Travel dates : 11 – 14 august

Since we got together, Ananda has been talking about how she dreams of taking me to London. Have you ever had an idea of something you want to do, but you just can’t picture when it could possibly happen? Between using our holidays last year bouncing between Italy and Spain, and then this year traveling all over the place, I couldn’t visualize the dream or imagine when London would fit in. I thought maybe for Christmas in a few years or in some distant future. But as we sat at our temporary home in Brussels planning our trip to Amsterdam, we quickly realized that cutting our Belgium trip short and adding London wasn’t just feasible—it was a terrific idea.

Day 1

We woke up to the sound of the alarm at 6 a.m. The night before, we were in Ghent, ending the night late with a few drinks at that geeky pub. Both our brains were foggy, and all our things were scattered across the bedroom floor in a mess. We quickly and quietly gathered our things, got ready, and were out the door right on time. We rolled our suitcases up the silent street, searching for the bus stop to the train station while our stomachs growled in early protest. Thankfully, we made it to the station on time thanks to our Trainline app and found our way to the Eurostar terminal, only to discover that the entrance was closed and sealed shut. Behind the little gates to scan your ticket was a whole airport setup, complete with x-ray machines. The front desk informed us that boarding is cut off an hour before departure, and even though we were over 30 minutes early, it just wasn’t early enough. Fortunately, they generously booked us onto the next train without any fuss, which only set us back a couple of hours and gave us time to wander around the station to find breakfast. Time passed quickly, and before we knew it, we were in our seats, snacks in hand, and headed off to London, baby! The train ride was smooth, and the onboard bar offered several food and drink options that helped satisfy my unrelenting hunger. By lunchtime, we were pulling into the station in London. Excitement really kicked in as we pulled our suitcases off the train and followed the crowd toward the exit. Once outside, we were immediately greeted by double-decker buses driving on the left side of the road, brick buildings on every side, and the Underground logo. We took the Underground with our GPS pointed to our hotel and were grateful that the system is well-organized, with elevators easily accessible. That’s always the hardest part of us traveling—Ananda has bad knees, and I have terrible elbows, so carrying things up and down stairs is always a daunting mission.

When we arrived at Middlesex Street, where our hotel was located, we stumbled upon a never-ending flea market. As the street wound and turned, various stands selling clothes and leather goods lined the way. I must admit, I would have been more absorbed in the experience if it weren’t for the two large suitcases bouncing behind us on the cobblestone street. We made it to the hotel and were greeted by Rob, who showed us the way up the four flights of stairs to our room. The place was simple—a bed and a dresser, with a shared bathroom for us and the two other rooms. We dropped our things, showered, changed, and headed right back out into the city, wasting no time. Still hungry, with a seemingly endless appetite that day, I was eager to experience London’s Borough Market.

Borough Market has been open since 1756, giving it a long history and a beautiful building. The modern market emerged in the 1970s when the rise of supermarkets made wholesale trading less profitable. By the 1990s, artisan retailers had taken over the market warehouse, transforming it into a hotspot for local and fresh food. Now, the market is open almost every day of the week, offering so many international and exotic options that you won’t know what to choose. The Underground ride was quick, and we knew where to go at our stop by following the crowd. It seemed like all of London was enjoying their Sunday afternoon the same way we were, with people scattered around wherever they could find a spot to sit and eat the little treats they’d discovered. We headed straight for the hot food, passing by local pastries and artisanal products along the way. We opted for gyozas to start, sharing a little dish of six. The sauce was oily and spicy, and the meat was salty and juicy… I’m torn. I want to say they were the best gyozas we’ve ever had, but that would be a lie. I think we’ve just had too many gyozas, as they’re our go-to shared snack everywhere, and a dish we’ve mastered at home. I’d give them a modest 4/10 compared to what we’ve had in NYC, Spain, at home, etc.

Side note, one thing about me and Nana (Ananda), is that we always- without fault- share our food. We get one dish for two, or two dishes and split, and enjoy everything together. I think it also saves us money, but we both get pleasure out of sharing with our partner, and seeing each other enjoy something really fills us with love.

