My last trip before leaving England was to its capital city.
I went for a weekend a month or two ago, and I felt like I didn’t have time to see everything I wanted to see. So, between essay deadlines and friends visiting, I went again.
On Monday, I did some more walking around London. My hostel was literally steps from Hyde Park, so I went through the Queen’s Gates and walked the length of the park. I also went to the British Museum, where I saw the Rosetta Stone and other ancient Egyptian artifacts; London Bridge and Tower Bridge, the city’s two most famous paths across the Thames River; and King’s Cross Station, home to typical railways and tourist attraction Platform 9 3/4.
Yep, definitely tourist status right here.
On Tuesday, I started off with a tour of the Warner Bros. Studios in London, which was — you guessed it — where most of the “Harry Potter” movies were filmed, aka it was responsible for hours of my childhood.
It was so cool to walk on the sets that were used in the movie. (And to learn that J.K. Rowling came up with the idea on a delayed train from Manchester to London — too bad I haven’t had any inspiration when I’ve traveled that route.) I don’t know as if I had a favorite set. I really liked Dumbledore’s office and the Ministry of Magic, though. And, predictably, I loved all of the designs for product packaging. As one of the graphic designers said, it would’ve been a dream to be able to design all of these products because the process required so much creativity.
Look, guys, new car!
On Sunday, I went to a restaurant called The Breakfast Club on the recommendation of my friend Hilary, who lived in London last summer. (Also, the name itself is enough reason to go.) It was really good!
After that, I went to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. I’ve always loved mysteries, so it was cool to see artifacts from his cases.
I’m willing to bet that these are here purely for show because they are the ultimate Sherlock Holmes stereotypical objects.
Then, I ended my London trip just how I started the first one: with a show on the West End. I saw “Les Miserables,” the world’s longest-running musical, and of course loved it.