Sedef, Turkey
I guess most people think like me! 🙂
I spent the better part of the Christmas holiday weekend visiting London. If you live in Southampton and you are at Lewis School of English 🙂, you can easily go to London by train or by coach. For my trip to London, I took the National Express coach to London Victoria. This is the main coach station and it’s quite central. The big advantage is that the coach is generally much cheaper than the train. After that, I took the tube to Finchley, where I was staying, which is in the north of London. I chose to stay in Finchley because my friend lives there, so I didn’t need to pay for accommodation.
Each morning during my three-day stay, I walked along Dollis Valley Greenwalk. The park was amazing and huge. I love nature. I walked 20km every day! Walking really helps me to unwind and makes me happy. I would say that was my holiday routine – it prepared me for a day of sightseeing.
Day 1 – Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park
On my first day, I visited Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park. Buckingham Palace is, of course, the headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom and is located in Westminster. This building was absolutely outstanding! People from many different countries come to visit here. Everybody was hoping to see the Royal Family but we couldn’t see them, unfortunately. J However, you can take amazing photos in front of Buckingham Palace!
Be warned, though – if you want to look inside the palace, you need to check the opening times as it’s not open every day! I didn’t get into the palace as I didn’t know the opening times. I was a bit cut up about that – I wish I had checked! So take my advice: buy your ticket in advance at the Royal Collection Trust website.
Later, I walked in Hyde Park. This is one of the largest of the eight Royal Parks. Since 2007 Hyde Park, has played host to the annual Winter Wonderland event, which features numerous Christmas markets, along with various rides and attractions, as well as bars and restaurants. I wanted to see Winter Wonderland but I couldn’t get inside because it was so crowded! I thought, “If I see Winter Wonderland, I will have to wait nearly an hour, and I can’t do that!” ;). Instead, I went for a walk in Green Park, before going back home.
Day 2 – Camden Town and Regent’s Park
On my second day, I went to Camden Town. This part of London is small and nice, and popular with tourists. I would certainly suggest tourists see Camden Town, which has lovely alternative fashion, a canal and large market stalls. You can see a lot of visitors. The market is very big and crowded. I looked around and bought gifts for my friends.
Then I started to walk to Regent’s Park. The park is another one of the Royal Parks of London! People were walking, running and playing football. If you want to drink coffee, you will see plenty of restaurants and cafes. I think the park could be lovely in the summer. It must be nice to watch the sunrise and sunset here!
London is amazing in winter and I am looking forward to seeing it in summer! 🙂
Leave a Reply