With the summer going on I've travelled quite some times the past two months, but my favourite kind of travels are city trips. Especially city trips to London. I've been in London several times and it is without any doubt the most enchanting place I've ever been. I really really like the vibe and the variety of styles and places. Everything you can wish for is within hand reach and you can truly be yourself without getting judged there.
Also, there are some must sees, some very well known, others more hidden in a suburb, but all equally special. I thought I'd just list some of my favourite places in London for you, maybe you're planning to go to this lovely city and can get some inspiration out of this post.
Of course you've got to see the highlights such as the Tower of London, The Tower Bridge, Trafalgar square, Oxford and Regent street and so on, but I can't list all of the cool places there. I just picked out a few special ones to share with you.
Highgate cemetery
Highgate cemetery is a Victorian cemetery opened in 1831 and still in use. It has two sides, the West and east side. West is the oldest and prettiest, East is where Karl Marx is buried. It's a very beautiful place and very different from contemporary burial places. You can truly see how different the Victorian vision on Death was. There's a giant Mausoleum built for an 8-year old girl and an Egyptian avenue with spots for above-ground burials. The avenue leads to the 'Circle of Lebanon', which is kind of the same thing as the avenue, but it's round. It's a very beautiful place and it has been an inspiration for writers and artist through the centuries. You wouldn't expect something like that to be in London.
British museum
Everybody knows the British museum of course. With its 13 million objects it's one of the biggest museums in the world. You can get lost in the museum for days and when you leave, you get the feeling you've just seen every special thing on this planet. Even if you don't like history the British museum is impressive. It has the most beautiful library and architecture. The entrance, as in most museums in London, is free.
Brick Lane
Brick lane is one of the most vivid streets in London. It's full of vintage stores and markets where you can buy the cutest outfits. There's a lot of amazing street art as well, for instance from the famous graffiti-artist Banksy. If you want to eat there, I highly recommend 'the boiler house'. It's an industrial warehouse owned by The Old Truman Brewery. Around about 11 o'clock little international food booths start popping up. You can eat all kinds of pies, dutch pancakes, curries, tortilla's…
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Portobello road is a street in Notting hill (known from the movie with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant). It's very well known for it's colourful houses, antique stores and little fashion boutiques where you can buy the cutest vintage dresses (and a lot more of course). Portobello road is also known for its markets. If you go there, do check out where the market you want to see is exactly, because there are five different markets. The fruit and vegetables market, the fashion market, the new goods market, the second hand goods market and the antiques section.
Borough market
Borough market is a gigantic indoor food market situated not that far from the Millennium bridge and the Southwark bridge, crammed between two other houses. It's a very cosy market and the food is delicious. I highly recommend the red velvet cupcakes from Sugargrain -The Free From Bakehouse and the duck confit sandwich from The Market Quarter.
Hamleys
Hamleys in Oxford Street is the biggest toy store in the world and I don't think much explanation is needed. It's simply heaven, it feels like you're in Santa claus' warehouse, surrounded by elves.
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is very touristic, which I normally hate about places. But this place has something special, and I like it. I can't go to London without going to Covent Garden. It's very atmospheric and full of life. I love sitting in a bar and watching the crowd walk around or the street artists selling their act. If you're looking for a nice bar or restaurant, try Union Jacks by Jamie Oliver and Chris Bianco. I absolutely adore their 'Cloudy Lemonade'. Another good restaurant in Covent Garden, a bit out of the centre though, is Punjab. It's one of the best Indian restaurants I've ever tried.
Have you ever been to London? Or are you planning to go there? Please tell us your favourite places or cities in the comments below :)
-E
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Ik ben nog nooit in Londen geweest maar het lijkt me een heerlijke stad, maar ik zou er graag nog eens naar toe gaan! Mijn favoriete stad is Parijs, geweldig vind ik het daar :)
ReplyDeleteParijs vindt ik ook geweldig! Het was lang mijn favoriete stad, maar sinds ik in Londen ben geweest hou ik toch nog net iets meer van Londen :)
ReplyDelete