Touring London


The London Eye
Date of Arrival: 17 September 2018
Weather: Unseasonably warm and sunny

When getting to London, be sure to know how far the airport is from your accommodation, whether it's from AirBnB or a hostel, especially when your life is being carried within three pieces of luggage. I landed at Gatwick and had a room in Zone 5, west of London (so about a 2 1/2 -hours' journey) and when you're jetlagged, the commute proves interesting. 

A few things I immediately learned about London that day:
  • No one will offer to help you with your bags (probably a good thing, though with a city of 9 million people)
  • Some tube (subway) trains stop at the same station, but go in different directions (I was warned about this, but in my daze, it was my first error)
  • London is a very, very big city
The first thing I did when reaching Paddington Station was get a UK SIM card for my phone. Now, the only hurdle was that they need a local physical address to register you with, so ask the rep what they will accept (I gave the address of the AirBnB I was staying at for the time being). 

The next thing was getting a TfL Oyster Card (your bus/train/tube pass). As London is so large, it has been divided into Zones (basically: the further out you live, the more you will pay in transportation). A £5 refundable deposit is needed to get the card, then you can load as much as you'd like to it (you can even make 7-day or monthly top-ups). 

When I finally made it to the house, I was fortunate to meet the other occupants, and we ended up chatting for the rest of the day (I needed to rest because of the time difference). 

London: Day One

Before beginning your London adventure, I very much highly recommend setting aside some money to tour around the city before applying for jobs. Take the time to look around and get to know the nooks and crannies that London has. 

I also can't stress enough on how amazing the London Pass was! If you're not familiar, it's a card that acts as an entry ticket to hundreds of attractions throughout the city. You can choose the duration of your pass, as well (may I suggest the 10-day pass?). 

Take a look at the attractions that accept the Pass and make a list of the places that you'd like to visit most (also make a mental map of where everything is in relation to each other because it's so much easier to break London up into small touring sections)*. 

*Note that all of the major museums already have free entry, so save those museums for last so that you spend your time on the attractions that charge admission. 

Buckingham Palace


The first thing I wanted to do was take a bus tour of city to get a general idea of what everything looked like. I hopped on the tour bus by Paddington Station and set off. Not 10 minutes later, the bus stopped beside a park. I waited for about 5 minutes and noticed people getting off, so I decided to follow them and overheard a guide say that Buckingham Palace was a short walk away. 

I had no idea where anything was, so I chanced it and strolled through the park (later realizing that it was Green Park), and the first thing I saw in London was Buckingham Palace! I walked around the area a little bit, but the jetlag soon took over and I was feeling lost, overwhelmed and felt like I made a mistake coming alone (certainly wasn't one of my happier moments, but what can I say?).

I then found another of the tour bus stops to try and calm myself down, and just enjoy the city. I'm so happy I got on this bus because there was a live commentator on this one. I immediately calmed down and really enjoyed listening to the guide share facts and funny stories about London's landmarks. 

 Big Ben (under construction)
 Nelson's Column
 The Shard
 Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
        Tower Bridge
 

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