Last summer in June, I had a class trip to London. The 1st day I woke up at 4pm and then at 5pm we headed to airport Zagreb Lučko. It was my first time flying, so no need to mention how excited I actually was. The flight was pleasant and better than I expected (can't wait to fly again in 2 weeks yay), but sadly it was pretty short (only 2,5 hours).
When we arrived at the biggest airport in London - Heathrow, we immediately hopped into bus and had a bus tour around London. Our first stop was Royal Albert Hall, which was stunning. After that, we walked to Buckingham Palace, in front of which was this beautiful fountain with green water. How cool is that? On our way back to the hotel, we drove in metro and I cannot even begin to tell you how fast and on time it is in comparison to Zagreb's public transportation. Our hotel was in the centre of London, which was a big plus, but the food was really awful, especially because of the peas which were present in almost every dinner in the following week. In the night we had a free time, so we went on a walk around the centre, but sadly almost everything was closed by 7pm except Pret a manger and Apple Store.
The next day, we woke up also super early and went to the closest metro station. We exited on St James's Park station, took some photos of the famous Westminster Abbey and then passed by Westminster Palace and the famous Big Ben. Then we walked to the National Gallery, which was my favourite place we visited on the whole trip. There were artworks from all kinds of eras and regions, including renaissance, baroque and impressionism. If you're art enthusiast like me, you can find a list of artists whos artwork is displayed there, but I was glad that I could find some of my favourite artists there, including Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, Boudin, Gauguin, Renoir and Turner. Sadly, I wasn't allowed to take pictures there and security was really attentive, so I only had a chance once and took a hella blurry picture of Van Gogh's Wheat Field with Cypressses. :(
After that, we had free afternoon and is there a better way to spend your day than shopping in Oxford street? I bought Vagabond platforms and blue mirrored sunglasses in Urban Outfitters, as well as few bits and bobs in River Island and Topshop.
On 3rd day, early in the morning we walked to the Notting Hill and I've never seen bazaar as big as Portobello Road. There you could find anything from maps, ceramics, records, jewelry to antiques and flowers. After buying some cheap t-shirts, we headed back to metro and visited Natural History Museum and Science Museum. Natural History Museum's entrance was so cool - the stairs led all up to a giant orange ball which was supposed to represent the sun, and there were all kinds of interactive displays. Science Museum was cool and their shop was super cute. After spending a few hours in museums, we headed to Camden Town. It's really a different place with a strong alternative vibe, it felt like we weren't even in London anymore. There were hardcore punks in every corner and you could even take pictures with them. There, we stopped for some ice coffee in Starbucks and of course UO.
Following day, I've visited the most beautiful church I had laid my eyes on. It was St. Paul's Cathedral, and boy it was beyond perfect, from inside out. I wish we could've stayed there longer, but we hurriedly walked across the Millenium Bridge, across the river Thames, to the Shakespeare's Globe. We passed by Tate Modern and I was absolutely gutted we didn't have the time to go see the gallery. We entered the theatre and it was amazing. The shape of the building, as well as the architecture was really unique. I hope one day I'll come back and see some of their perfomances there. After the official tour, we headed to Tower Bridge and we also visited Traitor's Gate and St. Thomas's Tower. My friend and I bought some amazing healthy cold tortilla wraps and it was one of the most delicious things I ate in the whole week, I would definitely recommend to go try it (we bought it in a small booth near the dock). Then we had a really cool boat ride on Thames, but the windows were really dirty so I couldn't take any good pictures. We arrived in Greenwich, had a tour around the Royal Observatory and then had a free afternoon. Couple of girls and me took some takeout food from Nando's and it was really delicious - spicy curry rice, chicken wings, chilli fries,... In the evening, we had an option to go on a London Eye and the view when you get to the top is worth every pound. But if you have a fear of heights, it wouldn't be the wisest choice since the whole capsule is completely made of glass, even the floor.
On the last day, we only visited British Museum, which was huge and we had 4 hours to see what we wanted, and I barely managed to pass almost every section, taking photos like a mad woman. The highlight of the museum is definitely a Cleopatra's mummy. Then we had some free time, and my friend and I went to Oxford Street and we were searching for Primark. We were a bit late in coming back to the hotel, but we didn't miss the plane, so it was all good in the end. The flight back home was so amazing, we were flying right in the time of sunset. When I got back home, I was still overwhelmed, and I sincerely hope to come back there again, next time with Ronella.
Written by: A.M.
- 5:10 pm
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