A little get-away to London

It has been proven that there is nothing like travelling... and I will honestly tell you that the only reason I work is to do this. Escaping your routine to walk down different streets, drink other beers, obsess over new flavours, discover other's history and live it like it was your own, lose yourself in other museums and breathe in other parks, it is always a surge of energy. When I unpack my suitcase on my return, I am never the same person that I was when I first went on the trip with so much enthusiasm. And there is no trip which doesn't change you, even more so if you go alone...

Once, one of my best friends and I took a cheap flight (only 25 euros, which from Bilbao is a real bargain) and we flew to London. We both already knew the capital of the United Kingdom, but it is such a cosmopolitan city that you will never feel like you've seen it before, nor that you are being repetitive. And that was how it was. With the cold and dark London of my last visit in mind, these four days have given me the change to get to know a more spring-time and warmer London. Of course, it doesn't seem like you are visiting the same city.

DAY 1: Change of guard at Buckingham, the London Eye under renovation and Chinatown

To start off the morning, we took the metro in Oxford Circus (which was very nearby to our accommodation, which I will leave you the details of below) and we got off at Victoria Station. From here, we went straight to the popular Buckingham Palace. It doesn't matter how many times that you have seen this magnificent palace before, it will always leave you gobsmacked. Moreover, if you have the chance to see the changing of the guard, which is the ceremony which shows the relief of the Royal Guard in charge of security at Buckingham Palace. This spectacular parade takes place in the morning and it is one of the most famous and important tourist attractions in the city.

After the changing of the guard, we headed to St James Park and as the time passed by we enjoyed a nice work, which turned into the opportunity to meet some young Argentinians who gave us some mate tea to try and told us some stories about the trip that they have been taking around Europe. Honestly, this is what I like most about travelling. Of course, our new friends joined onto our route and us 5 went towards the Big Ben, which is the big clock tower which is situated on the north-eastern side of the Westminster Palace, the headquarters of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, the famous Big Ben was under renovation and we could barely see it.

After, we crossed the bridge to look at the Parliament and the big Ben hidden from the other side of the River Thames. We walked along the river bank until we reached the London Eye. It was already noon so we took the opportunity to eat a chilidog (I have attached a photo of it because it looked amazing) and shared stories with the Argentinians.

After finding out about the price and waiting in the never-ending queue, we got onto the London Eye. It honestly is really worth doing, it is always exciting to climb the world's most famous Ferris wheel! Saying that, I have to admit that it was quite expensive... We paid 35 euros. If you buy the entrance ticket through the internet you will save almost 5 euros, but we had not thought about this. It is also possible to buy a ticket where you skip the queues for 42.50 euros.

Later, we walked through the city until we got to Trafalgar Square. This square is one of the busiest ones in the city and it seems that it was built in commemoration of the winning British army in the Battle of Trafalgar, against the Spanish and French army. A little later, we reached Picadilly Circus, the square of the screens. This square is also very busy and a lot more lively. Unfortunately, it is here where we had to say goodbye to our new friends, as they were leaving the British capital that day. After, we enjoyed some street music from a guy who was playing a guitar with great style. This essence of urban art is what I like the most about this city.

When it began to turn to night, we went to Chinatown. Here, we had the pleasure to meet a London girl who recommended us somewhere for dinner, the restaurant "Beijing Dumpling", one of the most popular ones in this areas. I will give you details in the section called: "to make your mouth water".

DAY 2: Tower Bridge and a giant bridge in Neals Yard

We took the metro again (from Oxford Circus) to get to the Millennium Bridge. We crossed the lock bridge and after walking for a little while we arrived at Borough Market, which is a market full of little stalls with food from all over the world.

After having our mouths water at so much food, we went towards the famous Tower Bridge. We crossed the bridge and we arrived at the Tower Castle which is officially the Royal Palace. Here, we joined a tourist group who were listening to their guide intently. So we then learnt about the barbarities and atrocities that Henry VIII committed.

As always, we looked up where to eat the best Fish and Chips in the area on TripAdvisor and we went to one of the recommendations. Honestly, British food is nothing compared to Spanish gastronomy, but everybody likes Fish and Chips.

After eating, we saw St. Pauls Cathedral and got the metro to head to Covent Garden. This place honestly couldn't be more ideal. We killed some time in the afternoon in a traditional English pub, beer in hand. The opportunity to chat with some very nice natives came about.

After enjoying the conversation (and when our brains were tired of thinking in English), we went to Neal's Yard, a pretty square with colourful little houses. The truth is that it is a little corner of the beautiful city and that few people know. It is a place with a very alternative style, with colourful fronts, balconies with plants and alternative shops. If you have the chance, go, it is a right catch!

We choose a pizza restaurant which had been recommended to us for dinner. It seemed to be one of the best ones in the city and we went for a giant pizza which cost us 20 euros (if you want to know more, scroll down).

