London (Day 1)

I had a whirlwind adventure in London for the past week including a New Year's celebration.  I had 3 full days to spend in the U.K. and did I ever spend it jammed packed with activities.  There is so much to do in London that the options seemed overwhelming at first.  Where would I stay?  What would I do?  What do you eat in the U.K.?  But the one that I needed to figure out first was where would I stay.  The neighborhoods to me were so confusing.  Each one has their own breath of life. 


Booking a hotel at the last minute for New Year's was becoming too expensive so I ended up using Airbnb.com.  This is a website that I have used before and it was a life saver.  You get to have rooms or sometimes whole apartments to yourself that people rent out at a price that is way cheaper than a hotel.  This means you can vacation like a local and even have a bigger number of guests without breaking the bank.  And Airbnb is the middle man like Paypal, so you aren't getting ripped off by a stranger.  What I learned this time around is that Airbnb is also a great too for finding rooms in bigger cities.  This was especially good for London because it gave me a little bio for each neighborhood and you pick your neighborhood based on what you want to do.  Do you want to stay in a touristy, artsy, or wealthy neighborhood?  Airbnb can help you figure that out and then you figure out price and location to the city center accordingly.  Seriously a lifesaver.  I've also used Homeaway.com which is a similar website. A little fun fact: I found out later that the area of our apartment that we stayed in was literally the former kill route of Jack the Ripper...I can see why that wasn't added in the description though I think it adds to the appeal.


On day one I managed to visit Camden Lock Market, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, London Eye, and Harrods!  Let's start with Camden Lock.

So I need to start off by saying that it rained everyday we were in England.  The only other time I brought my umbrella and used it on a trip was Amsterdam.  It was also pretty windy in England.  And due to this factor 50% of my pictures are from my iPhone.  But of course we had to push through the bad weather.  I've been wanting to visit the Camden Lock Market because I heard it was a cool/different side of London.  It's filled with hipster/handmade items, food, and souvenirs.



Head far enough into the market and you'll step right into the Stables which is a market in an old underground stable.  It's pretty cool looking and it has the same kind of stuff as the Camden Lock.


And of course we had to try the famous fish and chips!


Next we strolled over to see a cluster of famous sights all in the same general area.  Here's Big Ben, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament and various other famous buildings.




Walk a little further and you can see the Buckingham Palace.


We also took the tube to the Natural History Museum and the building is beautiful in itself, but there was an hour long wait to get in so we decided against it.  I've always wanted to check out Harrods in all it's ridiculously expensive glory, so we headed that way.  It's pretty much the most extravagant department store you'll ever see.  In the middle of one of the rooms there was a mother feeding her 3 year old son caviar and oysters. I mean really?  I made sure not to touch anything for fear of breaking something.  We walked around for quite a bit but once we got to the pet spa we knew it was time leave.

Harrods all decked out for the holidays

I rated today's itinerary in London as follows:



Stay tuned for Day 2 of London!



  







Linking up at:

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29 comments :

  1. We had the privilege of living in England for two years and we came to love London! There are some terrific walking tours and a wonderful bike tour we took, as well. Sounds like you're having a great time and taking some great photos--you brought back such beautiful memories with this post. Thanks for sharing, Diana

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    1. Thanks Diana, glad I could bring back some memories. I'd love to live there for two years!

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  2. Oysters and Caviar for a toddler? Woah! I would love to walk around Harrods, but I'd probably be too scared to break stuff!
    Looks like a great time - I would kill for real fish and chips!

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    1. The fist and chips was really good. I had the haddock, B had the cod. Both good.

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  3. I'm super jealous! How fun!!

    Thanks for joining the Link Up this week!

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  4. I love London and I was there in July and it was crowded, but I LOVED it! I love all your photos of your trip and thanks for sharing them. I saw them on a stroll thru life.
    Julie at julieslifestyle.blogspot.com

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  5. Looks like you had a totally fun time, Brittany. Fun, fun, fun!
    Thanks for all the great photos.
    The fish and chips looked pretty good, too! ha! Susan

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  6. Great photos! The last time I was in London was about 12 years ago. I would love to go back because it's probably changed so much since then. Those fish and chips look delish as well.
    Stopping by to say hello from Travel Tuesday. Have a good week :)

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  7. Brittany, I love that you were able to pack so much fun into your short trip! This makes me miss London like crazy :)

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  8. This literally makes my heart happy. I studied abroad at Oxford and London was my favorite getaway.

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  9. I would love to see all that in person especially Harrods department store
    I know you need more than a week to take in all the wonderful things there thanks for sharing your pictures I enjoyed them all

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    1. Yea, I still have day 2 to post but there is already stuff that I want to go back for.

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  10. Hey! Popping over from Travel Tuesday. Speaking as a Londoner, sounds like you had the perfect trip to London although there is ALWAYS something more to do and see in London. Also, Airbnb is my saviour.

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    1. I know, I have so many more things I wanted to see. I have a friend that just moved there so maybe..

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  11. Nice article...great photos..I enjoyed reading your London trip experiences and watching photos that will be for lifelong memories.

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  12. I'm a Londoner and carry my umbrella with me everyday. It's just so unpredictable! Harrods is such a fun place to people watch - it's literally like another world in there. Stopping over from Treat YoSelf Thursday :)

    Kam | A Married Couple & Their Travels

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  13. Hi Brittany, thanks for stopping by my blog, I'm now following you on Bloglovin. We didn't go to Camden market but it sounds like fun. It only rained once when we were there. I love the pic of Harrods all Iit up! I can't wait to visit it again sometime. Take care. Julie

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  14. What fun! I would so love to go there. I'd love to see some English gardens! Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!!!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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    1. I'd love to see some English Gardens next time too. Possibly if I ever go back in the Spring!

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  15. I really enjoyed this! Great photos, how lucky you are to have visited London, I really hope to go there some day. Thanks so much for sharing this, and your posts on your top finds of 2013 and the cheese platter - that cute little toothpick holder is adorable - at my History & Home party. Hope you keep joining each week. We love having you there :) Take care - Dawn@ We Call It Junkin.com

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  16. I use Air bnb all the time, it's a good way of connecting with someone local and getting the best inside info....nice tour of the city!

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  17. What a great first day. We use Airbnb as well and it has worked well. I keep on seeing photos of lovely battered fish in London. Would love to visit Camden Lock again :)

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I love to hear from readers! Questions and comments welcome. I try to respond to everyone (I respond back to your comments on the comments page so check back for a response). Thanks for reading!

-Brittany Ruth