The Visitor (version Meg.0)

The last few months we have been blessed to have a few new visitors stay with us at our place in London. One of them is a cousin of mine that I haven’t gotten to see in many years. Thanks to a unique opportunity brought about by her photography school, Meghan has spent this summer just across the English Channel in Paris.

Meghan is one of the most free-spirited people I know so when we learned she would be completing her course work in Paris I wasn’t the least bit surprised. We just hoped she would have enough time one weekend to make her way to sunny London (did I mention it’s been one of the best summers in England in half a century?).

Thankfully on the first of August she made the short train ride from Paris to London where I caught up with her at St Pancreas Station. From there we made our way to the tube and a whirlwind whistle-stop tour of a half a dozen station and four different tube lines all to go three stations west of where we started. There’s absolutely no way I can re-map the route we took to get to Trafalgar Square that day (primarily because we were so busy catching up we might have missed transfers) but the important thing is we eventually made it. In between touring the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery we indulged in the most British of all activities. Afternoon Tea complete with scone, clotted cream and raspberry jam. The National Gallery has one of the best afternoon teas we’ve found in London so if you plan on making a visit to London I would definitely recommend you take some time to treat yourself to this quintessentially British tradition at the National Café.

The next day we made our way back into London for tours of the HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge.  When we arrived at Tower Bridge for Meghan’s Tower Bridge Experience tour we also got to see the bridge raise for an old time ocean cutter. Locals seem to believe that the bridge raise is a pretty rare occurrence yet somehow I’ve managed to see my fair share of them over the last few weeks. Anyway, it is fascinating to watch the ships as they pass through Tower Bridge only to turn right back around and had back the other way as the next bridge down the river (London Bridge) doesn’t raise.

Of course I thought the Belfast was really cool but then I do enjoy a WWII museum. Plus there might have been a few wax models throughout the ship that were rather humorous. And we might have got to play captain as well.

Amanda vetoed this picture...twice.  Don't tell her it's in here.

When visiting London if you’re planning on seeing historical sights such as the Tower of London it is probably wise to acquire a London Pass so you can avoid some of the lines and earn a bit of a discount along the way, depending on how many attractions you manage to squeeze in during your visit. Of course make sure you know which sights you are interested in beforehand as many of the Museum’s are free entry year-round such as the National Gallery’s, the Imperial War Museum, the British Museum and the Tate Museum’s are all free while the Tower, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms and St. Paul’s Cathedral are all paid entry and included in the London Pass along with nearly 50 other tours and attractions. Of course if you are coming to see us we can certainly help you decide what option is best for your visit.

Later that night we met up with a high school friend of Meghan’s, David, who also lives in London and knew of unique dining experience taking place in Canary Wharf known as Truck Stop London. Truck Stop London 2013 took place over three weekends this summer and included a selection of street food trucks and cocktail bars in one of the trendiest areas of London. From there we made our way to the London Eye where we got some great photos of London at night.

Our next stop of the weekend took us all to Camden Town which is a completely different scene in London than anywhere else I’ve been. Thankfully, David knew his way around the maze of stalls tight alleyways chalk full of boutique shops and eateries otherwise I’m pretty sure I would still be stuck in trying to find my way out. It is a fascinating area and a great place to spend an afternoon watching people, eating and according to Meghan and Amanda doing a bit of shopping.

From there we made our way to Abbey Road for the Beatles portion of the tour. Meghan is a huge fan of the boys from Liverpool so an opportunity to mimic the famous Abbey Road album cover was an absolute must. 

On the last day of Meghan’s visit we did some last minute shopping for a few London specific gifts, fish and chips in Covent Garden and the Tower of London. Having already seen the Tower and not having a London Pass of my own I left Meghan to explore the ancient Norman stronghold complete with the royal jewels while I enjoyed a chance to relax on a park bench across the street and catch up on some reading under the shade of a giant English Oak tree. I think we both managed to have really good afternoon.

She had to leave way too soon to head back to Paris, but we’re so glad she made the time to come see us!