The London trip

Exactly a month after my flight to London, I’m sitting down to write about that adventure. So, welcome to my first post about my trip to London, United Kingdom. 

It wasn’t my first time in the city, and I for sure hope it won’t be the last, as even a week wasn’t quite enough to see everything this city has to offer. I’ve been to museums, exhibitions, city walks and tried various foods. In this post, I want to share the moments I will remember for the longest time, the ones that were the highlights of the trip for me and maybe even recommend some of them to you. 

I’ve spent more than several weeks planning and organising the schedule for each day I’ve spent there, choosing the places to go to and searching for some gems I may not have heard about yet. The list to choose from only grew, and so some sacrifices had to be made, but I just say they were put away for the PT.2 of the trip. 

I’ve visited one of the most popular museums in the world – the British Museum. Wandered the halls of the National Gallery. The Victoria & Albert museum also wasn’t left without attention. Those are the places you can step foot in the morning and leave when the sun has already set; the hallways are everlasting, the amount of art to see is endless, and the stories held in those places are just waiting to be told. 

the cliché

Yet, from the museums, the one that truly left me with the most memories was Madame Tussauds. I know all the classical art and history lovers just sighed, but that place, no matter how cliché, was actually really fun. It all started with the usual, Leonardo DiCaprio meeting you at the entrance (after you’ve stood in the line that stretched across the street), the group of James Bonds’ standing all pretty in their suits. Although when you venture deeper into the walk, at one point it leads you into the underground. The crime underground of London at that. In the next point, I will get to the explanation of why exactly I loved it so much, but for now, the wax people. 

The museum doesn’t let you walk back; obviously, you can, but the path to walk is very thought out. Taking you from one decade to another, having people all the way from Lil Nas X to Queen Elizabeth. I suppose everyone knows this place, it’s one of the things people come to London to visit, and maybe it’s a place one could call “too obvious”, but it’s worth visiting just for the memories, overpriced printed pictures and checking it off the bucket list. The cart ride “Spirit of London” alone is worth the money spent on the entry tickets. Taking you through the history of London, showing the events and moments that shaped the city into what it is now. They even snap a picture of you during the ride, so make sure to smile. 

Overall, I’d say that even if you aren’t interested in a selfie with Anakin, you should visit to see the massive exhibition that it is, watch the 5D cinema where they will kick your kidneys off and spray some water into your face. A great experience if you ask me. 

the greatest to ever do it

Worth mentioning, that right as you get off the tube at Baker Street station, you will be met with the statue of the one and only. The Greatest Detective to ever exist, even if only on paper and TV screens. A quick walk from the Madame Tussauds museum, you come to the Sherlock Holmes museum. I won’t make it an entire point, since the museum is 3 apples wide and tickets cost like 3 kidneys and a leg, but their souvenir shop was a must-visit. 

They had quite literally everything you might need, with Sherlock Holmes slapped on it. Spent another 2 kidneys and an arm there, since I obviously had to have my own tote bag and a fountain pen. Oh, also an escape book. It’s sitting on my desk with a bookmark in the very beginning, because choices with consequences are too hard for me, apparently. So even if you aren’t planning on visiting the museum, I’d recommend visiting the souvenir shop. Located, guess where? 221B Baker Street, what a surprise indeed. 

catching jack the ripper

Finally, we come to the gem of the trip for me. I’m sure my mom won’t agree with me on this, but I had a favourite and it was hard to beat. Jack the Ripper walking tour took over my heart and brain, and it still has not let me go. We spent 2 hours with a small group walking around Whitechapel, listening to our guide’s story and honestly? Best time EVER. I’ve never quite looked into details about Jack the Ripper, yes, he was a serial killer, what’s the big deal? Oh boy, I could talk for hours now. 

We spent two hours walking from one crime scene to another, visiting the places where the murders had historically taken place, while George, who has a really great voice, told us about what happened and how. That’s probably the first time I’ve ever gone into a rabbit hole so deep. Everyone has their obsessions as teenagers, even kids probably, some obsess over Jack the Ripper, some get into the mythology, some into dinosaurs and so on. My obsession was WW2, so this felt like breaking news. 

After the tour, I asked our guide for the source of truthful information about Jack the Ripper, since many books and movies were published with artistic inaccuracy and fictional details. He gave me a website to look at, and it’s safe to say I got little to no sleep that night, spending my time reading through the case file, all possible suspect files and looking at the photos from the case. What I thought would be a great tale for the evening turned into a story that quite literally took over my life for quite a while. So if you wanted to look at some London streets differently, you love stories and history, this is surely for you. I couldn’t recommend it more. 

Even if we went to Stonehenge the same day, which was a miracle in itself, that evening tour was something I will remember for a long time. 

turn back while you still can

One of the biggest disappointments was the Camden Market. After hearing about it from every possible social media network, I thought it should be a place I for sure should visit. Well, on my previous trip to London, I’ve been to Camden twice, and each time I said I’m not setting foot there again. Why didn’t I listen to myself? It wasn’t terrible, but it was quite a chunk of wasted time I could’ve spent doing something else, quite literally anything else. The shops are overpriced while the quality of the items remains poor. You want to tell me you want 70 pounds for a shirt that is falling apart in the seams? Keep it. It’s crowded, loud and disorganised. It’s a mess I don’t want to see again. 

Borough Market, on the other hand, was also a mess, but at least the strawberries with chocolate they are showing you on TikTok are actually really fresh and tasty. You get messy and your hands will be covered in chocolate, but it’s really good. Just make sure you have something to drink with that. Really sugary. I’m sure there was more great food to try, but we went with a goal of getting those strawberries, and they didn’t disappoint. Sweet, fresh berries will always be a great treat, even if smothered in chocolate. 

i’ll get a meal deal, thank you

On the food note, Chicken Shop is worth mentioning. Their food was fresh, full of flavour and even if it is quite pricey, it’s of great quality. Starbucks’ hot chocolate was a great treat, even if it was 25 degrees outside, it was just what was needed. Poundland is another place worthy of a mention; half of my suitcase on the trip back home was filled with chocolate I got from there. You want to tell me I can buy chocolate for 1 pound, when it costs x2 or even x3 back at home? I’ll take it all. 

A separate honourable mention goes to Krispy Kreme, as it was probably the place I ate at the most. Whoever is in charge of their stores should bring one to the Baltics. I’ll drive all the way to Estonia if I have to. The original glazed doughnuts have my heart, sorry to whoever else wanted to get in. Got a whole box of them, they gifted me a free one, and I inhaled all of that in one sitting as dinner. 

Tesco meal deal, honestly, might be the greatest marketing tactic for me as a customer. The number of meal deals I’ve purchased from there (and a couple of different places) was alarming. You want to tell me, a big box of fresh mango, a snack, and a drink come out to 4 pounds? (4.62 euros) I’m gonna take two, thank you. 

In the end, this trip was filled with highlights and memorable moments, and one post wouldn’t be enough to talk about them all. I probably don’t have any more memory on my phone with all the pictures I was taking at every corner. London is so different from anything around me, which is probably what makes it so desirable and interesting to explore. If I had the opportunity to go back, I’d take it, even if there are so many other countries I’d probably choose to visit for the first time, instead of a third trip to London. But even then, Jack the Ripper museum is waiting for me. 

To write about all the interesting moments from the trip, I will need a couple of more posts, which I fully intend to write, so stay tuned for the next posts and adventures, and I will catch you later.