It’s been a while since I took a break and traveled abroad. This trip was much needed because my father passed away on September 16th this year and I planned this trip in early September, without knowing he would be gone at that time.

I traveled with Eurostar, the usual transport company, to London from Lille (north of France). As I booked the tickets in early September, that was very cheap. The round trip was only 78€. The voyage went well except a delay of more than 30 minutes, just a few minutes before arriving in St Pancras International.

1 hour later, time to board !

We arrived at 4.30 PM and it was already dark !

I went all the way to my friend’s house on foot, 1 hour an a half total. I could have taken the subway or bus. Usually, I walk a lot, so when I travel, I walk further more ! I even made more than 20 000 steps that day ! That way I can take my time and see the surroundings. It’s one of the best ways to create memories, I think.

When it comes to traveling, it doesn’t have to be expensive or you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a nice trip. Simply walking around good places, going to free exhibitions, and stopping by nice restaurants can make the deal. For me the simpler the better. Let me share with you the different nice places and tips for a trip to London.

Day 2

The next day, in the morning, we simply walked in the neighborhood. It was so refreshing to see different things I usually see.

FYI, when traveling through London on the subway and bus, you can pay directly with your credit card or buy an Oyster Card . What’s interesting with this card is that depending on the zone you travel to, there is a limit of charge. Meaning, for example, they won’t charge you more than 8£ or 5£ in a day. However, I had an issue with it. The card didn’t touch out when going out of a station and they charged me a lot more on my credit card. But now, the problem is solved. You can get someone from the customer service easily on the phone.

Then we went to the Victoria & Albert Museum but before that, we walked by Buckingham Palace, Green Park, and Hyde Park. Unfortunately, we could see guards from afar in front of Buckingham Palace. I wish they were closer, but it was still impressive to see them.

Taking souvenir selfies in Green Park with my friend, Eugénie !

And we stopped by Hyde Park, which is only 4 minutes away from Green Park, to shoot some nature photography.

Seeing great art at the Victoria & Albert Museum. This part was free and others were too.

After that, we walked into Borough Market, which is very cute. You can find a lot of things such as flowers, fruits, vegetables, wine, burgers, pastries and so much more. Don’t go there if you are hungry ! You might want to buy everything !

At this point, lunchtime already passed, so my friend suggested we go to Honest Burgers nearby by, and Oh My God ! I loooved it !

On their website, they don’t put prices on the menu section (maybe they change a lot).

I chose the Fritter (vegetarian burger) which is good but what I didn’t like is that this is a bit spicy and I really feel uncomfortable eating spicy food, even if it’s in small amounts. I feel like I don’t completely enjoy what I eat. But that was OK. However their french fries with rosemary…. They are fantastic !!! Please note that they add a service charge in the receipt. Certainly, a way to include a tip that people don’t have the choice to pay !

After this huge meal, a walk was much needed ! So we went around and I could visit the city a bit. That was very nice to see.

By the end of the day, we headed to Soho for an exhibition organized by Joy called Joy&Friends. It was so great to see all these artworks and artists ! I especially like the art of Haohao Zhang. When looking at her paintings, I felt like I was in a dream, so beautiful !

And we called it a night !

DAY 3

As the day before, we moved around a lot and walked a lot, we decided to have a slow day. Greenwich was a good place for that. There is so much you can do over there starting by going to the Market.

Then, a few minutes from there, you can visit the National Maritime Museum for free.

What I really liked was the Photography Gallery. That was stunning to see photographes of the sun, stars, moon and aurora borealis.

I also enjoyed visiting the Polar Worlds section, where we felt we had entered into the way of life of inuits a long time ago. Their clothes are also interesting, and I even fell in love with one of them!

Right next to the museum, there is the Queen’s House built from 1614 until 1617. We didn’t visited it but it was magestic to look at !

I mean… Look at this view. (Un)Fortunately, when we arrived at the Observatory, they were closing the gates and we were able to enjoy this ! It was like we were watching a movies but that was so real !

Then we went walking by the Tames River and we called it a day.

DAY 4

Last day in London ! My train was by the end of the day so we had the time to visit Spitafileds Market and that was my favorite market ! I couldn’t resist and bought pastries of Donovan’s Bakehouse and The Polka Dot Bakery.

We then went to Brick Lane. If you love vintage stores, you have to go there ! This area has a very artistic and creative atmosphere. It’s definitely worth the visit.

Et voilà ! I really enjoyed this trip. It was very cool and simple. When I got home, I was happy though. You know, you always miss your home at some point when you travel but when you get home you want to go on a trip again hahaha.