This year, I wanted to spend my birthday abroad again, so I spontaneously booked a short trip to London. Because London is simply always a good idea. While I was supposed to leave Saturday morning, things didn’t go as planned, and my flight was nearly 3 hours delayed.
As I’ve already been to London four times, I wanted to explore some other areas nearby. So, by the time I finally made it to Gatwick Airport, jumped on the next train to Brighton which is only 30 mins by train from Gatwick Airport. Once there, I walked to the seaside, along the famous Brighton Pier, and took a short break at the Royal Pavillon Gardens. Across the city I walked back to the station again to head back to London. In the evening, I met Leigh, whom I met last year in New York and her friend Jai for pre-drinks at his house before heading to the Basing House club in Shoreditch. And after a pretty long and fun night out, by the time I was back at the hostel, the sun was already about the rise again.
Nevertheless,, after only a few hours of sleep, I grabbed breakfast with my roomie Agustina and went out to explore the city. While we, unfortunately, missed the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace, we met up with Lucia and strolled around the city together – including taking pictures at London’s probably most photographed telephone box. On our sightseeing tour, we also stopped at The Garden at 120, which is not only an observation deck but also a rooftop garden in the middle of the city and is definitely worth a visit. Plus, it’s free. Later, we spent some time around the Theatre District, checked out Seven Dials Market, and strolled through Covent Garden. We also passed Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus, and then hopped on a doubledecker bus back to Victoria Station. And since it was the day before my birthday, in the evening, together with the three Argentinians Agustina, Lucia and Nico, I went to Bar Elba, a rooftop bar in Waterloo, to celebrate.
The following day, it was not only my birthday but also already my last morning in London. Thus, Agustina and I grabbed some breakfast to-go and sat down with it at Hyde Park. After a long stroll through the park, we reached Notting Hill and walked around there, admiring the many cute and colorful Victorian houses. In the afternoon and after some late lunch at Granger & Co. it was about time to get back to the hostel and also say goodbye to Agustina, who made my trip to London special in a lot of ways!
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