A Postcard From... England
London Bridge, Big Ben, and Sausage Rolls!
After a dreary week in Ireland catching up on sleep, I headed to the UK to meet up with my roommate from San Diego, Ami, for a couple of days before continuing the rest of our summer adventure. Originally from the UK, Ami had been visiting family while I was on the Camino, and it was finally time for us to reunite—something I had been eagerly looking forward to after a lonesome few days.
We actually made it to England three times this summer! Using Ami’s parents’ place as a “home base,” we were able to store luggage and other items we didn’t need for the rest of our trip. I was incredibly thankful not to have to lug around all my Camino gear for the remainder of the summer. That being said, here’s a brief recap of my first trip to England!
I left Ireland and landed at London Heathrow mid-morning, giving us most of the day to catch up. We spent the day tackling laundry, exploring the local area, and catching up on everything from the last month! Not that we hadn’t been texting, but nothing beats a good ol’ in-person chat.
Ami’s task for the past month had been learning how to drive a stick shift, knowing we’d have a few manual cars to handle during the rest of the summer. So, off we went— on the wrong side of the road, in the wrong side of the car. Needless to say, just driving around for the afternoon was entertaining enough.
We stopped at a couple of local shops, where I had my first proper afternoon tea, complete with scones, jam, and cream. Later, we had dinner at a nearby pub with her extended family, whom I’d been hearing about for the past few years. It was so fun to finally meet them! I went for the classic fish and chips (of course) and finished with Eton Mess for dessert—a delicious combination of meringue, berries, and whipped cream. Not a bad first day!
Since I wasn’t in England for long, the next day was my only full day there. We decided to take the train into London with Ami’s two cousins, Callum and Connor. Arriving just before noon, we kicked things off with a visit to Borough Market, an incredible food market in central London offering what felt like every cuisine imaginable. We indulged in gourmet sandwiches, risotto samples, sausage rolls, and donuts—eating ourselves absolutely sick.
From there, we set out to see the sights. We walked over the London Bridge and initially planned to hop on one of those open-top double-decker sightseeing buses—until we learned tickets were £60 per person. Not willing to splurge, we accepted defeat and kept walking. But then, as another bus company worker approached us, we joked that we’d do it for £10 a person. He countered with £15, and we were sold! Four tickets for the price of one definitely made the bus tour feel even better.
Being the tourists we were, we grabbed a pair of headphones, headed to the top of the bus and plugged in. We were some of the only people sat on top which allowed us to goof about and enjoy the Abba music flowing through the headphones - who needs an informational tour anyway! The tour took us through London, past Big Ben, and eventually to Buckingham Palace, where we got off to walk around the rest of the area. For some reason I can’t possibly understand, the King didn’t want to join us for the rest of the bus tour…
By late afternoon, we made our way back toward the train, unsuccessfully trying to beat rush hour traffic. Not before stopping, though, for a sweet treat—some of London’s best-baked cookies. Adventuring around London was incredibly fun and the perfect way to spend my one full day there.
Our third and final day was more low-key. We ran errands in the morning (toiletry restocks), packed, and then got lunch at the infamous Nando’s before heading to the airport. After hearing about Nando’s and their chicken sandwich for the past few years, I was excited to try it and it did not disappoint.
From there, we were headed to the airport to catch our flight to Norway for a week of new adventures!