An Afternoon Adventure

When you're offered a free trip to London it doesn't really take a lot of thinking before you say YES. So without so much as a plan I headed off to my favourite place in the world. 

The one place I knew I wanted to explore was Covent Garden as, somehow, I'd never actually been there before. Walking out of the tube station I pretty much instantly fell in love with it. While it was busy, it didn't feel crowded but instead felt calm, just quietly buzzing. I had no idea where to go so I simply started walking without much purpose or agenda. I wandered around the shops and stumbled upon Apple Market. I spent a short time surveying the vintage stalls before browsing through some of the shops.

Blue sky over Covent Garden

By then it was around 2pm and my stomach was beginning to rumble so, using google maps, I found a Leon restaurant and headed there to gorge on halloumi. Sat in the window overlooking the bustling London street I felt completely content eating on my own, something I've never felt before. 

From Leon my plan was to head back to the shops but I somehow got diverted to Victoria Embankment, definitely not a bad diversion. Using the ever helpful maps situated around London, I decided to walk towards Trafalgar Square. Walking along the Thames was lovely until the heavens opened and rained like it hadn't rained all year. I quickly altered my route in search of shelter and somehow found Horse Guards Parade. I walked through to the other side (after I had admired the gorgeous horses of course) and into St James Park but not before I stopped to admire the beauty of the buildings surrounding Horse Guard's parade.

Trust me to find the horses!

It's been years since I explored this area of London and I forgot how beautiful it all is. There is a special quality to the Royal Parks in London, despite being in a huge, crowded city full of cars and buses, when you're in the parks you don't hear a thing. All you can see is greenery, pretty floral arrangements and wildlife, it's what makes London such a perfect city. Wandering through the park I saw signs for Buckingham Palace so of course that's where I decided to head for the next stage of my solo walking tour of London. This was where I found it got really busy, multiple school and tourist groups visiting one of the most famous London sights, it was no surprise. I was lucky enough to get there just as the changing of the guards took place so I stayed to watch that and just as I did, the sun came out and blue sky shone over the palace, it truly felt like summer in London. 

Buckingham Palace looking majestic

As Green Park is adjacent to the palace it was, obviously, my next adventure and it was a lovely walk through rows of trees which led me towards Piccadilly where I then ventured to Hyde Park corner, stopping of at a few war memorials on the way. I've never been the kind of person to take a whole lot of notice to war memorials, I failed and subsequently quit history in year 9 so my knowledge of all things war related is pretty slim and for a while I wasn't really all that interested. Yet I found it strangely comforting to read these names of random people who gave their lives for our country, one that now seems to sadly be falling apart. 

On my way to Hyde Park I found an exhibition of a car but it wasn't your standard car. This exact vehicle had been driven by a young man when he was hit by a driver speeding at 80mph in a residential street in Leeds. The young man lost his life and the car was totalled. The display of the awfully dismantled car was part of a campaign known as #RoadstoJustice. Seeing this car in such an awful state really hit home how dangerous speeding is and how fragile cars actually are. 

Not even half of the damage done to the car!

Onwards into Hyde Park I walked to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, a place where I have a lot of fond childhood memories with my nan and little brother. Again, just like walking along the Thames, I found the water and the sound of it flowing around the fountain so calming, I could've stayed there for hours. My adventure then took me to Kensington Gardens to see the Peter Pan statue, the palace, a surprise wedding photoshoot and a bird whisperer handing out bird food to passers by. After some hesitation, I took some bird feed and parakeets soon flocked to me (pardon the pun). Surprisingly they were really gentle and their claws didn't hurt at all, only when the hundreds of pigeons also surrounding us and scavenging for food decided to fly up did I get slightly scared (probably more about being pooed on). 

My new bird pals

After leaving the birds, I walked towards the palace to see the prime position of the sun creating the perfect silhouette of the palace standing tall over the pond in front. A brief sit down in the last of the day's sun, watching a group of rather attractive guys playing rugby, a cute dog running through the grass and endless groups of people enjoying London in summer, it has been a while since I've felt as content and relaxed as I did then. 

Kensington Palace Gardens bathed in the dusky sun

By now it was around 7pm and I was hungryyyyy so, I decided to wander around Kensington High Street and found a cute little Mexican restaurant called Lupita. Here I ate one of the best meals I have ever eaten in my life. Starter was literally rolled cheese on the most insane guacamole EVER. Then my main was pure mouth-watering heaven. I chose Steak Tortas which was made up of steak, Chihuahua cheese , tomatoes, lettuce and avocado in a really soft bun and a side of Mexican rice topped with even more avocado. One bite of the tortas and I fell into a food paradise, no words can explain the feelings that food gave me. It didn't look like much but in one bite I discovered how incredible it tasted. The tortas was fresh, cheesy, meaty and full of flavour with every bite. I certainly felt like I'd reached a food paradise. Dessert was, of course, churros with Mexican chocolate, I don't think I need to tell you how good these were, all I can say is visit for yourself! 

FOOD

The last stop before heading home was my heaven on earth, Whole Foods. There is nothing more I love than good quality, slightly exotic/different food (minus the ridiculous prices). I bought two fresh juices, two fancy-flavoured marshmallows, mint choc chip and strawberries and cream (because what else should I buy in a one-off trip to whole foods?) and two alcoholic iced teas (what a combination!). I could've easily bought the entire store. Walking down Kensington High Street in the dusky evening light was the perfect way to end my 8 hours in London. 

My love for this city grows every time I visit, and exploring it with no direction or real purpose was definitely the best way to see it and find the real London. I learnt a lot and had a lot of thinking time when I was exploring on my own and I am certainly not done exploring London, never mind all the other cities in the world! 

Originally I was nervous about being on my own but I loved it, I felt safe and at home and I didn't care about anything else. I really encourage exploring somewhere on your own, even if it's just for a few hours! 

Wow it's good to be writing again! 

Thanks for Reading

Charlotte
XO