacation.
LONDON – DAY ONE
As I mentioned, we arrived at 6:30AM London time, so we were exhausted as none of us were able to sleep well on the plane. We took a taxi from the airport, which I DO NOT recommend. While our taxi driver was wonderful and gave us great advice about the city, the fare was 130 pounds! We figured out that the train to the airport was only about 3.10 pounds, so please, don’t be like us. Take the train into the city if you’re looking to save.
Our hotel was the Thistle Bloomsbury Park. One warning I would give if you are used to the comfort and feel of American hotels, prepare yourself for something much different. This hotel was not a bad one at all, but we had a few small concerns. The air conditioning did not work very well, which was fine … until it got hot. Also, the bathtub/shower was a deathtrap. The floor was slippery and to step out, you had to step significantly down, which could get dangerous. Otherwise, no major complaints! We were extremely lucky that when we arrived around 8:00AM, our room was ready. We decided that in order to make the most of our London experience, we would take a quick nap and head out to see the city for the rest of the day. Around 11:30, we headed out to greet the day!
My mom and I were both really excited to see Big Ben. We headed to Trafalgar Square, where you can see the National Portrait Gallery as well as the square and monuments. From there, we moved onto the area where Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Parliament are located. It was great getting to see Big Ben up close finally! We also walked through a beautiful park and saw the Royal Guards practicing for a ceremony to celebrate the Queen’s birthday.
Afterwards, we moved towards the Picadilly Circus area to do some shopping. But first, we stopped at Whole Foods to grab a quick bite (classic Americans). Piccadilly Circus is a fantastic place to do some shopping! We found so many great stores, unique to Europe and that area. I highly recommend going to Selfridge’s. If I could move into a store, I would move into Selfridge’s. They have everything you could ever imagine buying! Whether it’s electronics, handbags, or even home decor, they have it. I highly recommend eating (& drinking) at their rooftop bar and restaurant. The rooftop offers sweeping views of London, adorable decor, and delicious food and drinks. I loved this restaurant especially because they change their decor seasonally. This time, of course, was beach themed (I’m from Florida, so I guess I brought the beach with me?) We enjoyed a glass of wine on the roof and a lovely dinner – I ordered risotto, yum! After dinner, we did a little more shopping and headed back to our hotel (#jetlag).
LONDON DAY TWO
The next day we decided to purchase the hop-on-hop-off bus tour and the London Pass. With admission to the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge experience, and Kensington Palace, we feel like we got our money’s worth. We were also given a free river cruise as well as bus transportation all over London, with audio guide included. We really enjoyed the bus because we were able to see a great deal of London without having to walk all over the city. Throughout the trip, we walked over 80 miles, so it was nice to sit every once in awhile. The bus was also great because you were able to learn the history of a location while you were looking at it.
We took the bus to the Tower of London first. This was one of my favorite historical sites. I especially loved seeing the Crown Jewels, as they were just as beautiful as they were historic. We also loved the White Tower, where you could view all of the old knight’s armor. Everything around the Tower was so beautiful and historic, with buildings ranging back to 1010 A.D.
Next, we headed to Tower Bridge. The elevator shot up many stories and took us to the tower at the top of the bridge. At the top, the floors were clear, revealing the ground below us. The cars were like tiny specs. It was surreal to walk on top of the clear flooring, as it tricks your body and you feel like you’re falling, even when you’re not. We loved the beautiful views of the city from the top of the bridge as well.
Moving forward, we took the river cruise on the Thames River. Our tour guide was hysterical! He gave us a funny, brief history of all of London’s bridges (which, there are a lot of!) This was another really nice way to see the city and a great view of Big Ben over the water.
We hopped off the boat and headed toward the bus stop near Big Ben. From there, we took the bus to Kensington Palace. I LOVED Kensington Palace and the Kensington Gardens. Kensington Palace is where many members of the Royal Family have lived in the past. Here, you can view the old bedrooms and living rooms of the royals. My favorite part was seeing the Lady Diana fashion exhibit. As a tribute to Lady Diana, they have many of her beautiful dresses with descriptions and photos of what event she wore them to. Next, we headed into the gardens. Greenery-covered trellises line the walkway, leading to a garden filled with roses and every other flower imaginable. After our long day, we decided it would be appropriate to just lay down in the park by the gardens to take a break.
Our next stop was Harrod’s. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to shop at Harrod’s. We loved seeing all of the beautiful merchandise, especially the 5th floor’s “Shoe Heaven.” But, the best part was tea! My mom and I had been so excited about having afternoon tea at Harrod’s an this was our chance. We ordered English Rose tea and it was absolutely delicious! After tea at Harrod’s, we headed to dinner at one of our favorite European chains, and then back closer to our hotel for drinks.
LONDON DAY THREE
On our last full day in London, we wanted to explore the Tate Modern Museum. Here we saw cool modern art, from artists like Picasso, Dali, and Warhol. This museum is definitely modern, so prepare yourself to see some funky pieces. We were somewhat amused by one sculpture that just looked like a giant mass of potatoes.
After visiting the Tate, we decided to give authentic fish and chips a try. To be honest, we really didn’t love the food we ate that day, so I won’t mention the restaurant. However, I did try something truly amazing – ice cream with a popsicle in it. Life changing.
Next was the London Eye. This was by-far one of the coolest experiences. Seeing all of London from a bird’s eye view was absolutely breathtaking. I have to admit I was a little scared of heights here, but it was well worth it for the #views.
We wandered around the city some more after the London Eye, walking across the Millennial Bridge or as the British call it, the “Wibbly Wobbly Bridge.” It was a beautiful, warm day in the city, so many of the Londoners were picnicking all over the city, enjoying the gorgeous day. We grabbed crepes at an adorable little spot called Mamie’s and headed to Primose Bakery for cupcakes after dinner. Then, back to the hotel to rest up before our next day in Paris!
