This morning I woke up at 7am. Packed my bag and went down to Breakfast. Before I came over to Europe I organised with my family and friends to all install viber. You can use viber to send free text messages and make free phone calls to your family and friends using an internet connect. (Tip- check in advance if your hotel has free wifi. Most hotels do. Other wise you can log on at Mcdonalds all around the world). I went down and had breakfast at the hotel. Some hotels will include continental or hot breakfasts with your booking (check your booking before your arrive)
My booking only had a continental (Cold) breakfast booked. Being a coelica (allergic to wheat) this didnt work for me because the cold breakfast was cereal and toast. I paid an extra 5pound per breakfast to add hot items on it. The hotel staff were great they got the chef to prepare some gluten free bread for me also. They knew I was a tourist so they gave me some fruit to take on my day with me. I also filled up my water bottle with there filtered water cooler in the dining room. At breakfast it was dark and raining. The sun was just rising at 7:30am. I had made a plan before I arrived in London of what I was going to do today. After I ate my breakfast I jumped back on the hop on hop off double decker bus. I was on the top level reading my map when I meet this girl from Australia who was also alone.
We got to talking about what we had planned for the day and thought we would keep each other company and do it together. We ended up getting on the other loop and firstly going to Buckingham palace. (Tip- Changing of the guards only happens a few times a week in the winter season. Check to see the schedule before you go) We got there in the rain and it was amazing. It is actually alot smaller than I thought it would be but the fountain in the middle of the round about is gold and spectacular.
We were out side of the palace for about 15mins. Since you cannot go inside we thought we would just have a short visit there and take a few photos. There is a cute little gift shop beside the palace which has items you can purchases such as plates, key rings, hats coats you name it all related to the Buckingham Palace.
We jumped back on the bus and made our way to Parliament house. So worth a look. Its an incredibly huge building. It is such an impressive building
Parliament House- London
We walked to Westminster Abby which is about 5mins walk from Parliament. Its a beautiful church but I didnt find it that impressive. But its worth a look to say you have seen it.
Westminster Abby- London
Also in close walking distance you can see Big Ben, London Eye and the London Aquarium. We jumped back on the bus after looking at the big ben and taking some photos and did a loop across to the Tower of London. I had brought my tickets before I arrived in London but my Australian friend brought her ticket on the hop on hop off bus for about 20 pounds. (Tip- Buy your tickets before you get there, the lines to buy a tickets to the Tower of London are HUGEEEE!!!) We stopped for lunch at a cafe called 'EAT' just outside the tower of London. They have fresh salads, soups, sandwiches, fruit, yogurt, chips ect that you can take away or eat in and they are fairly cheap.
You could spend hours in the Tower of London. They have guided tours, headsets you could borrow for 5 pounds for an audio guide or just wander around taking it in. We ended up borrowing an audio guide. It was very informative. We only listened to 2 sections out of the 5 because we ran out of time.
Tower of London- London
The line up to see the crown jewels were over an hour long. So we didnt see it. We ended up spending over and hour here. The lines are huge to every exhibit. (Tip- go in the morning or late afternoon after the crowds are gone). We jumped back on the bus and headed in to Piccadilly Circuit and vistied M&M world. This was one of my favourite things to see. They have 4 fours of M&M products and a double decker bus in the entrance. Without a doubt if you are in Piccadilly circus you must go have a look.
M&M World- London
Before we got back on the bus we took the token photos with the red phone booths. No one ever tells you that inside the booths are filthy and have porn and rubbish in them. But lets face it you still have to have that photo when you go to London.
Red phone booth pic- see the rubbish inside
After this we had got some sushi for an early dinner. I was expecting a sushi train like Australia. But this one was fancy with all these different menu items I had never heard of and you had to pay for a glass of water. We got back to the first stop went to the supermarket I went to the day before picked up some supplies and parted ways. We didn't exchange phones numbers ect. Some times you will meet someone and know you will only know them for a little while but remember the time you spent together.
A few tips that I learnt from day three is
- Pee before you leave the hotel - stupid tip I know, but essential. You never know when you where the next toilet will be
- Dont be afraid to talk to people. You never know they could be in the same situation as you are
- If you see something you want buy it... You may not have a chance to be able to go back there again to get it
- Take every opportunity thrown at you. Visit places that look interesting
- If you are out after dark alone make sure you have a safe way to get back to your hotel room
- They charge for water. Buy a bottle and refill it when you can.
- It rains... take a poncho or an umbrella. Because you will be doing alot of walking and its not fun walking around saturated all day
- Take the hop on hop off bus. It is a great form of transport. And London is quite spread out and they are really reliable.
- Get your family and friends to add viber to their phones before you leave so you can contact them for cheap (when you have an free wifi connection on your phone)
- Have a clock with your local time so you know when you can talk to your family and friends
- Do what the locals are doing. Have breakfast, lunch and dinner at similar times to they do to avoid jet lag.
- Try not to carry to much in your bag.... Trust me... After the first day my back was aching.
- Where your bag on your front. This will make you less of a target to thefts.
- Plan your activities or things you want to see before you leave your home country.This will make sure you do not miss out on seeing the things you really want to see
- Have the address of the hotel on you just in case you get stuck and have to use a taxi
- If you catch a train keep your back to the wall. Or keep all your personal items in your bag watch out for thefts.
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