London was one of the countries I was most excited to visit. Now, it wasn’t just because they spoke English (definitely a plus), but it was the vastness of the city and how there would be no possible way to fit everything into one weekend. Well, I definitely did try!
First, we decided to take the Eurostar to London which was the easiest travel process ever. Luckily, the train station also doubled as a metro station so we were able to metro right to the Eurostar station. We arrived about an hour before departure as recommended by Eurostar and it took us about 5 minutes to go through check-in and security. They had very advanced systems that checked passports automatically through facial recognition. I had never seen such an efficient process! The boarding process was quick as well, for there are many areas to enter the train based on your seat. My roommates and I decided to choose the 4 seats with a table in between so we could do some of our homework on the 2 hr train ride (train came with free WiFi). The train ride itself was very calming and peaceful making it easy to get work done and take a quick nap. The Eurostar took us right into the center of London and directly to their metro system. This was nice because it only took us another 15 min by tube to get to our stay! Overall, if you ever get the chance to take the Eurostar I would 10/10 recommend it for an efficient and fun experience.
One of my roommates in Paris, Martha Duff, is actually from London so she was the absolute
best tour guide! Knowing London is a city we cannot possibly fit into one weekend we decided to make the most out of our weekend there. On the first day we arrived, we immediately dropped off our bags and were off to Notting Hill. We had brunch at an amazing spot called Granger & Co. which had the best ricotta pancakes! After, we walked to Kensington Palace (where William and Kate live) and throughout Hyde Park. This was super exciting having heard about Prince William and Kate my entire life, it was cool to actually see where they live! The park was so lively as well. 
From cute dogs playing to big flocks of birds trying to snatch food, it was a nice and eventful walk. We then walked towards Chelsea for a pre-dinner snack and explored the surrounding area. We even stopped by my friend Martha’s old house as well! Overall we walked over 10 miles in just the first day. London is a very walkable city, especially with its amazing tube system which allows you to just purchase tickets with Apple Pay on your phone! We ended the night with an amazing dinner at the best Indian cuisine Dishoom. I would recommend making reservations here before your arrival for it is a popular and very delicious spot!
The next day, we went to Sky Garden to get a great 360-degree view of London
. It was free too. As you can see from the pictures, it was a breathtaking view and a great place to relax and get some food/drinks if you wanted! We saw everything from the London Eye to Tower Bridge which was our next sight 
to see. We walked across Tower Bridge like all tourists. However, I would say the best view of the bridge was actually from the side of it. From there it was a quick 10 min walk to Borough Market. I could come to Borough market every day and try something new. It is like most food markets where it has fresh produce, meat, and every cuisine possible for such good prices! We ate a nice lunch here and we’re able to sit and people watch as well. This market is definitely a MUST when visiting. From there we went to see Millenium Bridge which one might recognize from Harry Potter and then headed towards the London Eye and Big Ben! It was another day full of great sightseeing. We decided to end with a nice dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Notting Hill called Taqueria and a night out in the lively SOHO area.
On Saturday, we decided to sleep in a little bit due to the packed two days we had before
with sightseeing. We made our first stop at Buckingham Palace. Luckily it was such beautiful weather and it looked more stunning in person than in real life! The flag was up on top too meaning the Queen was currently in the place as well! From there we went and had a tea party. It felt fitting given we had just come from the Queen's palace herself. The pastries and sandwiches were delicious and surprisingly filling for such small portions. The tea was divine and we all greatly enjoyed our first proper British tea. On our way back from tea, my friend and I stopped by an American food store where they sold goldfish for 8 pounds a bag! (Ridiculous price that I may or may not have given into…) It was a nice piece of home just seeing all the American snacks I had been missing. We ended the day with a Brazilian dinner and pub crawl, both of which I highly recommend!
It was finally our last day in London. It began to rain pretty heavily so we took it easy and went shopping at Harrods before having to take the train back. I was sad to leave London, but I know I will definitely be making my way back in the near future. We took Eurostar home and there came the end to our amazing London trip.
Overall, this has been my favorite trip so far. It was the perfect mix between touristy sightseeing and local spots. Important to try to get both when visiting each country. While it was refreshing to hear English, it was cool to see how they still had their own unique culture and lifestyle apart from America. Another unforgettable trip was added to the books! Until next time, Au Revoir, or as the English say it Goodbye!! :)
