Tuesday 1/3
I arrived in London around 9:15 am. Got an Uber to my Airbnb. It was about an hour away and it cost about $70 apparently. I didn’t do much today, but get something to eat and walk around the area a bit. I did purchase a UK cell phone so I can have a local phone number. The area I’m staying is really nice. It is near the Waterloo bus station and the stretch of road is called The Cut. Very cool area! After that, I just went home and watched TV and napped until it was time to go to sleep. I actually did talk a bit to the host whose name is Kasey. She’s a lovely warm person.
This may be the tiniest place I’ve ever stayed – it’s an exercise in efficiency. But it’s adequate for what I need for a few days. And it’s in a perfect location.
This is the area where I am staying.
Wednesday 1/4
I did the Hop on hop off bus for most of the day – to me, those are the best way to see a city and get acquainted with the overall landscape. I explored the tourist area near Big Ben and the London Eye. Also walked around the Strand area and had lunch at this vegetarian fast food restaurant called Leon. I love that they have things like that here! I had a halloumi cheese wrap which was amazing. And I had baked fries – not all of it is the epitome of health but at least I didn’t feel gross after eating. Then I walked around the Trafalgar Square area, and caught the bus back to a drop-off area close to my place. Before going out for the evening, I came home and rested for a bit – it very easy to get 10K steps when being a tourist in a town like this!
In the evening, I went to a jazz club called Ronnie Scott’s and saw a Brazilian guitar singer and guitarist. This is a pretty famous jazz club, apparently. I saw the upstairs room, not the main room because tickets were cheaper for this area. It was cool to be there, but I spent a ton on a couple of drinks and an appetizer. London is not a cheap city. But I am loving just soaking up the big-ness and the diversity that is here. It’s so great to be able to be here for several days and just be somewhere different. This is going to be a huge part of this sabbatical – just being somewhere different, soaking it in, watching people, seeing the sights.
Thursday 1/5
Today I began the day by I riding the boat tour from the Big Ben area up to the Tower of London area. Had lunch at a lovely place that I can’t remember the name of. My lunch included halloumi cheese again! I can’t get enough.
I tried to figure out the public transit situation, but was unsuccessful today. Instead of taking the Tube, I continued to use the hop on hop off bus. I was going to ask someone a bunch of questions at one of the stops, but there wasn’t anyone at the one I was at, so I’ll keep on with that tomorrow. I’m determined to figure it out! But it is so…intimidating to a first-time user!
In the evening, I went and had dinner and drinks out in the Covent Garden area at the Seven Dials market (took an Uber there and back). It’s a cool area that is kind of like a mall food court but much more upscale. I love that area. I want to come back and explore more during the day.
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