London 2018/19 - Part 1

London Calling

Saturday - December 29th 2018

London is our favourite city and in recent years we established a tradition to spend New Year's Eve there. Of course 2018 was no exception. Since our easyjet flight to London Gatwick departed in the morning, we stayed for one night at the Novotel Munich Airport Hotel. After checkout we took the train to the terminal, where German authorities and airport security caused a mild chaos because of the terribly slow security checks. Luckily we made it early enough through the checks to get a coffee before departure. Our flight left Munich on time and nearly two hours later we arrived at London-Gatwick-Airport. From there we took the train to London Bridge. At first we wanted to get something to eat at Borough Market, but the crowds were insane and so we got some snacks from Pret-A-Manger. Afterwards we started our vacation with some drinks at the Globe Tavern. A couple of drinks later we headed to Wandsworth Town and checked in to our hotel. Like in the years before we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. After unpacking our stuff we checked out the local Sainsbury supermarket and got some snacks for dinner.

London Gatwick Airport

The Shard

Lunch at Pret-A-Manger

Borough Market

Globe Tavern

London 2018/19 - Part 2

Tate Modern

Sunday - December 30th 2018

We had been to London many times before, but we never visited Tate Modern, which had been on our bucket list for many years now. So after breakfast we took the train to Waterloo and from there we walked along the Thames to the museum. Like many other museums in London Tate Modern was free of charge, but we gave a donation. I have to admit that I don't care that much about art, but the main reason I wanted to visit Tate Modern was the building. The former power plant looked just amazing and from the cafe on the top floor we had a fantastic view over London. Of course we took a look at the famous paintings and other art installations as well, but my highlight was definitely the wonderful view.

Wandsworth Town Train Station

Waterloo Station

London

Southbank

London

London

London

London

Tate Modern

Millenium Bridge

Tate Modern

Tate Modern

Tate Modern

Tate Modern

Tate Modern

Tate Modern

View from Tate Modern

Tate Modern Cafe

Tate Modern

After a cup of coffee at the Tate Modern Cafe we left and took the train from Blackfriars to St. Pancras, because for lunch we stopped at Temple of Camden. On the way to the train station we came accross a small donut shop that offered vegan donuts and of course we had to get some for later. Last year we ate at Temple of Hackney, but this time we wanted to try their new location. Claudia and I both got a burger with fries and they were as delicious as we remembered from last year. Afterwards we walked back to St. Pancras and took the metro to Covent Garden. What a mistake! The city was packed with tourists and so we walked to Seven Dials and from there to Mr. Fogg's Tavern. There we got a beer and later we headed to a supermarket to get some snacks for dinner. Back in Wandsworth we stopped at The Alma Pub, where we enjoyed some drinks until we returned to the hotel.

Blackfriars Train Station

Temple of Seitan

Temple of Camden

Regent's Canal

Regent's Canal

Regent's Canal

Regent's Canal

Regent's Canal

Shopping Centre near St. Pancras

Shopping Centre near St. Pancras

Shopping Centre near St. Pancras

Regent's Canal

Google Headquarter

Walkway to the Metro Station

Covent Garden

Seven Dials

Seven Dials

Mr. Fogg's Tavern

Mr. Fogg's Tavern

Piccadilly Circus

London

The Alma Pub

Amazing Vegan Donuts

London 2018/19 - Part 3

New Year's Eve

Monday - December 31st 2018

Since we started visiting London over New Year's Eve a couple of years ago, we always did the same on New Year's Eve and this year was no exception. After breakfast at the hotel we headed into the city and walked from Waterloo Station to Trafalgar Square. From there we walked along The Mall to Buckingham Palace and then to Piccadilly Street where we stopped for a coffee at Starbucks and for a donut at Crosstown Donuts. At Whole Foods Market we bought snacks and sandwiches for our New Year's Eve hotel picnic and then we hit the White Horse Pub for a couple of drinks.

London

London

London

London

Buckingham Palace

London

London

London

London

Whole Foods Market

Carnaby Street

The White Horse Pub

The White Horse Pub

The White Horse Pub

Carnaby Street

In the early afternoon we had lunch at Tibits, a vegetarian buffet style restaurant, which is probably my favourite restaurant in London. Since the city got ready for the celebration in the evening, many streets were already closed, which was a little bit annoying. After we managed to find a way back to Waterloo Station, we returned to Wandsworth Town. There we dropped off our snacks at the hotel and after we relaxed a bit, we spent the evening at The Alma Pub. A couple of gin tonics later we walked back to our hotel, where we enjoyed our picnic and watched the fireworks on TV.

London

Tibits

Tibits

London