Working 2 Live, Living 2 Travel

As you may know, I took my first international solo trip and first visit to London about two months ago. The experience, both of solo traveling and the city, were wonderful. London is a great place with such a mix of culture, sights and storied history. I knew I would like London, but I was surprised to really like London after all our other international travel. Over my three-day exploration of The Old Smoke, I fell in love with the place and it has become one of my top travel destinations.

Favorite Places

Buckingham Palace

I was lucky enough to be in London during the royal birth and at Buckingham Palace when it was announced that the Duchess of Cambridge had gone into labor. To be present for such an historical event was in itself a grand experience, but to witness it at the epicenter of British royalty was epic.

My first full day in town, I spent about four hours at the palace. I watched the changing of the guard, observed the massive crowd anxiously awaiting the announcement if the new heir to the throne was a boy or girl, and news media personnel running in every direction possible doing live shots at every angle. It was quite the show.

Though the palace itself isn’t the most extraordinary building, the beauty is in the gates and fountains and gardens that surround it. I wasn’t able to go inside as tours are only permitted when the Queen is away for her summer holiday in Scotland, but just seeing it from the outside was pretty spectacular.

Tower Bridge

Often confused for the less-impressive London Bridge (funny sidebar, a London Bridge was actually sold to a developer in Arizona), the Tower Bridge is a beautiful drawbridge stretching across the Thames River. You can walk or drive across it, and it opens periodically to allow river traffic to pass. This is one of the most iconic landmarks for the city.

Hyde Park

My hostel in London was just a few blocks from Hyde Park, so I spent a good part of my three days walking through this massive green space. Sculptures and fountains can be found throughout, and overlooking the park is Kensington Palace where the royal baby will be raised. The park is my No. 1 place to visit for London.

Tower of Queen Elizabeth

It’s not Big Ben! That’s just the nickname of the bell inside of the tower. Don’t feel bad, though. I can only act like I know what I’m talking about because the tour guide explained the difference to our group.

Attached to Parliament, the tower combined with the impressive-looking building that houses the English bodies of government makes up another iconic landmark for London. It sits on the banks of the Thames River, and overlooks park space where Westminster Abbey can be found.

Wellington Arch Circle

Home to about six different monuments, the Wellington Arch Circle makes an easy-to-find meeting spot right on the corner of Hyde Park and direct walk to Buckingham Palace. Named for the First Duke of Wellington, Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley, two of the monuments in the circle represent his many accomplishments.

The Eye

I adore Ferris wheels, so I couldn’t go to London without taking a spin on the world-famous Eye. Standing at 135 meters (about 443 feet) tall, this ride gives breathtaking views of the city from above. As each cart is also air-conditioned, it gave a nice reprieve from the heat wave London was experiencing during my visit.

Tours

There are so many places to see in London, and I certainly did not get to everything I intended, such as Piccadilly Circus and the Tower of London where the Crown Jewels are housed. I have every intention of making several more trips to this spectacular city to continue my exploring.

I did get to see a lot of London, though, and it was through great tours. Chris and I found Sandemans New Europe Tours when we had a limited amount of time to show a visiting friend around Paris. The company’s brochures are usually in hostels in cities where they operate, and the tour guides are very knowledgeable with stories about each location. There is always a free walking tour to show you the main sights of a city, and then other very affordable tours will focus on specific areas and interests in the cities. We have taken these tours now in Paris, London, Berlin and Madrid, and we have found them to be great ways to become familiar with a new city.
(*Note, we have not been compensated in any way by Sandemans, this is only our opinion.)  

Eats

In all honesty, I didn’t eat much in London. With trying to squeeze in as much as I could in sightseeing, I didn’t take the time to dive into the culinary scene. I went with the one requirement to have fish and chips at a pub, and I did that about twice. The rest of the time, I survived on snacks from street vendors.

I did, however, absolutely find a new drink. I don’t like hate beer. I can stomach a Corona with some salt and lime, but I much rather just have a margarita. No matter how hard I’ve tried in my adult life, I have just never been able to acquire a taste for the swill. So, when it comes to nights at a pub or tailgating for a football game or catching up with friends at a cookout, I’m just out of luck in the “let’s have a few brewskies” department.

Thanks to some British pubs, however, I have been saved by the grace of cider. In between our travels to London and Morocco, we stayed with Chris’ former soccer coach in a small town outside of London. This English gentleman that kept us laughing for hours with his antics and his lovely and proper wife introduced me to Pimm’s and cider, and, hallelujah, I finally found something I could actually order in draft form. For the rest of my trip to London, I was ordering StrongBow and whatever other ciders I could find at a pub.

Working in London

As New York City is to the United States, London is the career capital for England. For an insider’s perspective, Chris asked Sam Price, graduate recruitment coordinator for KPMG, to give us the scope on living and working in this ever-moving city.

Since moving to London in January, Sam says getting to work each day has been quite convenient. “The transport network is brilliant- buses, trains, London overground,  and the infamous London underground! So wherever you live, its practically impossible NOT to have an easy journey to work.”

Along with attracting such a variety of businesses, Sam also touts the mixture of people that can be found in most of London’s offices. “The diversity of cultures and backgrounds around London makes sure that your working environment has employees in it with different opinions, views and perspectives on things, which really helps creativity in teams and driving business forward. It also helps you learn about different cultures, languages etc.”

With the eclectic mix of restaurants, bars, cafes and clubs, Sam says the networking opportunities in London are endless. With the wide assortment of businesses and professionals, social events for networking happen all week long at almost every joint in town.

Come the weekend, Sam hangs out with friends at those same restaurants, bars, cafes and clubs in a more relaxed atmosphere. After a Friday night dinner and drinks, his Saturdays are full of opportunities. “… enjoying a stroll down Brick Lane in East London, finding a park festival in Brixton or Clapham, visiting some of the museums in Central London (most of which are free) … there are loads of markets to choose from as well, a favorite being Borough Market by London Bridge.”  For more shopping excursions, Sam recommends Carnaby Street, Oxford Circus and Seven Dials. And, if you’re looking for a day trip, check out Greenwhich with lots of boutique shops in a quaint setting.

Known in all of England for merry times, Sam says Saturday nights in London offer a host of options for music and drinks. “Hip hop and rap can be found in Concrete, dance and beats in Hoxton Square Bar and The Falcon, chart and dance in Dogstar, up and coming DJs in Fabric, Indie at Barfly, and rock in The Winchester. If you want a more chilled out vibe, then any bar in Central London can provide that for you, with a number of nice places in Covent Garden, Southbank and Regent Street.”

On a more relaxed Sunday, Sam takes his bike out to trails in one of the many London parks, such as Clapham or Wimbledon Common. He also recommends a nice walk along Thames Path.

I give London a 9+. What city have you surprisingly fell in love with?

-Monica