🎡 My Trip To London England

A list of the few things I did in London and lots of photos

I felt a bit dejected about my trip since it didn’t go as well as expected. It’s now been 3 weeks since I’ve been back and I’m feeling much better. So, I figured now would be a good time to reminisce and share some of the positive experiences I did have.

📚 Bookstores

During my trip, I explored a couple of bookstores, but the one I was most excited to see was Grant and Cutler at Foyles because of its large collection of foreign language books. Anticipating a small, old store due to its outdated website, I was pleasantly surprised by the store's charm and atmosphere when I visited in person. I spent hours browsing around, taking it all in before I finally made my way to the foreign language book section.

I had expected to buy more language books but I didn’t want to buy books just for the sake of buying them. I’m really happy with the one book I did buy, Better Reading French. The exercises within it progressively increase in difficulty, so I think it’ll be a great resource for me this year.

🏞 Parks & Nature

Oh, the parks. I wanted to visit so many, especially the Royal Botanical Gardens, but I only managed to see a few smaller parks.

The day I visited Kyoto Garden in Holland Park it was raining but it was still nice to take a moment to relax.

🍜 Food & Chinatown

Navigating the realm of good food was challenging for someone like me, who doesn't dine out often. Most of the foods I tried tasted bland.

Thankfully I had one good meal, Phở, when I visited Viet Food in Chinatown.

🏛 Attractions and Museums

🗻 Japan House

On my list of places to visit was Japan House. The exhibition they were hosting was “Ainu Stories: Contemporary Lives by the Saru River”. I spent the most time exploring the Ainu language section.

Before ending my visit I decided to try hōjicha. I was unaware it was roasted green tea, with my preference for black teas, it took me a moment to adjust to its earthy taste. After a few sips, I found it enjoyable. I think I’ll stick to my black teas though.

📺 Design Museum

Although it wasn’t on my list, I stopped by the Design Museum and had a lot of fun exploring the different exhibits.

I particularly enjoyed Design Maker User which depicted the development of design spanning the 20th and 21st centuries.

🖼️ National Gallery

One of my initial stops was at the National Gallery. Despite being a painter myself, I haven't explored too many art galleries. Unsurprisingly, my favourite exhibitions turned out to be those showcasing art from landscape artists.

I did a little souvenir shopping and ended up with an umbrella featuring a print of "Still Life of Flowers in a Wan-Li Vase" by Bosschaert. The umbrella did come in useful the day I visited Kyoto Garden, although, it’s not the best for windy days as it’s quite fragile.

🎡 The Landmarks

And I did manage to catch sight of a few landmarks, alongside what seemed like a crowd of 50 million other people.

Looking back at the highlights and now having some space to reflect makes me feel like my first solo trip wasn’t a complete waste.

My suitcase is finally unpacked, though my travel journal for this journey is still a blank canvas. I think I’m ready to start thinking about my next trip!

I may visit London again in the future, most likely during a warmer season when everything is less grey. I’ve got a list of places I didn’t get to see. If you’ve got recommendations for me to add to that list, let me know! ✨