A Weekend in London….

On February 28 - March 4, Mark and I traveled to the beautiful and historic city of London, England for a memorable four-day visit.

Mark had visited London in 1990, while returning home from a business trip in the Middle East.  The closest I came to visiting London had been when we landed at Heathrow Airport en route to Warsaw in June 2011. On that occasion we had a 6-hour layover….not enough to go into London, but long enough to take a taxi to visit Windsor Castle.

Mark had always wanted to visit London with me, so we were looking forward to this trip.

We have visited a few countries in Europe, and they have both similarities and differences.  The first thing I noticed when arriving in England was that everything was in English!  I loved being able to read the signs….it was a simple pleasure that came from having lived in a country where we couldn't read things on the streets.

While at the airport, we exchanged our money for British Pounds…the paper bills are much bigger than the U.S. dollars or the Polish zloty….but we found that we were able to spend them so much quicker!

At the airport we also purchased Oyster cards for use on the London transit system, which consists of the famous red double-decker buses and the Underground, the subway system commonly referred to as the Tube.  We transferred money onto the Oyster card, and used it like a debit card every time we boarded a tube train or bus.

Luckily for us, there was a tube stop just a 5-minute walk from our hotel, and we rode the tube several times each day.

I LOVED the caution signs painted on the ground as we got on and off the tube.  As the doors opened, we would hear a recorded voice say "Mind the gap". 

It was a warning to not step into the 6-inch space between the tube train and the platform.

Daily we rode on long and steep escalators to get in and out of the subway, and go from one subway line to another.  We were happy for the maps and signs that we followed closely.

In Warsaw there is one subway line that runs only north and south.  London has 15 subway lines running in a myriad of different directions!

Back above ground, many street intersections have the signs below, printed on the ground in BIG BOLD letters….I loved them!  They were great reminders to look in the correct direction for oncoming traffic.  

Since the English drive on the left side of the street, tourists from many countries can easily look in the wrong direction and think that no traffic is coming, when in fact there may be cars almost upon them, coming from the opposite direction that they looked. Very smart for London to do this for visiting tourists!

Later in our trip a tour guide told us that in England they drive on the right side of the street.  We all knew that wasn't true, but she explained herself by saying that she meant that they drive on the Correct side of the street….the left side….and that everyone else drives on the wrong side of the street.  We all smiled at her play on words.

There were functioning red phone booths all over town….I loved these bright, bold booths….though I never actually used one.

We were amazed that the phone booths were really working phone booths. We wondered if they are ever used…other than for photo ops for tourists like us, or maybe by people wanting a little  privacy as they use their cell phones.

Some favorite sites of London….Big Ben, the London Eye (ferris wheel) and Houses of Parliament.  My favorite…Big Ben!

When I first saw these bright red double-decker buses I thought "Wow, there really are a lot of tour buses and tourists in this city!" Little did I know that these are the regular city buses used all day long by citizens. We actually rode one for a short distance.

Piccadilly Circus…..this area reminded us of New York City's Times Square. 

Just across from this monument are huge bright neon signs with lots and lots of advertisements. 

The Tower Bridge…though it was cloudy, this bridge is really quite beautiful as it spans the Thames River and sits next to the Tower of London.

We rode on the London Eye on our 2nd night in London. It was a great 30 minute ride and the view of the city was fantastic! We only wish our camera could have captured the night scenes better.  Each of the pods on the Eye can hold 25 people.

The Shard…is London's most recently opened attraction.  This building is called the "Shard" because it is designed to look like a shard of glass.

 It is sleek, modern and attractive.  It is possible to go to the top for a great view of the city…but we chose to go on the Eye instead.

On our very first night we discovered a chain of fast food cafes with delicious and healthy foods, snacks and drinks…Pret A Manger ("Ready to Eat", in French).  Everywhere we went we saw Pret stores….seemingly on every block, and sometimes just across the street from each other.

We loved the sandwiches, wraps, soups, fresh fruit, popcorn and even salted dark chocolate.  We normally try to avoid chains, but since they were so convenient while we were on the go, we ate at Pret every day.

On our first night in London we went to see a play in the Haymarket Theatre Royal in the theater district.

 

Mark had wanted to see a comedy, so we saw "One Man, Two Guvnors".  It was hilarious, and we laughed and enjoyed the evening.

If we had been in London longer I would have enjoyed seeing a musical also…even one that I had seen before.  It was fun seeing where so many plays and musicals were being performed …so many choices.

One of my favorite views again…Big Ben….

….which actually has been renamed as Elizabeth Tower, commemorating the 60-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

I loved the English signs and hearing the English speak.  To me it sounds like they have an accent…but I wondered if they think that we are the ones with the accents. 

From the first day I loved the history and sights that I had previously seen only in books, television or the internet.  I knew our visit to London would be great!