Wandering through Brick Lane Markets
Tower Bridge
St Pauls Catheral
Vegan Eats at By Chloe.
Natural History Museum
Portobello Road, Notting Hall
We spent a week in lively London Town absorbing as much history and culture as we could { there is ALOT }.
We were fortunate enough to stay with some friends from Australia who have moved over there for a year which was amazing, as I often feel what makes the experience of a place so great is who you are experiencing it with.
It was amazing just wandering around the trendy Eastside, gazing in awe of incredible sandstone buildings lining the streets in the city. So much to do… so little time.
THINGS TO DO IN LONDON
To be completely honest, we skipped a lot of the main, paid tourist attractions i.e. all of the palaces except for the Tower. This was for two reasons a) they cost a stupid amount of money and b) I wasn’t really into the staged touristy experiences and felt claustrophobic with the hoards of people you are trying to muscle your way through.
Free Walking Tour
If it’s your first time, then the walking tour is a great way to see some of the main historical sights and get a little bit of a history lesson.
{ NB it is free, however you do give the guide a tip at the end }
We did the tour through the main part including Trafalgar Square, Buckingham palace etc. We saw the changing of the guard {though I hated the staged nature of it all}. It’s not a MUST do, as I mentioned, I felt pretty uncomfortable with the whole staged touristy component of everything, however that’s just my personal experience. I do love hearing about the history though, so I still recommend.
Other sites:
St Pauls Cathedral
We didn’t pay to go inside, but breathtaking to see from the outside regardless. Have no idea how they managed to build something like this so long ago.
The Tower & Tower Bridge
The Tower bridge is pretty cool and is right of the front of The Tower. I would have liked to explore more of The Tower i.e. the Crown Jewels. However the line was over an hour long at least. So heads up if you are going to any of the main history/tourist attractions – aim to be there as soon as they open. Otherwise, its just too painful.
Go to the Natural History Museum
Completely free and one of our favourite experiences. Get lost for hours in history, biology and exploring the thousands of different minerals, gems and crystals {definitely my favourite room}
All of the markets
Bricklane, Broadway, Hackney, Colombia Flower Markets. Great vibes, the whole east side of London is super cool. So much culture on every corner. There was a whole vegan market at broadway, so definitely worth checking out. Portobello was underwhelming when I went so wouldn’t recommend it, unless there is a certain day thats better? However Notting Hill as an area is quite pretty .
VEGAN EATS
Temple of Seitan
Go. Just go.
Vegan fast food heaven. All faux fried chicken style, but made with seitan.
Spread Eagle Pub
Delicious Mexican menu with some of the meltiest vegan cheese I’ve ever had. Good vibes for drinks and hanging out with friends {Like we did until 2am}. Highly recommend the to-fish tacos and quesadilla!
By Chloe.
A few different locations around London which is always handy.
Redemption
Great healthy options, get a seat outside {if it’s summer} as the courtyard is a lovely place to chill out. There was a caramel drink here that was RIDICULOUS and the pancakes were great {but when aren’t they}.
Other places we were recommended but didn’t make it to:
Palm Vaults | Ethos foods | Mildreds | Farmacy | Farm Girl
If you missed my Amsterdam travel post, you can find that here