London is full of incredible museums and this was first on my list.
London
I arrived at Stansted airport in the early afternoon. I will not insult anyone's intelligence and say that Stansted Airport is in London, as RyanAir claims. Although the ticket was cheaper, I was now facing a 2 hour bus ride to downtown London. (Quick note, beware of the budget airlines; they often fly to the secondary or tertiary airports which end up being much further from the city center. Then the added commute invariably adds to the cost of the trip, almost equaling out to a non-budget airline ticket landing at the primary airport.)
I spent most of the bus ride to London spacing out and staring at the English countryside next to the highway (it's a fairly barren land). Almost 2 hours rolled by when I, along with other eager passengers, peered out the window and finally caught our first glimpse of the famed city. After much anticipation, we arrived in a metropolitan area saturated with pedestrians and cars. "Is that Big Ben?", one onlooker said while pointing out the window. "Yeah I think so!", said the woman sitting next to her. I looked out to where they were pointing. Yep, I was finally here!
London, England
We arrived in Victoria station and I found the route to my Airbnb and proceeded to buy my tickets to finish my journey. I was staying a little outside the city in an area called Streathams Common. I arrived at the station and finished the last 2 blocks by foot. I was staying with a family of 4, and their house was darling. The mom wasn't home, but the son guided me to my room and bathroom and made me a cup of tea. That night I spent most of my time grocery shopping and preparing my itinerary for the rest of my days in London. There was just so much to do here! My first full day however was blocked off to visit some Museums, mostly all, I'd like to add, are completely free!
I woke up mid-morning the next day, ready to explore. I got ready, ate breakfast and proceeded to the Streathams Common station where I purchased my Oyster card for 7 days. This card granted me unlimited travel on all subways for the next week extending past a little past London. Unfortunately, the first train I was to take got canceled (which I heard rarely happens, yay for me). However, some of the other passengers had to improvise to reach their destinations and I met a fellow passenger who was gracious enough to give me a ride all the way in the city.
Her name was Emma, and she was literally saving my day from being bored all day. She was a charming girl from London and we chatted the whole time in the car. By the time she dropped me off at the Museum of Natural History, I had made a new friend and we made plans to have dinner later that week.
Okay now for the museums. Enough could not be said for how fantastic they are, especially considering they are free! I wanted to visit as many as possible but being a big fan of Bill Bryson's, I decided to visit the Museum of Natural History first. This museum receives an honorable mention in A Short History of Nearly Everything and the little dork in me wanted to see all the historical and scientific discoveries he mentions (many of Darwin's specimens are housed there)- and of course Dippy, the 105-foot tall replica of a Diplodocus carnegii skeleton welcoming visitors in the entrance hall. According to Bryson, museums were only initially designed for the elite. In order to gain access, you had to write an application and interview. Even still, if you passed all these requirements, you were shepherded around by museum workers and you were not allowed to linger. Richard Owen, a British paleontologist, transformed the notions of museums and pushed to create displays open to the public, starting with this one. Knowing that history, I was excited to wander in what was previously restricted to the public. First let me say that this museum did not disappoint. I spent the next couple hours exploring the place and frequently gawked in wonderment like the little children that surrounded me (especially near the dinos). After getting a good fix, I walked a couple blocks to check out the Science Museum. I only had a couple hours left before it closed so I quickly went through some of the exhibits and decided that I had to come back another day to finish it and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
It has been a residence to the English royals since the 17th century!
Created by Rick Buckley in 1996, this is one of 7 (or 8) noses spread across London Soho. It was done as a prank, but myth has it that if you find all the noses, you will have a future bearing infinite riches. So if I found one nose, that means I get 1/7 of infinite riches right?
Buckingham Palace, home to the royal family of England. It was an opulent and impressive palace, of course what you'd expect it to be.
Most of what I know comes from the show The Tudors, but King Henry VIII made quite a splash in England during his reign. Desperate for a male heir, he married 6 times and beheaded two of his wives. He also converted England from Catholicism just to get a divorce. What a stand-up guy.
Getting a peak of the famed address, this is the working place of every Prime Minister of England. It was here in the tour where we heard some good stories on Winston Churchhill's legacy.
Gandhi's statue stands in Parliament Square amongst other notable historical figures. I just had to take this picture, for some Indian pride!
Since I was in the area, I decided to meander towards Kensington Gardens (more or less, a park) which was once the private gardens to Kensington Palace. It was a beautiful park and exactly what you'd expect from a British Park. I watched all the lucky Brits walking their dogs, running around with their children and casually taking their evening jogs. It was right out of a damn movie. I then knew London was going to be a spectacular place.
DAY 1-2: LONDON TIME
TRAVEL TIPS: LONDON
Preceding the last showroom at the Alexander McQueen exhibit, I walked through a small dark room cluttered with people on both sides of a pyramidal glass structure laying in the middle. Confused at what we were looking at, I began to walk away. Soft music began to play and I abruptly stopped.
