Scubophilus Thistler

Last weekend, Ashleigh and I traveled down to London. It was both of our first times there, and we managed to pack loads into the two days. The train down on GNER was a bargain at only £10, and was the smoothest and quietest train ride I’d ever been on it. 2.5hrs later we arrived in Kings Cross.

We first headed to Trafalgar Square. It was extremely quiet, understandable for 9am on a weekend. After grabbing some photos with the huge lions, and lovely fountains, we headed down on foot to Westminster. The Palace of Westminster was enormous, amazing architecture. We continued on to the Westminster Abbey, which was incredible both inside and out. As the resting place of so many British Monarchs, it was quite eery inside. But amongst it all there was so much history to be seen inside.

We’d booked a hostel, The Astor Museum Inn, to stay in for the night. It was located nearby to Russell Square (Park and Station) and so we decided to check in that afternoon. After unloading luggage, we headed to the British Museum – the namesake for the hostel. It was literally across the road, and yet somehow it took us ages to actually find it. Free entry was well appreciated, and we spent a few hours browsing the remarkable artifacts from Greece, Rome and Egypt in particular. There was much more to see, and one could easily spend a whole day there.

The London Eye was the next stop for the weekend, with an amazing view of London on offer after surviving the huge line of eager patrons. The view was spectacular, and really brings out the enormity of the city. Afterwards we headed to the Tate Modern gallery. Some interesting pieces on offer here, including a giant crack down the long turbine room floor. Whilst some objects were just bizarre, it was still quite enjoyable and the size was not to overwhelming.

The next day we were of to Buckingham Palace, where we witnessed the changing of the guard. We were in a great position for the marching bands and troops entering the palace grounds, but not so much for the actual changing. It was an extremely popular event, and for a regular event it was still extremely dramatic. Afterwards we headed closer to town to Westminster Cathedral. Outside it seemed similar to a regular cathedral, yet the interior was fashioned with spectacular mosaics.

After a spot of shopping (ie. browsing) in the shockingly priced Harrods, we decided to catch the Dockhands Light Railway to Greenwich. The driverless train was fun to catch, and we ended up in the quaint town of Greenwich. It was such a quite town considering its proximity to London. We stood on the Greenwich Meridian Line at the top of Greenwich Park, and caught more spectacular views of London. That was just about it for the exhausting weekend, and we took a late train back to Leeds. London was an amazing city, and we’ll certainly be heading back sometime soon.