London Calling

As I was traveling solo this winter break throughout London and Edinburgh, I wanted to record my travels broken up day-by-day! This post includes my numerous adventures and experiences I enjoyed during the 6 days I spent in London from the 18th-24th of December. That being said, let’s not wait any longer!

LONDON DAY 1: The Tube

As this is my first solo adventure it was strange not to accountable to anyone besides myself. However, I woke up feeling very confident and excited for my adventure to come! I had meticulously planned out my daily expeditions and couldn’t wait to arrive in London later in the day.

I took an early morning bus from Vigo to Porto where I then caught my flight to London Strandstand. From the airport I rode the train to Liverpool station. Then, I learned— very quickly I might add— how to use the tube system. Although very crowded, I managed to arrive at Waterloo station which was very closely situated to my hostel without a hitch. After settling into my new home for the next couple days, I went out for groceries and retired to cook myself a nice dinner.

Although traveling alone is quite...lonesome, being in a hostel environment allowed me to meet and chat with many other travelers from all over the world. That night while cooking I met a couple of very nice girls traveling from Australia and Germany whom were doing solo trips as well! After taking a cup of tea with them, I brought my book down to the hostel’s bar to read for a bit before I turned for the night. While I didn’t see much of London today, I have a big week ahead of me!

LONDON DAY 2: Walking Tours & Phantom of the Opera

I woke up today feeling very excited for my first real day here in London. After enjoying a big breakfast in the hostel I made my way across Waterloo Bridge to meet up with the Sandeman’s Tour Guide group by Covenant Square. Whenever I am traveling to a new city, I always sign up for Sandeman’s tours as they prove to be a great way to learn some history about the area and get the lay of the land. On our tour we visited the political centers of city and learned a great deal about the Royal Family. Starting in Covent Garden we walked to Buckingham Palace and saw the changing of the guard, St. Jame’s Park, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Palace, 10 Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben. I was very happy with my guide, and I ended up meeting some other girls traveling from Hawaii and Mexico. During the changing of the guard we came to realized that today was a very special one! Instead of the usual all black 12 horses that exchanges positions, there were 15 horses total and led by a white horse out in front. This meant that the Queen was in residence! The only minor disappointment I encountered during the tour was the fact that Big Ben was undergoing major restoration work and resembled virtually nothing of what it usually does. Besides this minor setback, it was a truly special and well-guided tour.

After the tour ended, I walked to Leicester Square towards the TCK booth to check out discounted theatre tickets for the night. I ended up purchasing a ticket to see the Phantom of the Opera! One of my favorite musicals, I was beyond excited to see it live for the first time. In the meantime, I walked back across the Thames River over the Millennial Bridge and checked out Southbank Center’s Christmas market. There, I got a close up view of the London Eye and watched the street performers for a while. Returning to my hostel, I changed into my opera attire, made dinner, and washed it all down with yet another English cup of tea.

When the time came, I walked back across the river towards Her Majesty’s Theater. As I had some time to kill, I stopped in Trafalgar Square and listened to a couple holiday choirs. Then I meandered through another Christmas Market in Leicester Square and around the famous Piccadilly Circus.

Arriving at the theatre, I was surprised as to how small and intimate it was. However, in no way did that take away from the show. The music from the organ and the powerful voices from the actors filled the theatre. It was exactly how I imagined it would be and more! I couldn’t help myself from singing and humming the memorable score over the course of my walk back to the hostel for the night.

LONDAY DAY 3: Crown Jewels, St. Paul’s, and a View

Starting the day off with another early breakfast I walked along the waterfront of the Thames until I reached the Tower of London right as it opened. Once inside, I headed straight towards the Crown Jewels. Filled with ginormous diamonds and precious jewels, the royal regalia was unparalleled to anything else I had had the chance to see in any museum before. Much of the regalia on display is used for coronations, baptisms, and other religious and political instances to this day. I have to admit that I was dazzled and made multiple trips to view the 530.20 carat Cullinan diamond! Exploring more of The Tower, I took a Beefeater tour where I learned about the dark and grisly history of the grounds. Among the 22 executions performed at The Tower, perhaps the most well known was that of Anne Boleyn—which we were able to stand on the same spot where she died. Very chilling! During my visit to the tower, I also toured the White Tower where they displayed hundreds of years of traditional arms used by past kings and knights.

