First, I’m not really going to talk about the Olympics in this post since I have another blog post I’ll being doing specifically about that. In this post I wanted to just focus on London.
Vlog #16: Contiki European Panorama: London, England
httpvh://youtu.be/7I2CTmt6IWg
London is one of those cities everyone wants to visit. It’s on the bucket list of most North Americans and Europeans alike, mainly because there are so many things to do and see. So with my free day in London I decided the quickest most efficient way to see all these sights was to jump on a sightseeing tour bus and hop off at the various “must–see” attractions.
These included:
Big Ben
Quick, easy to see and iconic.
Tower Bridge
Hello start of the Olympics and epic bridge-ness.
The London Eye
Worth it for the view. If there was anything I recommend doing on a clear day in London it would be getting a birds eye view over the Thames River.
Westminister Abbey
Architecture and Gothic building style heaven.
And
Buckingham Palace
The Queen! Although we decided not to stay for the changing of the guards since we thought we would be too short on time.
London Tips:
My biggest advice on how to make the most of your time and money in London is to figure out how to use the London Underground metro system. At first it seems daunting and scary but once you have rode the “tube” a few times you start to get a hang of how everything works. It’s a very efficient system.
Another tip is if you intend on being in London for a few days and plan to use the public transportation to get around, purchase an oyster card. Don’t waste your money on day tickets like I did, because they add up very quickly.
Now one thing I love doing in my blog posts is telling you guys about the things you didn’t see in my videos. Aka, the stuff I am not allowed to film. Take for example my most favorite thing that I did in London: watch Jersey Boys the musical on stage in the West End theatre district.
I am a huge musical theatre nerd and I simple love theatre and live performances. Hence why I had to go see a musical on the West End, Europe’s musical theater epicenter.
Jersey Boys was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life. Almost as good as when I saw Wicked on Broadway in New York. Now of course I do understand that theatre shows are not for everyone, but for those of you who do like them I would highly recommend going to see Jersey Boys when you are in London. Yes, even if you are a guy, it’s a very masculine musical – I promise :)
Jersey Boys is a musical that certainly has wide audience appeal – songs from a golden age but enjoyed by all ages and by all nationalities – the songs are universally known and loved – not only that but it’s such a slick production – well worth a visit.
I like the added “Tips” section! I didn’t realize they had a big theater district, but I guess I don’t know much about London. And I agree that musicals can be good for guys too.. I was surprised how much I enjoyed when I saw Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, but I guess it depends on which show it is. Maybe i’ll have to check out Jersey Boys if I ever get the chance.
-Alex
when your in london next i recommend going on the london eye when its dark. you get to see london all lit up and its so pretty. i will see you at the london gathering on sunday :)