London, London, London… the city of the West End, the city of high prices, the city of artificial celebrities?

Like most Euro-trippers my journey began in the amazing city, but how do you decide what to do with your time in the city that has everything to offer. Well let me tell you about some of the ways I did…

Bus Tour:

I know, I know, they are tacky and overpriced and a tourist trap and I would spend weeks meeting people who would constantly remind me of how effective London metro is but I was jet-lagged and naive and the idea of having the ability to get on and off at my leisure really did appeal to me in a moment of weakness. (It also included a river tour so it can’t be all bad, right!?). Plus, they had guides and it was nice to fill my mind with some information after 2 days of mind-numbing airplane and airport hopping. We jumped off at Piccadilly Circus and made our way to Buckingham palace (a short walk that is only slightly painful in the 1 week of freak heat-wave that London had this year). Unfortunately they weren’t changing the guards that days, we got a few ambiguous explanations as to why. I think it must have been due to freak heat; I honestly believe that Londoners stop functioning as soon as the temperature exceeds 25.

I would recommend the bus tour for a nice jet-lagged way to see the city on a beautiful strangely toasty London Day, nothing beats the wind through your hair as you sit on a classically English double-decker bus hearing about the Queens latest appearances.

River Cruise:

Another easy way to see they sites with minimal effort involved. Getting to the dock gives you the chance to Admire Westminster Abbey and her gorgeous ‘Big Ben’ and from the river you can take time to see some of London’s best (and worst) pieces of Architecture including St Paul’s Cathedral and the hideous Walkie Talkie building. The cruise took us all the way to London Tower and once again a lovely way to see the city on a summer’s day.

Natural History Museum:

In an architectural masterpiece this museum in incredibly impressive. Everything from dinosaur skeletons to solar system rooms exist within the walls and trust me even the ant farm in this museum is something you can stare at for hours (Patrick and I nearly did…) The entry is free and it’s definitely worth lining up for, we spent the afternoon here but you could easily make a day of it. Probably a perfect place to go during the more typical London weather…

Live Shows:

If there is one thing you MUST do in London it’s see a show. This city is home to some of the longest running masterpieces on stage and you will not be disappointed. I saw two shows during my visit to London, the first I went to with theatre-buff Patrick who I had full faith would select a winner. We were not disappointed. The Intimate performance of ‘Once’ at Pheoeix Theatre was not only charmingly welcoming of the crowd joining the cast on stage before the show started to enjoy the folky music and sing and dance along if you so felt inclined. It was a lovely show showcasing the talent of the cast to connect with a crowd on a much smaller scale, which in many ways seems more impressive than the bigger performances. At the same time the bigger performances do not disappoint. I had seen the Lion King in Melbourne before so I decided to see Wicked, and it was just that.. wicked. The set was phenomenal,  the costumes impressive and I loved every debatably evil minute.

Madam Tussauds:

This is about as close to meeting famous people within my budget. And perhaps for some of them it’s even better visiting them here where they can’t say anything stupid that could taint your impression of their beautiful faces. I warn you though, you’ll be competing to get photos with the more well-known hollywood faces as everyone wants to pretend they really caressed Leo’s face and touched Beyonce’s booty, but have no fear you can always pretend to be intelligent next to Einstein or cuddle Die Fuher himself. Not only does Madam Tussauds give you the chance to pretend to be buddies with your favourite celebs but you get to see a fun 4D movie and learn a bit of history of London on the cute theme-park-esque ride. If you’re game enough you end the experience with one of those ‘scary’ walk through experiences, where unfortunate people are employed to jump out at you making loud noises that no one ever enjoys. You have to visit a Madam Tussauds at some point I guess, it may as well be in London.

Galleries:

If there is one thing London has some of the best is, it’s galleries. You can see everything from Bellini to Van Gogh. In my visit to London I visited 2 of the greats. The Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery. If you are going to the portrait gallery and have forgotten your glasses I recommend a private guide. I had one imported all the way from little old Australia, my friend Pat is a royal family know-it-all so I recommend bringing him with you for detailed explanations of each angry-looking royal family member. The national gallery needs no explanation, you can be looking at a Monet and turn around to be confronted with a Rembrandt, if I had the time I would end up spending weeks in the place purely from the amazement that these are the artists I grew up learning about as what seemed like mythical masterminds.

 Camden Markets:

The Camden markets seem to have EVERYTHING. From your

favourite TV shows slogan Tee’s, to tacky miniatures of London’s greatest attraction (because honestly who doesn’t need a miniature Big Ben which doubles as a highlighter??), and of course every international food dish you could imagine. Falafel and Bratwurst, deep-fried chocolate bars and curry, they have it all. I spent the day here with the loveliest group of fellow female-solo travellers and we had a great time getting lost through the stalls and testing exotic foods. Definitely one of London’s highlights without a typical London style high entrance fee.

So that’s a quick outline of some of the ways I amused myself during the first 3 days of my trip, I was jet-lagged and had done no research but I think I did a pretty good job at appreciating some London highlights.

• Big Ben
• Buckingham Palace
• Camden Market
• London
• National Gallery
• Piccadilly Circus
• United Kingdom
• Westminster Abbey