The One Where We Won a Trip to London

As I haven’t done any travelling this year so far, I decided to share the places I visited back in 2017. The first journey I made last year was to London and I was lucky enough to win the trip in a Fantastic Beasts-themed contest. My boyfriend and I got the flight, accommodation and tickets for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour booked for March and we were so excited when the day finally came!

We flew to Stansted, got picked up by a driver in the coolest car I’ve ever sat in and he dropped us off at the Washington Mayfair Hotel. We left our luggage at the hotel and off we went exploring… Now, I’ve visited London before, but that was long ago, so it felt like seeing the city for the very first time.

After a quick breakfast, we took the tube to St. Paul’s Cathedral. We wanted to visit mainly for the view from the Golden Gallery at the very top; however, both this one and the lower-tier Stone Gallery were closed due to maintenance work. I was a bit disappointed at first, but we still enjoyed looking at the beautifully painted ceilings and walking on the same checkered floor as Lady Di did on her wedding day. We went to the crypt and then up to the Whispering Gallery, where we spent some time stood opposite each other across the gallery, whispering to the walls of the dome and trying to catch what the other one was saying… It didn’t really have the rumoured effect, but that might’ve been caused by all the other tourists whispering at the same time :)

From the cathedral, we went for a walk on Southbank, crossing the Millennium Bridge. Other stops that day included Leadenshall Market (mostly for the aesthetics), Picadilly and Trafalgar Square. We looked at the shops in Regent Street and Bond Street, then had a delicious dinner in an Italian restaurant just off Oxford Street.

Saturday was spent mostly in the Warner Bros. Studios in Watford (more on that later!), but after returning to London, we took a quick walk, stopped by the Buckingham Palace and then moved on through St. James Park and across Westminster Bridge. On our last day, we had coffee in Hyde Park, where we tried to make some new friends...

Passing Albert’s Memorial, we paid a quick visit to V&A Museum, where a new exhibition, The History of Underwear, just opened. We spent just about an hour looking at fashion and art displays and then had a delicious lunch in the museum café. Sadly, that was the end of our city break, as we headed back to the hotel and then to the airport, catching an evening flight home.

I’m already looking forward to my next visit to London and this time, I’d love to explore Covent Garden, Soho and Victoria. I’d also like to try some new restaurants and do a bit of shopping… Let me know if you have any more recommendations!

Love,

Bella