Back home sweet home in Dublin from my trip to London this past weekend! I went for five days (a bit longer than a weekend i suppose) with Ryan and some friends from U of I. After hearing the worst horror stories from my roommate Jason, we were blessed with the most beautiful weather I could have imagined. Arriving in London, we were greeted with an impromptu snowstorm, making the entire city our very own winter wonderland :)
We began Friday morning with quite the adventure on our minds! Staying in a Hostel in Hyde Park, we made our way from the northwest corner of London, all the way down to the London Bridge, in the southwest corner of the city.
On our way, we had the chance to see Leister Square, a popular square known for selling half price show tickets, Id compare it to Times Square.. we also passed through Trafalgar Square, probably one of my favorite places in the city. Its full of beautiful fountains, and headed by the National Gallery, where we wandered in, luckily seeing a collection of paintings by Monet...quite the fortunate place to stop and use the restroom, huh?
The Marble Arch
Picadilly Circus
Trafalgar Square & the National Gallery
Trafalgar Fountains
We stopped by St. Paul's cathedral on our walk as well, Ryan really wanted to see it...quick stop.
After the cathedral, we made our way to the Tower of London, a museum that showcases so much English history, from suits of armor to the crown jewels :) You'd think I'd be sick of castles after seeing so many in Ireland, but NOPE!
Literally right down the road from the Tower of London is the London Bridge. I have a thing for bridges, so this is probably another one of my favorite highlights of the city :) Im pretty sure there were trips that you could take up to the top of the bridge, but we were just happy on the ground haha
After a long day of exploring and a well-deserved nap, we met up with some more people visiting London, and went out, making some one of a kind memories :) Sleeping in the hostel was not so bad at all, while the bathrooms were disgusting beyond belief, for 13 pounds a night, it was quite a steal.
The next morning, the four of us split up, and me and Ryan went off to do our own thing for the day. We began with a morning walk through Hyde Park, which was absolutely beautiful.
We made our way to Buckingham Palace, crowded with people sticking their faces into the fence to catch a glimpse at the palace guards.
After Buckingham Palace, we spent the rest of the day in Westminster, hitting all those lovely tourist sights: the London Eye, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey.
Our day of adventure wouldn't be complete without a trip to Harrod's :) This place was HUGE, a whole five floors and square block big, just walking around it took an hour or two..
Back to the hostel, for another nap and a night out to Tiger Tiger...so handy meeting a girl on the tube there to get us in with no wait in line :)
The next day, we made our way to Abbey Road, home of the Beatles' recording studio, Baker Street, and the Portobello Market in Notting Hill.
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