Ah London! The red buses, rich history and the high cost of living, but where we now call home.
A few things we have learnt along the way:
It’s often cheaper to have a beer than a coffee. Needless to say, we have taken advantage of that.
The London Underground is very warm. Too cold outside and too hot inside. I’m getting very good at jacket-on-jacket-off on the go.
It’s difficult to get a bank account. You can’t get an account without a proof of address within the UK, which currently doesn’t exist except for our Australian bank statement -but only if the bank physically posted it to the UK, because a printed e-statement is apparently not the same as a posted statement, which I wouldn’t really know as I have not received any statements by post for about 4 years…. They also question whether you are part of the British Royal family during your application interview, to which I wish I could’ve replied “yes”. I’m not sure how this would have changed my banking process, but I bet the Queen doesn’t enter her local branch just to check up on her savings!
Real Estate agents are typically liars, as are recruiters. Maybe I just don’t trust anyone… People in London are willing to live in the most awful spaces, but I’ve decided I’m not one of them. Up goes our rent budget!
Things aren’t said how they are spelt e.g. Southwark, Leicester, Marylebone. Go on, try…
I’m sure our learnings will grow. Currently having no permanent house, no job and lots of time, there was no better opportunity to do some sightseeing before settling into real life.
Westminister Abbey
Westminister Abbey was the first sight we saw, spending over an hour roaming around, learning about the history of the Abbey, including visiting the sites where the majority of the English and British monarch have been crowned and buried. Winston Churchill is also buried at Westminster Abbey, along with many other people of importance including Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton. It seemed that everywhere you walked there was a memorial or burial site of an important historical figure.
Strolling through Hyde Park is not an easy task, expanding 142 hectares and blending seamlessly with the 111 hectare Kensington Gardens. I can imagine during summer this walk would be more pleasant….
Buckingham Palace is of course on the attraction list, but we were only able to see the outside. We will return in Summer when Buckingham Palace opens some of its’ State Rooms for public viewing. Buckingham Palace was originally built as Queen Charlotte’s retreat and known as “The Queen’s House” as the official Royal residence was then St James’s Palace. Buckingham Palace has been used as the Royal residence since 1791.
Buckingham Palace and Black Cabs
Buckingham Palace gates
Strolling through London can get tiring, so there’s no better cure than great cake and tea! Peggy Porschen’s cafe is possibly the girliest place one could imagine, with it’s pink facade and floral motifs, I swiftly took Chris inside before he knew where I was going. The cake was amazing to look at and to eat. Although I went with a lemon rhubarb slice, I secretly wish I had Chris’s salted caramel. Next time I visit this extremely over-priced but extremely pretty cafe, I will make sure I choose this option. (https://www.peggyporschen.com/home)
So smiley for cake
Lunch at Borough Market
Another important food stop was Borough Markets. We stopped in for lunch, but I really could have eaten here all day had my jeans allowed. There is an abundance of stores selling fresh produce, baked goods, coffee, organic everything and loads of ready to eat meal options. I will be back to try more!
Cheering on the rowers in the Boat Race
A big London calendar event is The Boat Race – a 6.8km rowing race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Locals flock to the shores of the Thames to set up camp for the day with food and drink to view the race as they row past. My observations (and participation) are that it is mainly a chance to drink during the day and yell some chants for approximately 5 minutes of the time you are by the shore. Either way, it’s a whole lot of fun and a great chance to get into the rivalry between the Universities. Cambridge won both the male and female events this year. The current standings for the men’s race is 83-80 in Cambridge’s favour.
Cute houses in Fulham. Apparently this is one of the nice areas to live
Our London adventures continue as there are many sites to see, but we don’t want to be too tourist too soon, as we need to save some sights for later 🙂
Tower Bridge in the background, and some great sun in London!
Tower of London
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