Day 4 in London and I finally get to see Westminster Abbey!!! I’d caught brief glimpses of the exterior while travelling around town on day 1 & 2 and was becoming increasingly more excited to finally visit this magnificent building! It’s the royal church basically where all the important going on’s happen like weddings, christenings and where most of the monarchs are buried (including Queen Mary of Scotland and Queen Elisabeth of England). Nothing can prepare you for the overwhelming shock you’ll experience when you walk inside. I don’t know if maybe it was because it was my first time seeing the interior of a church like this or because it’s just truly remarkable but I couldn’t breathe for a moment it was just so beautiful. It’s absolutely huge as well I think we spent a solid hour or two exploring. They have the tombs, the different prayer rooms etc. It’s a gothic style of architecture which you’ll become increasingly familiar with when travelling Europe and it’s probably my favourite style of architecture (*spoiler* which is probably why I loved Prague so much). Unfortunately once again photography inside was off limits 😦 Such a shame because I would have loved to have those pictures even just for my own memories.
From here we made our way to Camden markets. We were in London on the weekend of a huge bike ride which meant a lot of the transport options like bus and train were affected. The line to Camden was also shut for maintenance so we had to catch a little black London taxi there. The markets are some of the best I’ve ever seen. They’re spread across many streets and blocks with lots of delicious food options, unique fashion items and lots of cool knick knacks. There is also this awesome busker that dresses up like the Mad Hatter and sets up a little tea party for you to get photos. A real down to earth vibe here and I really enjoyed this experience.
After Camden Markets we went back to Trafalgar square to make a quick (and I mean really quick) visit to the National Gallery. I was mainly interested in the works from Van Gogh and because it was free entry and we were tight on time, I didn’t mind just going in for that. We got to see a good chunk of the gallery and it’s a very nice collection especially for free entry.
Now no trip to London would be complete without a traditional high tea! And oh boy did we find the mother of all high tea’s! I introduce you to the Lanesborough. Even back here in Australia I’m a huge lover of high tea, I’m always on the hunt for the best one and I certainly found it here. I’m talking hand made cakes, fresh out of the oven and still warm scones, a huge assortment of delicious sandwiches and the choice of iced tea! I can still taste it all from the memory and it was just such a beautiful experience to share with my mother. The dining hall for the high tea was so grand as well I felt like royalty. In the bathrooms they have a pile of hand towels that you throw in the cleaning basket after your individual use!
Because we were so full from our high tea we didn’t do dinner tonight but instead decided to settle in early and pack up our belongings for our transit in the morning.
London was truly a beautiful city full of charm. Everywhere you look there are beautiful old buildings just lining the streets. Everything just feels so royal and grand. The people are friendly and I found it to be affordable to travel. I can understand why so many people move to London to work and travel Europe, it’s a great stepping stone and a truly exciting place to be.
Next up.. PARIS 🙂
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Before leaving that morning though we make a super quick stop into the Children’s museum which was relatively close to the hotel. My mum was dying to visit this and relive her memories as a child and there was a lot of really cool stuff that even I remembered, so if nostalgia is your thing, it’s worth checking out.
Lydia Wilson 