London in 3 Days

Buckingham Palace

Third and last day, unfortunately.

We started our day pretty early, to enjoy the most of it, we were already tired but nothing can stop us!

Hyde Park

Parks!!! Like Paris, London is also a city full of beautiful and high frequented parks. And don’t even think about going to London without getting to know at least Hyde Park, lucky for me, as I was visiting the city in late November, everything was already decorated for Christmas, I love it, and at Hyde Park there was the Winter Wonderland! So wonderful, a small Christmas themed park, filled with amusements, stalls and Christmas spirit. But Christmas and amusements aside, Hyde Park is the main park in the center of London and constitutes one of the biggest green spaces in town, with an area of 2,5 km. It is officially known as one of London’s royal parks, meaning that it was once property of monarchs, and it is famous for its Speakers’ Corner (place where any citizen can make a speech criticizing whatever they want except the royal family and the British government, being on top of something, because if they’re not standing on British soil they’re not subject to its laws!), it served as stage to important personalities like Karl Marx and George Orwell.

Hyde Park is wonderful and you’ll figure that out when you meet the squirrels! You’ll want to feed them all day long! The park has a substantial infrastructure with restaurants, coffee shops, a center for the learning of nature and wild life, carriage rides, pedal boats to use at lake Serpentine and the rental of sunbeds. There’s also a tennis club and horses available to the equestrian.

It is also a stage for music events, where artists like Madonna, U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers and others have passed.

After a relaxing beginning of our day at Hyde Park we decided to go watch the Changing of the Guard at the Buckingham Palace (residency of the English monarchy, it is not, by far, one of the most beautiful buildings in London), the changing happens daily from May to July or in alternate days for the rest of the year, around half past eleven am, but if you want a good look at it, go as early as you can! Honestly, I dispense it, I went to see it but wouldn’t go again, and I’d much rather waste my time visiting another place, however, if you travel with time, no doubt it is something mythical about London for you to see. Basically it is a perfect alignment of Guards, with their typical uniforms, batteries, a lot of noise and lots of people, and it is the moment when the guards change and deliver the palace keys to the new guards, a scenario where the main characters are the Old Guards and the New Guards.

To those who dispense the Changing of the Guard during their stay at London, I suggest you take advantage of the spare time to visit Nothing Hill and take a walk at the famous Portobello Road Market and get to know a multicultural and eccentric area of town, I suggest you go on a Saturday morning, because it’s the market’s best day (Note: the probability of finding Hugh Grant or Julia Roberts is very low).

Still not very hungry and wanting to rescue some of the lost time at the Changing of the Royal Guard, we went to HMS Belfast (that we were not able to visit in the 1st day, during the winter the main attractions close very early, around half past five pm).

Imagine a ship that translates to the detail the life of the Royal Marines, during World War II, that ship is HMS Belfast! Retired and permanently anchored at Thames’ margins, since 1971 it is operated by the Imperial War Museum. Baptized in honor to the city of Belfast, North Ireland’s capital, it had a unique role during the war and decades after it supported the UN in the Korean War. The recreation is made is a similar way to the Churchill War Room, enchanting kids and adults.

Well, time to eat, and nothing like exploring one of the street markets.

Borough Market is one of those delicious places, full of aromas and flavors, with typical and traditional products, but also international ones, where you want to eat everything! It is always full of locals and tourists looking for the most varied delicacies.

This market is an authentic center of distribution and food supply. It is the oldest in town, which history dates back to the XIII century, when there was an established market on the south margin of Thames, next to London Bridge, and 250 years ago it changed places to where it is located till now. It is perfect to buy delicious and fresh stuff, to eat while visiting the city, or to eat at the market in the diverse stands, that once again show the variety of cultures that make of London a unique city.

Near the market we visited a beautiful cathedral, Southwark Cathedral. It is the oldest Gothic church in London, reconstructed in 1212, after a fire that severely damaged the church, it was previously Norman style.

Well, this is the end! Time to get back to the Hotel, pick up our bags and return home.