Fighting the January blues with a trip to London
Planning a brief adventure in the United Kingdom? From Broadway shows, to fantastic architecture, to the modern attractions, what’s a better way to spend your time than sightseeing in one of the most glamorous cities in the world, London. Here’s my experience.
We Arrived in Soho later than expected. I thought it would be nice to with a distant relative of mine, but my sister didn’t want to inconvenience anyone. Oh, well! There went some of my pocket money.
The weather this January was said to be cold, so we browsed Hotel Direct and found a place right by Noel street with a great shopping area nearby. I was surprised at how clean the hotel was. Thankfully, they offer the two facilities I can’t live without – internet access and laundry.
When I’m in a new place, I wake up a little bit earlier than usual, about 6:45AM. I prepare breakfast at this time and my tummy was starting to gurgle, so we went for a walk heading east until we found a coffee shop. While looking out the opposite side of the street, we saw an array of Caribbean Style restaurants and decided to check them out later since most of them open at 8AM.
It wasn’t long until we reached Soho Square, where we decided to snap a few photos of ourselves enjoying our takeout. A few locals kindly directed us to the ever famous British Museum. They said it would take about ten minutes by foot, so we decided to walk from the park. Of course, we did not miss it on Great Russell Street. They say this is one of the world’s oldest museums. It’s so impressive, and entrance is surprisingly free. The food shops inside were a little expensive, but we didn’t mind too much. We were on vacation, after all. Conscientiously, we did also leave a few dollars in the museum’s donation box.
The exterior was of the classic Roman architectural style and it was huge. It housed the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies, and other relics. They also had a wide collection of artifacts from all around Asia and Europe. The displays were quite grand, some of which are more than seven meters tall. A few hours wasn’t enough to take it all in.
On our way back to the hotel, we passed by some tasty-looking vegetarian restaurants, Maoz and Govinda’s. I’m not a strict vegetarian. I prefer steaks, wine, and more hearty meals for dinner, but a lighter vegetarian lunch is a great way to go.
Speaking of food, on our last night, we wanted to try some fine dining. We decided to try something exotic, so we went to L’Escargot on Greek Street to try the snails. On the menu, they highlighted the two popular starters. I had to choose between the escargot and the oysters.
My mouth was salivating for oysters, but I decided to stick to the original plan of snails cooked with garlic butter and parsley. I actually enjoyed it. For the main course, I ordered the Roast Veal Chop à la Forestière. The food and the ambiance were perfect, except for my pronunciation of some of the menu item. I clearly remembered my sister having a laughing fit at my less than impeccable French.
The next morning, we packed our bags half heartedly. In two and a half days, I still felt like I hadn’t explored much of this city yet. Overall, my trip to London was exquisite. If I had had more time and money to spend, I would have definitely added a few more days to my trip.