My Journey to London
It seems like everything has been told and written about this city but, amazingly enough, every time I come to London, be it for 5th, 10th or 20th time, I have a feeling of excitement that there’s still so much to see and explore.
ZI
Zhazira Ibrayeva
Mon, 05 Jun 2023
I’ve been there multiple times in different stages of my life, as a school student for summer break, a university student travelling from the north of England to visit friends and have fun and then as a working person for business trips. At each stage, London always meets the demand for newness while bringing the comfort of a familiar place. Before every trip, I prepare a list of places where I’d want to go thinking “ok, this time the list will be shorter”, but guess what, it never is.
You will never get bored there and each time you will fall more and more in love with this city: its history, the culture and the ability to respect the past and be in a vanguard of future.
There are major monuments, palaces, squares and museums that are well-known and can be found in every guide. Of course, all those places are worth a visit and more than just once but what I also suggest, is to look for hidden gems of the city, go off the beaten track, and find “your London”. Here’s a list of places of “my London”.
Covent Garden is one of the landmarks of London and is full of theatres and restaurants.
For me, a visit to London is not complete if you don’t walk around the Tower of London’s walls and see Tower Bridge. There, you can feel the centuries of history and greatness of this city. The Tower has served as an armoury, prison, treasury, and is home to the Crown Jewels. Legend says that The Crown and Britain will fall if ravens leave the Tower, so these intelligent birds are permanent residents of this palace together with the ghosts of those who lost their heads in the tower.
For a panoramic view of the centre of London climb up to the Primrose Hill, there you can relax and, if you are lucky with the weather, have a picnic with a spectacular view and maybe even run into a celebrity.
You should book yourself an evening to watch one of the famous musicals. Before the musical, take time to visit Neil’s Yard, one of the prettiest streets in London, which is full of independent restaurants, bars, cafés and shops.
Talking about pretty streets, you should definitely go to the Notting Hill district to see those lovely coloured houses and tiny, cosy shops.
Schedule the visit so that you can also look for treasures in the Portobello Road market and get yourself some unique vintage souvenirs.
For fancy shopping, instead of Harrods, I’d suggest you go to Forthum and Masons and get yourself a souvenir or a gift for your loved ones - a jar of honey or jam and a box of biscuits, made locally in the UK.
If you are in London for business, it’s likely you will be in The City of London where white and blue collars rush through the streets from one meeting to another and have drinks in the local pubs while striking deals.
London is home to hundreds of museums accounting for every taste, ranging from ancient Egyptian artifacts to modern art pieces. One of my personal favourites is the Tate Modern gallery of modern and contemporary arts. There are permanent exhibitions containing works of Picasso and Claude Monet and its major temporary exhibitions are always worth a visit.
When needed, you can always find an escape from the buzz in one of the gardens.
My favourite being St Dunstan in the East Church Garden, here you can have a cup coffee and take a break.
Harry Potter fans should visit the Leadenhall Market, one of the oldest and most beautiful markets located in The City, where scenes for the famous franchise were filmed. Go to the Lamb Tavern and have a pint, now you truly belong in The City.
And, of course, when in London you should treat yourself to a famous five o’clock tea. Go to the Palm Court at Langham to experience the afternoon tea tradition in a luxurious and relaxing atmosphere.
You can find literally everything in London, even Venice! An area called Little Venice, north of Paddington, has beautiful small canals where you can stroll around and treat yourself and have a traditional English breakfast in one of the boat cafes.
If you want to have a city break, I’d recommend a visit to Kew Gardens, It is a Royal Botanical Garden that has the largest botanical collections and is a UNESCO heritage site.
Lastly, as convenient as The Underground is, I strongly recommend to either walk or rent a bicycle to ensure you don’t miss anything and who knows, maybe you can find another hidden gem. I wish you great travels with Air Astana and finding “your London”.