London

Hotels were very expensive when we were looking for places to stay in London. We decided to save some money and stay in hostels. It was my first time staying in a hostel so I was a little nervous. The first night we had a private room. I was really glad because I didn’t have a change of clothes to sleep in or wear the next day. The second night we stayed in a different room that was with four other people. I didn’t enjoy sharing a room at this hostel. Some of the guests were strange. The hostel overall wasn’t great. The restrooms/showers were like ones you see at a public gym. Long rows of stalls and only a curtain in the shower with a single hook to hang all your stuff. The hostel also had a college dorm vibe. In the evening, the lobby would turn into a club with loud music. This might be a dream come true for some people but the dorm life is not for me. Especially when everyone in the dorm is sketchy and strange. On the plus side, the hostel was right across the street from the Westfield mall. We had a lot of food options, an Apple store so I could charge my phone (adapter was in my missing luggage), and plenty of stores for me to buy clothes. That’s where I bought my two TopShop shirts.

Our second hostel was a five minute walk from Big Ben! I highly recommend The Walrus Hostel. I was a little worried about this place before we got there because the “lobby” is a public bar. However, the bar wasn’t loud and the staff were all very friendly and kind. They even called the airport for me a few times to check if my luggage was coming to London before I left. Also, we met some very friendly people from around the world in our 10 person room. It’s always nice meeting new people on vacation. I really enjoyed the people, location and how safe I felt at this hostel. I would stay there a second time if I need to. The only negatives were the bathrooms and that it’s next to a train station. The bathrooms weren’t as bad as the first place. They were private but there was a long wait every morning because people would be taking showers. Each floor had two bathrooms but 20+ people on each floor.

The first few days in London we spent most of our time exploring. It wasn’t until we started reading free guide books that we started planning things and making reservations. I really enjoyed our time exploring though. One morning we just walked out of our hostel and went where ever our feet led us.

If you were wondering how I could afford everything from underwear to toiletries in such an expensive city, I knew of cheap UK stores before going to London. I’ve had an obsession with British beauty gurus for years. I purchased makeup and toiletries from Boots and clothing from Primark and H&M(not UK but inexpensive). I ended up spending over £100 in Primark but I got a big bag of clothing. Enough to dress me for the rest of the trip. Missing my luggage wasn’t all bad. I did have an excuse to shop in UK stores that I had been dreaming of going to for years. I also only bought makeup from brands that weren’t available in the US. 

The Tube, walking, and double-decker buses are all fun ways to get around London. I purchased an 7-day Oyster card as soon as we arrive so I wouldn’t have to keep loading it with money. I’m glad I did that because we were using the Tube frequently since it was so convenient and comfortable. The London metro system is one of the nicer ones I’ve used. 

Oh! Did I mention we saw the QUEEN on our way to tea? Yeah, well, we did.

My roommate and I had time to kill before our afternoon tea reservation so we decided to walk around the area for a bit. When we were heading back to the restaurant, we saw a huge crowd and decided to stand with everyone and see what was going on. Minutes later the Queen drives by! She’s the one in the pink outfit with a matching hat. I’m sure other important royalty was present but I only recognized her.

I love that story because I don’t think it gets anymore British than that. We were on our way to afternoon tea when we just happen to see the Queen of England.

The afternoon tea was lovely. We both got ginger lemon tea (because we were getting over a flu) and shared the tower of food in the photo. The price was about £20 for each of us but we weren’t full after finishing everything. Eating in London is very expensive. I remember eating at McDonald’s once or twice to save money. We were also purchasing snacks from grocery stores and drugstores.

One evening in London, we went on the Jack The Ripper tour. I’m not a murder mystery/horror lover but I went because my roommate back in Florence told us we need to go because that was her favourite thing she did in London. I was surprised how much I enjoyed the whole experience. The guy who was our guide was creeping me out at first which added to the tour. As the tour went on, I started to enjoy his personality. He went from creepy dude who could murder us to friendly vampire dude. I whispered to my roommate during the tour that he reminds me of a vampire and she said she felt that way too. However, he was really nice and even went out with us to his favorite Indian restaurant after the walking tour. I was excited to get Indian food in London because I heard they have some of the best Indian cuisine in the world.

Another thing I REALLY wanted to do while in London was go to Harry Potter Studios. My roommate wasn’t interested in Harry Potter, but lucky for me, while we were in London, two of our classmates were visiting for a few days and one of them wanted to go as well. 

I remember the Warner Bros. Studios being on the outskirts of London because it was about an hour long ride from where we were. I didn’t mind at all because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and something I’d wanted to do since it opened. 

Was Professor Snape anyone else’s favorite character from the films?

♥RIP Alan Rickman♥

I of course couldn’t go to the Harry Potter Studios without getting a Butterbeer! I’ve been obsessed ever since I had one in Universal Studios Orlando.

If you end up going here while in London, be prepared to see ridiculous prices. Everything in the Studio was expensive but I still bought a few things to take home as gifts for friends. I decided I was never coming back so I might as well spend $25 for $4 candy. 

Why do I look incredibly ill in this photo? I blame the lighting. & I had the flu when I arrived to London. But thank God for the cold and flu medicine. I never tried black currant flavored medicine until this trip. It’s very different from the standard American cherry flavor. England’s the only place besides Russia where I’ve seen something black currant flavored.

Even though my trip to London started out with a flight delay, paying money to check in a bag, having that bag lost, and with a flu I caught the day before, London is still one of my favorite cities in the world. Besides all those disaster, I had a great time thanks to this wonderful city.

-Ayla♥