london day 1

Though Friday was my "London Day 1," Mom and Abby had already been in the city since Wednesday.  They had extra time to see Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, a few museums, the London Eye, and Greenwich.  They planned their itinerary accordingly so that we could see the things I wanted to see on Saturday and Sunday and avoid significant overlap for them.  Their early arrival in the city was also really helpful for me, since they'd had time to navigate, figure out the transit, and determine schedules and priorities for our days together in London.    

Unfortunately, the ticket office to get my London Pass didn't open until 10 on Saturday morning, so we didn't want to go to any of our big sights for the day before I had the pass so that I didn't lose money or have to wait for tickets.  We ate at Pret a Manger before getting the pass.  

Tower Bridge

I think we were still at the Tower Bridge by 10:30, if not sooner.  There we joined a free Beefeater Tour- the guards are dressed in traditional armed force regalia (not a costume or an outfit- their actual uniform) and lead groups on comical tours through the tower/fortress/castle area.  The Tower served a lot of purposes in London and the UK's history, but it was often a place for torture, executions, imprisonment, and illness in the city.  It also served as a royal residence.  The crowned jewels are held there today, but unfortunately that was one site we had to skip for the sake of time. 

Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben

We took the underground to the Westminster/Parliament/Big Ben area next.  The Westminster Abbey was absolutely beautiful inside and out- we couldn't take pictures inside, so you'll have to go check it out yourself ;).  The Abbey included an audio guide, and though they seem kind of ridiculous, it's a great way to learn so much more about what you're seeing, and we really enjoyed having them.  Prince William and Kate were married in Westminster Abbey, and it's also a burial site for many royalty and an active church. 

After touring the Abbey, we were kind of drained, but we had to get to St. Paul's Cathedral while they were still open and allow adequate time to visit there.  We took the tube there and decided to make a quick stop for lunch to-go at Caffe Nero.  When we walked around the corner to the Cathedral's entrance, we found out that the cathedral was closed for a special event.  That was definitely a disappointment, since that Cathedral is where Charles and Diana were married, for one, and we were also bummed that we had a sub-par lunch on the run when we could've had more time to get something better haha.  However, it ended up allowing more time for us to do some other things we'd hoped to squeeze in.  We took the hop-on, hop-off bus included with our tour for about an hour, maybe a little more, and it was a nice break to see more of the city without spending time on foot and navigating.  We got relatively in the direction of where we needed to be to get to our next stop, Notting Hill. 

Notting Hill

Abby and Mom had time to explore Greenwich, but I got to at least see the Notting Hill neighbourhood.  I didn't know what to expect, but it was a little different from what I was envisioning.  My favourite part was definitely the beautifully painted townhomes.  We had supper at The Chipping Forecast and all got fish and chips and shared a toffee pudding for dessert.  The waitresses were super helpful there and gave us recommendations and a little walking route for what we should see in the area.  The Portobello Road market would've happened earlier in the day, and most of the shops along the street were closed.  We did find some of the iconic sights from the movie Notting Hill, so Mom had to pose with the blue apartment door and the bookstore. 

King's Cross Station

If you're not a Harry Potter fan, King's Cross is just another European subway/train/bus station for connections to the city and greater London area.  If you are a Harry Potter fan, King's Cross is so much more!!!  All of the wizarding students use King's Cross and Platform 9 3/4 to get to Hogwarts via the Hogwarts Express.  Now there is a really fun photo op there with a trolley, a sign, and wands, house scarfs, etc. for fans to take a picture.  I waited in line for probably 45 minutes, maybe more, to get a picture.  It was so much busier than we anticipated, but there is even a Harry Potter store there, and the crowd is controlled to keep people in a line to wait for the picture area!  It was a really fun way to end a busy day and was a must-see for me in London.      

We packed a lot into our only full day together but were so pleased with what all we did get to see and how we used our time.  It felt good to hop into bed after a busy day, but busy days will definitely be the pattern over the next week and a half!