Winter in London

LONDON

Winter, 2014

This is the first post in a long line of countries my partner and I visited over the Australian Summer holidays. While it was well over 30 degrees celsius in Australia, in London it didn't get warmer then 5. 

(For general travel advise, such as what to pack/wear scroll down to the bottom)

Our first stop on the long 50 hour journey to London was Incheon Airport in Seoul. We saw our first snow here (dirty and small as it was). It was a balmy -7 degrees celsius. We flew with Korean Air which meant we got to stay over a night in a Best Western hotel with a dinner and breakfast included. 

While waiting at the airport for our next flight we had a milkshake with our last few dollars at the 'Hello Kitty Cafe.' The next length of our flight was another 12 hours long.

We got to London at night and had to catch 1 or 2 trains on the underground to get to our accommodation. We stayed with a lovely couple we found on Air BNB. 

 

This was our first breakfast! I think it was only about 5 pounds each. They even put the toast on a separate plate.  

This was outside the National Portrait Gallery. 

 This was the first of many Christmas markets we found across London and Europe. It was our first taste of mulled wine - we were not big fans - but I am sure it can be delicious.

 We went on a double decker bus tour - great for seeing a bit of everything.

This is the Australian Embassy. 

These photos are taken from the TATE Modern Gallery in London.  

We visited the Natural History Museum. 

They had the best salads we found in Europe at the Natural History Museum.

We spent a lot of time visiting large, expansive parks. 

In Hyde Park we found another Christmas Market. Here I am enjoying my first hot chocolate and baileys - delicious!! 

Fries/Pommes were delicious and very expensive in Europe.

I hope you are noticing a very 'foodie' photo trend happening.

This is a tiny cafe we stopped in on our way walking to The Globe Theatre. 

 It was fantastic going on the tour at The Globe Theatre where they have re created Shakespeare's original theatre as close to it was as possible. Only in a slightly different spot. 

This is our small piece of proof that we visited Oxford Street. 

Our first squirrel!! 

Other things we did:

We walked along the river, went on a ride at a Christmas Market, visited Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circuit, Jersey Boys and Once the musical.

Time for the important stuff.

What you should know, tips for London:

1. London beer is served warm or room temperature

2. Even if it is not snowing it is still really cold

3. You will walk EVERYWHERE

4. Transport is really good, and cheap. You won't need a car or to catch a taxi anywhere.

5. Tickets to shows can be purchased really cheap from a booth in Leicester square when you get off from the tube.

6. Hyde park is fun and worth a visit

7. Never leave your phone or wallet beside you or on a table

8. SHOPPING: Go to Camden Markets before anywhere else. Just get off at Camden Town off the tube and walk. There is also lots of delicious food here

9. Oxford street is very busy and over priced

10. You get good value for money - usually big serves of food

11. Eat a big breakfast and walk around all day - after a big breakfast you likely won't need to eat again until after 2 and then can just have a small snack for dinner.

What to wear:

Layers, layers, layers. 

Make sure you break in a good pair of walking shoes before leaving. (I had some nice sized blisters).

Have a nice wide scarf that is long enough to wrap nicely around your neck and face.

You will want to have a good beanie - baggy and warm is nice.

Top half: thermal, tee shirt, jumper and then a coat/jacket.

Bottom half: leggings/thermals under pants or a dress/skirt.

Feet: Nice thick, warm, comfortable socks are a must. Some comfortable shoes are needed! You don't need to go as far as gum boots but if you are wearing leather shoes you need to water proof them. DO NOT WEAR CANVAS SHOES.

We just had a grey shoulder bag which had a zip. We also had a backpack if we were going out a long way so we could carry a water bottle and snacks etc.

Check back soon for our next stop, Antwerp Belgium.