Week 6: Trip to London

The week started off slow with just the usual catching up with school, but over the weekend I went to London with my friends!

We woke up very early to catch our 6:00 AM flight to London Stansted Airport, which was relatively difficult with how early in the morning it was. Also, I live in a farther part of Copenhagen so I had to transfer between stations which ate into my time. If you live in Copenhagen and have to catch early flights, keep in mind that it can be very time consuming if you need to transfer stations towards the airport. Early in the morning, the metros/trains have longer wait times in between arrivals, so make sure to account for that so you don't miss your flights or are pressed for time.

Upon arriving to the airport, I was really shocked at the difference between the airports in Europe vs. the U.S. Being at the CPH Airport was probably the least stressful airport experience I have had in my life. At security, you don't have to take off your shoes, you take a minimal amount of items outside of your bag, and you aren't rushed whatsoever. I was really shocked comparing the differences between airports in the States and here. Another major difference that I found was not knowing where your gate is at least an hour before your departure. Usually in the U.S, you'll know where your gate is well in advance. In comparison, when we were leaving London, we didn't know where our gate was 20 minutes until we were supposed to board. This is quite scary because some terminal are very large, so it may be difficult to get to your gate in time if you happen to be at the incorrect area.

Anyways, London was a very cool experience and it by far one of the most beautiful cities that I have been to so far in Europe. London is full of rich history and many things to do no matter what you are interested in.

Upon landing, we took an Uber from London Stansted Airport to Tower Bridge which was about $16 USD (A lot cheaper than the Stansted Express which is about $25 USD). The airport is VERY far from central London so make sure to keep that in mind if you go. After arriving at Tower Bridge, we got some souvenirs and made our way over to Borough Market which was awesome! We bought a good amount of food and drink and it was a really fun experience. It did get quite busy closer to 10:00AM so make sure to arrive early if you want to really soak in the experience without a ton of people in the area.

I also had the BEST coffee, if you're in the area, make sure to go to Monmouth Coffee. That place definitely does not need any more publicity but it was one of the best coffee's I've had in Europe so far.

Note: After Brexit, the the UK does not use the Euro anymore but they use the British Pound (BRP). Don't mix this up! The British pound is so much stronger than the Euro and the USD, this was a big mistake that I made 🥲. With that in mind, remember that London is so much more expensive than you think it is.

Afterwards, we saw the London Shard, and took a tour boat from Tower Bridge to Westminster Pier. I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you have a chance because it gives you a very interesting viewpoint of the city as well as it's history.

After our boat tour we arrived in Westminister where the London Eye, the Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower), and Westminister Abbey are located which were so beautiful!

Afterwards, we went to our hostel and got dinner in Chinatown. As I mentioned after this, London is extremely expensive my wallet was crying afterwards.

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The next day we woke up early to get breakfast and see the Change of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. I'm so glad the weather was great when we went. :)

Change of the Guard:

Tip: If you're going to see the Change of the Guard, make sure to go super early (Even an hour before it happens to get a good view). The crowds are very intense, especially on weekends. From what I observed, the best place to get a view of the Change of the Guard is close to the center statue, and the very front of the gate. Getting a good view is key to getting the best experience possible.

If I were to go into detail of everything I did in this trip this blog would be endlessly long, so here are some final pictures to sum up the whole experience.

Overall, I went over the main points of the trip. If you have any questions about getting around London, please let me know! I would love to help. :) I highly recommend going if you are interested in visiting the U.K.