Bitter Sweet Ending

It was a bitter sweet feeling arriving to London knowing it would be my last stop before heading back home. I almost couldn't believe how fast time flew by and that I'm here now, closing my traveling chapters in London. This city has been on my bucket list for sometime and I was pretty excited to cross it off at last. I took a bus from Brussels to London that took about 6 hours. Recognizing two story red buses made me fully aware that we were already in London. Getting off the bus I was a bit overwhelmed of how big the city was because for some reason I had different expectation. The underground transportation was massive, I had to go through multiple transfers just to get to my hostel. I got to my room and was introduced with a girl that was living in London and was just finishing off her visa for the next 2 weeks before she heads back home to Australia. I settled in and connected with her before heading out to grab some food and explore the city a bit. My hostel was fairly central so luckily I was able to walk to most locations. I walked towards the Big Ben passing by many shops, restaurants, cafes and people who were in the own

little world heading towards who knows where. I checked out the Forum Magnum Square, the London Eye, walked on the Westminister Bridge, saw the Big Ben (which was under construction unfortunately), and passed by many churches and historical buildings on the way. I sat on a bench by the water that was overlooking London and just embracing the view. Walking around London I felt like I was back in New York. It reminded me of a huge city that's so spread out with many different areas and neighborhoods, and full of busy people rushing to get somewhere. Except I wasn't in a rush anywhere.

The next day I had breakfast with my hostel roommate and convinced her to come and tour London with me. I was excited to spent time with a local who knew all the ins and outs of London and could show me a lot more than I would have seen myself. We walked towards the Tower Bridge and took some pictures there, blending in with all

the tourists. We took the metro to the Trafalgar Square that had a pretty fountain in the middle and many people just sitting around the steps enjoying their day. The square was full of street performers and people drawing incredible images with chalk - trying to find every way to attract people and make a few extra bucks. We walked towards the Buckingham Palace where the Queen and Prince reside, making it another tourist attraction. It was pretty amazing walking by their home, although I was a bit surprised to find out that they have no say in the political ruling but are just there for show. After we finished exploring, we grabbed food at the near by restaurant and got to know each other a little better by telling our story. She had plans for the evening so we headed back to our place and went our separate ways for the evening. I didn't really have any plans for the evening so I just dressed up a bit and hit the road, hoping to find some fun place would catch my eye that I could check out. I didn't get far from my hostel before crossing a busy bar outside that was full of Londoners enjoying an evening after work. Again, checking places out by myself was something I was still trying to get comfortable with. I grabbed some wine and was scoping the area of whom I can talk to and enjoy the evening with. Unfortunately, I didn't find Londoners to be very approachable. Everyone seemed closed off into their own cliques and didn't seem like they had any interest in having someone else join them. Maybe I was wrong, but maybe I wasn't. After standing around for a while, I lost hope and was just trying to finish my drink so I could leave. I probably came off looking desperate for conversation by sitting by myself but luckily a group of people asked me to join their evening. I met some awesome people and ended up laughing the entire evening and was sad when they had to leave. Later, I also met some more people near my hostel and ended up having an amazing night.

The next morning I woke up later than I wanted. The people in my room were't too interested in making any connections and most of them were just passing through London by checked in late and checked out early. I didn't want to go out to eat too much because London is pretty pricey but I wanted a good breakfast rather than just picking something up on the way. I ended up grabbed breakfast at The Breakfast Club near my hostel that should have probably been lunch at that point. After breakfast, I rented a bike and cruised the city as much as I could. London is not bike friendly at all, there were so much traffic on the road and way too many people walking around. It's actually a bit scary riding around. Most people that ride bikes are just trying to get from one destination to the next rather than using it as transportation to explore. I managed to bike to Hyde Park and seeing a lot of London along the way. I rode to Prime Rose Hill that's also a park which overlooks London. The bike cruise took most of my afternoon and I was so tired when I got back to my

hostel. Later, I checked out a popular hipster neighborhood called Shoreditch that was recommended to me. It was nice because it's not so touristy and many locals go there for an evening out. I ended up cutting my night short and going back to my hostel.

My last full day I finished off riding my bike to the London Eye area and taking a metro to Notting Hill. It's a beautiful area in London that's a little bit outside of the main city. It's still a bit touristy but it was nice to see a different side of city. The buildings were on a hill and all in bright colors. There was a huge flee market going on that I spent a few hours walking around in. There were a bunch of food stations and lots of merchandise for sale. The weather was perfect so it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon outdoors. In the evening, I joined a pub crawl in the Camden area and met more people there that I spent the rest of the evening with.

Overall, my experience in London was ok. I didn't absolutely love it but it was a great place to experience. It reminded me too much of a place I could go at home and nothing in particular made the experience so great. But, it was amazing to see a part of England and to part take in culture that is similar in the USA but different in their own way. The best thing that made me feel like I was in London was the British accent all around me. I don't regret one bit making a trip out there and ending my travel on a good note.