But for now, let's talk British.
This London trip/work was a total fluke. I found out someone had gotten food poisoning and couldn't continue working, so they needed someone quick to fill in (YAY!) I was doing my thing around the house as any on-call flight attendant would when I got a call from scheduling..
"You're gonna be going to Edmonton to work a flight to London, then working back to Toronto, staying there for a bit and deadheading home."
Ok, sounds like an ordinary pairing.... I was naive to think that it was London, ON and not London, UK until I checked my schedule in detail. Oddly enough, I wasn't screaming in joy either; it wasn't a place that I was DYING to go see, but I've always wanted to visit once in my life, and it was a perfect opportunity!
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Now our arrival in London was a bit weird. While we were descending, we were descending in loops (see image) - but nothing crazy happened, so it was ok!
After the arrival, deplaning, etc., the entire crew was tired; we fell asleep while waiting. Hotel bus picked us up, took literally an hour and half to drive to the hotel, booked our rooms and settled for the day.
Being a junior flight attendant and having never seen British soil, I was determined to set out on my own.
The concierge man recommended that I get a day pass and take the bus to stroll around, but little did I know this would be harder than it seemed. NO ONE sold the day passes (I was told to go to a red machine at every bus stop), and those didn't sell day passes... the bus drivers didn't sell them, and told me that the red machines sold them (lies).
I eventually walked my butt all the way to a tube station and got a day pass for the tube instead (yes, in the UK buses and tube tickets are separate).
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| Big Ben right outside the station |
1st Stop - Westminster.
When I stepped out of the station, I was in awe of the Victorian architecture. I was right in front of the Big Ben, and to my left was the London Eye. I snapped a few shots and walked around to admire the buildings. I realize now that I should really take some more pictures..... I literally took 10 pictures in total in UK, and they're not all nice...
I was going to go see the Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square, but I thought I wouldn't have enough time to shop so I skipped those... hehe..
2nd Stop - Knightsbridge.
I've ALWAYS wanted to go to Harrod's. I had a choice between picking Oxford (which had Selfridges!) and Knightsbridge, so I went with the latter.
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| Knightsbridge at night |
Being in such a posh place, I somehow felt like I should have brought my own coat, because the coat for work looked so bulky and unflattering. I browsed through the makeup section, their men's section, handbag section (which by the way... the European brands were naturally cheaper than in Canada & US... I was so very tempted to buy a bag), the dedication area to Princess Di and Dodi, and my most favourite, their market.
Harrod's Market was so neatly laid out in different sections - From fine meats to cheese, a sushi bar to an ice cream parlour... it was heavenly. I wish I could have taken a picture, but I was too busy ogling at the delicious displays of goodness. I had my dinner (smoked meat on pretzel bread, bocconcini salad with lemonade) there and decided to bring back some breakfast.
I left Harrods with a travel tote and a bag full of yummy goodies and ventured out onto Knightsbridge and Sloane street. Checked out Topshop, euro H&M, Burberry, Harvey Nichols.. all very lovely. I also got to eat at my favourite, pret-a-manger, and peeked into a Marks & Spencer food store which they had some more affordable options to choose from. British food is $$$ in comparison to Canada! Even a McDonald's sandwich was approx. double the price.
All in all, it was a nice day trip, and I wish I could have seen more of the sights but I believe I will have another chance at London.
Next time, I will:
- go visit Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar, Tower Bridge
- check out Piccadilly Circus
- visit some local markets
- go to Oxford for shopping
- experience an authentic English high tea (I really wanted to, just didn't want to go by myself.)
Any suggestions for my future London visit?
Anyways I wrote a lot - do most bloggers write this much about what happened during their day? Hope you enjoyed my first travel post - I promise to take better pictures. haha
xo
I will also be making a small recommendations and hotel reviews section - hope it helps.
*Recommendations:
- If you do know your way around UK, do take the buses - you can complete your checklist of sightseeing much faster and you can tell everyone that you went on the double decker bus!
- DUTY FREE! - Heathrow has a vast array of duty free stores (Burberry, Tiffany & Co., Mulberry and Harrod's to name a few) and worth buying your goods from at a discounted price.
*Hotel Review (Danubius Hotel Regent's Park) : I actually had to wait to switch rooms cause they gave me a room with 2 single (and they were TINY) beds...... when I got switched they warned me that someone had smoked in the room previously and may smell like smoke... great.
Their rooms were ok, the bed is a bit hard but can't complain. As for the washroom, I really did not enjoy stepping out of the very high tub and almost killing myself. Maybe my room was jinxed, but the sink was also clogged. The hotel also has a limited supply of outlet converters, so request one as soon as you check in. On the plus side, the location is quite nice (near Regent's Park), apparently the rates are alright for when you come on personal trips. The lobby was nice, service seemed to be consistent, not much noise throughout the stay.
