eight.
top five.
I am in no way,shape or form claiming to be a expert traveler, but I do think I can shed some light on traveling around London, so feel free to take what I am about to say with a grain of salt.
1. Getting a day pass for the Underground/Tube/Train
I can not stress the importance of getting a day pass, this bad boy will get you all over London for the next 24 hours. If you are told to purchase a Oyster Card and you won't be in London for longer than a week, I would highly advise against this. The Oyster Card is usually purchased by the daily travelers not tourists. Also try to avoid the rush hour times which are 8-9AM and 5-6PM, grumpy business men and women and packed trains will not be a good way to start or end your day.
2.Always get the black cabs.
This is mainly for getting to and from the airport with more than one piece of luggage, if you only have one suitcase please refer back to number 1. Now I know that sometimes cabs are just way more convenient, however they are very expensive. The red cabs that look very alluring are NOT the way to go, the usually charge whatever prices they please and alot of times they are clueless when it comes to roads. Always go for the black cabs they have a running meter, which can be very painful to watch. Be warned the cabs are NOT cheap.
3. Do your research
If you are in a time crunch and only have a few days in London get your priorities in order. Make sure you make a list of where you want to go and also look at times, because the timings at certain places can be a little odd. A few of my favorite places were Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Oxford Street, walking around the Thames, the National Gallery and the London Eye. The first few on this list are very touristy and places you really should see on your visit, however the last few are based on personal preference. I love art and the National Gallery is only on of the many museums in London I got to check out. Walking around the Thames in summertime is great, because of all the activity that is out there. On the Thames you will also find the London eye and the aquarium as well as local food and art carts. I live in the city with the world's largest aquarium so I opted out of the London aquarium, however I am so glad that I actually went on the Eye. In 30 minutes I say amazing view of the city and not to mention I got some amazing pictures!
4.EAT
London has such a wide variety of food that it would almost be a sin to not indulge yourself. Everything tastes so fresh and alot different that what we have back here. For fast food, make sure you hit up your local Nandos. Nandos is Portuguese food that is loved all over Europe and is vegetarian friendly. Wagamama's is another popular chain that is all over Europe, it's a asian fusion easy sit down place that isn't too fancy. Depending on where you are in London do check out the Indian food, if you are into that, my parents love it. For my fellow Starbucks enthusiasts, Europe generally has amazing coffee shops and food. Costa and Cafe Nero are two that are very popular. Not only is the coffee amazing but the food is also equally amazing and they have an amazing variety. (FYI. Toastie=Grilled Cheese) Also be sure to check out your favorite restaurants from back home and be amazed with the variety in the menus.McDonalds is so much tastier overseas. Be sure to check out the local pubs and bars where you can really mingle with the locals.
5.Save up
Let me just say, the UK is pricey, especially if you are coming from the states. The exchange rate seems to be a bit unforgiving at roughly $1.5 to every £1. When it comes to exchanging I would highly suggest to NOT do it at one of the many exchange counters you will see. They will most likely rip you off with fee's. Try going to a local bank or getting a debit card that won't charge you to use your card internationally,Charles Schwab is a great option. Another tip would be to mix fine dining and fast food. In London, it is not too difficult to find gourmet and nutritious fast food. Mixing the two will also really help you explore the city and live like the locals!
Monday, July 22, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
seven
seven.
This was my truly full on tourist day in London. We go a pretty late start, around noon and started off in Hyde Park, which was packed due to the usual appearance of the sun. We strolled over to Buckingham Palace which was amazing, as expected. Of course my sister and I had to take a 20 minute picture session, but after that we walked the long stretch that you see the royals drive on to leave the palace to Trafalgar Square. Now I must not have the luck with these lions because this is the third time they were closed off when I tried to climb on them, however we took another quick photo session before we hopped back on the tube and made our way to the real fun, oxford street.
We did quite a bit of damage and stuck around for about 3 hours until we decided we need a break from all the "hard work" , we then went over to Thames and walked around a bit, again there were a ton of people out because it was such a gorgeous day. We hung at the rooftop bar overlooking the Thames taking advantage of the free WiFi. We soon met-up with a lovely family friend over at the Westfield Mall, and I know there are quite a few but this was the one near Shepherd's Bush. We ate a lovely restaurant called Fire and Stone and we had my favorite Pizza! Now if pizza doesn't tickle your fancy there were a ton of nice sit down restaurant's outside and a bunch of quick fast food places inside the mall. We had a lot of catching up to do, so we took our time with our lovely pizza, drinks and dessert before we headed off home.