Moving on, we had to try “The Best Sandwich in London.” The Black Pig is known for its signature sandwich, with every influencer in the city raving about it on social media. We ordered “The Best One,” for obvious reasons. The sandwich was generously filled with meat, truffle mayo, coleslaw, parmesan, and who knows what else—it was absolutely huge. We each took half and bit into the monster to see what the hype was about. I was first taken aback by how spicy it was; I wasn’t expecting a kick. Thankfully, Ananda had gotten us a frozen cider from another vendor, which quickly cooled the heat. It was a really damn good sandwich, and I was glad to have tried it at least once in my life- but I would say that I would come back for the same sandwich again.

After the market, we had no specific plans for the day. We were quite tired from the morning’s adventure and just felt like wandering the city, so that’s exactly what we did. We set off in a random direction and grabbed a matcha for Ananda along the way. We discovered the little neighborhoods in the area, with brick houses lining up one after the other, the London Bridge, pubs decorated with flowers on corner streets—the whole picture. After walking about fifteen kilometers, we started to feel really tired, so we found the quickest way back to the hotel and grabbed some drinks and sandwiches at a shop on the way. We showered and called it a night around 8 p.m., determined to get an early start the next day.

Day 2

As promised, we started the day as early as we could and went straight for an English breakfast. Ananda found us a place just a hop away from the hotel, and I was grateful to sit down and have a hot meal. I ordered an iced latte and the full breakfast, and I was taken aback by the size of the plate when it arrived. Did you know that the modern English breakfast is quite recent? It has deep historical roots, but it was originally a luxury only the elite could afford and was even used as a display of wealth for their guests. It wasn’t until the mid-1900s that the dish became more accessible, served in hotels, homes, and restaurants. Like, our parents were the first generation to enjoy an English Breakfast like we can today. Fortunately for us, the dish no longer includes game like birds and boar.

My plate was piled high with bacon, sausage, perfectly cooked mushrooms, roasted tomatoes on the vine, egg, and toast—I wasn’t sure how I was going to eat it all. We sat for well over an hour, slowly picking at our plates, trying the different foods, and moving our silverware across the plate like clock hands. I called it quits when I literally couldn’t eat another bite—I felt like I could explode. Not much was left on my plate, just traces of egg whites and pieces of thick-cut bacon. I was determined to get out and tackle the day, especially since they were announcing extreme heat, and I wanted to get out and about before it became too intense.

We quickly made our way to Big Ben, the iconic clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, built in 1859. It was actually quite impressive because if you choose the correct exit from the Underground (don’t ask me which one—we just got lucky), you literally step right into the iconic view. The size is surprising, and as double-decker buses pass in front of it, you really feel like you’re in London. We walked around Westminster, passing the abbey and courtyard before reaching the gardens. We sat for a while on a bench, watching boats pass on the Thames, before moving on to our next destinations. The goal was to knock out all the touristy spots so that the next day we could focus on more low-key attractions.

We stopped for coffee before heading to Buckingham Palace. By this point, the heat was really beating down, so we paused by the front gates to admire the guards before crossing the street to take refuge under the trees in the park. By then, we had walked over 10 kilometers, so we decided to call it a day, walked to the nearest Underground station, and made our way back to the hotel for a cold shower and a nap.

When the heat cooled around 6 p.m., we got dressed and ready and headed to the Soho neighborhood. Here, you can find London’s “gayborhood” along with upscale, chic bars and restaurants. We wandered the streets and eventually found a ramen restaurant where I had a bowl of pork ramen, and Ananda had some gyozas, rice, and chicken. It was a nice break from the heat and a great way to relax off our feet while still enjoying the city.

After dinner, we continued to explore the streets and eventually found ourselves in Piccadilly Circus. It felt like a British version of Times Square, which was surreal since we had been in NYC just two months ago. We pushed through the crowds, still wandering aimlessly, and ended up in Chinatown! The whole experience was quite mind-blowing—one moment you’re surrounded by the glossy scenery of Soho, two seconds later you’re navigating through tourists again, and just a moment after that, you find yourself window shopping for Chinese medicine and Asian food.

When the sun set and night had fully fallen, we decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel. Ananda had a lot of work to catch up on during this trip, and she planned to finish it all the next day. So, an early night’s sleep for an early morning sounded like the best plan. We took the bus back to the hotel, sitting in the front row of the top deck of the double-decker, and enjoyed the views of London by night during the hour-long ride. It’s truly a wonderful thing to be able to travel the world with your partner in crime, and as I laid my head on her shoulder, we talked about how excited we were to finally share this experience together.

