London, United Kingdom

DAY 1:

Arriving pretty early in the morning, my Airbnb was already available which was great. My flight arrives at Stansted, however the airport transfer I pre-booked with Ryanair is on a coach, so we were at the mercy of traffic congestion. Around 1.5 hours later, we got to Liverpool St Station.

After collecting the key from a dairy store about 10 minutes away, I left my luggage at the Airbnb and went to this place called Mister Lasagna, which I bought a Groupon deal on. Since there are 2 with the same name, I didn’t check the address and went to the one where it was a different owner and I had to spend another 20 odd minutes to get to the right one.

The lasagna was alright, although it wasn’t heated up properly so the centre was cool while the outside is warm. Drinks and dessert were included as well, since there was only 1 Tiramisu left, it seems like a popular choice so I went and got the last one.

After the meal, I was feeling rather tired so I went back to my Airbnb and catch some much needed sleep. Waking up in the evening, I went out to get dinner near my Airbnb. I got a Groupon voucher for this restaurant as well, but it was rather disappointing as I can only choose the cheapest meal and the rest are all additional charges, same with the sides that were supposed to be included. I asked for hand cut fries but the waiter kept saying French fries, even though they are the same price, I guess it is cheaper to do French fries than hand cut fries. After an unsatisfying meal, I went to Buckingham Palace, it wasn’t crowded and I got some good pictures. There isn’t any subway system near the palace so I opted to walk to the Big Ben, however since the Big Ben is under renovation, all I can see is scaffolding. There is a good view along the river towards the London Eye though. 

DAY 2:

A big day today as I have booked a tour to the famous Harry Potter tour at Warner Bros. I went to King’s Cross station where there is a Platform 9 ¾, but it was a rather long queue for a picture and the prop wasn't that great so I didn’t queue up as I have to head off to catch the train, but not before breakfast at the pub right inside the station.

Arriving at Euston station, there was a large crowd standing looking at the schedule board, I was assuming it was normal but it was anything but normal. A few cancelled and delayed services become in effect to all services. I was lucky to be able to catch a service that runs to Watford Junction after about 30 minutes, and the train was packed as you can imagine we’re the very few that actually run.

After arriving at Watford Junction, we queue up at bus stop 4, there is plenty of signage and a huge Harry Potter sign at the poster board at the bus stop, and probably a long queue which is another good indication. There is a staff there checking tickets before allowing you to use the service. The bus service is 3 pounds for return and you can pay by cash or contactless card.

Upon arrival at the studio, I couldn’t retrieve my ticket through the self service machine, so I had to queue up to get my ticket. Security check was performed as well before entering. Coat check was free to use, and the audio guide is available at a fee.

At the listed tour time, I enter the entrance of the tour which is mostly self guided. The very first part is going through a maze with posters from all the Harry Potter series worldwide, which is very cool to see. We got directed into a room where there is a strip screen where they show us hardcore fans and staff members talking to us about how exciting this experience will be.

After that, we got a little introduction from the staff and then proceeded into the next room, which is a cinema set up. We got to see clips of the Harry Potter films and an introduction to the tour. At the end of the short film was the 3 main characters of Harry Potter thanking us for joining the tour outside the door which lead into the famous dining hall.

Once the film finished, the screen slides up and lit up was the same door. Everyone was already in awe, but not until the door opens up into the one and only dining hall, where we get to see all the actual sets and prop from the movie. It was stunning, and for any hardcore Harry Potter fan, it is definitely one experience they will not forget.

The entire tour took me about 3 hours, however some people took their time and can spend an entire day there. In the middle of the tour is also a cafe where you get to have the butterbeer, which tasted similar to root beer in my opinion.

Outside the cafe is a small outdoor set before continuing into the other side of the building for the 2nd half of the tour. There are many details and amazing work that they acknowledge, which is really the magicians that bring the movie to life.

This is a self guided tour which you can go at your own pace, but do note entry time is the one you have booked for, so if you want to spend more time, do book an early entry time.

After the tour, I took the train back to Euston, and then I found a spot to have dinner right outside the Borough Market, which is apparently very popular as I have to wait 45 minutes for a seat, and also they use virtual queue system through the app for anyone who knows how to do it. This place does pretty amazing pasta but the portion is smaller than I would have liked, so I went for a second plate. I would definitely recommend this place, it’s small, cozy, great staff, and is hard to get a seat so check out their website on how to reserve a seat.

DAY 3:

The first stop on my itinerary is the Camden Market, I got another Groupon voucher for one of the food stall called Lulu Schnitzel. The staff are friendly and the portion is massive, I threw out most of the fries since I am not too big on fries and it was freezing cold to be sitting outdoor.

After a little walk around, I went to Westfield London to be in a warmer place and get to do some shopping as well. After buying a whole bunch of clothes from Primark, it was time for me to get back and pack my suitcase.

I found on Facebook that G-A-Y was showing RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, so I had dinner near the club, then head into the club right in time for the showing of the latest episode of drag race UK. Since today is Halloween, there are some people dressing up and ready to party the night away.

After the end of the drag race showing, the club was already packed and I spent another hour hanging around, although they were just rotating music from their list and there was a mixture of pop, old school and rock? Since I have a flight to catch the next day, and my back was hurting from me standing up on the whole showing of drag race, I decided to head back.

My back was really killing me at this point so I cancelled the free Harry Potter city walking tour for the next day.

DAY 4:

Since I cancelled the tour which was pretty early, I got to stay in a bit later, watch a TV series and then I went out to the London Transport Museum to see the history of London transportation, and of course their famous tube and double decker buses. It was full of kids running and screaming but luckily I have my noise cancelling earphones in.

After the museum, I went to this Pancake restaurant at Covent Garden (right next to the museum called Pancs), I got a Groupon deal for this place as well. The pancakes are nice but small and rather expensive for the full price. Buskers were right outside the restaurant performing with hundreds of people around eating or walking past watching.

After that, I had a quick walk around the gay streets of London, the SoHo area. Since I have to catch my flight, I didn’t really mark around and try to get to the airport as quickly as I possibly can.

My flight departs from Southend airport, which is on the far Eastern end of London? Some might say it is no longer part of London, but it is an hour train ride to the airport which is not too bad considering the bus ride from Stansted took 1.5 hours. Review regarding that flight can be found in the flight review section.

CONCLUSION:

London is a large city, lively and expensive. I would love to spend a few more days there but not unless I can save up a bit more in the future.

The tube system is very easy to use, your credit/debit card is now the only thing you need for their transport network including buses.

There are many little hidden spots that you can check out in London, and it is definitely impossible to see all of them even if you live there for a few years.

PHOTO: https://photos.app.goo.gl/swWAmhgodZnQqLPQ8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHZzcPwTJxQ