Second London sojourn + bonus Cambridge
- Andrea
- Oct 1, 2023
- 20 min read
Updated: Nov 14
A little bit of background📝
As I write this post in 2023, I've been to London nine times. I don't think I will ever cease to be thrilled by being there. London is well...it's London. I know it's a bit grimy, crowded, and the weather is rubbish, but it's one of my favourite places in the world.
This post of London wanderings is from my 2011 visit, after I had presented at an academic conference in Manchester. This London experience was my second go at exploring the city, but I hadn't been there since our initial visit in 1996. I was on my own this time, although staying with the same friend (KP) we'd stayed with in 1996, now living in a different part of the city.
💭I've posted my reflections on what my second London experience meant to me and my most vivid and lasting impressions of the city at the end of this post. |
First tentative steps👣
Leaving Manchester on Tuesday, 21 June, the day after the conference finished, I took the train to London, arriving at Euston station. This was my first experience of a British national rail service. I love that you can take trains everywhere in the UK, and in Europe. It's just not something we can do in Australia. The huge distances make travel expensive and logistically difficult and we're not set up in the same way as the UK and Europe.
The Manchester-London trip was quite enjoyable and pretty chill. The seat was comfortable and I got to see lots of nice scenery as we headed south. Train travel in the UK is easy and inexpensive, especially if you buy your tickets in advance and/or take off-peak services.
I was due to arrive at Euston station a bit before lunch to meet KP. We'd worked and flatted together in New Zealand in 1988-1989 and had remained friends ever since, even after I moved to Australia in 1989 and KP moved back to the UK in 1990. I admit to being a bit nervous when I disembarked from the train at Euston, the closest station to her work. KP was there waiting for me, looking exactly as I remembered her!
We headed off for lunch at a Mexican restaurant near Tavistock Square and started the process of reconnecting. We only had time for a quick catch up before KP had to go back to work, though. I dropped my suitcase at KP's workplace and made my way to the British Museum which was close by. I spent the whole afternoon at the museum before meeting up again with her after she finished work.
It was a lovely day and I enjoyed my stroll through Russell Square to get to the museum in Great Russell Street. The area that surrounds the British Museum is so pretty, in the Bloomsbury part of the Camden borough.
This was my first visit to the British Museum. It's pretty overwhelming initially, as the place is huge and there's so much stuff in it. At the time of writing this post in 2023, I've now been there four times, but I still don't think I've seen everything. The museum is free to get into and hugely popular so you be prepared to line up. It's open from 10am until 5pm.
I spent five hours at the museum on that day and the time just flew by. I tried to sample all of the sections, even if just for a taster. There are three floors of global history to explore, all arranged in themes. I had never seen anything like it before! It's actually quite overwhelming and after a while, it all becomes a bit too much for the senses. There's also the whole ethical side of museums that I struggle with in terms of the way the British in particular obtained many of the artefacts. It's wonderful to see such ancient and important artefacts preserved, but it's hard to shake the feeling that they belong in their country of origin.
I was exhausted at the end of the day and happy to be heading home to KP's place for a quiet dinner, even if it was a bit of a battle to get to Limehouse on the Tube and then the DLR at peak hour with a suitcase in tow. But that was Day 1 done and I was still pinching myself that I was in London, 15 years after my first visit. I was relieved to have the conference behind me and so excited about the days stretching in front of me where I would have the chance to properly explore the city.
Wimbledon wanderings🎾
I was fortunate to be in London during Wimbledon week. I thought it would be cool to see if I could attend the Championships. I hadn't planned for it so of course couldn't get centre court tickets, but discovered that ground passes can be purchased at the gate that allow for all-day access to the tennis centre and outside court matches.
I was rather proud of myself for getting to Wimbledon on my own, via a couple of train changes and a half hour walk from the station to the tennis centre. Now getting around London is easy for me as I've had so much practice, but back then, it was no mean feat!