As the afternoon approached, I made my way towards St. Paul’s cathedral for the Eucharist service. For those wanting to avoid the costly admission fees of London’s famous churches, it is actually free to enter St. Paul’s as well as Westminster Abbey during service times! I was able to sit in on the Eucharist service and receive a blessing from the priest. Afterwards, I walked throughout the cathedral’s main floor and crypt where I viewed Lord Nelson’s tomb who was famously killed in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

After my explorations of the Cathedral I walked back across the river to visit the Tate Modern Museum. It was a huge building filled with multiple galleries across 5 floors. My favorite exhibit was called The Clock. This 24 hour complication of short video cuts from famous movies throughout time used the theme of time to create a very interesting and fluid movie.

By the time I left Tate Modern, my reservation at The Sky Garden was close at hand. While the London Eye boasts the best view of London from above, it comes at a high cost. Instead, I registered beforehand and reserved a place to get an awesome 38-stories view for free! From the top, I was able to see all of the famous sites within London and track my movements from the last couple days.

Having spent an hour or so gazing out onto Greater London, I made my way across the London Bridge, saw The Tower of London and Shakespeare’s Globe all lit up, and walked the water bank back to the London Eye and my hostel. To finish off my night, I went down to the bar and ordered a glass of cider and read a couple more chapters of my book before turning in.

LONDON DAY 4: The Abbey & Museums

Waking up today I was really excited for what was to come. After getting an early start, I made sure I was one of the first to get in line and enter Westminster Abbey. As a Royal Peculiar, the Abbey is directly responsible to the monarch at the time. That means they can can choose what happens—and most interestingly—who is buried there. That is one of the reasons why there is such a great diversity to the grave markers and commemorations of famous individuals who past away can be found within. Many of these people are known for their outstanding contributions to society, and not solely those who agreed with the church’s laws and practices. With over 3,000 people buried or commemorated within, I ended up spending a long time inside the Abbey chasing down famous ghosts of the past. Some of the notable people include Charles Darwin, Sir Issac Newton, Elizabeth Nightingale, St Edward the Confessor, King Henry III, Henry V, Geoffrey Chaucer, Jane Austen, Luis Carrol, Dylan Thomas, Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Keats, Shelley, Charles Dickens, multiple Kings and Queens, and a multitude others. However, I found my trip to Westminster to be fairly unique as compared to the common sightseer.

As I am one to take every opportunity as it comes, when an announcement was made to receive a blessing from a priest within the Abbey I stepped up! Being as I was the only one to do so, the priest told me that we would do something special. After he returned from going around back to retrieve his keys, he brought me to a side chapel called the Islip Chapel off the nave where we were able to enter and perform the blessing. Not only was it very special that I was to receive such a service from within Westminster Abbey, but I was allowed to explore an area where regular tourists and sightseers could not. After making small talk with the priest and had a few laughs, I left to continue my exploration of the Abbey. My next stop was the Lady Chapel. This happened to be one of my favorite parts of the Abbey because of its incredibly ornate decorations of the ceiling. The chapel happened to be a special place of worship to Saint Mary for the Knights and Dames of the Order of the Bath. The blue decorations symbolizing Mary along with the stained glass and the ceiling made it a very special place to be. It wasn’t long after another announcement was made for a special morning prayer to take place. Again, as my first experience was beyond rewarding, I lined up! This time, I along with other worshipers were able to go behind the alter to an elevated platform where we were able to participate in a prayer and view from up close the shrine of Saint Edward the Confessor —who reigned from 1042 to 1066— as well as major Kings and Queens. I felt incredibly lucky to have had the ability to experience and view these incredible relics of history as well as come to know and gain comfort and insight through the teachings and values of the Church. As my time was coming to a close at the Abbey, I finished with a jaunt through Poets Corner and took in the view of the Coronation Chair which was first used 950 years ago for the first coronation within Westminster. I have to say that out of all of the places I had visited in London insofar, Westminster Abbey has been my favorite.

While my day was nowhere close to being over, I took a long walk East of the city to visit Harrods luxury department store. While the decorations were wonderful, especially accounting to the holiday season, my time spent within the store was very short—being that I couldn’t even afford a pair of socks! From there I walked to the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). Opened in 1870, the V&A continues to be the largest and oldest museum of art and design. I lucky arrived just as a tour group was taking off and was able to spend the next two hours with an amazing guide telling us all about the insider secrets of the museum and showing us its most prized possessions. If I had more time, I would love to go back for another visit! For my final museum visit of the day I found myself next door in the Natural History Museum. After a long day of being on my feet and having visited much to many museums, I sort of ran through the exhibits. However, I must say that that the London museum was much akin to that in New York. If you are looking for something different, I would recommend spending your day at the V&A.

