London in a weekend  at Christmas time

London in a weekend at Christmas time

“You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford”

Samuel Johnson

What makes London unique?

London has something for everyone with its vibrant culture. It’ s pure magic and that’s why it’s one of the world’s most visited cities. From history and culture to fine food and exceedingly good times London has everything.

Without any doubt, London is made for international travellers. Hotels in the capital are abundant, and at competitive prices, staying in luxury has never been more affordable. hotels near ‘Liverpool Street‘ station, in particular, are quite popular, due to their proximity to local attractions and transport links.

Perhaps the most shocking fact about London is that it’s the most multicultural city in Europe. More than 250 nationalities can be found here, and with so many languages spoken, it makes easy for new visitors to feel welcome. Diversity is at the core of London’s values, and that can be a welcome relief for many tourists in the city.

 

London, a stunning European capital city

London  is situated in southeastern England, lying astride the River Thames some 50 miles (80 km) upstream from its estuary on the North Sea. If the border of the metropolis is well defined, its internal structure is immensely complicated and defies description. It is physically a polycentric city, with many core districts and no clear hierarchy among them. Its population  already exceeded one million by 1800. A century later it reached 6.5 million.

London is, without a doubt, a place that’s steeped in history. The history of London, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, extends over 2000 years. In that time, it has become one of the world’s most significant financial and cultural capital cities. It has withstood plague, devastating firecivil waraerial bombardmentterrorist attacks, and riots.

London

London is magic at Christmas

The idea of spending just a weekend  in London might seem a little bit daunting. After all, it’s a big city. You could spend a year doing something touristy every day and still only scratch the surface.

But while you might not be able to do everything in one day, you can definitely give yourself an itinerary depending on what you fancy doing, above all if it’s your first time in London.  And in this case it’s better focusing on the central area of this epic city.  So here are a few options if you’ve only a weekend  to make the most of London!

1st day . 5 things to do  in London 

After a gorgeous English breakfast at Murriel’s’ , I went to:

  • Harrods‘: On its website Harrodscalls itself the “world’s most famous department store”,  and it’s hard to argue. Dating back to the 1800s, it’s synonymous with luxury and opulence. With more than 3200 departments and 1.1 million square feet of selling space, it’s also the largest department store in Europe.
  • St’James Park’ : It’s the oldest royal park in London and is surrounded by three palaces. The most ancient is Westminster, which has now become the ‘Houses of Parliament’, ‘St James’s Palace’ and of course, the best known Buckingham Palace’  ;
  •  South Kensington: is an affluent neighborhood home to some of London‘s best museums and cultural institutions. This is a popular spot for expats and in particular has a high concentration of French thanks to the presence of the French embassy and French schools, cafes, and restaurants;
  • Knightsbridge’ : Today It’s one of the most sought after and exclusive locations in central London It is probably best known to the tourists that flock there as a shopping destination and is home to both Harrodsand ‘Harvey Nichols’;
  • Buckingham Palace’: It has served as the official London residence of the UK’s sovereigns since 1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of the monarch. Although in use for the many official events and receptions held by The Queen, the ‘State Rooms’ at Buckingham Palace’  are open to visitors every summer.

What do you eat for lunch in London?

More examples of classic British dishes eaten for lunch include ‘bangers & mash’sausages served with mashed potatoes) , ‘shepherd’s pie’ (a dish made with lamb) , ‘fish and chips’, or any other traditional British pub food for that matter.

After all that walking in London  , I was very  hungry , so I had a pit stop along to :

  • The Strand’: one of London’s best known roads. You’ll find various high street chain restaurants, fast food outlets and cafés aplenty, which is  perfect for recharging your batteries and satisfying your appetite.

2nd Day in  London Eye

A trip to London isn’t complete without a visit to the iconic London Eye’. Originally constructed to celebrate the millennium,the Eye’ is a a giant ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London offering gorgeous views across the city.

