Leaning on the railing of London Bridge amidst throngs of people on this amazingly sunny November day, with the Thames, Tower Bridge, and HMS Belfast all arrayed before me, I could only think how good it was to be back in London, one of my favorite and most visited cities.
Fourteen years ago, when I emerged from the St. Pancras train station in London that very first time, I was filled with a sense of homecoming. Today’s vista evoked that same sense. Ever since I was old enough to know about this place, I’d been fascinated by all things British. I’d read voraciously about England, always favoring English writers. I had an English pen-pal. I studied English history when I was in college. It was not ever a matter of “if” I would visit England, but “when”. I always knew I would. In 2008, I finally arrived for what would prove to be the first of many visits. But when we last visited in 2017, I did not expect it to be 5 years before I could return. Indeed, it wasn’t supposed to be.
In November 2019, the Dutch symphonic metal band, Within Temptation, announced their Worlds Collide Tour with co-headlining American band Evanescence. When I saw London’s O2 Arena on the list of dates, I decided it was high time I introduced my daughter (she who had introduced me to Within Temptation) to this most favored city. I planned a family trip around it, inviting my Dickens-fan daughter and her husband to join us as well in April 2020, and I immediately began planning an itinerary to please all five of us.
And then, of course, you know what happened. Three Tour postponements due to the pandemic left me feeling the trip would never happen. Life got in the way further causing Megan and her husband to pull out of the still-uncertain trip. The latest reschedule put the Tour’s kickoff in November 2022. We didn’t book flights until a month out, when I finally felt reasonably confident the Tour would happen.
Even as we sat on the airplane waiting to taxi, I couldn’t ditch the foreboding that something would crop up at the last moment to prevent this trip. As I lugged my carryon along the jetway at Heathrow’s Terminal 3, I began to believe it, but, at last, standing now on London Bridge, the matter was settled–I’m back in England!
On our previous visits, getting from Heathrow to London proper meant an hour-long journey at a minimum, as we usually took the Underground, involving an hour ride into the city. However, a few weeks before our trip, I’d read about the Elizabeth Line, a new railway line recently opened by Queen Elizabeth that would eventually connect Heathrow seamlessly to Canary Wharf—but not just yet, said the article; the new line was only operating to Paddington Station, where we would have to switch to another train. When we boarded the Elizabeth Line at Heathrow, however, we learned from another passenger who used it for her regular commute that the Canary Wharf section had indeed just opened “last week”. Happy news, since we’d booked our favorite London hotel, the Marriott Canary Wharf, for its easy proximity to the O2 Arena.
One thing I always appreciate about traveling to London is that we take a night flight that gets us into Heathrow in the morning—we don’t lose a day for travel. Since I can’t sleep on airplanes, I usually hunker down with a good book or fine-tune my sightseeing plans. It also means I’m eager to get off the plane and usually find I’m running on adrenaline by the time we reach the hotel. I’ve found the best way to get acclimated to local time is to just keep running—with the fortunate result that I never have jet lag.
My plan to introduce Kristin to London got underway immediately on arrival. We stopped at the hotel long enough to drop our bags in our room (we requested an early check-in) and freshen up a bit, then it was out the door and back to the Underground where we hopped on the Jubilee Line to London Bridge Station. From there, we could clear out the last vestiges of air travel brain fog with a walk along the Thames while taking in the iconic sights.
Emerging from the tube station, we walked across London Bridge crowded with people. From here, you get a lovely view of Tower Bridge, the World War II battle cruiser HMS Belfast, the Shard and the London skyline.
View looking east from London Bridge
On the north bank, we picked up the Thames Path (a national walking path following the Thames River from the Cotswolds through London toward the sea) and wandered along it for awhile before crossing back to the south bank by way of the pedestrian-only Millenium Bridge. Completed in 2000-2001, this bridge was the first new bridge to be built across the Thames in over a century.
From North Bank, looking across the Thames for a view of the pointy building known as the Shard
The Millenium Bridge deposits you near the Tate Modern, one of the world’s most popular modern art museums (so says the Blue Guide to London), and the recreated Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
From South Bank, looking across the Thames to the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral
On the south bank, we picked up the Queen’s Walk (WalkLondon.com offers a self-guided sightseeing tour) and staved off hunger with roasted nuts from a Bankside vendor before continuing on. Along the way, we passed the graffitied Southbank Skate Space.
The skate space as it appeared in 2012; see the link for the story of how this space became a skate boarder’s paradise.
The Southbank Centre Winter Market was in full swing, with pop-up bars (where you could enjoy a warming hot toddy, for instance) and food (not your average street food—we saw Dutch pancakes and lobster on offer) housed in chalet-like shelters limned with holiday lights.
We could not let Kristin’s first day in London go by without a Big Ben sighting, so we crossed the Westminster Bridge with its picture-postcard view of the Houses of Parliament and the newly refurbished Elizabeth Tower housing Big Ben. “Big Ben” is actually the name of the bell inside the tower that tolls the hours accompanied by the familiar Westminster Chimes.
With the adrenaline edge fading, hunger starting to take its toll, and husband’s knees in full protest, we headed into the Westminster Underground Station to catch the Jubilee Line back to Canary Wharf, intending to find The Grapes, an historic pub that looked near to the hotel.
Best laid plans! Canary Wharf being an area of former docks and industrial sites, it turned out “you can’t get there from here” as we say in New England. We were also plagued by a lack of internet (Be sure to check your cell carrier’s international rules before traveling abroad!) and my intention to rely on Google Maps fell by the wayside.
When we finally found The Grapes (where Charles Dickens allegedly danced on the tables as a child), dinner was not to be served for another hour, and already patrons were standing about outside, beers in hand. Instead, we retraced our steps (much more easily this time) back to Canary Wharf, where we found a casual Italian place, Zizzi, at Cabot Place, one of the shopping areas at Canary Wharf.
Reinvigorated, we headed back to the hotel to land in the bar. Although we opted for the Marriott Canary Wharf for its easy access to the O2 Arena, we had an ulterior motive—this hotel’s bar has 150 gins on offer! Such a lovely way to unwind after this long day’s journey into night.
Featured photo above: The illuminated London Eye looks like a giant peace symbol when viewed from Jubilee Gardens at night.
Linnea Arold Michel 