This was my truly full on tourist day in London. We go a pretty late start, around noon and started off in Hyde Park, which was packed due to the usual appearance of the sun. We strolled over to Buckingham Palace which was amazing, as expected. Of course my sister and I had to take a 20 minute picture session, but after that we walked the long stretch that you see the royals drive on to leave the palace to Trafalgar Square. Now I must not have the luck with these lions because this is the third time they were closed off when I tried to climb on them, however we took another quick photo session before we hopped back on the tube and made our way to the real fun, oxford street.
We did quite a bit of damage and stuck around for about 3 hours until we decided we need a break from all the "hard work" , we then went over to Thames and walked around a bit, again there were a ton of people out because it was such a gorgeous day. We hung at the rooftop bar overlooking the Thames taking advantage of the free WiFi. We soon met-up with a lovely family friend over at the Westfield Mall, and I know there are quite a few but this was the one near Shepherd's Bush. We ate a lovely restaurant called Fire and Stone and we had my favorite Pizza! Now if pizza doesn't tickle your fancy there were a ton of nice sit down restaurant's outside and a bunch of quick fast food places inside the mall. We had a lot of catching up to do, so we took our time with our lovely pizza, drinks and dessert before we headed off home.
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| Buckingham Palace... The Queen was in! |
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| Big Ben lovely to see you again! |
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| My Travel Buddy and I<3 |
Friday, July 5, 2013
six.
six.
Windsor castle.
Day one of our adventure begun straight away...who has time for jet lag. We had about an hour to rest up once we got picked up from Heathrow by a family friend and were whisked away to Windsor Castle. Let me just tell you I was ecstatic that this was our first stop. I love all things royal, castles included. Not only were the grounds amazing but the weather was refreshing from the hot and humid Georgia weather. After exploring the castle grounds, we stopped to feed the swans and than headed back home. We finished off the night with some of my favorite places across the pond, Nandos. The jet lag was killer so we decided to call it a night pretty early.
*I included some pictures of me at Windsor, be warned I pose for every picture, whoops!
Windsor castle.
Day one of our adventure begun straight away...who has time for jet lag. We had about an hour to rest up once we got picked up from Heathrow by a family friend and were whisked away to Windsor Castle. Let me just tell you I was ecstatic that this was our first stop. I love all things royal, castles included. Not only were the grounds amazing but the weather was refreshing from the hot and humid Georgia weather. After exploring the castle grounds, we stopped to feed the swans and than headed back home. We finished off the night with some of my favorite places across the pond, Nandos. The jet lag was killer so we decided to call it a night pretty early.
*I included some pictures of me at Windsor, be warned I pose for every picture, whoops!
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| I feel right at home! |
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| The Castle Grounds |
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| Beautiful white swans |
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
five.
five.
im back.
Woahh. These past 15 days have flown by, but I am offically back :( I had anticipated doing alot more blogging on the way but got very occupied (stories to come in future posts. I have decided the best way to break down the trip is throw up seperate posts with pictures from each day. Once I finish doing laundry and upload and edit all 900 pictures, I will definitly be sharing them!
im back.
Woahh. These past 15 days have flown by, but I am offically back :( I had anticipated doing alot more blogging on the way but got very occupied (stories to come in future posts. I have decided the best way to break down the trip is throw up seperate posts with pictures from each day. Once I finish doing laundry and upload and edit all 900 pictures, I will definitly be sharing them!
Monday, June 17, 2013
four.
four.
This is it.
Today is the day people. I feel like I have been talking about this trip for ages but now it is really happening. I have my bags stuffed to the brim and I am so excited to head off to London town. My flight from Atlanta leaves around 5 and the first stop is Canada and then the next stop is Heathrow. Although I am not super excited about the 15+ hour journey I have taken multiple distractions for me to play with. Im also going to be flying Air Canada but im hoping it up to par. I will keep yall posted!
This is it.
Today is the day people. I feel like I have been talking about this trip for ages but now it is really happening. I have my bags stuffed to the brim and I am so excited to head off to London town. My flight from Atlanta leaves around 5 and the first stop is Canada and then the next stop is Heathrow. Although I am not super excited about the 15+ hour journey I have taken multiple distractions for me to play with. Im also going to be flying Air Canada but im hoping it up to par. I will keep yall posted!