At night, the wheel is lit up in seasonal colors and is the center piece of London’s annual New Year’s fireworks display. You can share one of the spacious pods with other keen visitors, or splurge on a private pod for you and someone special.

‘SoHo’, the wild part of London

Another area of London to explore is the district of  SoHo’ . It’ s situated in the heart of London ‘s west end’. The area covers roughly one square mile (2.6 square kilometres), so it’s easy to explore on foot. Diverse, fun-loving and never quiet, SoHo’  attracts a wide mix of people. Its history, venues and atmosphere make it a must-see for tourists and Londoners alike.

SoHo’  has long been known as the base of London ’s sex industry. The area is now the most popular nightlife spot although there are still some sex shops dotted here and there, giving Soho’  a delightfully risqué vibe.

In addition to bars and clubs, Soho’  has a number of theaters, jazz bars and restaurants to explore, making it a cultural hotspot. Its close proximity toLeicester Square’ means it’s also a great place to go for a few drinks after a play or stage show. During the day, Soho’ loses none of its charm. Here you’ll find lots of music shops, small cafes and quaint bakeries.

She was my top boss!  We remained friends for the rest of  our life! That was the last time and so far the only time we had saw each other . Carla is a special soul, she can listen to you,  you trust her totally. If I need to call her at 3am, she  will answer. Carla has recently moved to London for her job and she invited me to visit her. Of course I didn’t lose the chance to do it.

Never to give up! 

Actually my first and  real voyage was to get from ‘Stansted Airport’ to ‘Liverpool Station’ where Carla   was waiting for me the day I arrived in London.

My Ryanair flight  from Pisa had been delayed to 24:00  instead of 22:00! I ended up landing in ‘Stansted Airport’ at 01:00 without knowing what to do having lost not only my ‘Stansted Express train’  to Liverpool Station’ , but also Carla  ! We were texting via sms about how to get her house, and she was very busy because she had a very important and exclusive business dinner .

I didn’t want to disturb her, but it was not possible! After several telephone messages, the only solution was to take a night bus continuing by an uber taxi to Carla   ’s house in the north west of London ! It meant getting there at 2:00 or later and it was not so safe and cheap as well!

Getting Carla’s home! 

For a moment I did not think I  would leave above all. Getting Carla   ’s home would cost more than my flight from Pisa to London! By the way, I was beginning to feel tired and discouraged. There were lot of people in the same condition at the airport , wondering if the airplane would ever take off and if t would be possible to reach London city center from Stansted Airport’   late in the night without spending a fortune.

I had been there together with that crowd  for a while, just sitting too, when I came up to an English lady asking if she could help me with some useful information to get London city center safely and economically! Her husband and the gentle lady  solved  my  problem giving me a ride from Stansted Airport’   to Carla   ’s house!

Angels exist! 

Now I believe in angels amazing me with the kindness of that lovely couple. Soon after I arrived at Carla   ’s house late in the night , then I saw her astonished to discover I was there finally! She thanked Mr David and her lady and asked me how I managed all the stuff! I simply answered I brought my lucky star with me!

My surprise was not related to this happy end , but even and above all to their nice Christmas postcard for me. I hope to see them again back in Tuscany, I invited them to have a nice dinner with me.

Carla and me in London

We had a nice breakfast with Carla the following day talking about our life and having a walk in special places in London, such as :

Bye Bye London, see you soon! 

You should visit London at least once in their lifetime. It’s  a place  unlike any other in the world, so dont’ t forget to book your upcoming holiday  for a long weekend here ! In conclusion, London , and in fact Britain in general, may not have a great reputation for being full of friendly, welcoming people, but actually, the city is the wonder that it is because of the great diversity of fascinating people that live there.

Everywhere you look you’ll see people doing incredible things, whether it’s building businesses or performing circus acts in the street. Everyone has a story to tell, and on a visit to London it’s worth talking to as many people as possible to hear some of the amazing stories, as well as creating one of your very own.

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