London Trip
December 09, 2016
Last Sunday I turned the ripe old age of 22. Old I know. I can't stop singing Taylor Swift's '22' in my head. For my birthday, my boyfriend took me on a two day trip to London. I was so excited as I had only been to London once to look around art galleries whilst I was studying my A levels. I've never had the chance to be one of those annoying tourists who wants to do anything and everything whilst in London.
We got the train from Newcastle at midday. Our train was of course cancelled (no surprise there), so we had to hop on another one but luckily trains to King's Cross are pretty often although it did mean standing up for an hour on the train due to the lack of seats. What a great start to the journey but things could only go up from here!
We got the train from Newcastle at midday. Our train was of course cancelled (no surprise there), so we had to hop on another one but luckily trains to King's Cross are pretty often although it did mean standing up for an hour on the train due to the lack of seats. What a great start to the journey but things could only go up from here!
We got into London just before 4pm and somehow managed to figure out the tube to get to our hotel which was in Kensington (posh I know, perhaps too posh for me). Our hotel was just a standard hotel, all we wanted was a shower to wash in and a bed to sleep in and this hotel was in the perfect location at just a 5 minute walk to Earl's Court tube station. I wish the tube existed up here in Newcastle, I could not believe how fast you could travel from one location to another.
After settling in, we got the tube to Oxford Circus which literally took 10 minutes. It was around 6pm at this time which of course is rush hour and wow both the tube and Oxford Street were packed! After figuring out our way onto Oxford Street, we met my boyfriend's brother who took us for food and mojitos at a burrito bar situated on a side street just off Oxford Street. Damn they were some good mojitos!
After catching up on a long 9 months of not seeing his brother, we decided to head off to Hyde Park where Winter Wonderland was. I had heard about it but I didn't know too much about it and I am so glad we went. It was spectacular. It was full of people of all ages and had something for everyone to do. We grabbed ourselves a hot chocolate which was one of the best hot chocolates I have ever had.
There was too much to take in and it was closing in an hour so we just had a slow wander around to take in the whole atmosphere including the smells and sights. It really was the scent of Christmas. We immediately made the decision to come back tomorrow at an earlier time so we had more time to browse. We then stumbled across a bratwurst stall where my boyfriend and his brother grabbed themselves one. How they were hungry after those burritos I do not know! But they did look and smell amazing!
10pm came and we decided to head back to the hotel and depart ways with his brother as we were so tired from travelling. In addition, we had a busy day planned for the next day so an early night was definitely on the cards.
The next day we were up, checked out of the hotel and at Waterloo tube station for quarter past 10. That is early for us. My boyfriend had organised tickets for us to go on the London Eye, visit Sea Life and take a trip to Madame Tussaud's. Whilst collecting the tickets, we had a glimpse of Big Ben, Westminster and the London Eye in daylight knowing that we were going to come back later once it was dark to go on the London Eye.
We first visited Sea Life where we saw an array of fish, sharks and jellyfish. I always get amazed at what can actually be found in the ocean and how magical and totally different ocean life is compared to life on land.
We first visited Sea Life where we saw an array of fish, sharks and jellyfish. I always get amazed at what can actually be found in the ocean and how magical and totally different ocean life is compared to life on land.
We then got the tube to Madame Tussaud's which was fantastic. Some of the models were unbelievably lifelike, some not so much. I'll let you decide on that! Johnny Depp was the most realistic look-a-like in my eyes.
We then headed to the London Eye which we had timed perfectly to get on just as it started to go dark. The views of surrounding London were unbelievable and I would go on it again in a heartbeat. Big Ben, The Shard and Westminster were all lit up and it was so mesmerising. I would definitely recommend it to anyone.
We then had a walk past Big Ben and Westminster to Hyde Park where we again visited Winter Wonderland. We had a couple of hours here before having to get the train back to Newcastle. This time me and my boyfriend both had a bratwurst from the Bavarian village which was unreal. Yummy food along with the whole atmosphere and live entertainment was such a fun experience. I then had a mulled wine and my boyfriend had a hot apple cider. Both were scrummy. And to finish it off, we had some churros which were dripping in melted chocolate. They were divine and I wished there were more! After looking around, we noticed an ice skating rink which we were far too full to do so ended up looking at all the theme park attractions and the Christmas stalls.
Unfortunately, 8pm came and it was time to get the tube back to King's Cross. Winter Wonderland truly is wonderful and I would urge anyone to go if you get the chance, I will certainly be going back next year!
9pm and the train arrived to take us home which took 3 and a half hours. This time the train wasn't cancelled which meant we sat down for the whole journey which was a good job! we had been on our feet for 11 hours with heavy rucksacks and boy we were tired. We slept the whole train ride home!
London at Christmas time was unreal and I would recommend you visit there. I think it might turn into a yearly thing with me and my boyfriend because we both loved it so much. It was the perfect birthday treat.
Have you been to London at Christmas time? If so, what would you recommend to do in London at Christmas if I visit again next year? Let me know in the comments below.
Best of wishes.
2 comments
This is a lovely post. I went to London last weekend, it was SO pretty but bloody busy. The Harvey Nic's lights were incredible.
ReplyDeleteJaynieShannon Beauty & Lifestyle
xx
It was really busy when I was there too! I'll have to visit there next year, hope you enjoyed your trip! x
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