I happened to take the long way back to my hostel for the night by taking a stroll through Hyde Park to see the Winter Wonderland Christmas Market. Finally, arriving back at the hostel after a very long day I made dinner and settled in. Tomorrow I have another big day ahead of me!

LONDON DAY 5: Stonehenge & Chicago

Crawling out of bed at 3:30am, I made my way outside in search of coffee and my ride. I was lucky enough to find someone willing to pick me up from London on their way to Stonehenge for the Winter Solstice! As a very special event, the stones have actually silently marked the Winter Solstice for thousands of years. That being said, it signals a time of gathering for people from around the globe to celebrate the Celtic history of the area and to further connect oneself to the earth. As a semi-religious event, the park was open for free and people were able to walk between the stones and even touch them! Mark picked me up shortly after 4am and we were off! Being a female traveling solo, I took many precautions with my ride share. Not only did I share his information with my family, I told the hostel I was staying with my plans and gave them emergency contacts if I did not check-in with them at our agreed upon time, and I took pictures of his car and license plate before I got in. Mark, although a little odd—something to be expected when headed to a Druid celebration at 4am in the morning—, ended up being a wonderful travel partner and a very nice guy. We arrive at the parking area of the stones an hour before the sunrise and we spend the next 40 minutes walking to the celebration. We made it to the stones just in time for the sunrise after a long walk through the crisp morning air and the rolling hills of green farmland. For the next three hours as the sun rose we meandered through the stones listening to the music and Celtic singers and watching people dancing and sharing in this very special moment. I had such a magical time surrounded by living history and a multitude of happy people reveling in their ability to come together to celebrate on a very special time of the year. If I were to come back, I would love to make the pilgrimage again on the Summer Solstice. I must be honest and say that I do not believe it would be worth it to return to Stonehenge if it were not on either of the solstices. The regular sightseeing barriers laid about 30 yards away from the stones and did not allow tourists to touch the stones. After having an experience such as I did, I don’t think I could find it worth it to return and especially pay the pricey entry ticket to do so.

Around 10am the celebrations began to shut down and Mark drove me and another girl we met at the celebration back off on the outskirts of London. From there I took the tube back to Leicester square to check out the TKS booth. I ended up getting tickets to see Chicago for that evening! Returning to my hostel to rest and make dinner, I ended up meeting an older woman traveling solo from Alaska. After talking, it turned out we would be staying at the same hostel in Edinburgh in the days following! We made plans to catch up then and share our travels. As I again had some time to kill before the musical, I found a small cafe across the street from The Phoenix Theatre and ordered a hot chocolate and read my book.

Chicago was awesome! I didn’t quite know what to expect as the musical began, but I was beyond happy with my choice. It turned out to be very funny and had some impressive and more than risqué musical numbers. I thought it was also very different and exciting that the band was featured on stage with the actors! It made for a very unique and entertaining evening. After an extremely long day, I planned out my final day in London and feel asleep.

LONDON DAY 6: Museums, Museums, Museums

My final day in London was filled with museums and attempting to cram in the last things on my ternary. While six days in London was starting to feel like a long time, I still found myself feeling as though there was so much more to see! However, after another breakfast in my hostel, I made my way to The National Gallery and The National Portrait Gallery by Trafalgar Square. Within, many great artists such as Rembrandt, da Vinci, Van Dyke, Monet, Cézanne, Klimt, Van Gogh, and Picasso were featured. Both of these museums had wonderfully gorgeous high ceilings and a labyrinth of rooms. It found myself easily being turned around and getting lost!

After eating my lunch I had packed along with me, I took a long walk up north to the British Museum. If I had though the museums prior to this one were big, this museum was immense! The museum had collections from all ages and areas from around the world. I especially enjoyed viewing the original Rosetta Stone, the Clocks and Watches Exhibit, the Easter Island Head, and the collections from Ancient Egypt and Central America.

Again, feeling as though I have been “museum-ed out”, I took a nice long walk through Soho and Chinatown before heading back to my hostel for the night to eat and pack for tomorrow. After six days in London, I gained an incredible amount of confidence in myself for being a solo-traveler. I mastered the tube, took opportunities as they came, spent the solstice in style, averaged 10 miles walking a day, and spent my evenings at the West End’s historical theatres. I’m so lucky to have had these experiences in London and I can’t wait to see what Edinburgh has in store for the holidays!