London Calling

To get myself amped, London Calling by The Clash was playing on my iPod as my plane descended into Gatwick airport. I arrived and immediately got sick, leaving me bed ridden in my hostel with my only company being the two Brazilian guys in my hostel room. Despite this I managed to do a bit of solo adventuring before my friend arrived shortly to meet me. We spent a several days in central London at both the beginning and end of our European adventure, and found a few favourites along the way.

Food

For a quick and easy meal I found two favourite chain eateries, Pret and EAT. Both had a great selection of sandwiches, soups and snacks at quite reasonable prices, which is always great for budget travel. As a bit of an upper class option we chose to treat ourselves to the English founded chain Wagamama, opting for their delicious udon soup to warm us up on a cold winters day. The best cheap eats would have to be at the markets, with some great options found at the two I visited, Portobello and Camden. Rolls filled with pork from a spit were a standout at Portobello, with my Camden pick being a tasty noodle dish and fresh donuts - nice and hot!

Shopping

Shopping in Europe gave us access to an abundance of stores that aren't available to those of us in Australia. The list of these is extensive, but those that made the top of the list for me were Topshop, Primark and River Island. River Island for gorgeous handbags, Primark for bagging a bargain, and Topshop for just about every fashion need under the sun. The Oxford street Topshop is almost like stepping into heaven for a confessed shopaholic like myself, with three levels of shopping, one for accessories and any sweet cravings, another for general clothing, jeans, hair styling and a nail salon, and last but not least the bottom floor for shoes, vintage, designer pieces and an EAT store to grab a bite and people watch. As for markets, Camden would have to top the list. It's so easy to get lost in, and we spent hours trawling through stores of vintage clothing, jewellery, food and just about anything under the sun you could imagine. Portobello had also been high on my list of must-see's before arriving in London, however I was somewhat disappointed after visiting it. There was quite the range, however only a small section of stores that interested me, most of which were quite expensive, but if you have some free time it's a lovely walk through the street.

In front of the London Eye

Gari & I at the Tower Bridge

Sights

First time in London it was inevitable that the big name sights that the city is known for were to be seen. The first exploration of the city was spent doing a whole lot of walking, starting around the vicinity of Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye, then taking a walk along the Thames River. The river led to the somewhat disappointing London Bridge, the Tower of London, the much more impressive Tower Bridge and Shakespeare's Globe. Another picturesque London experience was visiting Trafalgar Square, and also seeing the park that inspired the Sydney version of Hyde Park. 

Getting snap happy in front of the Tower Bridge

Accommodation

Before my friend arrived I stayed at Picadilly Backpackers, which was a great hostel for socialising, which makes it unfortunate that their website says they are closing down. When I was joined by my friend however we did move to a more budget location in Pimlico called Surprise Backpackers, which was extremely affordable with a pretty convenient location. It was quite small, and the stacked bunk beds made the rooms quite cramped but it was definitely worth the savings, and the conveniently located pub downstairs. 

Nightlife

We didn't spend a lot of time in London, and the convenience of having a pub below our hostel made us quite frequent visitors - not to mention the extremely low prices, what more could a backpacker ask for? Our one 'big night out' involved us heading to a club in the O2, which involved some classic 90s tunes and ending the night with some greasy food to soak up the alcohol.

Fast becoming one of my favourite cities, I look forward to discovering more hidden gems on future visits.

-Melissa