Camino Wander #3 - Hello London!

Finally - Step 1: Get to Europe. Check!

Hello, London!

I’ve finally made my way here. My journey involved two flights, and they were pretty uneventful. The first leg took me to Dubai, which was a first-time experience for me. It wasn’t too bad, but I almost missed my flight to London. I had an hour layover—though I say “layover” loosely because it was in a completely different terminal than where we landed. To get there, I had to take a bus shuttle that took about 15-20 minutes. It was the final call when I arrived—just one minute before they closed the doors!

Anyway, I made it to London! Since I didn’t sleep much on the flight, I felt pretty worn out by the time I got here. My room is quite tiny—typical for London—but I've stayed at this hotel before because it's super convenient for getting around. I'm only here for two nights to shake off jet lag and get my bearings.

I really love walking around London; it's so easy to navigate! After a good night's sleep, I woke up early and headed out to see quite a bit today. First stop: Buckingham Palace! The King was in when I visited, and although I stood at the barrier for over an hour waiting for the changing of the guards, they decided to change their route today so it wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped. Still, people-watching there is always interesting; humans have such amusing ways of interacting with each other.

I even chatted with a policeman afterward about how often he gets asked questions like "When does it start?" or "Which route do they go?" He handled it all with great humor.

It felt great being out in sunshine while passing Clarence House and St James Park; spotted daffodils and tulips just starting bloom in the gardens which were lovely touches everywhere.

Next up was Waterstones at Piccadilly—a real pinch-me moment since I've always wanted to visit this iconic bookstore! Even though it's multiple floors high, it still felt cozy rather than overwhelming compared to some larger bookshops I've been in before. While there, I enjoyed tea and scones which were lovely.

After that delightful break, I wandered over to the National Gallery just down the road at Trafalgar Square—which was bustling with buskers and dancers today (great people-watching again!). Although I've been there before too, this time around I skipped past most of the traditional pieces and focused on Danish art instead; their bold colours are stunning even after hundreds of years.

Afterwards, I sat in the sunshine and listened to some music in Trafalgar Square. I wasn’t alone. The place was bustling. It was nice to sit and spectate - and see Big Ben again in the distance. The last few visits he was covered up in scaffolding due to cleaning/renovations.

From there, things took an unexpected turn when trying to visit Sky Garden—a free rooftop lookout spot—I learned you need tickets booked three weeks in advance despite them being free! But hey—the view of London Bridge nearby made up for it! It wasn’t a total loss.

I decided to head back to my hotel after that —I had seen a lot and it turned out I'd walked over 10 kilometres today, if my phone calculated it correctly! (15k steps anyway.) I’m happy to report - though it’s not surprising to me - I’m not tired at all from walking. My feet were hot but that’s about it.

I'm looking forward returning in June for more exploration but overall had such a wonderful day here! Tomorrow brings another early start as I'll be catching a train over Paris next—London has been fantastic as always!

Written on my phone.

Waited an hour to see this - they changed their route today apparently.

Trafalgar Square - Big Ben in the background.

Tower Bridge

Quintessential London - bikes and historical buildings. Here, Buckingham Palace.

Me! Fresh air feels good after a long flight. The Mall (and outside of Clarence House)