London - $$$$
Well, we spent 4 nights in London - probably could have been two. I had chatGPT create an itinerary (prior to deleting it off my phone/computer) - really didn’t know how terrible those things were for the environment. Anyway, we did at least see all the things mentioned in this post. The largest deviation was we did NOT really eat out much. London is so ridiculously expensive, that even a lunch with one beer and one water ended up being 100 pounds!
Luckily, the hotel I had booked with amex rewards had a large breakfast (totally not worth the amount they charge for it (39 pounds per person)). But, for our stay it was reasonable. No where near the glory that is a breakfast buffet in Japan…but it was better than a holiday inn in the U.S. The hotel also had a lounge for guests with free tea and coffee and light snacks - we actually used that a couple times to eat our takeout and/or grocery store meals.
Essentially, to save $, we got takeout at the Japan Center Flagship Store a block away - amazing vegan ramen and the takeaway is all separated out so the noodles and veg doesn’t get all soggy! The spicy one was actually spicy, so be prepared. There is an upstairs and downstairs with different items, so check them both out. The rest of our meals came from Tesco Express - which seemed to be a popular place to grab lunch and/or dinner.
Bonus part of London - museums are free (or at least most are), which was great and we went into a ton that we wouldn’t have otherwise visited. When we went to the British Museum (really was worth it - even though it was packed with school trips) and used the Rick Steve’s audiotour for the main part and then just walked around. It is a bit outdated, so the layout doesn’t match up anymore. We stopped over at my sister’s favorite spot in London, Okonomi-yaki restaurant. Which, you guessed it, makes Okonomiyaki (a savory pancake) and they take being vegan very seriously (though they do have fish and other things there). They even made the agedashi tofu vegan for me - yum! We got a couple appetizers, beers, and two okonomiyaki - all very filling!
We walked to all the sites and took advantage of a half price ticket for the midweek afternoons at the Tower of London - I probably wouldn’t have gone for full price. We used the Rick Steve’s audiotour to get a good overview of London with the Historic London and Westminster walks. I did want to go into Saint Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster - but they were both so crazy expensive, and we were on our way to Italy….so saved our gorgeous church views for there.
We did stop in a couple pubs in London (one just for drinks and the other for a meal) - was fun to sit and see the interiors - but geez, again, it was pricy. One spot that wasn’t on my list, but I’m glad I did was Harrod’s - boy, those entry ways are just gorgeous! A real highlight of London was the cab drivers - they were so helpful and nice! Really, it wasn’t very expensive and well worth the guidance!
Just two years ago, my sister and I spent a week in Ireland and Northern Ireland - those pub experiences and really just walking around those towns were more fun. Maybe they were less modern, maybe the pubs were smaller and more locals — I don’t know, but that kinda made London a meh for me on the travel part. On the other side, if you make a lot of money, London would be a great place to live! Easy to get around, tons of diverse food and people, and great large parks!
