Our four-day trip to London for the long weekend. We chose to fly there and back with the low-cost airline Wizzair. It was an amazing journey. That feeling when you step out of your comfort zone and discover the world in a new way. You start to think differently and see things from a new perspective. For us, flying was quite unusual since we are used to traveling by car.
Our flight from Kaunas Airport was scheduled for 11:15 AM. At 7:20 AM, we left Vilnius for Kaunas. The drive took 1 hour and 30 minutes, and by 9:00 AM, we were at the airport. It was a sunny, frosty day on March 8, making the journey smooth and enjoyable. We were full of anticipation for our trip to London.
We passed through security quickly and headed to the waiting area. After going through customs, we realized there were no water fountains in the waiting zone, so we had to buy bottled water from a store.
The flight was very quick, lasting just 2 hours and 30 minutes. We landed at Luton Airport at 12:15 PM local time. To save money, we had purchased train tickets from Luton to London in advance, with our train scheduled to depart at 2:44 PM. Since we had two hours to spare at the airport with nothing to do, we decided to try our luck and board an earlier train. After two attempts, we managed to get on an earlier one and soon found ourselves gazing at the London suburbs through the window.
At 3:20 PM, we arrived at Kings Cross station and immediately went to see the famous Platform 9 3⁄4 from the Harry Potter movies. However, there was a huge crowd, and waiting an hour to take a photo with the luggage cart in the wall didn’t seem worth it. So, we headed straight to the Natural History Museum. Entry was free.
We quickly walked through the exhibitions since that wasn’t our main goal. We were more interested in the museum’s architecture and the giant whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling. This museum is truly unique and appears in many films. The sight of the whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling was particularly impressive.
After spending about an hour in the museum and already feeling quite tired, we headed to our accommodation. We had booked a place in the Wimbledon area, a quiet and beautiful neighborhood on the outskirts of London. It’s a peaceful, green area with few people, and most importantly, it was just a 10-minute walk from the nearest metro station. The journey from the station to the city center takes about 30-40 minutes.
We stayed with a middle-aged couple who warmly welcomed us. We had an entire room on the top floor with a private bathroom. The room was equipped with three beds, a work desk, a dining table, a small fridge, a kettle, a toaster, a microwave, and a wardrobe.
The room and the whole house were very clean and tidy. There were two skylights and a window overlooking the inner courtyard. In the morning, on clear days, we could enjoy the sunrise. Looking out through the roof window, we felt like characters from a Peter Pan movie because there was a brick chimney nearby, just like the one Peter Pan used to sit on.
The house was built in a typical English style, part of a terraced housing block on a quiet street. Being there felt like stepping into the world of Harry Potter. The feeling was even stronger inside the house because there was a small storage space under the stairs, just like the one Harry Potter lived in.
Our kind host allowed us to use the kitchen to cook some pasta.
After preparing and eating our meal, we planned the next day and went to rest.
Due to the time difference, or perhaps because of the many new impressions, we woke up early. Thanks to our early start, we were able to enjoy a beautiful sunrise.
For breakfast, our host had prepared dry cereals, granola, jams, bread, yogurt, butter, milk, honey, tea, coffee, cocoa, and fruit. After a hearty breakfast, we set out to explore London.
In the morning, the metro was not very crowded, especially on our line. Unfortunately, the District Line was partially closed due to maintenance work. This extended our journey by 20 minutes, but we were happy for the opportunity to explore London’s underground system more thoroughly.
By the way, the London Underground is one of the oldest and largest in the world. The first metro station, Baker Street, opened in 1880.
Arriving at Piccadilly Circus, we first went to the Lego Store. The store was huge with an incredible selection of products. What amazed us the most were the life-sized Lego figures and even a sports car you could sit inside.
There was also an option to design your own Lego figure, complete with your name, which was then printed right in front of you. We spent about an hour in the store, but then we really needed to use the restroom. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, there were no restrooms inside the store. The nearest free one was in the McDonald’s just around the corner.
Next, we visited the M&M’s shop, where we were greeted by life-sized candy mascots and an enormous variety of M&M’s flavors. Leaving the store, we took a few steps and found ourselves in front of a Harry Potter statue before heading to Chinatown, which was beautifully decorated with red Chinese lanterns and filled with restaurants, cafes, and shops selling Chinese food.
Finally, from Soho, we made our way to London’s most iconic landmark—Big Ben (or Elizabeth Tower). Passing through Trafalgar Square, where protests were taking place and police officers were everywhere, we walked down Whitehall Street straight to the Parliament building. As we passed the courtyard of the Royal Guard’s stables, we decided to take a look inside. To our surprise, just as we entered, the Changing of the Guard ceremony began. One of the horses even flicked its tail across Martin’s face!
Next, we continued along Whitehall toward Big Ben. The area was crowded, noisy, and filled with police cars. After taking a few selfies, we realized we needed a quieter place to rest. So, we took the metro back to our accommodation for lunch. This was not the London way—locals eat everywhere, on the metro, buses, while walking or sitting. But since we weren’t locals, we did things our own way. After a meal and a short rest, we headed back into the city.
In the evening, we met up with Sandra’s friend, Alice, who has been living in London for over 12 years. She kindly offered to give us a tour of the city, and we had a fantastic time together.
Our first stop was Hyde Park, followed by St. James’s Park, which led us to Buckingham Palace. From there, we went to Trafalgar Square, where we hopped on a red double-decker bus to the Tower of London. By this time, the city was beautifully illuminated, giving it a cozy, warm atmosphere. The Tower of London looked stunning, lit by wall lamps, standing in contrast to the modern glass buildings along the Thames. We walked around the Tower and then made our way to the iconic Tower Bridge, admiring the views along the way.
After crossing the bridge, we visited a World War II museum ship docked on the riverbank. Since it was getting late, and we had already walked about 20 kilometers, we decided to take the metro back home to rest—another exciting day in the British capital awaited us.