UK - London at night

Before spending the night in London, I first needed to get there.  The drive down from York didn't end up being too bad, but that was probably only because of technology.  There were traffic jams galore, but thanks to Google navigation and Waze, the driving route was updated and rerouted frequently since there were many motorways to choose from.  So, somehow, I made it down without actually getting stuck in any of the major traffic jams.

Liters and Pounds.  You do the math.

Farewell car.  You did good.  (And as you can see, BP stations in the UK look just like BP stations in the US.)

 

After returning the car to where it was originally picked up, near Heathrow Airport, I took the rental car shuttle to the airport in order to access the London Underground.  I wasn't too happy about having to lug my suitcase onboard the subway, but luckily there was plenty of space for it, and the train wasn't crowded.

 

So sick of traveling.  Are we there yet?

 

The Tube.

 

Next, I had to walk a few blocks to the hotel, which surprisingly was affordable yet decent.  I was so excited to finally be IN LONDON, but hunger and exhaustion set in.  Also, with all of the planning I had to do in advance for the logistics of the rest of the trip, I didn't spent much time thinking about what exactly I wanted to do and see in London.  Once I was there, I realized how overwhelming it all was, especially considering that I only had a day and a half to sight-see.  After a trip to a nearby Tesco to fuel up, it really was time to stop procrastinating and start doing something.  Anything!

 

Since sunset was fast approaching, but there was a lot that I wanted to see, I decided that a nighttime double decker bus tour of the city was my best bet.  After looking online at the different options, I chose a tour by See London by Night (http://www.seelondonbynight.com/).  The cost was £15 for an hour and a half.  I believe my tour began at 8:30 or 9pm.

Back to the tube station to get to the tour's meeting point across from Hyde Park.

Waiting for the tour to begin.

 

Note: Since it was night time, obviously it was dark.  Plus I was on a moving bus.  So, some of the pictures below are blurry or subpar.  I was actually pleasantly surprised though that overall, the pictures turned out pretty well.  And some are just incredible!  Mainly, I am posting these pictures, good and bad, so that you can see what exactly the tour has to offer if you are interested in taking it someday.

 

Riding past Kensington Gardens and the Albert Memorial.

 

Natural History Museum.

 

Façade above the entrance of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

 

Harrods department store.

Ornate buildings up the street from Harrods.  Reminded me of Amsterdam, but fancier.

 

Wellington Arch

Westminster Abbey

It's him!!!

  

"Look kids...Big Ben...Parliament."

 

Side note: I forgot to mention this in my very first blog post, but I believe that another reason I aspired to travel ever since I was kid was due in part to the movie National Lampoon's European Vacation, which I watched countless times with my older sister when I was growing up.

 

This (above) was one of the most memorable and happiest moments of my life.  I finally got to see Big Ben, and it was everything I imagined it would be.  I came to the conclusion that this nighttime bus tour was like the Peter Pan ride at Disneyland, but a million times better!  The tour could have ended right then and there and I would have been 100% satisfied.

View of the London Eye along the River Thames.

Yes please.

St. Paul's Cathedral atop Ludgate Hill.

A better view of the dome.

View of Tower Bridge while crossing London Bridge over the Thames.

Crossing Tower Bridge.

 

One of the towers on the bridge.

The Tower of London.  (Much more on this in my next post.)

Most of "London" actually is not London.  If you see this crest, then you know your are officially in London.

A London traffic jam.  Double deckers all the way.

A typical London street...and still stuck in traffic.  I didn't care though because I could still see Big Ben...and I was in London.

Last site...Piccadilly Circus.

 

I was on cloud nine after the tour, so I didn't even care about doing anything else after.  Plus, I was freezing from sitting on top of the uncovered portion of the bus for 90+ minutes.  I know this tour is a typical cheesy, touristy thing to do, but I can't recommend it enough.  Seeing so many of the major buildings and monuments lit up at night was beautiful.  It is a great way to have a productive and fun evening in London, especially if your time is limited.

 

If you want to see a map of the entire tour, click this link and scroll down:

http://www.seelondonbynight.com/images/stories/slbn%20winter%20brochure%202014.pdf

 

Next up: The trip finally comes to an end, with one last day in London.