As expected, I felt a sting in my conscience as I booked flights to London. Do we have a right to enjoy life when there is war in Europe? What about ecology? And should I not favor domestic services and products instead?
I silenced my conscience by noting that my carbon footprint is minuscule (true), and that wars have not disappeared even though there have been ascetics throughout history (true), and that we live in a globalized world (partly true). In fact, after the long break in travelling due to the pandemic, nothing could have stopped me.
Museums efficiently
In London, you can visit several wonderful museums for free. To save time and energy, we had checked the exhibitions of National Gallery in advance and chosen the works of art that we wanted to see.
By planning in advance like this one can of course risk missing some less known gems or surprising discoveries. Especially, if you wish to experience Stendhals syndrome, it will only succeed by immersing yourself in the works of art room by room without being too selective.
Musicals – a must
Another cliche but still an unavoidable thing in London is musicals, this time Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre. Its perspective on the life story of one of the Founding Fathers of the USA, Alexander Hamilton, was remarkably fresh, its dance parts dazzling, and the songs full of meaning. Especially the last song crystallized an important question: who will tell the stories of those whose stories have not been heard yet? And next time I could try something off-West End, just for a change.
Is a free guided walking tour free of charge?
I really like walking and that is why we participated in a guided walking tour. Weather being in our favour, there were tens of, but our guide Margaret made it work perfectly.
During our walk in Westminster, we learned for example how the post of the Prime Minister was created and why the street next to Buckingham Palace is called Constitution Hill. I was also surprised to hear who owns all the swans in England.
Margaret the guide also explained us the most delicious bits of Henry VIII’s life in front of St James’s palace, built for the King in the 1530’s. I was feeling thrilled as we were at one of the hotspots of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall novels, my favourites.
Even if some walking tours are advertised as free, it is still thoughtful and even necessary to give the guide any sum of money one regards suitable at the end of the walk. These guides are actually working, even though the tour is called free. When considering the size of the sum one can take into account the professional skills of the guide as well as the length of the tour.
Puttin’ on the Ritz
One more thing I wanted to experience was the luxurious afternoon tea at the Ritz. Yes, there is a dress code (no jeans, no sportswear) but I felt perfectly happy in my 8-euro white dress, white 60’s style flea market pumps shoes, and a neat jacket. Regardless of where I go, I need to feel at ease.
The absolutely best about the afternoon tea was the heavenly variety of brewed teas of which one could order as much as one wanted. The experience was completed by tasty sandwiches, scones and fancy cakes, by excellent service in the luxurious setting, with harp music in the background. Done in good company, why not once in a lifetime?
Afternoon tea at the Ritz is undeniably part of tourism industry. From this angle, it was intriguing to have a chat with one of the waiters, who said he was dreaming of working in a jazz bar. The afternoon tea sittings, repeated several times a day, day after day, must be challengingly monotonous to the workers. Sadly enough, I got the impression that the pay for the work was not quite right, considering the cost of living in an expensive city.
There are different kinds of afternoon tea experiences available in different price categories, in different settings, so everyone will certainly find an experience suitable to oneself.
Parks, restaurants, shopping
You can find the latest lists of the most popular shopping streets and centers online. You should also remember bookshops and other specialty shops. After being exhausted by shopping, weather allowing, you can relax in a park, some of which have deck chairs for rent. We were impressed by the beauty and tranquility of St James’s Park, despite the crowd attracted there by warm weather.
In big cities, choosing a restaurant is always a headache. Again, the old wisdom was proved true: it is worth avoiding the large restaurants in touristic areas and better to choose something small and atmospheric a little further away.
As to accommodation, there are of course options in all price categories, but staying in the most central areas is always relatively expensive. In our case, we also forgot to ask for a quiet room when booking, so part of our short holiday was spent in insomnia due to noise from neighbouring rooms.
Greater London offers endless opportunities if one is staying long enough. In London, you can do anything you like, at any time of the day.
Tips for starting to plan your trip:
Getting around: Oyster card – lower prices on public transport https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/visitor-oyster-card
Guided walking tours: for example Free Tours by Foot https://freetoursbyfoot.com/free-westminster-tour/
Shopping: find info online for example https://uk.hotels.com/go/england/best-shopping-malls-london?pos=HCOM_UK&locale=en_GB; for example Oxford Street, Regent Street, Long Acre (on a smaller scale)
Theater: online bookings, find for example on https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/whats-on/theatre off-Westend: https://offwestend.com/
Photos Saara Hiltunen
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