Initial Reflection on Our Time in London (Apr 2024)

It blew my assumptions out of the water

We spent five days in London between our time in Argentina and Albania, even though London wasn’t on our list of places to go during our gap year. I had assumed it would be too cold and gray for my liking, similar to Seattle, which mostly didn’t suit me. And it isn’t a place we had considered living (high taxes and cost of living being major reasons, among others). But it was tricky to figure out how to go from South America to Central Europe, as all the flights were terribly expensive no matter the route or carrier. So I figured if we had to spend big money, why not see a city along the way that was new to most of us and that was near the top of Shelby’s bucket list? Behold, London.

Fortunately, I found a serviced apartment and covered the cost with points (my first redemption!), which helped defray some of our overall cost. I knew nothing about the area (South Kensington) and I didn’t have high expectations for London overall. Well, this was another lesson in how assumptions can shape our experiences because London blew us away, and me in particular. (Yes, I realize that staying in what I now know is one of the poshest areas may have influenced that!)

Having just come from Buenos Aires, I was especially struck by how clean, quiet, and easy it was to move through the city. It was no Tokyo, but it was without a doubt a first-class city. I appreciated being able to walk down sidewalks without worrying about falling into a hole or stepping on an uneven tile or pile of dog poop. I loved having access to reliable public transportation that you could navigate with Google maps. I appreciated drivers who followed rules of the road and where it was possible to cross the street without dodging cars and motorbikes. And I liked not constantly worrying about whether my phone might be stolen.

But what I really loved in London were the parks, the architecture, and the history. The green spaces really added a soft touch and provided an excellent place to be active outdoors without massive heat+humidity or mosquitoes (yes, I recognize time of year played into this). We were walking distance from Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, which had me in love at first sight, especially when I saw runners there. But even the neighborhood gardens were absolutely lovely, and now I see what English gardens are all about. It helped that we were there in early spring, so lots of trees were budding and colorful flowers were blossoming; walking around was a feast for the senses.

It was hard to decide what to do with only five full days to explore and jet lag to navigate. Plus, no one but me wanted to pack too much in, so it was a bit of a balancing act. We managed to see a bunch of the city via the hop-on/hop-off bus, have tea, walk through Harrods, see a theater show (Wicked), swing through Borough Market, walk over London Bridge, tour the Tower of London, walk through an Amazon Fresh store where you simply pick up the item you want and scan a code as you head out, go on a Sherlock Holmes tour, and ride the Tube like pros. I also went by myself to the Churchill War Rooms and I took Natasha to the Science Museum. And there’s so much more we could’ve done!

We liked London so much that we’d like to go back. How’s that for someone who never in a million years thought they could like London? To be fair, we had decent weather: Brisk, but not cold, and overcast with some sun and a few sprinkles, but not truly rainy. Had it poured all week, I may not have liked it as much. That said, I’m glad things worked out as they did.

Are you team London? If yes, what do you love about it and what should we definitely do if we go back? If not, what did you not like about it?