Thursday, June 24, 2010

One Thing Thursdays: London

I'll be honest - I'm not a fan of London. I'm not much of a hustle-and-bustle type of gal - I like elbow room and quiet and not being run over by hipsters on Vespas. Now, I only spent three days in this city, so maybe I was judging it a bit harshly. I arrived at 3 a.m., sporting both a backpack and a front pack and as my arms fell asleep, wedged between the two, my travel companion and I realized we'd been forgotten by our host and were lost and locked out, so that probably didn't help. But all that aside, I just didn't click with London. I think that happens sometimes - just like with people. Sometimes you hit it off and others you just don't.


Miss S, my travel companion and general bad influence, and I in front of a bridge in London. Not the London Bridge.

So, one thing to do there? Get to Gatwick and take the first RyanAir flight outta there.

Seven (gah!) years ago, in my own travel hey-day, RyanAir offered one-way tickets for $1euro. Amazing. These days, the lowest fare is closer to $10euro one way, but still not a bad deal. It gives you a great starting point for a cheap European trip because you can often find cheap flights to London. Sure, you are herded like cattle in the plane, but c'mon - it's cheap!

If you insist on staying in London, I have two suggestions: get a candy bar. The British know how to make sweets, so you can't go wrong with your choice. Also, see a play or something, you lame, uncultured American.

2 comments:

  1. BOOOOO! I spent a semester in London and loved it. I had the "just didn't click" experience with Barcelona because I didn't book a hostel (who plans ahead when traveling to Spain?!) and so ended up literally sleeping on the street. I'd probably love it if I went back. I'm not even going to start in on how amazing London is (most of their world class museums are FREE) because I know you and the city just didn't have the right time to bond.

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  2. Ha! I loved Barcelona. Every trip is different and I think totally colored by who you are when you go. Maybe someday, London and I can reconcile over a pint :)

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