A Week in London

Recently, I spent a week in London, traveling by train under the English Channel. Lucking out, the weather in London was warm and sunny except for one day of rain. I had a great time exploring the city, going to museums, walking along the Thames, eating great food. It was nice to get away from Paris for a week to another great capital city in Europe.

Taking the train from Paris to London: While there are multiple ways of traveling to and from London, I took the train. Eurostar (https://www.eurostar.com) runs non-stop between Paris’ Gare du Nord and London’s Saint Pancras stations. It travels under the English Chanel and follows a lovely trail through the French and English countrysides. Customs and border control take place before you board the trains, so once you disembark in London (or Paris) you can just leave the station right away.

Getting Around London, the Oyster Card: I used public transportation in and around London. Mostly using the Underground, I was able to use an Oyster card (https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/) to quickly get in and out of the stations. I topped up my Oyster card a few times since the Underground charges different rates for how far I went for any given train trip. Travelers are required to badge in and out for every trip while using the London Underground. For the buses, travelers are only required to badge in upon boarding the bus.

Harry Potter World: I cannot visit London without also going to Harry Potter World (https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk). I love the display of sets, costumes, props, and stories of how the movies were made. Each time I go, they have changed around the displays putting new ones in each time. My favorite is to drink butterbeer at the cafe next to the Knightbus. Butterbeer is basically a sweet cream soda for those that haven’t had the pleasure yet.

Leicester Square: One of the popular spots in London is Leicester Square (https://www.leicestersquare.london/), pronounced “Lice-ter”). Surrounding the park at Leicester Square stand (or sits) a number of statues of famous story or movie characters.

Victoria Embankment Gardens: Along the Thames are some beautiful gardens. There’s a wonderful fish-and-chips place there, too, along with an historical structure from when the embankment was further inland from where it is now. The weather was so beautiful that day that I spent about 3 hours walking along the Thames.

Out and About London: London is filled with sights, museums, and restaurants throughout the city. I spent a few days just walking around the city to explore its many delights.

Brighton: Having a free evening, I took the train to the English coast and visited the town of Brighton. Being close to London, the seaside town is featured in number of British stories. It has a large pier and is quite a large town these days. I took a few hours to enjoy the sea air and walk around.

The trip to London was a lot fun with revisiting old haunts and exploring new places. By train, London is only about two-and-a-half hours away. It was a nice get away. Even if you visit me in Paris or London, we can get away to the other city in little time. Many other towns in Europe are only a short airplane or train ride away.

Until we meet in Paris (or London, or Munich, or Barcelona)…