Although my first time visiting London was in August of 2006, I still remember quite vividly. Not because I had a fantastic time, which I did, but primarily because my trip was a few days before the London liquid bomber plot bust. Despite the increased security levels at the airport which made security check-in a huge headache, the trip went very smoothly.
When we arrived at London Heathrow Airport, the weather was very gloomy, which is very typical for England. We got a rental car (Mercedes-Benz…sounds fancy but it’s like the standard/basic car in London), and then headed to our hotel. After a few minutes of going through confusing roundabouts, we finally navigated our way to the Marriott at Park Lane. Now I must say this hotel was very nice and had a very contemporary/chic feel to it. The food was quite overpriced, primarily because of the dollar to pound currency conversion, but the authentic British breakfast accompanied by a nice cup of tea was well worth it.
Overall my trip to London was very unique and interesting. If not spending the day shopping at the local department stores or walking down the busy, tourist packed streets, I found myself relaxing in my hotel room watching British television and rugby games. My last evening in London was probably the most memorable. Around 4 pm, we took a double decker open top red bus tour around the sights and sounds of London. During this great tour, I saw Buckingham Palace, the British Eye, Big Ben, the Tower of London, the London Bridge, and Trafalgar Square. Once the tour concluded, we then watched the Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theater. This show truly was amazing. This was my first ever Broadway style production and I was blown away by the powerful vocals, stunning set, and intriguing plot. It was a show that was quite the memorable experience that I will never want to forget.
Now with almost all vacation destinations, there are some negative aspects of London. First is the currency exchange rate. When I went, $1 equaled .50 pounds. Today the conversion rate is around ¾ so $1 will equal .75 Euros. Second, the food. As famous as fish and chips are in America, in England, they are completely different. I’ve tried about 3 different restaurants and the food each had the same characteristic- bland and unsalted. Also in terms of food, you truly can’t find any authentic British food because there truly aren’t any. The most popular cuisine in London, believe it or not, is Indian. But other than these two things, everything in London was fantastic.
From the unique architecture to the world famous tourist destinations, London should be the first vacation destination on your bucket list.