Just Dropped Down in London Town

Three years in a row and London still never ceases to amaze me.

This time around, I visited with some pretty cool people. I was living like a tourist in a place I’ve traveled to for three years in a row! Imagine that? But each time, I set sight on other goals- maybe visiting one of the seven wonders of the world or hanging out in Harry Potter’s world. Adventures are only as fun as you make them and those you choose to travel with… join me in mine!

I’m the type of person to always plan, even if I try to be spontaneous… and ironically, so is my sister. We like to set everything- from our itinerary, flights, outings, how much we’d potentially spend prior and what to save up for before going, everything within a reasonable and affordable time frame.

We started planning for this trip a little less than a year before going and wanted to accommodate to everyone’s Europe desires. It actually worked out perfectly! We chose London, Scotland and Ireland. Sit tight though, it’s about to be a bumpy ride!

Checking out the temperature is always a must, because they fluctuate through different seasons and you never know what can happen. We planned for Miami weather (which is pretty hot, if you ask me) and maybe some jeans and jackets here and there, just in case. I would always take a light rain jacket too, because if you’re anything like me –dislike the rain and ruining my hair since my natural hair is a puff ball– you know you’ll need it. So we all checked a bag and off we went!

Just Dropped Down in London Town

My sister and I have this tradition to make it a point to go to some type of tasting everywhere we travel. In London, we did a gin tour and tasting at Beefeater and wow! I didn’t know gin was that good. With a side of lemon, it adds a pinch of sweetness. I loved it.

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Exploring Buckingham Palace

So because it was the week of the Queen’s birthday, we were able to see some Buckingham Palace performances in practice. It was quite unexpected but definitely worth watching. There were hundreds of people, more than usual, watching the changing of the guards and the horses frolicking through the streets.

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For All the Harry Potter Fans

But have you been on the Harry Potter tour? It all feels so real! You walk by the Goblet of Fire vase, go into the school cafeteria, walk through the wall with rules and everything just flows from all the movies. I felt like a true Gryffindor. What’s your Harry Potter house? Take your quiz!

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Living like a Tourist

Because my sister and I were with new people, we had to compensate with a lot of the touristy attractions we had already been to.

First stop: The London Eye. Let’s play two truths and a lie! I’ll give you three real facts about the London Eye and you have to guess which is a lie. Here we go:

1. This Ferris wheel is the tallest of its kind in Europe and built specifically for the millennium.
2. It has 32 capsules but labeled up to 33, skipping 13.
3. All capsules are the same, holds 25 passengers and spins at 2 revolutions per hour.

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Which do you think is the lie? Tough one, right? Well if you guessed number three, you are correct! While they do hold the same amount of passengers and have the same spins per hour, not all capsules are the same. A couple of years ago, to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II, they painted only one capsule red for the coronation and it’s stayed like that ever since.

We walked around some must see attractions to make up for our vacation calories. I always say that having a phone carrier with great signal or even looking into an international plan while you’re overseas is easier than carrying a map everywhere you go. People will know you’re a tourist but a map is a whole other extreme. Just don’t forget to mind the gap wherever you go!

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Visiting Newcastle

For a small city, it sure is mighty. With incredible innovations, technology and quickly growing, it has so much potential in prospering. During our tour, we learned so many cool facts!

• Three years ago, Newcastle University was ranked top one percent in the world.
• Mosley Street was the first street to light up in the world.
• The Millennium Bridge below is nicknamed “the blinking eye” because it looks like one.

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Something Wicked This Way Comes

A MUST DO! Wicked, the musical, is very well known and wanted to introduce it to the British audience, as well as world-wide. Thanks to London’s Apollo Victoria Theater, it was made possible. It was the first show ever to surpass its ticket sales to more than one million pounds.

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Also, in the Miami culture for the arts, we’re so used to always dressing up for these kind of events. So when we saw Wicked in London, it felt like a culture shock. Everyone was dressed so casual, like if they were going to the movies. But we stuck through it! Dress to impress was my motto!

London City Pass

Before the next city we visited, we wanted to touch on some very well known landmarks in London; one’s I’ve never visited before. The Roman Baths and Stonehenge!!! My excitement was through the roof because I was about to witness one of the seven wonders of the world: middle ages edition.

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We had purchased a city pass to cover these two famous locations because we knew a bus would be the cheapest route, especially if they were giving us a walking tour.

• In the Roman Baths- they had some people role playing the old ages. It was intriguing how we interacted with them, how much thought the designer put into their costumes and knowing their facts.
• At Stonehenge- we walked around the loop that circled it and even all its angles were beautiful. I was in awe because it was so close.

Overall, London impresses me every time I visit. Some tips I’d take into account:

• My opinion- PRIMARK IS THE BEST DEPARTMENT STORE IN EUROPE. I love restocking my closet every time I visit. And in this trip, I learned that the store originated in Ireland (my dream country to visit for my honeymoon) and its name was Penneys.
• Every time I go to Europe or at least for the last couple of years, I’ve bought the city passes. They’re the most helpful if you want to learn about each city and/or county and they offer so many tours!
• For the underground transportation, the Oyster card is much more effective than constantly putting in money for a ticket. You can even use it for years to come, as long as you put money into it, like I have.

I hope my London experience made you want to explore it a little more or even try something new! When you go to the same place three years in a row, it may get boring but maybe go with different friends or explore other parts, you never know what you’ll find!

*Attempts a British accent* Have a great trip!