Today’s post is going to be a bit different from what I’ve been doing on the blog so far, and based on feedback I might actually turn it into a regular series. I am not one for travelling that much, but throughout the past year I’ve been places on my own and with friends more than ever before, and I felt the need to document it properly for some time now. I am not good at taking pictures and videos and most of the time, I even forget to do so. I do have my writing, though, and I’ve been thinking of using it to preserve the memories of my adventures out of town this past year. I also thought of this as my chance to explore a new writing style, because these posts would be trip diaries rather than reflection articles of sorts. Last but not least, this is my opportunity to provide you with my honest opinion on places and touristy stuff – and because I am not an expert, some rookies in the field of travelling might relate.
Shortly after the beginning of my second year, I’ve had my best friend from sixth form visit me for a weekend. The visit turned into a one-day trip to London after another friend of mine passed me a voucher for a free return trip via coach anywhere I wanted, and because my best friend has never been to London but wanted to, I thought this was the perfect chance for her to tick this off her bucket list. It was no surprise that we were actually doing it: for most of sixth form, we had been planning on going to university together, sharing a flat together and, of course, travelling the country together but things haven’t turned out that way. We were happy with meeting every once in a while and staying in touch the rest of the time, but we were sure that the trip would be unforgettable. That was my third visit to London, and it was also my first time being a guide for somebody else, so there was a fair amount of responsibility involved. We went to bed not sure whether we would actually wake up in time to get on the coach, and we woke up with no definite plan for the day, and yet, we still managed to see a good deal of what was around and the trip went smoothly. Hence why I’m writing about it now.
Once we got to the Westminster Bridge, we took a few pictures. I was genuinely happy with how good the light was for that. Also, how we managed to dodge all the tourists accidentally photobombing us.
(source: personal archive)
After a two-hour-and-a-half coach journey and a brief introduction that I gave my friend to the London Underground, our first stop was the Sherlock Holmes Museum, located at 221B Baker Street. I’ve never been there before myself, and frankly, I don’t think I ever will again but if anything, it’s a nice thing to go and see once in a lifetime. My friend being a huge fan, I figured it would be the most exciting place to start. Getting there was quite easy (just like with most of the iconic attractions of London), although the queue was no less than what we expected. I will also not get started on how the Sherlock Holmes Museum is the perfect place to see the tourist stereotype in action: obnoxious picture-taking everywhere. The visit itself was shorter than the wait and fairly quick; I felt as though the staff themselves were rushing the tours to cope with the huge number of tourists still waiting outside. The museum is small and there isn’t a lot to see apart from beautiful epoch furniture and Sherlock Holmes memorabilia. Despite the size, the museum is a place with a powerful story and the atmosphere was cosy, yet contemplative. After walking around, admiring the exhibition and taking our own pictures, me and my friend left just in time for the next group of visitors to go in.
Compared to our walk through the museum, our stay in the souvenir shop was longer and a bit overwhelming. In a nutshell, anything you might want to use or have in your home, they printed Sherlock branding on it and they were selling it for hefty prices (the ticket for going into the museum itself was 15 pounds to begin with). It was amusing to see the diversity of things that they had there, but in terms of shopping, we didn’t jump that far. We both got Sherlock Holmes coffee mugs and then proceeded to look around and try and find the silliest products they sold, and somehow managed to relate to the famous detective.
Some of what we saw inside the Sherlock Holmes Museum.
(source: personal archive)
From Baker Street we took the tube to the Embankment, which seemed like the obvious choice for our next area to explore. There is so much to be seen around the Embankment, and the atmosphere is just perfect for having a walk. Weather was quite nice that day, cloudy but not too cold, and the Embankment was flooded with tourists (and also, some people protesting against Brexit). We started by walking to the Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, we then saw Westminster Abbey and we crossed the Thames down the Westminster Bridge. Our walk was down by the London Eye and the Globe Theatre, to the Tower Bridge which we crossed to walk by the Tower of London. That was probably the only point throughout the trip when I actually wasn’t sure how to get to Piccadilly Circus next, but in my defence, I then relocated my surroundings quite fast and we carried on.
I wouldn’t say we’ve gone crazy with the shopping, and to be fair I don’t even remember exactly where we went; I can recall going into lots of bookshops, though, which is no different from the places that we loved to check out when we were in sixth form together. For our dinner we didn’t choose any different and we went to Pizza Hut, and by the time we finished it was already getting quite dark and we were supposed to organise the rest of our visit around the departure of our coach. We figured we had enough time to see one last place so we went to Buckingham Palace, where the Queen resides while she’s in London. Not much to be seen especially at that hour, but it was a nice place to end our visit. It wasn’t too busy either, and that gave us the chance to sit down in the nearby park and have a good chat. I found that travelling with people is almost always not about the places you see, but about seeing them together. For most of the times when I travelled, I enjoyed the sights and the novelty, but I enjoyed the company of people and the things we were talking about even more.
The views that we had that day in London, either in lonely parks or in busy squares.
(source: personal archive)
We got back home at around midnight, tired but happy that we’ve had an awesome day. For me, our day trip to London proved to be a little more than just catching up with a friend and doing something fun. By taking the initiative and organizing an entire day trip myself, and therefore, taking responsibility for what’s happening, I absolutely stepped out of my comfort zone and challenged my boundless anxiety around things going wrong. I am quite a careful person, and it’s so easy for me to become too careful, so careful that I can’t enjoy life anymore but on that day I said, ‘fuck all of that’. It’s okay not to have a plan and not to know what’s happening next. Also, nothing bad will happen if you do something new every once in a while. That was the lesson I learned that day, and that I subsequently explored further for the remainder of my second year. Because yes, I couldn’t just go on a walk and not leave without some philosophical crap on my mind.
So, this is what my best friend and I did in London on the 14th of October. I do have a couple more trips that I can write about in the future, so I’m looking forward to hearing what you think of this new format and if you’d like to read more similar posts. I am also happy to hear suggestions for any other places I should try and see, in the United Kingdom and beyond, as I am planning on making travelling a big part of my life for the years to come. And may you have awesome, unforgettable trips yourself!
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Photo source: personal archive.