DAY 3: English breakfast, Notting Hill and Portobello Road

Today we woke up a bit later and, without having breakfast, we got the underground to Notting Hill. I love this fancy neighbourhood! Leaving the luxury to the side, the neighbourhood is well-known for its numerous second-hand music shops and its alternative culture.

When our stomachs started to rumble (remember that we hadn't had breakfast), we chose to stop for a typical English breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien. We had a cup of tea with some eggs, some beans, a bit of black pudding, toast with sausages and a bit of cheese. Everything was really delicious, honestly.

To finish off, we went to Portobello Road, one of the most important streets in London, which on Saturdays gives place to the Portobello Road Market, which is a very popular market where we found antiques, little food stalls, lots of second-hand clothes...

Even though it seems like a lie, by then it had been quite a while since we had had breakfast, so we ate a hot dog and chips with spicy mayonnaise from a little stall from the market. All for £5... not bad.

After eating, we sat at a terrace to have a coffee. Being March, it was even warm. It was so nice!

Once the tiredness had passed, we took the metro and went to Soho. We walked around this very popular neighbourhood and when we arrived at Carnaby Street, I realised how cool it was. We decided to stay for one day for our plan of having "a little beer in an English pub" and this time, the beer was even better than the one from the day before. The pub is called Shakespeare's Head and it is a stand-out place in the street.

Near to the bar, we came across a highly recommended Burger shop on TripAdvisor and we went in to try one to see if the comments were true. In short, the burgers couldn't have been any better. The place was called Kua'Aina and I will give you more details about it in the restaurant section.

DAY 2: Camden Town and a return to Covent Garden

We made the error of waking up late again, but going to a new city is really exhausting. That day, we took the underground to Camden Town. It is a street in the area of Camden which is really alternative, and also very well-known for its market. In fact, this market is one of the most varied and extravagant markets in London.

We strolled through the area and we went inside the market that I just mentioned. We also looked around the antique shops and the vintage clothes shops. My favourite part is a whole street which is full of little food stalls with food from different countries. These type of food corners feed (more, if thats possible) my desire to explore the world. Anyway, in that moment, I settled for trying flavours from the world and move to where my imagination takes me, so we ate Chinese food, fresh pasta and Venezuelan food (which is called Arepa), a bit of everything really!

In the evening, we took a red bus, emblematic of the city, and we returned to Covent Garden (which if you haven't noticed thus far, we really liked). We strolled through the area and ended up in Soho again. We again had a beer in another pub on Carnaby Street (this one was called O'Neill's Carnaby Street) and we ended up eating a burger in "Honest Burgers", another TripAdvisor recommendation.

ACCOMMODATION

Given that London is an expensive city, the hostel where we stayed was not at all cheap (even less if you bear in mind that we were looking for the same kind of bargain that we had with the flight). Despite looking in advance, we didn't find anything that was much better in price so, finally, we opted for the YHA London Central Hostel.

The YHA is 5 minutes walk away from the Underground station Great Portland Street and it has a bar, cafe and a luggage cloakroom. The rooms have a safe and the mattresses were really comfy. For me, the best thing about this accommodation is that it was right in the centre of London. However, I suppose that you could find cheaper options since we paid 20 euros per night. If you compare that with what we paid in countries in Central Europe on our last adventure, it is so expensive!

To make your mouth water

Here, I have compiled a list of the websites that we visited in London:

Beijing Dumpling

Seeing as how expensive it can work out to eat in the British capital, it is a restaurant with reasonable prices and which are adjusted to the portions that they offer. There are all kinds of dishes. For me, the special noodles 'The Capital' stand out. They were incredible!

A lot of people recommend going early, because there is usually a queue.

Homeslice Neal's Yard

It is a really cute pizzeria where you can find giant, freshly-made pizzas in the traditional way. It is a local place which is a little small, but it has a lot of charm. I really recommend it.

Kua'Aina

It is a Hawaiian restaurant, which is really small but it is decorated with a lot of charm. If you are a lover of burgers like us, you will love this place. The price suits the offer and the variety is infinite. Also, the chips are amazing. I have added a photo so that you can get an idea.

Honest burgers

If we loved the last one, this one left us gob-smacked. Without a doubt, it was one of the best burgers that I have ever tried in my life. This place in Soho has gained a fame which, in my opinion, is really deserved. The meat is top-quality and the potatoes with paprika are absolutely incredible. Honestly, if you can go then do, this is a place that I would definitely go back to.

Le Pain Quotidien

Here is where, as I told you before, we ate a typical English breakfast. It is a cafe which is located at Notting Hill Gate, which opens at 7:30 am. The offer of these kinds of places in London is very varied, but this was really good and it is a great option to visit if you are in the area.

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