London is Calling!

It was finally time. After months of anticipation, it felt unreal to finally board the long awaited (and slightly dreaded) 10-hour flight from Los Angeles  to London. The last two months were surprisingly a very busy period in my life full of sweet and bittersweet moments: finishing my first “big girl” job, traveling solo to another country for the first time, moving out of my beloved college town, celebrating the marriage of two close friends and embarking on my 2-month solo trip. 

It’s certainly been a whirlwind, but so worth it. Surprisingly, it felt somewhat liberating to move all of my belongings into a 10×20 storage unit before departing on my travels – without a real plan for the foreseeable future (rather than travel). Luckily, the first flight from Oregon to California lasted only 2 hours (here’s the kicker: it departed at 5am). Upon arrival in Los Angeles, I reunited with my college roommate and close friend Irisa for the day until my 10-hour flight later that evening. Thankfully, Irisa took the day off work so we could hangout all day and fulfill my one request before leaving the country for two months: hot pot. It felt nice to catch up after a long few months of not seeing each other (we talk every day on the phone). After living together for three years, it still feels to not see each other for months on end, so it was nice to hangout with her even if it was only for the day. 

After a long 10-hour flight, I finally landed in London and took the tube for about an hour or so to my hostel in Central London. I’ve heard some horror stories about some of the hostels in London, but luckily for me, I snatched up the most popular and best reviewed hostel, Wombat City Hostel. Unfortunately, the only room type available were four-person female dorms which sounds appealing, but I found it made the dynamic of the room weird since two of the people were often traveling together. But, alas prevail! 

Surprisingly, I enjoyed London a lot more than I originally thought I would. Typically, I prefer smaller towns as it’s more charming of an experience; however, I found that each zone in London has its own feel and vibe – similar to smaller villages. This definitely made the experience much better. Plus, it was extremely easy to navigate the city using the iconic tube (they could never make me hate you, tube). Obviously, my first meal in London had to be a traditional English breakfast at The Breakfast Club – delicious! Following the grub, I decided to check out the London Bridge since it was nearby, before heading to the Tate Modern Museum. I spent the better part of a few hours exploring the museum as it was pissing rain outside (as the Brits would say). Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t the best during my entire time in London – often dumping rain and thunder storming. As an Oregon gal, a little rain doesn’t bother me much, but I did find it challenging to enjoy my time in London with the crummy weather. 

Over the course of a few days, I wandered the neighborhoods and iconic landmarks of London, including the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park + the Princess Diana Memorial, Kensington Gardens, and many, many markets. On the one sunny day in London, I spent nearly the entire afternoon in the famous Hyde Park laying in the grass, people watching and journaling. It felt really nice to kind of escape from the hectic city and enjoy the lovely park. It was MASSIVE! 

During my stay, I definitely had my fair share of delicious foods in the various markets in London. However, I would have to say the Borough Market was by far my favorite market despite it being insanely busy. It was certainly a tourist area, but I would do anything for another sandwich from The Black Pig stand. Labeled as “the best one” on the menu, I thoroughly enjoyed one of the most unique sandwiches I’ve ever tasted full of delicious flavors. 10/10 recommend. Afterwards, I enjoyed some rhubarb sorbet from Humble Crumble before walking off my calories in Notting Hill window shopping. 

On my last full day in London, I woke up early and headed to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard which was truly such a cool experience. It lasted around 45 mins, and luckily, the weather held up for the entire ceremony. It was so fascinating to finally witness such a ceremony in person despite it being overly crowded on a random Tuesday morning. Following the ceremony, I walked to a nearby cafe to enjoy some afternoon tea and a sausage roll in the cutest little spot right next to Buckingham Palace. It was delightful!

In the late afternoon, I decided to check out the last market I had yet to visit: Camden Market. It was a rather rainy day in London so it was nice to find a spot that was half indoors. The market had tons of little shops selling a variety of goods including souvenirs, vintage clothing and goods, and of course, lots of food stands. I decided to grab some masala fries from Funky Chips, and they were delicious! Certainly, a bit rich in flavor but worth the money. On my walk back to the hostel, I stumbled upon this underground wine bar, Gordons Wine Bar, and I just had to check it out. It was a really neat little spot for a quick bite including fresh bread, meat and cheese boards, and of course, wine. The wine list was quite overwhelming with over four pages (front-to-back) of wine selections. Luckily, the waiter helped me decide on some wine and food options. It’s always fun to ask the waiter their opinion on menu items — insiders scoop! Suddenly, it started to rain heavily so I caught the tube back to the hostel for the night before catching my early flight in the morning. 

Overall, I really enjoyed my time in London. It was a perfect spot to start the upcoming two month journey through Europe. Hopefully, the rain doesn’t follow me around for too long, but the forecast looks questionable. I’ve heard there’s been severe flooding in various parts of Europe –  fingers crossed I don’t have to reroute my trip again! Well, that’s all for now. Stay tuned for more updates on my travels (still trying to find the time to blog — bear with me!).

xoxo, 

m

BONUS.. Here’s some of my favorite slang terms I heard in London during my stay. I might just have to incorporate some of them into my everyday life because it’s just too good!

Bits and bops

Hiya

Rubbish 

Taking the piss 

Mind the gap 

Dodgy

Bloody Hell (obviously)