I checked into my hotel in London (Point A Kings Cross for those of you just joining) and was delighted to be assigned not only a room on one of the top floors (that had considerably fewer rooms than the lower floors held, meaning it would be quieter) but that I had also been upgraded to a room with a small window. In this hotel, you can opt for a room without a window, which is cheaper and what I had selected. So getting a window was a bonus I was not expecting. The rooms are compact, no question about it, but clean and comfortable. For someone used to hostels, it was luxurious!
I had arrived at the hotel around 2pm and after quickly checking over the room, I was ready to head back out to finally begin exploring a city that I had dreamt of seeing for decades. I walked back to Kings Cross and jumped back on the Tube. Despite the fact that I just got to London, I figured out the Tube system pretty quickly. Changing trains is easy, the signage is almost fool-proof. Once you know which train line you need, taking the Tube is pretty simple. This time, I took the Victoria line to Green Park and then transferred to the Jubilee line. Before I knew it, I was ascending the station steps with the buildings of Parliament right across the street. And you know what’s connected to Parliament – Big Ben. It felt slightly surreal to be actually looking at it with my own eyes. And it finally hit me that I was really in London…
I walked across the Westminster Bridge a few times. There is so much to take in – Parliament, Big Ben, the London Eye. I gawked like a tourist. I took way too many photos. I couldn’t stop smiling…
After an hour or so, I decided to walk some more. I took a quick look at Westminster Abbey (which was jammed with elementary school groups so I decided not to go inside) before I headed up Whitehall Road, an elegant street lined with government buildings and war memorials. I ended up at Trafalger Square, which is capped off by the National Gallery – one of the iconic art museums in the world. I hung outside in the sunshine, debating whether to go in or not. But the weather was too nice to be inside and I wanted to keep walking and explore.
I took in St. Martin-in-the-Fields and then ambled up Charing Cross Road, finding myself passing theater after theater. I kept walking, the name of the road changing to Tottenham Court Road and with stores replacing the theaters. Finally, I arrived at Euston and took a right. I walked past the Wellcome Collection, which was closing up for the evening, or I would have gone in. A few blocks later, I was passing St. Pancras and Kings Cross stations and was back to my hotel. I had walked a considerable amount, almost 8 miles according to my iPhone pedometer. Despite the increased walking I was doing on this trip, my scar and my knee were giving me no problems. I was tired but it had been a wonderful afternoon of discovering a tiny part of what is now my favorite city in the world.