I have made it back to London. After some fond memories of my trip to London with my mum many years ago, I wasn‘t sure I would be back any time soon. But visiting some friends for a few days seemed like a great opportunity to plan my return to London, followed by a more detailed trip through England. And so, after 15 years, I was looking forward to exploring London‘s museums and streets once again.
LONDON
London is an amazing city! I absolutely loved it! It might be due to the weather but my sunny week in London was exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. There is so much buzz in this city, everybody was enjoying the stunning weather outdoors.
As you can imagine, there is lots to do in London and I have to come back to explore more, but I have certainly been busy. So what did I do?
Catching a London cab? —- Once!
Enjoying a night at the Theatre? —- Shakespeare ‘A midsummer night‘s dream’ it was!
Taking the subway? —- Definitely!
Using the river ferry? — Yes! And it reminded me of Brisbane!
Visiting the Buckingham palace? — Of course!
Shopping? Oh well.. maybe? —- Yes!
Relaxing at an English Pub with friends? —- Very refreshing! And James Blunt was there too!
Exploring museums? —- Yes, plenty!
Ferry Trip 
Theatre Night
Buckingham Palace 
Abbey Road
Exploring London‘s Museums
London has an amazing selection of museums. And although I usually don’t go to every museum I see, I was planning to visit some in here. The best? They are all free to enter! So whether you are just opting for a quick peak or a proper walk that can take hours, here is my list of favourite museums in London.
Natural History Museum
Westminster Abbey
It might be a church rather than a museum, but for me Westminster Abbey was one of the most amazing buildings I have seen this year. It is right up there with the St. Peter‘s Basilica in the Vatican City.
This Abbey is like walking into a graveyard museum, seeing the who’s of the who’s. From lieutenants to kings, prime ministers and famous explorers, everybody who was once important seems to be buried here. It is just stunning.
Photos aren’t allowed so I don’t have anything to show you (except the outside) but even if you have only one day in London, Westminster Abbey is a must. (And definitely book your tickets online!)
Victoria Albert Museum
After Westminster Abbey, the Victoria Albert Museum was my second favourite. The collections inside are amazing. The cast room especially was very breathtaking. I might have seen most of the casts in real in their original countries, but it doesn’t mean that the casts were less impressive. Especially since they are created on a 1:1 scale.
Wallace Collection Museum
For something different and with lots of character pop into the Wallace Collection Museum. It displays amazing antiques and art pieces in beautiful and unique decorated rooms. If you are an art lover (like me), you will love it. Remember, it is still for free!
Other Museums
The Natural History Museum and the National Gallery were both amazing to see as well. The Science Museum I will visit during my next trip to London. I also went to the TATE modern art museum and it was big and …well… modern. But the ‚art‘ or shall I say the ‚modern art installations’ are not really to my taste, so I was rather quick to walk through.
Over the five days I alternated between exploring London‘s museums and walking the streets of London, which, for me, was a great balance of activities. You have to mix it up a little bit after all!
Natural History Museum 
Natural History Museum
The streets of London
From the London Eye to the Egg building and Big Ben (unfortunately covered for restorations), most of the iconic buildings I have explored by just walking. Lots and lots of walking.
Of course there was a little bit of shopping involved, mainly beauty products in the Soho area. Harrod’s was a little bit too overwhelming and too busy and I enjoyed the individual boutiques in Marylebone and Mayfair more. Of course I also had to visit the Victoria Beckham store.
Soho 
Liberty Shopping Centre
And so…
Walking is definitely a great way to get around in London and using the subway and tubes is pretty easy. The old tubes could do with some aircon (it was rather compact and hot inside) but underground is a quick way to from A to B. Especially since all you have to do is top on and off your payWave card. No need to line up to buy tickets anymore.
At the end I was rather exhausted from the big city but I had an amazing time in London. I will be back here most likely after exploring more from England and maybe Scotland. I might not be exploring London’s museums anymore but I will walk through Westminster Abbey once again. Maybe I missed something?!
