First, a little disclaimer. London’s pretty amazing. I knew the moment I got off the train at St Pancreas International. I realised very soon too there was no way I could scratch the surface of this British capital in a day. One can easily spend a few hours at St Pancreas hanging in one of what seemed to me an endless row of bakery and coffee shops. Who doesn’t love cosy coffee shops! There’s also a number of fancy dining options for people who want more than just a quick bite. Missed something at Oxford Street? You’ll find many of London’s High Street brands here. Oh yes, this is not your average train station.

Now again, with only a day? As you probably know, I came from the other side of the world, so I spent the next day being confused of the time. I woke my friend up at 2:00 am (my usual 9:00 am) asking if we weren’t too late to start the day yet.😅 I’m obviously too pumped to check the clock.

And so we decided to take it slow and easy.The weather in London can be a bit dreary even for people like myself who enjoy cloudy and rainy days. On that day though, the sky was stunningly blue! We arrived at the official residence of the British monarch, the Buckingham Palace, just in time to catch the changing of the guards. The ceremony takes place at 11:00 am every day from May-July and on alternate days for the rest of the year.  In wet weather, the Guard Change may be cancelled.

I was surprised that a lot of people come here to watch, cannot imagine what the crowd would be like in summer. If you intend to do so, plan to reach a little earlier to secure a good spot.There’s just an abundance of green spaces in London – one of the things I really love about this city. In autumn especially when the trees burst into shades of yellow and the wind picks up and leaves fall as you walk by. How lovely is that! 💛After a stroll at St. James’ Park, we headed to Westminster Abbey. This place is just so grand, just imagine standing at the spot where many of this nation’s greatest occassions happened. The Abbey is host to coronations, royal weddings and state funerals of British monarchs and many distinguished people including Charles Dickens, Isaac Newton, and Charles Darwin.The interior of the building is one of the most intricate and elegant work of art I’ve ever seen. I feel privileged to have even laid eyes on it. Photography is not permitted inside so you can experience this grandiose without distractions. If you fancy history and art, do not miss this!

We walked a bit to get to the House of Parliament and the Big Ben. It was unfortunately undergoing a makeover that time we were there. By the time we got to the Tower of London, the skies had turned gloomy. We didn’t get the chance to explore the entire complex but if you intend to, the average time visitors spend here, on a leisurely pace, is four hours and it is recommended to be there as soon as it opens, that means 9:00 am.Adjacent to this fortress is the infamous Tower Bridge. Do you know the bridge portrayed in the nursery rhyme we sang and played to so enthusiastically in, well, nursery school? London Bridge is falling down…falling down… That is not the London Bridge. It is in fact the Tower Bridge, and it’s not falling down. Confusing ay?

The Tower Bridge and the London Bridge are actually two very different bridges in London. The Tower Bridge being the one recognisable all over the world as one of the symbols of the city and the London Bridge being an older, much simpler bridge with not a lot of notable architectural details.Remember when I said we took our time slowly. Think we overdid it a little bit here. We snapped a photo, yes maybe a few photos, watched a wedding entourage go about their pre-nuptial shoot (sweet!), families and friends catching up, tourists trying to get ‘that shot’. Then off we hurried to the destination for the evening. It’s really a good spot to people-watch though, the bench gets comfortable real fast.Getting here the closest Underground Station is the Tower Hill Station, but it’s also possible to reach this from London Bridge Station.

Another thing I like about London is that the transport system is very efficient, similar to Singapore in many ways. The rail network is extensive, the Underground stations are clean, commuters are even allowed to eat and drink in the train (now, that’s unlike SG). And of course, there are my favourite double decker buses! I still get giddy when I see the front seats on the top deck vacant. That.one.is.mine.

Fancy a distinctively British ride? You can hail a black cab any time. I read that cab drivers must pass an extensive training course which includes studying 25,000 London streets before they become licensed. Safe to say, you’re being taken cared of by someone with a masters in London streets! Be aware though, the black cab gets expensive quickly. I was watching the meter the entire time we rode one. Ha ha!

If you plan to take the buses and trains, which is advisable, the Oyster card is your friend. These are electronic cards you can use to pay for public transport. You can get this even before arriving in London or at stations and designated Oyster ticket shops in the city. I got mine at the UK Embassy in Singapore.Start the evening with a walk along Oxford Street past huge department stores and flagship stores of big brand names like Debenhams, House of Fraser, Topshop… (Tip: Keep walking, it’s good for your figure and pocket too.) Ha ha!

Since you’re in London, do not miss the theatre! I highly suggest seeing at least one of the musicals at West End. You’ll never go wrong with the classics. My all-time favorite is Les Miserables (Lion King comes a very close second), still moves me to tears every time I see it.I thought it would make sense to spend more time in the countryside on this visit since I basically live in the city. But I enjoyed London so much! It’s so different from what we have back home, yet feels so familiar. I haven’t seen a city where the historic and the modern co-exists in such beautiful fashion. Sometimes, you need only turn your head to find yourself in another time.

Tomorrow, we’ll explore Oxford!