London

This trip was especially exciting as I was meeting up with my Spanish housemates, who I hadn’t seen in a long while since moving. I was back home in the UK for the Easter holidays and my Spanish friends had planned a weekend in London. One had never been before, so she was keen to check out some of the attractions.

We had a list of things we wanted to see and do between us and made a sort of loosely followed itinerary from that. My friends were staying slightly longer than me, as I had other plans to spend some time with family and friends from home. So, I didn’t go with them to see some of the other attractions they were excited about like Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Yes, I’ve experienced them before, but the likes of Big Ben and all the architecture are still really interesting. And just having a glimpse of ‘how the other half lives’ is also quite interesting and fun!

My friends wanted to save as much as possible so that they could experience as much of London as possible, shop and buy souvenirs!  I, however, was only staying for one night and not buying souvenirs on this little trip, so wasn’t overly worried about our accommodation. But, I have to admit, when they said they had booked a hostel instead of a hotel I was quite dubious. I’m not a snob of course! However, I’ve only ever stayed in hostels as a teenager and in my early 20s during school camps and when travelling. And that was staying in a dormitory where I knew everyone, and so felt safer.

During this trip, the three of us had booked to stay in a 6-bed all-female dormitory. So, I was a little nervous about who the other 3 ladies might be! Even though I was only staying for one night myself, if I’m honest, it was the part of the trip I really wasn’t looking forward to and even dreading if I’m honest!

But, this was soon put to rest once we’d arrived. We’d booked our stay at Wombat’s City Hostel London. The beds were quite comfy, with curtains for extra privacy and a locker that was locked and unlocked using your room key card for extra security.

We shared with three other girls who were quite nice and pleasant. One was quite quiet and wanted to keep herself to herself, which we all respected. There was a very chatty, friendly Irish girl who was about my age and stayed in hostels often on her solo travels. And an Italian girl who was also solo travelling. The hostel lived up to its reputation for cleanliness and all in all it was a pretty friendly, comfortable and safe stay. I’m glad my friends chose it, and we also got to save a bit by not staying in a hotel! Excellent!

I’m even considering booking this hostel for my next trip, as they have various locations in Europe.

After checking into the hostel we began our trip with a walk to Shoreditch and along the high street before checking out one or two pubs. We thought this would give us a chance to have a proper chat and catch up over a drink as well as experience the street art in the area. We then made our way over to Spitalfields Market. Honestly, it’s just huge! I didn’t realise how big it was. But it was fun and interesting walking around all of the different stalls. We also went out onto the high street shops where one of my friends bought a jacket and handbag.

We perhaps left it a little late in the day by the time we made our way over to Tower Bridge. I would have liked to have gone inside and along the glass floor. But actually, seeing it at night seemed quite magical when it’s all lit up in blue. And you can really appreciate the architecture and craftsmanship of the whole structure any time of the day. I particularly liked the individual plagues as you walk along the bridge of the people and their different roles in constructing the bridge. The blue line of Tower Bridge.

Once we had got to the other side of the bridge we stopped to have dinner at the Tower Bridge Kitchen restaurant. One of my friends wanted something English and traditional, so naturally I suggested fish and chips! The food and drinks were lovely, and the service was really good. We had a very friendly, happy waitress serve us. Although, I was just a little disappointed that they served the fish and chips with a side salad and dressing. I think mushy peas would have made it just that little more traditional as a veggie side order!

On our second day, we opted to have breakfast at Eggbreak. We had to queue for a little while (no more than 20 minutes) as we hadn’t made a reservation beforehand. But, queuing down the street is a sign of a good restaurant, right? They literally had any type of eggs you wanted. Each dish on the menu sounded so delicious. In the end we went for eggs benedict with salmon and hot honey French toast. I’d highly recommend eating here.

After breakfast, we made a 10-minute walk over to Portobello Road Market. Being a Saturday, it was incredibly busy, but a doable walk through the street to see everything and make the odd stop-offs. As we made our way along the streets the buildings and their array of colours were just stunning. It was at the time of year when everything was in blossom too, which just added to the picturesque scenery.

We took the tube to Soho to see a little more of central London and of course, do a little more shopping and window shopping! We found is so much easier, and a little less expensive using our contactless bank cards to tap in and out of the tube rather than queue for a ticket machine or get an Oyster card. Especially if you’re just coming to London for a weekend once in a blue moon like we were!

After stopping off for a coffee it was time for me to say my goodbyes and head off for the tube and train back home for a family gathering that evening. Until our next meet-up destination!