3 Days in London

It is 8am and I have already successfully bargained my way into getting Clinique’s Take the Day Off Balm for 19.55 instead of 24.50 due to a shelving error and what I can vaguely remember about advertising standards and consumer rights from Junior Cert Home Economics. So you can say my trip to London started off well.

My trip to London consisted of my 9^th and 10^th flights in 12 months. 6 of those were done solo. It is a fact universally known that flying on your own is 100% less stressful than flying with a companion. That’s how the Jane Austen quote goes isn’t it? On this trip I was accompanied by my older brother. What I had not accounted for was that the last time he flew was 4 years ago and that this is his 7^th flight in his entire lifetime. As we finally get onto the plane at 8:30am, I breathe a sigh of relief that for at least the next hour I know he cannot get into any trouble. This is what travelling with a child must be like.

This was only my second time to London. The last time I was there was July 2012, just before the Olympics so it feels fitting to be back during Olympic season again. I was 17 then, 21 now. A lot has happened in the past 4 years and I got this strange feeling coming out of Leicester Square tube station onto Charring Cross Road with the exact same suitcase I brought with me last time. When I was in London in 2012, I felt like I was an adult but really I relied a lot on my Mam then, for spending money, to mind our passports etc. This time however I know I am an adult. I have worked at least 2 night shifts a week for the entire summer to afford this trip. I did this without her. And while this is the 4^th trip that I have financed on my own, this one feels more poignant.

I have wanted to live in London for years, if the starting salary for a midwife wasn’t absolutely shit I would be moving there asap post qualification. The entire time I was in London I did not feel out of my element or like I was in a foreign city at all. I felt like I belonged and I think it showed considering I got asked for directions several times.

On my first day in the big smoke, we went to Selfridge’s. I felt rich just being in that store. Chanel boutiques beside a display of watches for 25000 pounds. The cheapest watch on this display was 15000. “I could buy that, I mean my life savings would gone and all I’d have is an okay looking watch but I mean I could buy it” my brother notes. After buying my first Nars and Chanel products, I leave feeling a million dollars despite only having a few hundred in my bank account.

After the typical trip to Hamley’s toy shop and a walk back to our hotel through Soho, we separate to our hotel rooms for a lie down. We need to conserve our energy for the main event of the day and the whole reason we planned this trip. The Warner Brothers’ The Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour. Like so many people Harry Potter means so much to me, I even have an Expecto Patronum tattoo on my right bicep.

I would hate to spoil the tour for anyone but it is necessary for any Potter fan. I had the absolute best time and it was so worth it. I actually cannot put into words how much I loved it. We did the tour in just about two hours. After a 20 minute train back to London, we quickly shove Pizza Express into our mouths and are back in our rooms for 9:30. I have never been so tired in my life.

On day two for some ungodly reason, I woke up wide-awake at 6:30am after waking up several times during the night. My body never sleeps well the first night in a new place. I got ready for the day with butterflies in my stomach. On the 10^th of August I saw Parts 1 and 2 of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the Palace Theatre. I somehow was lucky enough to score tickets in June. That morning after breakfast, we collected our tickets and headed to Buckingham Palace via St James’ Park. While I saw the Palace when I was last in London I didn’t see the park as most of it was closed off in preparation for the Olympics. It was beautiful. We also stopped by the Horse Guards Parade to watch the Changing of the Guard.

 I could have spent all day exploring. Unfortunately, I couldn’t as it was time to see Cursed Child!

I will not spoil a single thing because you know #KeepTheSecrets, but to people who did not enjoy to script book, you need to see it. The plot is merely a device to explore the characters. It is just incredible.

One of my good friends lives in Cambridge and he came down for two nights in London to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child with us and to hang out for a bit. That night after Cursed Child we got the tube to London Bridge to go to the bar in The Shard. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed in as all three of us were wearing Converse. They have a “dress code”. We laughed it off and we went back to our hotel for the night.

On our final day, in the morning I went to Charlotte Tilbury’s flagship store in Covent Garden. I loved it. I love Charlotte Tilbury’s make-up and had a whole list of things to buy since the pound is so good compared to the euro. Again, it was an experience that made me feel ten times richer and more glam than I actually am. Expect a blog post on my haul and in the future reviews of the products!

Later on that morning, we went to a market in East London near Brick Lane and it was everything you’d imagine an eastend market to be. Full of haggling, antiques and silverware that may or may not be stolen. But walking the streets of London with my friends I felt such a sense of belonging and home almost.

It was the most incredible three days. I cannot wait to go back.

Laura
xo