Outside the Wimbledon train station there was a massive line up for free shuttle buses to the tennis centre. I asked one of the attendants about the walking distance and he said it was a bit of a way - 2km, according to Google maps - but would probably take me less time than waiting for a bus with the crowds. Despite the freezing cold temperatures, it was a lovely walk; Wimbledon is a rather posh suburb!
I bought a £20 ground pass after waiting only a short time in line. Over the course of the day, I watched some outside court tennis action and wandered around soaking up the atmosphere. The ground pass is good value, I think, and still only costs between £25-30 at the time of writing.
I sat on Henman Hill to eat the sandwich selection and fresh strawberries I'd bought at the M&S store at the train station, before the rain set in. A lovely British couple struck up a conversation that nicely filled in the time as we were sheltering under centre court during the Venus Williams-Kimiko Date match. Later, I braved the crowds in the merchandise shop and bought these mementos of my Wimbledon experience, luckily for me in the 125th anniversary year of the Championships.
I definitely wasn't dressed for the weather and I can still recall the cold seeping into my bones, so much so that I was a bit miserable at some points in the day. The grey cardigan I'm wearing in the below shot was a hurried purchase from the H&M store at Wimbledon station in a vain attempt to ward off the cold. It was supposed to be summer! Really, I should have bought a coat. Not to worry, I was at freaking Wimbledon!
Exploring London with a local💂🏿♀️
KP had the next day off work, which was lovely, and we set off to explore London. By then, all nerves had disappeared. The past 15 years spent living on opposite sides of the globe seemed to have made no difference to our friendship. (Remember, these were the days before WhatsApp and other messaging platforms!)
The first cool thing we did on our day out was the London Eye. As the Eye opened in 1999, we missed it on our first trip to London in 1996. It's pretty impressive, right? The Eye is the world's largest cantilevered observation wheel, standing at 135 metres. There are 32 capsules on the wheel that provide stunning, unobstructed views of London. The Eye actually wasn't supposed to be permanent, designed originally to celebrate the new millennium. The original lease was for five years, but the Eye proved to be so popular that it was granted permanent planning permission in 2024. I was lucky enough to go on the Eye again when I was in London in 2018.
I'm terrible with heights, but the Eye is great as it moves quite slowly. The capsules travel at walking pace, I believe, at around 0.9km per hour. The views are amazing! The slow pace of the wheel's movement provides for an immersive experience as there's plenty of time to take in the 360 degree panorama.
We ended up with two trips around. Awesome! We were approached as we boarded the Eye and asked if we'd test out a new device that gives commentary on the main London buildings and open spaces seen from the various angles of the Eye's rotation. We were given a free ride around to do the testing. It seems odd to write all that in 2023, as the digital guide was new technology back then and we thought it was all rather clever.
The area around the London Eye is quite touristy, and there are other attractions close by, including the London Dungeon and the London Aquarium. It can be super busy at the Eye so it's best to prebook tickets as the lines are usually long. One of the best part of the Eye's location on the Southbank is its perspective on Westminster. I know the Thames is a bit brown, but I love rivers and river cities. Just look at the view of Big Ben and Westminster!
After our Eye experience we headed away from the river into Lambeth proper, as the second cool thing we did that day was visit the London Imperial War Museum. Here are some shots of our wanderings. My favourite is the top right one of Westminster, with the tree and lamp in the foreground. I am also slightly obsessed with old street lamps...
We found a gorgeous café for lunch at the Garden Museum in Lambeth as we headed towards the London Imperial War Museum. The Garden Museum celebrates British horticulture in a church dating back to the 16th century. The food has a homemade, natural vibe to it and we had a lovely pitstop at the café.
We spent most of the afternoon at the London war museum, one of five imperial war museums in the UK, including the Churchill War Rooms that I was able to visit a few years later. There's a lot to see at the London site, founded in 1917 to document war through the eyes of people who lived through it. I was moved by the Holocaust Galleries, now a permanent exhibit, and the Second World War Galleries, both of which give you an amazing insight into life during the conflict.
