London | The Life of All Sorts

One of the reasons why I love studying in Poland is that travel within Europe can be so affordable and easy, if you know how and when to book! We had some time off from school so we flew to the UK and spent a couple of days in London. I visited London a long time ago as a child so I was ready to see London with new eyes.

I’ve heard from friends about how much they love London, but I never really understood the appeal of such a big city until now. London is awesome! It certainly is enormous– there must be hundreds or thousands of restaurants and cafes and bars, not to mention all the museums and theatre events.

Ah, the theatre! I could spend months in London just watching all the musicals and plays on offer! I am an avid fan of live theatre performances, so it was a real treat to see the Lion King performed at the beautiful Lyceum theatre. The costumes were creative and breathtaking, and the cast undeniably talented. The Lion King musical follows the Disney movie quite closely, which in my opinion was positive. The music was familiar and relatable, which meant that even my boyfriend (not generally a fan of musicals, but agreed to tag along for the cultural experience) thoroughly enjoyed the performance! The Lion King was absolutely one of the highlights of the trip.

Another highlight was being reunited with an old friend from university in Vancouver. He offered some great local insight. He recommended brunch at The Breakfast Club in Camden Passage (delicious), the viewpoint from the top of Tate Modern Museum (free and picturesque), and window shopping at the Liberty store near Oxford and Regent Streets (fun to look at the ludicrously expensive merchandise), among others. Besides his recommendations, it was a pleasure as always to catch up and share stories from our latest adventures.

Our whistle-stop tour through London was not nearly long enough to see everything! We did manage to enjoy the energy of the bustling city, experience a few local highlights as well as check off a few items on the tourist’s to do list. I know London has a lot more to offer and I hope to pay another visit in the future!

Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter movie set is a replica of this passage.

Street performers at Trafalgar Square

The National Gallery at Trafalgar Square

These lion statues in Trafalgar Square were modelled after the sculptor’s dog. The hind legs are much longer than the front legs, which would make it impossible for these disproportionate lions to walk if they came to life!