Euro Trip: Part Six – London

The final part of my Euro trip began on the Eurostar train from Paris to London. After racing through the French countryside we went though the Channel Tunnel and finally emerged in London.

Once I had checked into my hotel for the weekend, I caught up with a former flatmate for the evening. By convenient coincidence there was a Science Uncovered late night at the Natural History Museum which we explored before making a late night cafe visit in Kensington.

I started early the following morning planning to do a bit of exploring before meeting up with a former uni mate for the afternoon. The exploration began at the Tower of London, before crossing Tower Bridge and visiting the Borough Markets and Southwark Cathedral. After walking a little further up the Thames I found the Globe Theatre and lost an hour in Tate Modern. From here I crossed the Millennium Bridge, walked past St Paul’s Cathedral and then became completely lost trying to find a tube station to get to Trafalgar Square.

At Trafalgar Square I met with my former uni colleague and we spent the afternoon exploring the royal area of London. Beginning at Trafalgar Square we walked through Admiralty Arch, and took a detour to the Horse Guards before heading through St James’s Park to Buckingham Palace. From here we walked through to Westminster Abby, Parliament, and Whitehall. After crossing the Thames, we then explored more markets around Southbank.

In the evening, I explored Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, Oxford Street, Soho, The West End, Chinatown and Leicester Square. After the work Subway sub I’ve ever had another long day of walking was over.

The next morning, I caught a tube to Hyde Park Corner and after visiting the Australia, New Zealand, and Bomber Command War Memorials, I walked through Hyde Park to Kensington Palace. From here I then walked across to the Royal Albert Hall before losing a few hours in the Science and V&A Museums.

After lunch, I went into Harrods before crossing back through Hyde Park to Speakers Corner and Marble Arch. From here I again walked down Oxford Street and somehow got lost in the side-streets.

In the evening, I decided to go for a walk back down the Thames.

On my last day in London (and Europe), I caught the docklands light rail out to Greenwich and visited the royal observatory and the prime median of the world. Then after exploring Greenwich Village, I walked through a tunnel under the Thames and through to Canary Wharf.

Finally, I rounded off my Europe trip with another stroll through London, finding the Shand and the Old Bailey before heading out to Heathrow Airport for the long flight back to Sydney.