London: Day 1
by Céleste | May 12, 2015
We spent five days in London last week, and the weather was surprisingly good! After our London trip, we only have Florence left before we go back to the US, so we wanted to make the most of the trip!
One tip for those going to London, similar to Oslo: London is an expensive city. Plan ahead for where you want to eat, what you want to see, and how you will get around the city. We made lists beforehand of restaurants and museums, and I had a guidebook with me so we knew the costs before going. At this point in our trip (near the end), we’re trying to be wise about our money and mindful of how we spend. So even though there were some things we would have liked to see, we didn’t get the chance to go (I’m looking at you, Tower of London, which costs a staggering $38.40 (£24.50) at the time of this writing). Vincent suggests we go back to London when we’re rich.
Regardless of cost, however, we had a great time and managed to save money by what we did and what we ate. We really put more money into our food than into the sights, and I think that made for a great experience. Read on for our experience and some tips!
Arrival
We took a RyanAir flight from Marseille straight to London, no problems. They really have everything streamlined! I wish there were cheap airlines in the US that provided a similar level of quality. We honestly have had no problems with RyanAir (though I know sometimes they are known for delays). We arrived around 10am and then took a Terravision bus from Stansted Airport into the city. Beware that even if you’ve “reserved” a seat on the bus, it appeared that it was just a queue and even if you had a specific time, anyone could take the next available bus. This worked out in our favor since passport control took awhile and we missed our reserved bus time (plan for an hour, more if you’re from the EU). We arrived at our apartment in Pimlico around noon, dropped off our bags, and started our exploration.
The Greyhound
Our first stop was lunch. We were hungry, having only eaten pieces of baguette for breakfast. Vincent found The Greyhound Pub on TripAdvisor and we found it was only a few blocks from our apartment. We headed in and ordered burgers.
They were all out of scotch eggs, which Vincent had been hoping for, and never got to eat the whole time we were there! But we had some delicious burgers and fries, and Vincent had a beer.
The food was good, and it was just a regular, run-of-the-mill pub experience until it came time to pay. Having just arrived in the city, Vincent and I had no cash, only our cards. The bartender, above, ran our card twice but found that the system was down. So, he told Vincent where to find an ATM, while I waited at our table. Vincent came back, looking slightly dejected, and said that the ATM didn’t play nice with foreign cards! We looked at each other, not quite sure what to do, and starting to panic a bit. How are we going to pay for this? The nearest ATM was the bus station, about 10 minutes away.
The helpful bartender tried to run our card one more time, swiping instead of using the PIN. When it didn’t work, he said, “Oh well, it’s not your fault, the system is just down. Have your lunch on us.” Vincent and I felt like we hadn’t heard right.
“Like…for free?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Have a good day!”
We were shocked. In a good way, obviously, but it was still surprising. We thanked him profusely and left, thinking about how we just got a $25–30 lunch for free. We talked about it later, and I’m still not sure that would ever happen in the US. It sure as heck wouldn’t happen in France. We’re definitely going to leave a rave review for the place, and if we’re ever in London again, we’ll pop in for a drink.
Westminster Cathedral
On our way to the Westminster Abbey/Parliament part of town, we stepped into the Westminster Cathedral. Built in the late 1800s/early 1900s, the ceilings and frescoes aren’t finished, because each new generation adds a new mosaic into the church. I like the idea that the church is always being added to, rather than being a stagnant, unchanging work.
The tiles were golden and were beautiful to see!
Westminster Abbey
Sadly, we didn’t go inside Westminster Abbey. It was £20 ($31), and we really didn’t want to spend that much. Yes, we’re cheap, but we’ve also been in Europe for 5 months without any income, so I think you can see where we’re coming from.
We saw the outside, which was really amazing. As Vincent commented at the time, the architecture is just so rich and detailed.
Houses of Parliament
Right across the street were the Houses of Parliament! We asked about tours, but they were not doing any right now, so we didn’t get to go in. Boo.
There was some construction going on around this area, so pardon any trucks or construction work.
Big Ben
The big landmark of London! Really cool to see in person. There were a lot of people taking selfies around Big Ben, so it was kind of funny to watch. We also watched the police (bobbies?) walk around inside the gate for awhile, too.
Westminster Bridge and the London Eye
We finally crossed the bridge and walked by the London Eye. The lines were long and we didn’t have pre-booked tickets. We were having such a fun time just walking around exploring, that we really didn’t care.
Whitehall Park and 10 Downing Street
We stopped for a little walk in a park, on the way to 10 Downing Street, which is the official home of the Prime Minister.
The park was pretty, but very small. At 10 Downing Street, we couldn’t really see much, because it was of course behind fencing and armed police. It was still interesting to see, however. And on the way, we got to see the mounted police! People were posing for photos and petting the horses. There was even a warning sign.
National Gallery
We finally made it to our first real stop of the day, the National Gallery. The National Gallery houses art, and it’s located in Trafalgar Square, which is sort of a work of art itself. Trafalgar Square is home to lots of street performers. When we were there, we saw a guy with a little stand and an old man mask styling himself as “DJ Grandpa.” He was playing music while people in the crowd danced. We also saw another guy making chalk murals on the ground. It was fascinating just watching the performers and just plain people-watching.
The museum itself was also very nice, and provided some interesting artwork to look at, including some Vermeers and a Van Gogh that we never got to track down. The museum itself was free, as most of the national museums are, which is always nice for cheapskates like myself.
St. James Park
After the walking and the museum and flight in the morning, we were exhausted! We walked to St. James Park and sat on the grass in the shade, just talking and enjoying the sunny day. We then curled up on the grass and took a nap. It was amazing how many other people were doing the same thing! In fact, I slept for about 40 minutes, which is crazy considering it was just on the ground in the middle of a park in the middle of a huge city. Vincent didn’t fall asleep at all, but we both enjoyed the rest.
Dishoom Indian Food
After our nap, we were ready for food! We had heard about Dishoom, an Indian restaurant that styles itself as a “Bombay Cafe” or Irani cafe, which used to exist in India, though they are few and far between now. We had heard it was popular, and it was true; we stood in line outside the restaurant for about 45 minutes before getting inside. This wasn’t much of a problem, though because the staff brought us free chai tea while we waited! The service was overall excellent, the best we’ve ever experienced in the world (we don’t go to a lot of fancy restaurants). The restaurant is near Trafalgar Square, so it’s a busy area with lots to look at as you wait.
When we finally got inside, we ordered the famous black dal (seen in the middle below), a lamb kebab (top left), and chicken tikka masala (bottom left). Everything was amazing. Vincent described it as “divine.” We ate every morsel, with a spicy garlic sauce and a mint chutney they brought out for us. For dessert, I had a mango and fennel lassi. Delicious!
You might think with the superb service and excellent food, it was an expensive joint. It wasn’t by London standards, it was an average price for two people (~25 pounds). With full bellies, we headed back to the apartment after our first day out on the town in London.