I've always had a keen interest in the human effect of war and I like that the museum is a mix of military and warfare exhibits and that human side. I bought the guidebook to take home with me and a bunch of WW2 postcards at the gorgeous shop at the museum. I've included two of the postcards in the below collection.
I also got into the keep calm and carry on spirit with the below mementos. The British "get on with things" spirit that was embodied throughout the Second World War fascinates me, yet I do understand the problematic nature of this enduring myth. You can read more about all that here.
Google maps tells me that it's a 45-minute walk from the museum to Piccadilly Circus and I have no photos of that walk so I assume (as I can't recall now) that we took the Tube. The weather had turned cool, grey and showery after a nice morning as well.
Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square are right next to each other. That part of London seems so familiar to me now. What was new at the time, though, was the London M&Ms World that had only opened the previous week. If you've read my Orlando post, you'll know I'd already been to the World there, but the London store is heaps better. The recreation of the Beatles Abbey Road album cover is my favourite part (below top middle and right hand shots).
I know it seems kind of cheesy, but wandering around the store and looking at all the M&Ms merchandise is heaps of fun. Like the Orlando store, there is M&Ms merchandise in every conceivable thing. I know I bought a bunch of crazy stuff - including pyjama pants! - but my surviving memento is the below cool keychain.
Later we lined up in Leicester Square to buy last minute theatre tickets before having an early dinner. We managed to snap up two of the remaining seats for the evening performance of Legally Blonde: The musical at the Savoy Theatre. Our seats were only a few rows from the stage; not bad for eleventh hour purchases. The musical was terrific, just like the film and hugely enjoyable, and a brilliant way to end the day.
Travel tip🌏 There are places in Leicester Square where you can line up for last minute tickets on the day of West End performances. They are usually inexpensive as the theatres are offloading the few remaining seats. We had no idea what we were going to see that evening and took the last two seats for Legally Blonde. If there's something you want to see while in London, it's best to book or you might be disappointed. |
Solo London wanderings👣
I was back on my own again the next day and I had a lovely time just wandering around, mastering the Tube and generally taking things in. I first headed to St Pancras station to collect my Eurostar ticket for my trip to Brussels the following week. This gave me the chance to wander around the beautiful station that had recently received a facelift in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games. British and European train stations are so beautiful. St Pancras opened in 1868 and is considered to be a masterpiece of Victorian gothic architecture. You can read about the history of the station here.
I headed back to Piccadilly, taking a detour to Covent Garden which is easy walking distance. These are the only photos I have and I remember I spent most of the time just soaking up the pretty streets.
Heading back to Piccadilly Circus, I discovered an incredible giant London souvenir shop, Cool Britannia, near the Eros fountain (officially the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain). I spent ages poking around in that shop! I know it's completely naff, but I love souvenir shops. They're so much fun! The flagship store was below ground and had a direct link to the Piccadilly Circus Tube. I went back there on each subsequent visit to London, but sadly, it has closed down now.
The other shop that I discovered is Lillywhites (Sports Direct), adjacent to the souvenir shop. The store always has fab sales on sports shoes and clothes and I have shopped there on each visit to London. The store in Piccadilly Circus is housed in a gorgeous building on the corner of Regent Street and Coventry Street in the heart of The Circus. The store has been there since 1925, founded by the Lillywhite sporting family. Lillywhites is now owned by Sports Direct, the UK's largest sporting goods chain. There is only one other Lillywhites store now, and that is, randomly, in Linz in Austria.
Regent Street Saint James's and Waterloo Place connect Piccadilly Circus to The Mall. It's a stretch of London road that I am familiar with now and I like that feeling of familiarity with such an iconic city so far from where I live.