Day 3

Our last day in London, and we haven’t even scratched the surface! We started the day early by taking our laptops to a local café to work. We sat at separate tables—me with my iced oat latte, and her with her iced matcha—and got straight to it. While I blogged about our trip to Ghent, she worked on her projects. After a couple of hours, I was finished and desperate to get out of the café, but she still had some loose ends to tie up, so I started a walkabout without her.

We chose this café by pure chance but found ourselves in an area with the Herd of Hope Elephant statues—a collection of copper elephant statues with their names, birth dates, and reasons for rescue. Next to the Herd of Hope is Spitalfields Market, which hosts independent vendors selling clothing, jewelry, home items, art, and gourmet products. The area also has more well-known shops like Urban Outfitters and Flying Tiger, and the variety of products and food is incredible.

After exploring the area, I quickly walked back to the café to let Ananda know I had found our next activity. She finished her work, and we tossed the laptops into the bag and headed back to the market. We grabbed a bite to eat at a Greek food truck, once again sharing a dish and a Coke Zero. As we wandered through the large covered market, I admired the handcrafted rings and silk scarves, while Ananda took more interest in the knit vests and little bags. We decided not to linger too long, as we had a lot to get through for the day, and the laptops were getting heavy.

We dropped off our things at the hotel and headed straight for the National Gallery. In an ideal world, we would have had time for the Tate Modern as well, but since we were short on time, we settled for the National Gallery. When we arrived, we hadn’t booked in advance, so we waited in a very short line to get through security. The National Gallery is free for all guests, but I do recommend booking online to cut down on wait time. Also, try to go at opening to avoid the crowds, as the galleries can get very, very full with tourists.

At the National Gallery, you can see a lot of Van Gogh’s work, along with Monet and Seurat. I think the most impressive piece I saw was Water Lilies by Monet. We all know it and can imagine it in our minds, but seeing it in person is a whole different experience. The painting made me feel joyful and light; the colors melt together beautifully, and the size of the tableau is truly awe-inspiring. While people flocked around Van Gogh’s Chair, I walked back and forth in front of Monet’s work, admiring every detail.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t spend too much time in the Gallery, so we sped through the rest of the endless halls, dodging tourists, and left after only an hour.

For the evening, I had gotten us tickets to see Wicked at the Apollo Theatre. I was beyond excited, as Wicked is my favorite show, though Ananda was a little underwhelmed since she knows all the songs from me singing them all the time—and she isn’t a fan of musicals. That being said, there are compromises in all marriages, and she was happy to come along with me. We arrived an hour before showtime, so we took the opportunity to grab a virgin strawberry cocktail from the bar. We then took our drink inside the theater and found our seats. We were close to the nosebleeds, but thankfully, the Apollo offers little binoculars you can rent for the duration of the show.

When the show started, goosebumps rose on my arms, and tears welled up in the corners of my eyes. The performance was amazing, though I must admit, Wicked isn’t quite the same with a British accent. After the show, we exited the theater with the crowd and made our way to the bus stop for another hour-long ride back to the hotel. Once again, we secured the front row of the upper deck and watched the city pass by us, hand in hand.

When we got back to the hotel, we packed our bags as quickly as possible and got ready for a short night of only three hours of sleep. Yikes. We had to wake up at 3 a.m. to catch our night bus to the train station for our 6 a.m. train back to Switzerland.

We loved our London trip, though 72 hours is way too short. If I could have added three more days, we would have visited more neighborhoods, gone thrifting, and visited the Tate Modern. Ugh, thinking about it makes me mad! Hopefully, in a few years, we’ll be able to make it back—maybe for Christmas—to enjoy the city on a deeper level. One thing’s for sure: I’m happy that I finally got to experience it after hearing about how amazing it is for so long. It feels surreal to have done London, Paris, and New York all within two months!

How would you spend 72 hours in London? What is the must see thing that we missed? I look forward to your feedback and as always, follow along for our next big city trip.

All my love.

Price breakdown :

Hotel for 3 nights : 200 £

Eurostar : 77€ per person

Wicked : 138£ for two tickets

Transport : +/- 15£ per person for 3 days

Food : 130£ for two people / three days

Total : 637£ total / 318 per person