Fall in London, England

- February 22, 2019

If you are looking to travel outside of the United States, a perfect first stop would be England. This was my first true trip outside of the USA and I will say I loved it! London is a bright and booming city full of life and culture. In fact, it felt like a city that never sleeps. This was a positive, because you never felt unsafe walking around the city, even after dark. I traveled to London in October with two of my friends, and this time of year is a really perfect time to visit. I don’t know if we were just lucky, but the weather was perfect. It wasn’t cold, but it also wasn’t hot. As far as transportation goes, we only took the London Underground. We never had a problem with it, and it was super reliable. We also stayed in a hotel near the underground station which was really nice.

Although, we were only in the city for four days we made the most of our trip and saw as many sights as we possibly could. A must see if you are in the city is the Tower of London. The tower, as we learned has had its share of different identities over the years: from a zoo, to a fortress, and even a prison. While on your visit, don’t forget to see the Crown Jewels. The tower currently houses a collection of over 23,000 gemstones which are still used in royal ceremonies today.

We also visit Little Venice, an area in the city of Westminster where you can see narrowboats lining the canal. It is a really beautiful sight. After strolling through Little Venice, we realized we were only a short visit from Abbey Road. This was a must see for one of my friends who is a total music fan! Of course, I wanted to see it too. We even took a picture at the iconic road crossing where the Beatles posed for their album entitled with the same name.

If you are looking to see a truly beautiful palace and park, then Kensington palace will be a must stop on your trip. In my opinion the palace is beautiful, but the grounds and surrounding park is even more magnificent. This palace is the current home of Prince William and Kate Middleton. It is also the birthplace of Queen Victoria. As we were walking around the grounds, we noticed that on the map it stated a Peter Pan statue was nearby. We wanted to see that, so we went on a somewhat long walk to find it. After researching a bit more about the park, which is called Kensington Gardens, I learned that this park was the inspiration for J.M. Barrie’s novel “Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens”. I thought this was really neat! It reminded me of a movie I once saw about the author, J.M. Barrie, called Finding Neverland. If you have not seen it, I would recommend watching it. It will give you some more insight into the origins behind the story of “Peter Pan”.

If you are looking for a a little more culture, London’s Chinatown is a must see. We visited the famous area at night, and it was bustling with people. Whether you enjoy watching local street performances, or want a taste of the far east, London’s Chinatown has something everyone can enjoy! We saw some really great performances, and although I did not get to partake in the cuisine, I saw various people holding some pretty tasty looking treats!

Another great place to see while on your trip is St. Paul's Cathedral. If you want a truly stunning view of London you must go here! It is a bit of a trek to get to the top of the Cathedral, but it is definitely worth it. You will not be disappointed in the breathtaking views you'll see.

We visited so many different sights, it is hard to really write about everything we saw. Aside from the typical sights, I thought it would nice tell a little bit about some of the places you can visit which are off the beaten path. I hope this blog can give you a little more insight into what you can see and do next time your in London, England.