To most, London for 48 hours seems like an insane task to take on. For me, I find these sort of short ventures a nice challenge, and one I am happy to partake in. I decided on 48 hours in London because I knew I wanted to go, but I also knew the expense of it meant i needed to keep it a shorter part of my overall trip.
So, as I mentioned in my last post, the first night I arrived I went and met my friend Palvi for a drink at a restaurant she works for. We ended up sitting there for hours drinking wine and catching up, and the owner even sent over Pisco Sours to reminisce about our days in Cusco. What a treat! We then walked to get delicious fish and chips to cap off a great night and start to my European adventure (and eat some grease after all those drinks). The neighborhood I stayed in was SoHo, filled with lots of restaurants. I could have eaten there for months and never tried the same thing twice! It was nice to stay close because I came back to the hostel and crashed quickly.
The next morning, we met bright and early at Duck and Waffle, a very hip place on the 40th floor in downtown London. The food was decedent and delicious, and started our tour of (dreary) London off right.
From there, we literally walked for 12 hours straight. If you are looking to walk around London, rain or shine, here is what we did and i think you could follow:
- Breakfast at Duck and Waffle
- Walked to the Chelsea Piers and admired the views of the Tower Bridge
- Walked over the Tower Bridge on the south side of the river
- Stopped for a beer with the cathedral in the background at Founders Arms
- Walked past the (huge) London Eye, across one of the many bridges, to get a closer look at Big Ben and Parliament.
- Walked through the gardens of Westminster Abby (bot not in, as the 22 pound price tag to enter seemed a bit steep)
- Walked to Buckingham Palace to admire the guards and gilded gates.
- Walked to get coffee and chocolates at a fancy Fortnum and Mason
- Walked through China Town and Seven Dials
- Finally, stopped for champagne at Champagne + Fromage, and Thai food back in Soho.
In total, we walked about 11 miles (according to my iPhone) but it was well worth it in the rain to see so many views of this incredible city! Palvi was an incredible hostess, willing to walk all over the damn city just to show me where she lives. I am so grateful for her taking the time off to be with me. What a great start to this European adventure.
Buckingham Palace
The sun finally came out when we made our last stop to sit and drink!
It was an amazing day, and one I will never forget. Next stop: Pisa, Italy!
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