There are lots of cool memorials in this part of London. One of them is the Guards Crimean War Memorial in the below collage, sitting proudly on Waterloo Place at the intersection of Regent Street and Pall Mall. The memorial was unveiled in 1861 to commemorates the Allied victory in the Crimean War (1853-1856). The memorial features three guardsmen on a granite base - a Coldstream, a Grenadier and a Fusilier - and the first war memorial that recognises ordinary soldiers. The statue above the guardsmen is of a young female allegorical figure with open arms, symbolising honour and victory.
The other memorial in the above collection sits on the north side of the Mall. It features two bronze statues, one of King George IV dressed in naval uniform, unveiled in 1955 by Queen Elizabeth II (his daughter). The Queen later unveiled the second statue, of her mother Queen Elizabeth, in 2009. The first Queen Elizabeth died in 2002 aged 101, but the statue is meant to represent her at aged 51, dressed in the flowing robes of a Garter Knight.
Fun factℹ️ The Order of the Garter is the oldest Order of Chivalry in Britain. King Edward III established the Order of the Garter in the 1300s, drawing inspiration from King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Garter Knights are now people chosen in recognition of their public service and senior Members of the Royal Family, a shift from being once only the preserve of male aristocrats. |
I'm so familiar now with the St James's part of London in the district of Westminster, stretching from Piccadilly Circus to Mayfair in the north to St James's Park and The Mall to the south. The area is one of my favourite parts of London and I have returned there on each subsequent visit. Horse Guards Road, Birdcage Walk and The Mall effectively form a ring road around beautiful St James's Park that leads from the bottom of Waterloo Place to Buckingham Palace.
Below is my shot of the Horse Guards building on Horse Guards Road, a building that serves as the main military headquarters of the British Empire until 1858. The building remains the official entrance to both St James's and Buckingham Palace. The parade ground in front of the building is the location for the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony in June that marks the monarch's official birthday. The London Eye can be seen in the distance, on the opposite bank of the Thames.
Across Horse Guards Parade is the Guards Memorial, seen in the above left photo. The memorial sits at Clive Steps, adjacent to the Churchill War Rooms, facing St James's Park. The memorial commemorates all 20th century wars although it was originally unveiled in 1926. It is a portland stone monument with five bronze sculptures on a raised platform and a central obelisk. Inscriptions to memorialise fallen soldiers in WW2 were added after that war.
The other memorial above commemorates the nightclub terrorist attack in Kuta beach in Bali in 2002 where 88 Australians lost their lives. The memorial was unveiled in 2006 by the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. The granite globe with 202 doves carved across its surface, representing the lives lost, can just be seen in the bottom left corner of my photo. All the victims' names are carved in the portland stone wall of the memorial.
I spent the afternoon in St James's Park, my favourite park in London. The sun was out and it was a pleasant day, one of those days when it is lovely to be outdoors in a city with beautiful green spaces. St James's Park covers 23 hectares and was so named for a medieval hospital decided to St James the Less. It began as an enclosed deer park for King Henry VIII in the 1530s.
As noted above, Horse Guards Road, Birdcage Walk and The Mall effectively form a ring road around St James's Park that leads from the bottom of Waterloo Place to Buckingham Palace. The street is named after the Royal Menagerie and Aviary that was located there during the reign of King James I in the 16th century. This tree-lined piece of London is so pretty and feels peaceful in the midst of the busy city.
Here I am at Buckingham Palace. I've been to London nine times as I write this post, but I've never been inside the Palace. The State Rooms are open to visitors each summer, from early July to late September so if you do want to see inside, sign up for email updates on ticketing. Honestly, as palaces go, it's not super majestic or beautiful architecturally, it's just...well...Buckingham Palace...
Travel tip🌏 The centre of London is quite compact if you don't mind walking a bit. There are helpful signs everywhere that give good directions, including estimated walking times between places. You can take the Tube, but often it's quicker to walk by the time you navigate the underground tunnels and potential line changes. Walking gives you a much deeper appreciation for the city and for perspective on where the iconic landmarks sit in relation to one another. |
Wandering around London on my own was the beginning of my love of wandering, I think, not worrying about "doing the attractions" and simply walking around and soaking up the vibe, seeing where things lead me. There's something magical about seeing iconic places and spaces for yourself and taking the time to really appreciate them.
