72 Hours in London Travel Diary


hey there,

About a week ago I went to London for a quick 72 hour weekend stay, prompted by Darren Criss' concert on the 20th of April. If you remember this blog post from a few weeks ago you remember that I've been a fan for a long time and this concert was kind of a Big Deal™. I've been to London a handful of times so whenever I visit now I don't need to see all the highlights anymore. This weekend was all about having fun and getting to see my friends. Due to some freak accidents we had one ticket left, which I jokingly offered to my best friend Michaela. I say jokingly because this girl lives in New York so no way was that going to be feasible right?! Well, the airfare gods and parents had other plans and after a nine hour delay there she was: ready to spend a weekend with me in London. Wondering what we got up to in London for a 45-72 hour layover?


Thursday

   

I arrived at St. Pancras a little after 2 pm and we checked into our hostel near an hour later. None of us had the best experience at this hostel, so I'm going to be brief about it and suggest you either book a private room, bring allergy meds and high quality ear plugs, or you book a different hostel. The location was ideal as the concert venue, St. Pancras Old Church, was just around the corner. The rest of our afternoon took us all the way to Travistock Square, a public park in Camden. We went to Wagamama on Holborn for an early dinner and after trekked to the Thames near Temple underground station.


This side definitely had its photographic perks, but the sun was on the opposite bank. A good chat and a bench to people watch lasted my friend Amy and I till long after sundown. We made our way back towards the hostel passing St. Pauls' because I'd never walked across the Millennium Bridge. I don't know how we did it but my feet made it back to the hostel where we got about four hours of sleep due to World's Worst Snorer who coincidentally also has World's Smelliest Feet.

Friday

  

The early start to the day took Amy and I to the venue to check if anyone was committed enough to queue at 6:30 -which they weren't someone was there 30 min later though-. Michaela finally made it to London despite all the delays and we met up with other Dutch friends before heading off for lunch/dinner. Snacks and water were acquired for queuing but the hot weather held us back from going too soon. Can't recommend Travistock Square enough, unless you have hay fever don't go it's terrible.

Darren's concert was incredible. The acoustics of the church lend itself beautifully to the string quartet and the acoustic set. Some golden oldies like One Fine Day and Goin' Back to Hogwarts were headliners among the other many great covers. Criss ended his set by giving a full a cappella rendition of Somewhere Only We Know (Keane). Pardon the blasphemy but I felt hashtag blessed.

Saturday


Saturday did take us to some London highlights like the HEMA at Tottenham Court Rd. You will high key find me there again in a few weeks to buy out the ribbel and paprika chips, because if there's one thing the Brits haven't mastered it's the art of a good chip- excuse me- crisp. Covent Garden on a Saturday is never a good idea, but it honestly wasn't all that bad crowd wise if you didn't try to go inside any shops. We walked to Neal's Yard (pictured above) and had delicious Fish 'n Chips™ at Rock and Sole Plaice.

Michaela and I said goodbye to Amy who was heading home, and we continued our trip to the theater district and Trafalgar Square. Unfazed by our ticket lottery losses we bought tickets to see Young Frankenstein. If you get the chance to I highly recommend watching it, it's a hilarious musical with an extremely talented cast. Dinner took us to China Town for dumplings: a tradition and a must.  I'm so lucky to have this amazing woman in my life and to call her my best friend is a privilege.



Sunday
I said goodbye to Michaela in the early hours of Sunday and took an Uber back to the hostel before heading off to Sheffield in the later early morning after some sleep. I truly had an amazing fun-filled 72 hours and would do it all over again in a heart beat, maybe with a better place to sleep. Camden is a beautiful part of London and I'd love to go back and walk around it some more.

Hope to see you here again next Sunday, Wednesday posts will return after deadlines.

-Y.

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