Since it was going to be a rainy day, we made our way to the museums (The Natural History Museum and The British Museum are “musts” when in London). The first museum we visited was the Natural History one and we spent almost an entire day there. I didn’t take photos as most of the artifacts were encased in glass and there was too much glare (yes, generally the museums allow photos for personal use, taken without the use of flash).

When we left the museum, the weather was rainy and cold, and we walked slowly towards “our area", aka the Tower Bridge.

On our way, we stopped by Westminster Abbey. Ultimately, we decided against visiting it as we were tired and moved along.

We had dinner at Dim T, at their Tower Bridge location; we ended up eating there twice as the food was good, the prices were affordable and the view was unbeatable.

The next day we woke up to nice weather and decided to visit The British Museum, which houses the famous Rosetta Stone; it was fascinating seeing it and realizing its age. The museum itself left me speechless with its size and the number of artifacts.

Again tired after visiting the museum, we went back to what became my favorite part of London: Tower Bridge, as it was always bustling - I loved the energy of that place. When strolling by the river, we noticed that an open-air bar and stage have been set up during the day. It was advertised that later in the evening, a free, open-air concert was to take place. Curious about it, we ate nearby at Leon (note that they charged a fee for eat-in but the food was delicious) and headed back to reserve our seats for the concert.

That evening was my absolute favorite in London. It was the beginning of the “Summer by the River” Festival, organized by London Bridge City. I was pleasantly surprised to feel a sense of community there, while the crowds kept coming and getting cozy, yet being respectful of those around them. The artists performing were Massive Violins and I have to say that they were simply incredible. The crowd was mesmerized and everyone loved them. We kept asking for more but all good things must come to an end… After the concert, we lingered around a little longer before slowly strolling back to our hotel.

The next day was our last full day in London, and we decided to visit the Tower of London Castle. We were pretty tired from our intense days of walking and wanted to stay close.

I have to say that our visit was very informative and entertaining, even if crowded. The Tower of London houses the Crown Jewels, a stunning collection of gemstones and crowns still used to this day in Royal ceremonies. Fun fact: the Royal crowns are “for show only”; they are so heavy that wearing them for a long period of time is quite strenuous.

If deciding to visit, I recommend buying the tickets online, as they are cheaper that way. In-person, we paid over £27 per person (without the donation), which is a bit pricey, but worth it.

If there, don’t miss the animal sculptures representing the real ones that once lived freely throughout the courtyard; the Royals were periodically gifted exotic animals (from snakes to elephants), that were left to roam as they pleased (as no one knew how to care for them), killing quite a few people in the process.

The only surviving creatures left today are the ravens, which even though free to fly whenever and wherever don’t venture further than the palace’s premises.

After visiting the Tower of London, we strolled aimlessly along the river, taking in the views one last time.

And this post concludes our trip to London; I had plenty to share as we crammed a lot in our too-short trip there (like I said, we did the most walking of our entire Europe trip in London).

Some things I found curious or worthy of sharing about London:

• Attractions in London are pricey, in my opinion. The City of London is huge and incredibly diverse. There is so much to see and do there for free, that you can get away with not spending too much money.

• The main museums, to our shock, are free and it can take days if you are to visit them leisurely. They truly are incredible and I have to say, the best we’ve visited so far (Kelvingrove in Glasgow is a close-follow as we were very impressed with it as well).

• There are endless options for food as well, at all price points.

• We spent 5 days in London, and obviously, they were not enough for us, as I want to return there. How many days one would need there is dependent on what they’re interested in.

• If you plan on going to London to see the world-famous Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower), note that it is under [much needed] construction till 2021 and not a pretty sight currently.

• London is a perfect mix of strikingly modern and historic architecture and you’ll find both in unexpected places.

• Also, in London, we saw the best-dressed people in general: suits or stylish casual for men, and so many ladies rocking cute dresses/outfits; it really was what I wanted to see after the sea of leggings, sweats, and T-shirts (yes, I cannot stand leggings and dislike T-shirts) in the USA. A curious thing for us was the foot-traffic-jam we would run into at 5pm, during the weekdays. Some streets would literally become a sea of suits, and we would see them stop in or outside pubs, having a drink.

To wrap it up, I truly loved London, its culture, and its energy, and I can’t wait to go back there to explore the many other things we haven’t had the chance to on our first trip there.

Have you been to London? If not, what are you waiting for?

Until next time.

xoxo,

Em