Cambridge🎓
The next day was Saturday so KP was not working and we had another opportunity to have a lovely day out together. We decided to go to Cambridge as I'd not been there before.
The London-Cambridge train leaves from Liverpool Street Station. The journey is about an hour long. We started our day by having a poke around the station. London sure does train stations with panache!
There is a memorial to the Kindertransports at Liverpool Street Station. The Kindertransport saved the lives of 10 000 Jewish children at the start of WW2. The memorial at the station is a bronze sculpture by Frank Meisler, erected in the forecourt of the station in 2006. Liverpool Street Station wasn't a random choice for the memorial. The children arrived at that station during 1938 and 1939, most of whom did not see their parents again as they perished in the Holocaust. I didn't even realise the memorial was there until we stumbled upon it while waiting for the train.
The Cambridge train station is about a 2km walk to the town centre. It was a beautiful day and we passed gorgeous churches and buildings as we walked into the town. Cambridge really is pretty and I'll always have lovely memories of the day we spent there.
Cambridge is, of course, a university town. It is flat and easy to get around so it's a cyclist's paradise. We saw hundreds of bikes all over the town.
As it was the summer break, the College buildings weren't open but it was still cool to wander around their grounds. Imagine studying there!
The College gardens are absolutely gorgeous as well, many of which are accessible during the summer break closure of the Colleges. Here's a selection of shots from our wanderings. There was some kind of reception in one of the Colleges and we passed by as a string quartet was playing.
One of the lovely parts of wandering around new places and spaces is the discovery of laneways and passages that allow me to feel connected to the place and its history. These photos are amongst my favourites of my Cambridge images.
King's Parade is a hub of activity. The street is considered to be the heart of Cambridge and commands a central position in the university campus. The area dates back to the 16th century when it was a meeting place for English protestant reformers. King's College was founded in 1441 by King Henry VI not long after founding its sister college, Eton. The chapel that you can see in the below photos is said to be one of the best examples of late perpendicular Gothic English architecture, featuring the world's largest fan vault inside the church. The chapel was built in 1446.
Kings' Parade is where ticket sellers for Cam River punting outings approach tourists and it's rather hard to escape them. That said, punting is absolutely something you must do in Cambridge! I loved it. So British! The perspective you gain on the river and the town is fabulous as the Cam passes through the heart of the university campus and you can see the 'backs' of many of the colleges. I really appreciated just how gorgeous Cambridge is by seeing it from the river. It was a bucket list experience that I was excited to tick off.
There are a bunch of gorgeous old bridges across the River Cam, some we saw while punting and others while wandering around. The Bridge of Sighs that you can see in the bottom two shots is a stone covered bridge at St John's College, built in 1831. It is named, unsurprisingly, after the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, even though they two bridges have little in common architecturally and historically. The bridge in Cambridge is now a Grade I listed building and is said to have been Queen Victoria's favourite part of the town.
Later we visited St Bene't's Church, thought to be built between 1000-1050 AD. It is recognised as the oldest building in Cambridge although the bell openings were added later, in 1586. Awesome. The church is dedicated to Saint Benedict of Nursia, the founder of the Benedictine order of monasticism. The bottom left hand picture below is of the stone floors in the church.
Travel tip🌏 Cambridge is a lovely day trip from London, inexpensive if you get the right tickets, and only an hour each way from Liverpool Street station. There's a lot to do - wandering around the pretty town, exploring the Colleges, and punting. Just remember that if you visit during the summer break, the Colleges aren't open, although there are some grounds you can still wander around. |
London again💂🏿♀️
I had two days left to explore London before returning home. The first was the Sunday after our Cambridge trip when KP and her partner took me around the East End. It was hot that day - I think from memory around 30 degrees - one of the few times when I have genuinely felt hot in London.
