Our Free Time In London!

We arrived in London a few days before our scheduled Gate 1 Travel tour was set to begin, nearly four to be exact.

This blog will cover a few travel tips and the places we visited on our free days.

 

Why Arrive So Early?

We never travel anywhere, arriving on the day of the tour, cruise, or event. Air travel is just too unpredictable.

When we lived in Philadelphia, as easy as it was to jump on a plane and fly to Florida the same day as we’d be cruising, we never did. A freak snowstorm  or rain and you’ve missed your cruise. 

One time, while flying to China, our flight was redirected to Anchorage, Alaska, due to a medical emergency. After landing and handling the emergency, they would need to refuel, de-ice, and get clearance for takeoff. Depending on how long that took, we could have missed our connection to Beijing and missed the Great Wall of China on the first day of our tour. 

Enough said?

Beyond that, flying from Merida, we often have overnight flights out of Mexico City, even flying overnight, we didn’t arrive at Heathrow until 4 PM the next day.

We’ve also found that as we get older, we like at least one extra day to settle in and relax. We’ve had some long travel days, arriving in a different time zone late at night and feeling like zombies the next morning. 

 

Travel Tip:

In our previous blog, we discussed the Park Plaza London Riverbank hotel. It was the hotel included in our Gate 1 Travel tour package. We opted to stay there for our additional days.

We often book rooms directly with the tour company. We’ve found that not having to change hotels (or rooms, if you book with the tour company) and haul luggage across town, paying for transportation, to save a few dollars on a hotel, isn’t worth it to us at our age.

 

Borough Market

8 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1TL

 

Mark is a self-avowed foodie, obsessed with YouTube. He’ll spend months looking at local street food, tours, and local foods you don’t want to miss.

So, needless to say, when researching, London Borough Market comes up in every search; it’s a foodie’s heaven!

The current structures at Borough Market were built in 1851. However, a market has been at that location since the 12th century. For us, it was a must-see, just as much as Big Ben and the Tower of London.

 

 

Everything we saw ranted about “getting there early.” They said the crowds were horrendous, and especially advised against going on a weekend.

With the market opening at 10 AM on weekdays, we headed out in a London Black Cab at about 9:30 for the short 15-minute ride to the market.

Unfortunately, it is possible to arrive too early. When we arrived, a large number of stands were still shuttered. Fishmongers were icing fish, and people were still setting up displays. Even after wandering through the entire market, many of the international food stalls, for which the market is famous, were still closed.

 

 

Bread Ahead!

One of the most talked-about locations in the market is Bread Ahead. This bakery sells a wide range of breads and sweets, but most people rave about their incredible Doughnuts. 

 

 

So, without a doubt, we were getting Doughnuts. We opted to share their incredible Crème Brûlée Doughnut. It was soft and pillowy, stuffed with silky Vanilla Custard, and the caramelized sugar top added just the perfect sweetness.

 

 

Even at £ 4.50 or about $6.00 US, it was still well worth it! 

 

The Ginger Pig

Another hugely popular location at Borough Market is The Ginger Pig. Located in the market since the 1990s, this well-known butcher shop, already famous for its sausages, is renowned for its traditional Sausage Rolls.

 

We’re not sure if it was the early hour or not, but the Sausage Roll we had wasn’t nearly as flaky as we’d expected, and the dough against the meat was a bit soggy. However, the Sausage was fatty and packed with flavor, and we ate the whole thing.

 

 

But, at about £6.00 or approximately $8.00 US, we weren’t rushing back for more. There were more things to try in London.

 

Leake Street

Whether you call it Leake Street, Leake Street Arches, or Graffiti Street – GO! It’s worth the visit.

Leake Street is situated between Borough Market and our hotel, so we followed Google Maps and made the journey. It’s about a five-minute walk from either the Waterloo or Lambeth North underground stations.

Leake Street is a 300-meter-long tunnel located beneath the Waterloo Station platform and tracks. And, graffiti is legal, promoted, and encouraged. 

 

 

It’s very cool, there are all kinds of art there, and it changes all the time. Several artists were working while we were there.

 

 

Travel Tip: You are in a roadway tunnel, surrounded by runoff and unpleasant smells, and there’s a risk of artists using heavy amounts of spray paint. If you are bothered by strong smells or have breathing issues, pass on this.

 

Random Weird Stuff:

When we first met, we lived in the Italian Market section of Philadelphia, next to Passyunk Avenue, known for its family-owned Italian restaurants, bakeries, and Cheesesteaks.

Located in the Leake Street tunnel is a restaurant called Passyunk Avenue, specializing in “Authentic” Philly-approved Cheesesteaks, Hoagies, Wings, and sandwiches.

 

 

Although we didn’t have time to eat, it was fun to see Philly reflected in London, and they have five locations with generally good reviews.

 

Westminster Abbey

On our next free day, we booked tickets for Westminster Abbey as well as access to the Westminster Gallery showcasing The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

 

 

With timed access, the entrance line moves quickly; however, once inside, getting your headset for the self-guided tour and starting to wander, everything comes to a halt. 

Don’t get us wrong, the building is stunning and steeped in history. It’s been the church for royal coronations since 1066 and has hosted 16 royal weddings. It’s not only the burial location of Kings and Queens but also some of the UK’s distinguished figures, like writers, musicians, politicians, and scientists.

