London Lessons | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

London Lessons

Overseas in The UK

7
London Lessons
Jessica Gleason

Traveling is both tiring and time-consuming. I'm thinking that travel abroad is never convenient, but that it's usually worthwhile. During my week away, about forty hours were spent in transit. We spent many hours in airport lines, waiting rooms and inflight. But, I've now flown over Canada, Iceland, Scotland, Ireland, and England.

There were large bunnies chilling on the runway of the Dublin airport, which I found entertaining.

I was a walking zombie upon arrival in London. If not for coffee, I'd have likely passed out somewhere. I have trouble sleeping on planes. So by the time I was able to sleep on that first night, I'd been awake about 36 hours. I slept well that night.



On the way back, I dozed while in flight but felt no less drained on my way home. A bit of advice, wear compression socks while in flight, otherwise you'll have cankles, and no one wants that. No one.


So, what would I recommend doing? If you find yourself in London for a short trip, do these things.


1. Take a sightseeing bus tour. It'll drive you past all of the sights, and it'll tell you more about them. It's good to do upon arrival, non-strenuous and useful. You'll get accustomed to your surroundings.


2. Visit Whitechapel. It is slightly removed from the skyscraper central portion of the city. It still has old brick buildings and cobblestone roads. You'll also, of course, encounter Ripper tours there... and curry. One street we went down had almost fifty curry restaurants lining the pathway. I guess London is the curry capital. But, Whitechapel, to me, was what I expected London to be like. Old. Historic. A bit creepy.



3. Go to the Tower of London. Spend hours there. Wander on your own instead of with a guide. There's so much to see and discover that it would be a shame to have a guide rush you through it. Touch things. Read things. The crown jewels are sparkly, but were probably the least interesting part of the tower. I enjoyed walking the upper towers, the beast walk, and the bloody tower. If you do this, it makes sense to also visit Tower Bridge and to end with The London Bridge Experience. It'll be a long day, but will be worthwhile. Walk as much as possible. You never know what you might see.



4. Night time walking tours. Do them. You get walking tours for free with your big bus pass, also with the London Pass. So if you don't want the extra expense, just stick to those ones. Otherwise, the London Walks company hosts several tours (different ones each day) that cost the fair price of ten pounds. The tours last two to three hours. Be ready to walk. Practice waking before you go. You'll want stamina. I wasn't able to do all of the tours I wanted to do, but plan to do more next time. At the suggestion of one of our guides, I purchased the diary of Pepys. I'm excited to read it. He wrote while the great London fire was happening. The guides were fun and educational. They also have the knowledge to point you to a cheap pub or eatery. We also heard an entertaining story about Richard Harris at The Savoy.



5. Seek out the less prominent tourist spots... The Sherlock Holmes museum, for example. Then, go to some of the larger ones. Madame Tussaud's is an interesting experience. The wax museum includes a haunted house, ride, and 4D theater. They let you eat and drink in the exhibits and you're able to touch everything. They're rather trusting. I'd also suggest The London Dungeon. It is a live actor experience. You can also go see a Shakespeare performance in the globe theater for five pounds. So, why wouldn't you?


6. Eat. Go to small pubs and order fish and chips, meat pies, and local beers. They're delicious. Plus you'll run into fun locals. We encountered two older men who were happy to share tips and recommendations with us. They also used words like "cheeky" and "bird", entertaining. One friendly bartender let us use his phone's internet as long as we promised not to steal it. You may also want to sample cuisine from other countries.



Like I mentioned last time, many of the London residents are not English. We had some good authentic French, Italian and Chinese foods. Go to grocery stores for bread and chocolate. Buy food from carts. Try jacket potatoes. Do not eat American food. London was more American than I'd realized. You could find Pizza Hut, Dominoes, McDonalds, Subway, KFC, and many more... You can eat that crap at home. Go get real food.


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Health and Wellness

10 Hygiene Tips For All College Athletes

College athletes, it's time we talk about sports hygiene.

5029
Woman doing pull-ups on bars with sun shining behind her.

I got a request to talk about college athletes hygiene so here it is.

College athletes, I get it, you are busy! From class, to morning workouts, to study table, to practice, and more. But that does not excuse the fact that your hygiene comes first! Here are some tips when it comes to taking care of your self.

Keep Reading...Show less
Jenna Pizzi and her mom smiling by a waterfront with a historic ship in the background.
Jenna Pizzi

There is always a time in the semester when you have about three papers, four tests, five assignments and two projects due within the same time period. Isn't that just the best?

It's almost as if the professors all plot against you just to make college even more stressful than it already is. No matter how many people try to make you feel better, no one ever compares to your mom. Moms always know exactly what to say.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

7 Jobs Your Roommate Has

She's got your back with everything that college throws at you.

3314
Cristina Yang and Meredith Grey in scrubs sit against a wall, smiling and enjoying a break.

If you are anything like my roommate and I, you have a friendship with your roomie. You’re lucky to have gotten a roommate that is easy to get along with and more importantly cool to live with. Whether you found her on Facebook or went random, a roommate is a big part of life in college. This list goes through some of the jobs that a roommate has that help you get through college.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

35 Things I Wish I Learned In My Freshman Year Of College

Just some relatable college student advice! Yes, you aren’t the only one!

2560
Towson University
YouTube

Freshman year can either be the greatest year, or the roughest year. It depends on your transition and how you adjust. For me, freshman year in college was one of the best years of my life. However, looking back, there are a few things that I wish I learned.

Now that I am a sophomore, I can finally do things a little differently. Here are a few things that I wish I learned my freshman year of college!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments