Oh, London, I love you so.
While it may not replace Paris as my favorite European city, it definitely comes in a very close second.
The food. The parks. The beer. The history. The neighborhoods. The fashion. The architecture. The Underground. I could go on and on.
Dr. G. and I spent three days in London to celebrate a good friend’s 10-year anniversary, and we made the most of every single moment in the city, brushing away things like jet lag and travel issues (weather delays, a plane struck by lightning on the runway … seriously).
Here are some of the highlights:
Playing Tourist: We had been in London before (albeit 10 years ago), so we had done some of the “must see” London attractions (London Eye, British Museum, Westminster Abbey, etc.). Yet there was still so much we wanted to see, so on Saturday we set off for London Bridge and the Tower of London.
As luck would have it, there was an amazing art installation at the Tower. 888,246 ceramic poppies had been “planted” in the grounds surrounding the Tower to represent each of the British and Colonial soldiers killed when World War I began 100 years ago. (Read more about it here).
It was literally a sea of red .. and quite a sight to see.
I was also curious about the Tower itself and would have loved to have gone on a tour if there wasn’t the craziness of the poppies (to say it was crowded was an understatement), since I have always been fascinated by medieval British history and the whole Anne Boleyn drama.
But instead we headed over the Tower Bridge (which many people assume is the iconic London Bridge; in reality, London Bridge is a rather nondescript bridge not too far away) and hopped on the Tube to check out Big Ben and Parliament.
Our sightseeing on Sunday was a little less ambitious. We strolled for about 1-2 miles (which, trust me, we needed after all that we ate and drank the previous day) from our hotel in West Hampstead to Primrose Hill, at the northern edge of Regent’s Park, where we were treated to spectacular views of the city.
Our Sunday adventures also took us … I know, it’s kind of lame …. to Buckingham Palace.
Bring on the food! Let me just say I ate VERY well in London. From our lovely Indian meal at Guglee in West Hampstead to the incredible meal we had on Sunday night at The Gate Vegetarian Restaurant in Islington (one of my top 10 meals ever), I was never hungry.
And even if I was, one of these delicious beauties was only a convenience store away.
Coffee, wine and beer? Yes, please: We had everything from pints of Meantime IPA (a local brewery based in Greenwich) to wonderful French wines to too many Americano coffees to count. Trust me, it was tough coming home and returning to my regular old Dunkin’ Donuts and office K-Cup.
British culture: I could listen all day long to Brits having a run-of-the-mill conversation because I’m so fascinated by accents. Seriously, someone could have been talking about needing dental work and I would have been enraptured. I wanted to come home and call Buddy and Mimi “darling” and order “take away” instead of “take out.” I still want to refer to the bathroom as the “loo” and say how much I want “a coffee” instead of just “coffee.” I loved how polite people are, from the waiter at a restaurant to the security agent at Heathrow Airport, and how Brits don’t obsessively check their iPhones during meals (something we could learn from).
The Underground: I’ve lived in many major cities with public subway systems (Boston, New York, Washington, DC) but nothing compares to the Underground (or Tube) when it comes to coverage, speed, cleanliness, and ease of use. Enough said.
Oh, and while you’re waiting for your trains (where the recorded messages are so polite – “Mind the gap!”), you’re treated to advertisements for awesome movies like this. (Seriously, the fact that there was a Nativity 1 and 2 is mind-boggling).
And can giggle like a 12-year-old boy about the station stop named “Cockfosters.” (There’s a reason Buddy and I get along so well).
The REAL reason why we traveled to London: It was not to play tourist, but instead to celebrate our friends on 10 wonderful years together … the same amount of time Dr. G. and I have been married. They put so much thought into their party, from a Saturday open house at their flat (where they made sure to have a pot of vegan chili) to their party venue (the Camden Arts Centre, a contemporary art gallery) to the art project they asked their guests to help with (a photo collage). But the highlight, for me, was the series of toasts made by their friends and family, who represented nearly a half dozen different countries and regions.
One by one, each person said a few words in their second or native language. I had no clue what they were saying, but it made me teary hearing people wish our friends well in Spanish, French, Polish, Dutch, a Scottish dialect I can’t recall, Cantonese, and English (both American and Australian accents). It reminded me of how sheltered we sometimes are in the U.S. I mean, how often do we get to chat with a couple from Luxembourg and talk with a girl who skis with our friend in Switzerland?
We had a wonderful time.
And did I mention there was an after-party … and that I actually stayed awake for most of it?!
So there you have it. History. Good friends. Yummy food. Cold beer. Nice people. And an after-party. That’s what I call a success.
Jennifer says
I loved London when we went there a few years ago with our kids..we rented an apartment in Islington and it was just a fantastic trip! And my kids both wished that they had “an accent” after being there; my husband was like, “you do have an accent, it just isn’t a cool one!” You have to go to the Tower next time you are there; it was fascinating and you can spend the whole day there. If you can see a play at the Globe Theater, that is really fun too…I could just go on and on about how awesome a city it was!
Jessica says
I’m so bummed we weren’t able to go to the Tower! And, oh yes, the theater! That would have been wonderful. Although I guess it’s another excuse to go back, right??? 🙂
Jennifer says
Definitely! And it sounds like you both had such a nice, relaxing time, too. Those poppies were gorgeous!
AmyC says
Looks like tons of fun. I went on a European tour about 10 years ago myself and would love to go back!