In June this year, I paid a short visit to the city of London, along the river Thames. It is important to visit a place like a traveler and not a tourist. I did my research to have some unique experiences in and around London on a budget, of course. And I had some unforgettable unplanned unique experiences too.

Walk to Greenwich

I am a junkie for exploring places on foot. London was a perfect opportunity for it. Considering that most famous places were along the river Thames. So, the day I reached London, I crashed at my friend Iti’s place for some time. And later that day Iti and her friend took me for a stroll from the Isle of dogs to the lovely Greenwich. We walked through the historic Greenwich tunnel under the Thames to Cutty Sark. Cutty Sark is one of the last few British Clipper ships built. And is now a restaurant and tourist attraction. For dinner, we headed to a street in Greenwich which was full of Asian restaurants. A Nepali restaurant “Mountain View” was special in particular because I had the best Chicken momo of my life there. Not to forget the lovely Nepali meal as well.

To do these on a budget is certainly not a challenge, because I managed to stay with friends at Isle of dogs. Walked to Greenwich and took a bus around town to reach the restaurant.

Consulting Sherlock Holmes

After a refreshing 10km run at sunrise, I geared up for a long day of sightseeing. The beauty of going solo is that I have the freedom to walk endlessly and see the city in close proximity. I headed straight to the top experience on my list – the Sherlock Holmes’ museum. There was a small queue to get inside the world’s most famous address “221B baker street”. It was a joy to recognize many of the artifacts in the detective’s room from my memory. I picked up a visiting card of the consulting detective as a souvenir but there were other choices available at the mini souvenir shop too. I am a minimalist at heart. So, I generally don’t budget much on souvenirs. Pictures are the best souvenirs in most cases.

Westminster – the cultural heart of London

I skipped Madame Tussaud’s museum near Baker street simply looking at the very long queue. I am not a fan of crowded places unless it is a rave party. Haha.

The London tube (for which I got an oyster card and not the London pass) conveniently took me from Baker Street to Westminster. The first thing you see right out the tube stop is Big Ben. Big ben is an elegant clock tower in the Westminster Palace. The house of parliaments and the holy church of Westminster Abbey are right next to it too. Walking along the Westminster bridge, I laid my eyes on the London eye. I am going to say something controversial now…I did not go up the London eye because of the insane queue again. It was as if the tourists of the entire world were right there. I am sure the crowd was in thousands, not hundreds.

Hop on Hop off Cruise on the Thames

I took a hop-on-hop-off cruise from Westminster Pier, firstly to get away from the overcrowded Westminster bridge. Secondly, it is a great budget option to see the Westminster area. Better than hop-on-hop-off buses. And it made perfect sense since many of the nice places to see were along the river anyway. The cruise crossed six bridges. I couldn’t help comparing it to the bridges along river Seine in Paris. The French have to go all out when it comes to grandeur in their Hausmann architecture. The British are not so much about the grandeur and more about subtle no-frills elegance in their Victorian Architecture.

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

The cruise halted at Shakespeare’s globe theatre first. Having read several of his plays since childhood, this place was on my list of top places to see in London. I was half expecting to miss the play here of course. The tickets online were sold out. But on the day, I could get in with a standing ticket and witnessed a brilliant play based on “The Merry wives of Windsor”. You can always plan well ahead and get a ticket for the play but on hindsight, I paid just 5 pounds for the standing ticket. I didn’t mind standing for the play of 1.5 hours. The cast was hilarious and the theatre ambiance just electric. With a large grin on my face, I then walked through the Borough Market to the Southwark Cathedral and went on to see the old London bridge. I was fortunate to see the luxury ship Silversea pass through the London tower bridge. HMS Belfast was another royal light cruiser which was parked as a Museum on the Thames near London tower bridge.

Swimming in the English Channel

I am not much of a city person when it comes to my vacations. I am on a constant search for places to do activities or to just relax in a quiet offbeat place. So, when I headed to London, I had to squeeze in a hike or something. My friends there suggested heading to Brighton beach for a swim instead. The pebble beach with shallow light green English channel at Brighton was just the place for a dip. A bit cold but not enough to keep me and my friends out. In fact, we swam for hours and sun-bathed all day. We strolled at the Brighton Palace Pier which looked like something straight out of a fairytale. There was not much to spend on in Brighton. The train from London didn’t cost much. And we packed the eatables from a department store near the beach instead of hogging at restaurants. And hey, who doesn’t like a picnic at the beach.

Saying hi to the royals

The next day began with a wait at the Buckingham Palace gates for the much talked about Guard’s change. Having seen the Wagah retreat on the India-Pakistan border, my expectations were really high. So, naturally, I was a bit disappointed by the pretty sober parade of the guards at Buckingham. I then headed to the Kensington palace where Victorian history and Diana’s history are showcased. A copy of the Kohinoor diamond was also at display. The Royal Albert Hall could be seen next to the palace where the best performers of the world have entertained.

I then walked around several museums (which are free to see) nearby. The Science museum, the natural history museum and of course the famous Victoria Albert Museum of Design. It was certainly a learning experience.

Ending on a high

London’s vacation is incomplete without the mention of the most lively Picadilly circus. I was really glad to have passed my whole vacation without being disturbed by the notorious London rains. They were disturbing the ongoing Cricket world cup there already.

I was to meet some old friends at the “Mother Mash” restaurant for some delicious traditional Chicken garlic Sausage with some sweet potato mash and white wine. Earlier in the day, I had tried some fish and chips at a Victorian pub with wood paneling, a fireplace and etched glass called “The Lyric“. I spent my last evening in London strolling down the Leicester square, watching performers in the street with my friends. It was a pleasant surprise to spot Indian hotel chain Saravana Bhavan there and stop for a filter coffee. This is just a small sign of how much of India dwells in the land of Britain.

There was an air about London, that felt like home. Maybe the amount of familiar Indian faces or the fact that I have seen British buildings back at my home in Chennai too. What fascinated me was that there was something for everybody. The architecture, the literature, the pubs, the theatres, and commerce. As the British poet Samuel Johnson once said, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”