What can only be described as an ethereal suspension of Kate Moss adorned in the most exquisite dress I've ever seen, this show captivated my every sense and I stood transfixed for minutes on end. A perfect little hologram encapsulated in a glass pyramid, Kate was a translucent beauty; her form a perfect culmination of luminous, glowing pixels. The scattered camera flashes only intensified the show, truly evoking the sense of an angelic presence. As my fourth viewing concluded I reluctantly decided to move on, thus re-entering a life deprived of heavenly holograms awaiting me in the next room...what a bore.
The next day, I left London and headed for Frankfurt, Germany. My mom was flying into Frankfurt and was joining me for the next 2 weeks in Europe. I was extremely excited to see her! Though a little part of me was slightly heartbroken to leave London. It was by far one of the best weeks of my trip and I am forever in love with that city.
DAY 3: A WICKED FREE WALKING TOUR
I'm assuming you can reasonably deduce what was next on my agenda. It is but of course, a free walking tour! Of my fantastic tours so far, this one was worth mentioning. Our guide took us around the city to the major sites and also some local treasures, which told a rich story of London's history.
No understatements here. Entrance to the Victoria & Albert Museum.
You can actually enter the museums from an underground subway stop and walk through tunnels underground to the V&A, Science and I believe Natural History. But if you enter from the street, you are welcomed with this beautiful entrance.
Ancient artifacts from India
Call my crazy, but these should probably be returned to their motherland...
This is a recreated version of a Roman Forum.
Hard to imaging how old some of this stuff is. I would gladly don this dress on today.
Same with these stylish ladies...from the 20's!
This is the back building of the museum and it houses a lovely courtyard in the middle.
The V&A cafe and dining area was beyond beautiful. It was a mixture of contemporary and classic English design and was beautifully executed.
DAY 4: LEAVESDEN
I cannot possibly depict the amount of excitement that was pulsating through my body. The next day included one of my favorite memories from the trip. Please visit this page to join my on a trip to the Harry Potter Studios!
After the tour, I met Emma for dinner at a delicious Indian restaurant. We had a fantastic time learning about each other and I got an insider view on the Londoner's life and it looked fabulous. An amazing end to an amazing day.
DAYS 5-6: REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD
After my highs of visiting the Harry Potter Studio tour, life couldn't get better. But it did indeed! Mariana ended up coming to London a couple days after we split up and we met up again to visit the London Eye, hit up the Art museum and grab some drinks and dinner. It was fun wandering around the city with my old pal as we stuffed our faces with cupcake milkshakes and Chipotle (which surprisingly, there is one in London!).
After the tour concluded, I walked back to Victoria station in a slight cold drizzle. This was apparently typical London weather, but I was enjoying my time so much, it didn't phase me one bit. However, prior to entering the train station, I remember my host family telling me that there were some broadway show theaters nearby. I located the Wicked theater (I've always wanted to see that show), and on a whim purchased a ticket for that night's show along with a pass that included snacks and drinks with the ritziest attendees. Suh fancy.
The theater itself was a vision, embellished with emerald green curtains and other Wicked related paraphernalia. Once I arrived, I was escorted by a dapper gentleman who took me to an intimate lounge and handed me a drink. My kind of man!
The show itself was an amazing production and well worth the hype. For some reason, I wasn't crazy fond of the storyline, but the stage and acting were superb.
The next day was solely reserved for visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum. They were also hosting an Alexander McQueen exhibit, and while I was shelling out a lot of dough in this city, I indulged in this last treat. I am not claiming to know much about fashion, but I do recognize brilliant aesthetics and art. Similar to the rest of the V&D museum, this exhibit did not disappoint. The V&A museum is spectacular on its own and has exhibits ranging from Indian treasures (taken when British was in power) to fashion spanning the 1800-1900s. It was a large array of displays, enough to keep you occupied for days.
Very intricate beaded work.
This was one of my favorite installments in the exhibit. It was a whole room, covered in floor to ceiling shelves. On each shelf, there would lie a dress, shoe or headpiece designed by McQueen. The center had a rotating platform of his dresses. In between the shelves were footage from his shows. It was a lot to take in but incredible to experience.
Some of McQueen's exquisite dresses
This was gorgeous! And only costed about $1000....
If you know anything about Alexander McQueen, you know his style is very other-worldly. I had no expectations for the exhibit but it was brilliant. The installations included footage from his runway shows and rooms were intricate and appealed to your every sense.
My incredible journey with Alexander McQueen slowly coming to an end.
We were housed in these large ovular capsules but across the room, there were monitors that had information about the view you could see from that spot and information on the buildings. Really well done.
