Three days in London
Well, this is it guys the start of the three month trip around Europe first stop London. I was originally supposed to be only spending two days in London. However due to the train strikes I went a day early so I have a three days visit to London instead. Every cloud has a silver lining they say since I got to spend an extra day in this lively city.
I got a taxi from Kings cross to the hotel I was staying at the Travelodge Farringdon for more information see my short review here . Its walkable but I am unsure where the hotel is located and I am being lazy tonight. I went for a walk and found a small shop selling groceries and bought some sandwiches. I had them for dinner as I wasn’t very hungry and spent the rest of the night in my room. Where I watched TV and looked up things to do in other destinations on my trip. I had an early night ready for tomorrows proper start to the holiday
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London Day one
Got up early on this the first day of my London part of my trip. I headed to Kings cross station Via McDonalds for breakfast. Took the underground for my booked visit to Churchill war rooms. Bit of Background about this place and me. I’ve wanted to visit this place for years. However never managed to get to it for various reason first time we didnt have time to visit due to all the other things we had planned to do in London. Next time we went i was ill practically the whole holiday. We managed to barely do half of the things we had planned. Then the pandemic hit and that was pretty much that for two years. There were several other times I came to London but didnt manage to visit as well for one thing or another those are just a little bit of an insight.
Churchill War Rooms
Well this time I finally got to go I purchased my tickets online a head of time. It was busy but not packed during my visit but I would highly recommend pre-purchasing your tickets online.
A brief little history of what the war rooms is. The war rooms is the underground bunker in which Winston Churchill met with his war cabinet members during world war II. It was known as the cabinet offices. They where used mostly during air raids but where fully functional 24 hours a day until 16th August 1945. It was mostly used during the blitz and the German V-weapon attacks.
The war cabinet met here a total of 115 times during the war. It where the planned out there course of action on the war effort.
I loved it here and can highly recommend a visit here. It even has one of the original Enigma machines that the German navy used to send out coded messages. Alan Turing the man credited as the founding father of computer science by many led the team who cracked the code. Using the Turing machine. However its still not known to this day if the Germans ever realised that their code had been cracked.
During my visit i saw the cabinet room, the map rooms, churchill bedroom and various other rooms as well as the Winston churchill museum. I took me almost 2 hours to go around.
Walking to the Imperial War museum London
After the war rooms I had planned to go visit the Imperial war museum London. I decided to walk to it so that I could take some pictures in the Westminster area along the way plus I need to give my walking feet some practise as I knew there was going to be a lot of walking on my whole trip. I even attempted (attempted being the word) to take a few selfies. It was not the best. However I tried and people like a trier.
Imperial War museum London
I got to the War museum I hadn’t pre-purchased my ticket but as it was January it was fine but in summer I would highly recommend booking your ticket or you may need to wait to enter. Although they do allow day walk ups. Entry to the War museums in free.
I had lunch here in the café it was just a baguette and a bottle of Fanta. It was nice but probably not the cheapest place to purchase a baguette from.
I then went on my tour around the museum. There are galleries dedicated to Both world wars, the Holocaust as well as displays witness to war and various other permanent and temporary displays.
I spent around 2 and half hours here and really enjoy it. I found it both informative and interesting with lots to see and learn about all aspects of war.
Returning to the hotel
I checked my phone and googled the best way to return to my hotel. I find out the bus number and that is passes practically outside the door so I head off to the bus stop to get on my first London bus of my trip. Bus arrived and I got on all is going great until I suddenly reason that I’m on the wrong bus I wanted the one going the other way. Its ok its totally cool no need to panic I get out my phone and checked out where this bus stops. Panic over there are tube and bus station two stop away where I can swap on to the tube. I jumped off this bus and jumped on a tube. Turns out it was only a couple of stops to kings cross. When I got back to the hotel and decided this evening I would have my dinner in the hotel so I headed down for it. I got a chicken burger and it was ok but nothing special.
After dinner I headed back up to the room and watched some tv before going to bed what can I say guys i really know how to rock and roll. However after 7 hours of walking around London I was extremely tired.
London Day Two
I was up bright an early again this morning as today I was going to a show in the afternoon. However first I wanted to visit The Tower of London and Tower bridge. I walked to Kingscross first and had a bacon roll from Gregs. Then I had a look in the Platform 9 3/4 shop and got myself a little present well be rude not to wouldn’t it. I purchased myself a little tote shopping bag that came in very useful throughout my trip. The trains where on strike again today but there was still a queue for one platform yes you guessed it Platform 9 3/4.
Tower Bride and Tower of London
I got the tube unfortunately the station I wanted to go to was closed for maintenance but it was ok stop before was only a short walk from the Tower of London. I love the tower of London. Sadly I didn’t have time to visit inside this time. However I got a few photos of the it from the outside. Now it was time for my manditory walk across Tower Bridge i mean come on you can’t go to London and not do this. I then took the tube to Lecister square as this was the nearest one to the theatre as i was going to go see Mary Poppins today this was the penultimate day as they where stopping the show in the west end.
Wasabi Sushi and Bento
I was wandering around trying to find the theatre big massive building can’t miss it well you can if your me I have absolutely no sense of direction.
Anyway I came across this little gem of a Japanese restaurant on Old Compton Street while looking for it so as they say every cloud has a silver lining. I got Sushi well it be rude not to wouldn’t it and a chicken dish which I cannot remember the name of but it was delicious. I mean the sushi was nice but the chicken was fantastic.
Mary Poppins
I went to the afternoon showing of Mary Poppins and it was fantastic just a shame that its run is now finished. It was in the Prince Edward Theatre. I really enjoyed it. I’d love to see it again.
After this I got the tube back to Kings cross and I had a McDonalds before walking back.
Once back at the hotel I was debating whether to have a shower or not and I took of my boots and was just about to go for one when the fire alarm went off. So i grabbed my boots and put them back on these are hiking boots so need laced up usually takes me 5 minutes and heads downstairs. Turns out its false alarm someone used the shower and didn’t close the bathroom door triggering the fire alarms. They gave the all clear I headed back to my room. I spent the evening watched some tv and caught up with some of my friends online
London Day Three
Another early start this morning as I want to go to Leicester Square this morning and see the Sculptures. Known as Scenes in the Square Sculpture Trail. There are 13 in total but if I’m honest I’m just looking for Harry Potter but at least I’m honest lol.
Scenes in the Square Sculpture Trail
So I sets off by tube again to Leicester square. I wandered around and initially I had trouble finding the Square then I realised its where the Christmas markets are. I told you no sense of direction or anything. So anyway I finally finds them below are the Statues of Mr Bean, Mary Poppins and Harry Potter.
Harry Potter Play
I then went for lunch at McDonalds then crossed the street to the Palace theatre where I was going to see Harry Potter and the deathly Hallows Part One. So now on to my main reason for my visit to London Anyone who knows me knows that I am a big fan of Harry Potter series and have read all the HP books and the others in the series that are based on the wizarding world. So i was super excited as this was one of my main reasons for London being the first place I visited on my trip. It was really good and i really enjoyed it Part two was on in a few hours so just enough time to visit London’s famous shopping street Oxford Street for some things I forgot and then back to Lecister square and a look in the M&M shop then grab some food from KFC.
I then headed back to the theatre for part two which was good as well. After this I headed back to the hotel to pack up for heading to Amsterdam tomorrow.
If you enjoyed this checkout my LONDON TRAVEL GUIDE for hints and tips all about London.