After traveling around parts of the south coast, Ash and I dropped our car back in city center London (again, BAD idea... rent your car from outside the city limits) and had one more day to explore everything we couldn't the first round.
Because of the fantastic Hop-on-Hop-off tour, we felt a little more oriented with the city. We knew where our AirBnb was in compared to some of the places we wanted to go. Again, I highly recommend finding a cheap AirBnb compared to a high-priced hotel; you won't be spending your time inside the accommodations, so you don't need to pay for anything special. Save your money for exploring the city.
With so much time spent just getting to know the layout of the city, we weren't able to see some of the nooks and crannies we wanted to our first two days in London. So on our last full day we made an effort to explore the parts that we missed. We chose to stay near Hyde Park again. It is a great central location- easy to hop on public transit. We walked to the nearest underground station, Bayswater, and hopped on a train headed towards King's Cross Station.
Why did we choose King's Cross Station? Because like most of the world, we are Harry Potter freaks and love the fantasy world of J.K. Rowling. And since we can't be witches and wizards ourselves, we figured visiting Platform 9 3/4 was the closest we could get to living it. We were both really glad we went. Not only was the tribute to Harry Potter cool (I mean, Ash bought a wand so I would say it was a success), but King's Cross Station itself is worth seeing. The building is beautiful and you have this weird feeling, as in most European train stations, that you are both outside and inside at the same time.
After King's Cross Station, we spent the day walking. We walked EVERYWHERE. The rain hit us off and on, but it didn't matter. Walking in a rainy London is beautiful. Below is a list of some of the places that Ash and I saw:
St. Pancras Station: We didn't go inside, but the exterior was beautiful.
British Library: Again, we didn't visit the interior, but walked around the exterior.
Northumberland Arms: With the grey weather and cool air, this place was extremely cozy. A pub that we happened to stumble upon and that I will never forget.
Royal Academy: Like some of the other stops, we didn't go in, but we did hang around the atrium for a while to look at the facade carvings and take in the exterior artwork.
Buckingham Palace: We saw the guards!
Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, and the Serpentine: We spent a good amount of time exploring Hyde Park this day. Walking up the Serpentine, we took in the nature that the park had to offer.
If we would have had more time, I can imagine we would have hit up the Soho district and Borough Market again, but the hours were limited and we still had to pack for our trip back home the next day. Ash and I both hope that we can visit this city again to revisit our favorite places, and find new areas to explore. If you have been here and have tips for "must-see" places, please let us know. We would love to hear about your adventures!
I do ask that this stays a positive and safe space for readers, so please, no hurtful language or remarks about other's experiences. Thank you.