 

 

The stained glass windows, architecture, and artwork make this a must-see destination. Some of the spaces are narrow; there are a good number of steps (all short flights, most with railings).

 

 

Access to the Westminster Gallery was less exciting than we hoped. Wooden stairs (108 to be exact, but there was a small elevator) circled up several floors to a gallery installation up in the eaves, overlooking most of the Abbey. 

Unfortunately, safety netting covered most of the openings, and NO photography was permitted in the gallery.  They have 300 pieces on display, some of which have not been on public view for 700 years – we wish we could share some with you.

As luck would have it, we were there as they were decorating the outside of St. Margaret’s Church for what appeared to be a wedding. A good-sized team was installing a spectacular entry.

 

Grafton Arms Pub

2 Strutton Ground

Victoria, London SW1P 2HP

 

After visiting Westminster Abbey, we wandered past the more touristy neighborhoods and discovered the Grafton Arms Pub. They were opening for lunch, so we had the place practically to ourselves.

 

Like most pubs we encountered, you ordered at the bar and got your drinks, and food was brought to the table when it was ready. 

We both ordered Fish and Chips (£17.75), which came with delicious Tartar Sauce and a side of Mushy Peas or Garden Peas. The fish was good, but the batter was a tad wet inside..

 

 

We both ordered bottled Lemonaid, as each bottle contained organic and fair-trade ingredients made for an organization called Lemonaid & ChariTeas. To date, this initiative has raised over £7 million for social projects, and the Lemonaid was delicious and refreshing.

 

Changing of the Guard and Buckingham Palace Tour

On our final day before our Gate 1 Tour began, we booked a tour through City Wonders to see the Changing of the Guard and to tour Buckingham Palace.

We met at the designated spot only to find nearly a hundred other people gathering. Fortunately, when the guides arrived, there were enough that we had only about twenty people in each group. 

Our tour guide was a lovely French woman who had been living in London for quite a few years. She was friendly and informative and did an excellent job of keeping the group together.

She brought us to a small side street near Clarence House, just off The Mall. The guards would be moving from this location, up The Mall, toward their new location. It was perfect as they only allow people on one side of the street, and there were fewer crowds than in front of Buckingham Palace.

 

 

Moving along The Mall toward Buckingham Palace, she led us to a position away from the crowds to see the new guards arriving from Wellington Barracks. We had a head-on view, and it was amazing to see.

 

 

SIDE NOTE: In the UK, they don’t pronounce ‘The Mall’ like the place we shop in the US. It’s pronounced more like maal.

 

Buckingham Palace

Our guide then escorted us to the group tour entrance of Buckingham Palace, tickets were distributed, and we were cut loose.

 

 

Unfortunately, photography is not permitted in the majority of Buckingham Palace. The artwork, furnishings, china, and silver were magnificent.

 

 

Once outside of the palace, you’re able to take photos in the gardens. After exiting the palace, you’ll find a café (with lines that move quickly), a gift shop (always crowded), public restrooms, and, down the path toward the exit, an ice cream stand serving delicious ice cream with a royal biscuit.

 

 

 

 

In the past, we’ve toured numerous castles across Europe, and while Buckingham Palace is iconic, we just felt like there were places where photos could have been allowed. 

 

Dumplings Legend

15-16 Gerrard Street

London W1D 6JE

 

After touring Buckingham Palace, it began to rain, so we grabbed a cab and headed to Chinatown! 

Chinese food is limited and, overall, not particularly impressive in Merida. So we always look for good, authentic Chinese food when we travel. And London’s Chinatown is one of the best.

 

 

There are places with Peking Ducks amd Pork Belly hanging in the windows, bakeries, and Asian markets. But we were there for one particular thing: dumplings!

 

 

We had already scoped out Dumplings’ Legend!

They offer Cantonese-style Dim Sum, and some say that it’s the best. However, their Google rating is only a 3.8 with over 4,000 reviews. We found the food to be excellent, but the service was somewhat sloppy. Our dishes ranged between £8 and £14 and were excellent value for what we got.

 

 

We were given an extensive paper menu and a pencil, and you check off what you’d like. We ordered both Spicy Pork and Chicken Xiao-Long-Bao (soup dumplings), Steamed Pork and Vegetable Dumplings, Spicy Duck Dumplings (for Mark), Deep-Fried Pork Dumplings, and Stir-Fried Chicken Noodles.

 

 

Everything was delicious and piping hot when it reached the table. We could have easily eaten more, but we knew we had our welcome dinner that night. ( … we should have eaten more!!!!)

We especially enjoyed watching dumplings being made near the front of the restaurant.

 

We’d absolutely go back!

 

Travel Note:

While many people talk about the London Underground, we found that for the short trips we were taking, we walked quite a bit. However, don’t be afraid to take a Black Cab!

We found that being two big guys, and a bit older, these were spacious and comfortable. They are metered, and the driver can provide you with a rough estimate of your cost based on your destination.

We also found out that to become a Cabby, you must go through an extensive process that can take several years. They are quizzed on landmarks, neighborhoods, and routes all over London.

 

Next up, our Gate 1 Travel 14-day Classic England and Scotland adventure was about to officially begin!