We wandered around, browsed in the markets, and soaked up the vibes in the East End. The East End is a vibrant, eclectic place and I had a great day even if markets aren't really my thing. The food stalls are amazing, though. I bought my lunch at an Ethiopian stall. KP's partner knows loads about Jack the Ripper so I was treated to an impromptu history tour. That's me in the top right-hand photo in front of the infamous Ten Bells pubs, one of the places where Jack lured away his victims.
My final day in London was the last day of my trip overall, after I'd returned from Brussels. I had a bit of a list of things I wanted to see so just spent my final day wandering around London, becoming proficient reading the Tube map. I still felt excited about seeing new parts of London for the first time, most notably Notting Hill. I even found the blue door and the bookshop from the Hugh Grant film!
The very last thing that I did was have a wander around Harrods. I'd been there before, on our first trip to London in 1996, but there's something about the iconic store that draws me in even though can neither afford nor am I interested in shopping there. I mostly go for the experience and to poke around the gift shop. I bought the key chain you can see in the below collection.
Heading home🐨
My trip home was uneventful once I got on the flight but getting to the airport was stressful. I left KP's early in the morning, planning to take the Tube out to Heathrow. Unfortunately, I didn't get far as there had been a suicide on the track and the Tube line I was on was temporarily suspended. I went into major anxiety mode as, when I emerged from the Tube station where the service had stopped, I had no idea where I was. Google Maps had been around for a few years by then but it wasn't a natural part of my life at that point, even though I had a mobile phone. I walked around in a daze for a bit then eventually pulled myself together. I hailed a cab and the driver kindly told me he could drop me at Paddington station where I could take the Heathrow Express to the airport. It was touch and go, though, and I had to run to check in. I only had about 15 minutes after dropping my bag off before the flight was called for boarding. At least I slept well on the flight home after that!
This is KP's house in London, in the East End at Limehouse. I absolutely love it! She doesn't live there these days, but I was fortunate to stay there twice while she did. So British!
Our first trip to London in 1996, our whirlwind introduction to the city before we embarked on a bus tour of Europe, was very much a taster. I remember feeling both exhilarated and overwhelmed by being in London. We'd stayed with KP (living in a share house at the time) and she became our guide. We followed her on the Tube but the whole system seemed complex and confusing to us. We'd also travelled around the city on one of the iconic red double decker buses, but I just didn't understand the geography of the city. This time I walked a lot more and found that the city's layout started to make more sense to me. I also got the hang of the Tube system after figuring things out on my own and I loved working out which lines to take to get to my destination.
The much needed confidence boost of my solo wanderings, even though my sense of direction never seems to improve. There's something rather exciting about the unknown and relying on yourself to navigate new places and spaces.
Having a local guide to deepen my experience and reconnecting with my friend, spending those two precious days together (and Cambridge is up there with one of my best days out ever).
Navigating the Tube like a local and feeling proud of my ability to master it, but also doing a lot of walking and gaining a much better appreciation for the city.
I'd seen so many iconic things in London that I just about had to pinch myself to believe it was real. KP said I'd made her look at London with fresh eyes. I never want to lose that sense of wonder when I have the chance to wander the world.
Punting on the Cam is an experience I will never forget. Also...I went to Wimbledon!
Being sorry not sorry for my London souvenir overload, even if not all the stuff has survived our many moves over the years.
My next visit would be in two years. Yay! You can read all about that trip here and my later wanderings in 2014, 2015, and 2018. I was also fortunate enough to spend blocks of time in London for work in 2022 twice and in 2023 (where I was in the city for King Charles's coronation), making that nine London experiences to date!
My 2011 wanderings were all about exploring new parts of London and revisiting ones I'd seen on our very first trip. My love for London was well and truly cemented during this trip and I loved every experience that I had.
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