Sunday, June 9, 2013
three.
Logistics
Three.
So we are finally at the week mark. In seven days I will be all packed and headed for Atlanta to London with a short pit stop in Canada. Now whoever said you can have fun without money was wrong, at least when traveling internationally. Not being able to buy a tube pass,phone chip or food is not a fun vacation to me. So instead of taking cash and trying to get it traded out for horrendous prices on the American end, we decided to go with a smarter route, a Charles Schwab account.
Now you have to be 18 to open one, but once you do they give you the best bang for your buck when traveling internationally. I would suggest atleast going 2 weeks in advance but 3 to be safe, however for $15 they can expedite it to you (which is what I did). Another great thing about this card is they do NOT charge when you withdraw money or make transitions.Don't forget to call and let them know you will be traveling internationally and as soon as you land in your destination hit up an ATM and make a withdrawal. Don't forget about the logistics my friends, no food=no fun.
Three.
So we are finally at the week mark. In seven days I will be all packed and headed for Atlanta to London with a short pit stop in Canada. Now whoever said you can have fun without money was wrong, at least when traveling internationally. Not being able to buy a tube pass,phone chip or food is not a fun vacation to me. So instead of taking cash and trying to get it traded out for horrendous prices on the American end, we decided to go with a smarter route, a Charles Schwab account.
Now you have to be 18 to open one, but once you do they give you the best bang for your buck when traveling internationally. I would suggest atleast going 2 weeks in advance but 3 to be safe, however for $15 they can expedite it to you (which is what I did). Another great thing about this card is they do NOT charge when you withdraw money or make transitions.Don't forget to call and let them know you will be traveling internationally and as soon as you land in your destination hit up an ATM and make a withdrawal. Don't forget about the logistics my friends, no food=no fun.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
two.
two.
Let the countdown begin.
Tomorrow marks the end of May and I think that it is finally acceptable to begin the countdown for my trip. Although I won't pull out my suitcases and rip apart my closet just yet, I think I will have to start making doing my research. The majority of my trip is guided, however we will still have the evenings to ourselves and I will be taking full advantage of the opportunities presented to a fresh 18 year old. I realized that Made and Chelsea and Harry Potter wasn't actually accurate research, so I will definitely be spending a few afternoons at my local Starbucks with my laptop and notepad...I will keep y'all posted.
Let the countdown begin.
Tomorrow marks the end of May and I think that it is finally acceptable to begin the countdown for my trip. Although I won't pull out my suitcases and rip apart my closet just yet, I think I will have to start making doing my research. The majority of my trip is guided, however we will still have the evenings to ourselves and I will be taking full advantage of the opportunities presented to a fresh 18 year old. I realized that Made and Chelsea and Harry Potter wasn't actually accurate research, so I will definitely be spending a few afternoons at my local Starbucks with my laptop and notepad...I will keep y'all posted.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
one.
one.
Today marks the end of a chapter with my high school graduation. Recently, I have began to think about the world and all that it has to offer. I have always have been lucky enough to go to many exotic places and but I have always craved more, many call this wanderlust: a strong desire for or impulse to travel and explore the world.
My parents have gifted me an on the best presents to start my new journey into adulthood, a 2 1/2 week Europe trip with my older sister, who is also a recent college graduate and one of my best friends. We embark on this journey on June the 17th and between work, family, friends and all the crazy stuff going on, I just want to share my adventures!
*I included some pictures of my most recent travels
Today marks the end of a chapter with my high school graduation. Recently, I have began to think about the world and all that it has to offer. I have always have been lucky enough to go to many exotic places and but I have always craved more, many call this wanderlust: a strong desire for or impulse to travel and explore the world.
My parents have gifted me an on the best presents to start my new journey into adulthood, a 2 1/2 week Europe trip with my older sister, who is also a recent college graduate and one of my best friends. We embark on this journey on June the 17th and between work, family, friends and all the crazy stuff going on, I just want to share my adventures!
*I included some pictures of my most recent travels
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| A beautiful December day at Santa Monica in Sunny Cali |
A busy day in Central London during the queens jubilee week
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| Lady Liberty on a boiling June day in NYC |
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| Beautiful Grenada from the top of Fort George in April |
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| A beautiful view of the Ganges in India |
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