A very large city, home to roughly 7.5 million people, London has tons to do.  So much in fact that there was obviously no way I was even going to try and fit it all in in 6 days.  I’ve outlined what I accomplished with my time in London.  First and foremost I would like to give a big thank you to Shannon Falzon, author of the fantastic blog the travelingscholar for showing me around London, giving me inside tips and allowing me to chat to another American in London.  Onward…

I landed from New York at Heathrow Airport, just west of downtown London.  A short train ride (Heathrow Connect for £7) and I arrived at Paddington Station.  I’m not gonna lie, it finally sunk in that I was in another country and I didn’t know another soul.  Once I gathered myself, I hit up the local McDonald’s, got connected to the internet for free and booked myself a hostel (www.hostelworld.com).  From that point on I felt comfortable knowing I had a roof over my head, at least for the first night.  For all the locations I visited, check out my MAP page, then check out my PHOTOS page to see all the splendor of London.

So a quick recap of my hotspots…

Hyde Park: A great open space right on the western edge of London, I saw tons of people running even in the middle of Winter.

Trafalgar Square & The National Gallery: The two spots are connected and simply amazing.  Trafalgar Square  is an amazing plaza that hosts speakers and mass groupings alike.  The National gallery holds some amazing artwork, including Van Gogh and Monet.

Big Ben & Houses of Parliament: Both attractions are iconic to London.  Although I never stepped foot into Parliament, the architecture of both was amazing just to look at.   Not to mention when they are lit up at night they look amazing.

Westminster Abbey: Another site that was great from the outside but I didn’t have a chance to scope out the interior.  I have heard it is well worth the admission fee though.

St. Paul’s Cathedral: This was without a doubt my favorite spot in all of London.  Maybe it’s my architecture nerd coming out, but I was blown away by every aspect of this building.  I stepped inside and was astonished by the vaulted ceilings and artwork within the dome.  I even climbed 500 plus steps to reach the top and it was worth it.  The Golden Gallery (top) provided unobstructed views of all of London and allowed me to snap many of the photos in my London album.  It would have been well worth the £12 but I snuck in anyway, using my hobodrifing skills.  If you don’t want to sneak in but still check out at least the cathedral interior, you can go to a free service at 5pm each day.

The Monument: This one doesn’t show up on many maps, but it’s still quite the site.  It’s on the northern bank, next to the London Bridge.  A 202 foot high column that was created to commemorate the great fire of 1666.  You can go to the top for £3

Tate Modern: This is simply a modern art museum, but placed along the Thames River and directly accessed by the Millennium Bridge, this is quite the popular attraction.  I personally have little understanding of modern art, but was still intrigued by some of the work, not to mention it’s free admission to most of the museum.

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre: This was just amazing to see because it still has a thatched roof (regardless if it isn’t really a thatched roof anymore).  The history behind it is more impressive than the building itself, but it would have been great to catch a show there anyway.

The Tower of London: Merely a medieval castle, this large fortress seemed quite the attraction to the common tourist.  Don’t get me wrong, it was impressive from the outside, I just didn’t think it was worth £17 at all.

The London Eye: Simply put, it’s a ferris wheel, a rather large one at that.  Quite the site to look at during the night, but not worth the money to ride unless you aren’t going somewhere else to catch a bird’s eye view of London.

Food for Thought (Covent Garden): I had to mention this little restaurant in the heart of London.  It was a delicious little vegetarian joint that made amazing food.  Check it out if you can.

Overall, I really enjoyed London and would recommend it to anyone.  It’s a clean and safe city with a lot to offer.  You can always hit up the local grocery store (sainsburys) if you want to save some cash on food.  The tube (subway) is a well connected transit system that makes it easy to get around town (see my Transportation Review #1).  The sites are amazing, but it’s the well mixed people that makes London really interesting.  It truly is a melting pot of different races living together.  Not like America, here they actually live together, not segregated by ridiculous prejudices (at least from a tourist standpoint, in which the validity is up for interpretation).  Visit London not only for the sites and sounds, but for the history and culture behind it.

Sometimes it’s easy to put your head down, make sure not to stray from the beaten path, and do what is familiar.  We all know that familiar = easy.  But what did it take to get to familiar?  The unfamiliar.  The unknown is undoubtedly scary at times, but what it can unlock is glorious.

I’ve been traveling for about 5 days now, and I’ve seen world class art and architecture,  slept in 4 different beds, walked until my feet and back were severely aching, and now I have a half dozen new friends to show for it.  Who knows what else is in store for me.  It could be a week of shit just to get to those few sublime moments.  I was touring St. Paul’s Cathedral and the second I stepped into the Nave (main hall), I looked up in awe at the vaulted ceiling and felt everything stop.  It was an absolutely amazing feeling to know that all my doubts to this point could be put to rest because of this amazing piece of architecture.

I’m not saying drop everything and go travel.  Just do something today that you don’t normally do.  Eat something you’ve never had before, go to work a different way (possibly by walking or on a bike), tell someone something about yourself you never thought you would share, or talk to a perfect stranger.  The great thing about any of those things is that you have no idea what might happen next.  You may find a new food you love, your path to work may have just gotten easier, you may open up a side to yourself or someone else you never thought possible, or you even make a new friend.  One, none, or all of these scenarios is the reality.  Don’t be discouraged if it’s none.  There have been times when I just want to pack up and go home because I miss my friends or a comfortable couch or watching the NFL playoffs.  The point is, mix it up every once in a while.  Variety is the spice of life my friends, so cook up some spicy food.

Lesson #1:  Never buy currency at the airport.  Most places abroad (obviously dependent on where you are going) take credit cards.  If you didn’t pick any up at the bank beforehand, forget getting it before you flight.  Grab some at the ATM when you land, you’ll most likely get that days exchange rate (way better than the one travelex gave me, idiot).  Check out my Gear page to find out what credit cards and checking accounts are the most traveler friendly.

Lesson#2:  Try not to freak out when you realize you just traveled thousands of miles to a foreign country and don’t know anyone or where anything is.  Not to mention this is the easy part of the trip, they actually speak English in England, weird.

Lesson#3: Don’t act like a bumbling idiot because you’re unfamiliar with your new environment.  You have just as much right being wherever it is you might be as the next guy, now act like it.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions or strike up conversations with people you see doing something you’re interested in or may need help with.  What’s the worst that can happen?  They stab you would be one bad scenario, but highly unlikely.  More often than not they will be very polite and help you with any questions you have.  Otherwise, they are rude or laugh at you and say you look like a clown with that 40 pound backpack, so you leave 5 seconds later never to see them again… jackass.

After all of this, it had finally sunk in that I was no longer in the US.  I couldn’t call a buddy up and ask them for directions.  I couldn’t call anyone up, I didn’t have an operational phone anymore.  It shouldn’t matter, many of us need to have that damn phone surgically removed from our ears anyway.  I utilized the resources I had at my disposal and hit up McDonald’s free WiFi.  I booked a hostel, found a map and was back in action and ready to role.  My whole idea was to go with the flow, but sometimes that can be a little tougher than you think.  A small bit of planning has proven to be a little more useful than blowing in the breeze like tumbleweed.   This is my third night and third hostel, a little risky given the fact I wait until the day of to book it (probably wouldn’t fly during the summer, not to mention it’s often times cheaper to book a whole week, but this is research).  Needless to say, I’m on my way to developing a method to my madness.  Ahh, this is the pure essence of HoboDrifter (hopefully that method is developed long before I run out of money).