Photo Journal: 72 Hours in London

Adding London to an existing trip

(Added this description, if you want to see only the photos, scroll down)

The opportunity arose to add a few days onto my trip to the US, so I stayed three days in London.  What I’ve found is that since my local airport is a “B Level” or perhaps a “C Level” airport, I usually must fly to a major airport to cross the Atlantic: Lisbon, Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, or London.  Each time I research the costs of flying directly with just a connecting flight in that airport (CDG in Paris I TRY TO NOT fly through connecting as that airport is the hardest to connect flights) to buying two separate tickets, first to the main airport’s city, secondly the trans-Atlantic portion.  Usually, the latter way is cheaper, sometimes MUCH cheaper.  One flight from Miami to Barcelona was through Oslo (yes, I know that makes no sense) but the savings by buying two separate tickets paid for most of my three days in Oslo. I encourage you to investigate similarly.

I have been to London before, but it had been years, and thankfully I did most of the touristy items already, so I had a desire during this time to see the new architecture that has been built, see a show in the West End, and just go to some funky neighborhoods. 

This time I stayed on The Strand in Covent Garden at the Z Hotel.  There are a couple of Z Hotels and for the most part, they get good reviews, are not exceptionally expensive, and are always in good locations.  This one had one of the smallest rooms I’ve ever been in, but I requested to be away from the street and as high as possible, so could have been my fault.  Now Z Hotels are trendy with Gen Z or Y or whatever, and I can see why, but I had no complaints.  The other two times in London I stayed further out and used the Tube mostly, but I wanted to be much more central this time.

My flight was to Gatwick, if you’ve flown any of the cheaper airlines, you’ve gotten to know Gatwick.  Decent enough airport and the train to central London (Victoria Station) was quick.  Walking to my hotel I passed by Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and Westminster and it was a sunny day, so I enjoyed it.  Threw my suitcase in my room and tried to make the most of the nice weather, as I know it doesn’t last in London.  Walked part-way over Westminster Bridge and saw the London Eye, which was being built the last time I was here.  All of London seemed much more modern since I was last here, but of course, on those visits, I saw the touristy stuff which usually involves ancient buildings and such.  As the sun was setting, I found a place near my hotel for dinner and just walked around Covet Gardens.

The next day I had architecture I wanted to see. The Gerkin, Walkie Talkie, Llyods, and the Shard were all on my list.  In between these recognizable buildings, there were many smaller, but just as striking buildings I enjoyed in London.  Most of London was decorated for Halloween and since it was on a Sunday this year, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday you saw people in costumes.  Never knew the English celebrated Halloween?  Walked through the neighborhoods of Spitalfields and Shoreditch and saw some amazing wall murals and paid way too much for a burger in fries at a “trendy” burger joint.

Took the Tube to King’s Cross and enjoyed the station and St. Pancras and then the ugly as sin, British Library.   There I quickly saw the Magna Carter and then bolted to the British Museum.  I hadn’t been here as I usually ran out of time, but I wanted to see the courtyard’s new roof and the Rosetta Stone.  Walking back towards my hotel I detoured some and went through Soho and the West End, which I loved the vibe if not the crowds, but seeing so many in costumes was great. Besides it was starting to rain – remember what I said about good weather?

The next day I had tickets for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which is a marathon of two shows one at 2 and the other at 7 so I was committed to the West End that night. So the morning I wanted to see the South Bank and Battersea.  Both the Shard and the Tate were first on my list and neither was disappointing.  I jumped onto the Tube and went to Battersea, a development I had read a couple of articles on redoing the power station into condos and developing the whole area.  As you can see from the photos, it is quite an amazing place, though I do have to wonder how the area wasn’t some sort of toxic waste dump for years.

I didn’t have much time to get back to the other side of the Thames and get to the theater.  The shows were good and were filled with Potterheads from 7 to 70, which was cool.  Albeit JR Rowlings latest bullying of the trans community aside, I was always a big fan of the books and series.  In between shows I ate and watched the crowds in the west end, which were incredibly eclectic. 

The last morning of my time in London I walked along the south side of the Thames and enjoyed the views and the scenery of old buildings like the Globe Theater and new buildings like their City Hall, weirdly named The Old London City Hall.  Had to be back to check out and take the train to Gatwick, so couldn’t stay long, but still it was again a nice day in London, so I treasured it.