A City That Needs No Introduction

Going back a little over 4 years to June 2011, I had been in my new job, travelling the world, for almost 3 years. As you can imagine, by this point, I'd amassed quite a few frequent flyer points. So, it was time to travel somewhere and not bring my tool kit with me! I blew about 200,000 points on return flights to London, and set foot for the first time in the UK.

My brother, Brendan (the dashing fellow in the photo with me), had asked me to join him on a Contiki Tour around Europe. At first, I was a bit skeptical, because I knew Contiki Tours were a bit rushed and a lot of partying; at 27, could my liver and body survive?

In the end, I agreed, because I did really want to see Europe. So on June 5th, we went with two other friends and jumped on flights to London. Because I had used my frequent flyer points, I flew a different route to them. My flights were all on OneWorld, whereas they chose the cheapest option available, understandably. My path took my from Adelaide - Perth - Singapore - London.

We met up in Singapore, briefly, and Brendan - who is a Pharmacist - was kind enough to supply me with a sleeping pill slightly stronger than most people can normally get over the counter. Slightly. He instructed me to take it about 30 minutes before the flight, which I did. I boarded my midnight flight to London, found my seat and got comfortable.

Next thing I knew, I was stirred by a member of the cabin crew with a soft shake to the shoulder. She asked if I would mind being re-seated, as there was a family with a baby next to me and they would appreciate a little extra room. I replied, "Sure - should I move now, or after take-off?" The crew member informed me, "Oh, we're already in the air."

That pill had knocked me out, something fierce!

On arrival at 'eafrow (that's Londoner for "Heathrow"), Brendan and I had already decided we would greet the morning with a boozy breakfast. After all, it was about 3pm back home!

Feeling refreshed, we jumped on the train to King's Cross and dropped our bags at the hotel where we were staying for the night. We then headed to Covent Gardens and met up with our friend who had been living in London for about 2 years. For any non-Australians reading this, it's very common for us Aussies to tire of the beaches and sun and cocktails we have at home. So much so that some of us pack up and move to the cold and rain of London to work for a few years.

Not me, though. I like our sunshine!

We went wandering around the area for a while, checking out some markets and local sights. The actual schedule of our trip only had us in London for one night, before flying across to see the Emerald Isle (Ireland) for a few days. We visited all the usual sites: Trafalgar and Leicester Squares and Picadilly Circus, and just generally got into the feel of London.

"Onward, noble steed!"

After three days in Dublin (more on that in a separate post), we returned to London on the evening of June 9th. Staying at the YHA St. Paul's, we spent the next day wandering around the local area. We checked out St. Paul's Cathedral (as you would, when you're staying right next to it), before heading down to the Thames and walking west along the north bank.

Statue of the very mean-looking Queen Anne outside St. Paul's Cathedral.

We stopped at various places to take some photos, eventually making our way down to see the iconic London Eye (from the opposite side of the river), as seen at the top of this post, and then to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

Just around the corner from here lies Westminster Abbey, so of course, we checked that out, too. As a bit of a design and architecture nerd, I loved seeing all these old and ornate buildings. It's something we just don't have in Australia, given that the country is only 200 years old. This lust for architecture was not disappointed on my tour through Europe, either (that will also be in a separate post!).

So that just about sums up my first, very brief, experience of London. We came back for a few more days after the Contiki Tour, so I will tack a bit more on later. But the reality of London is that there is simply too much to see and do for a short trip. Even living there, you would probably struggle! But even so, at least one visit needs to be on everybody's Bucket List.