Traveling: January 2020

Sunday, 19 January 2020

London 2019/20 - Part 1

London, Baby!

Sunday - December 29th 2019

Traveling to London over New Year's Eve had become some sort of a tradition for Claudia and me, and this year was no exception. Our easyjet flight to London Gatwick departed in Munich early morning, that's why we spent the night at the Novotel Munich Airport. Around noon we arrived at London Gatwick airport, from where we took the train to London Bridge. There we left our luggage at a nearby luggage storage and checked out Borough Market to get something to eat for lunch. Unfortunately nothing appealed to us and so we decided to eat at Pret-A-Manger.

Borough Market

Lunch

London

Afterwards we walked to the Thames and there we came across a lovely pub. Of course we had to get a welcome drink. A half pint later we left again to headed back to Borough Market. On the way back we stopped at Southwark Cathedral and got a coffee and a brownie at the Cathedral Cafe. Before we picked up our luggage again, we had to get a beer at the Globe Tavern, because we always stop there on arrival day for a welcome drink. Later Claudia and I took the metro to Waterloo Station and from there the train to Wandsworth Town. Since 2015 we always stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Wandsworth and this year was no exception. After we checked in and dropped off our luggage, we headed to our favourite pub to to spend the rest of the evening there.

Old Thameside Inn Pub

The Shard

Southwark Cathedral

Coffee & Brownie

The Globe Tavern

Saturday, 18 January 2020

London 2019/20 - Part 2

London

Monday - December 30th 2019

After breakfast we took the train to Waterloo Station and from there we walked along the River Thames to Tate Modern. We visited that museum already last year, but since we liked it so much, we decided to go there again. Although it was a little bit chilly in the morning, it was really nice to take a walk along the river. The sun was just coming out and the city was still calm. We arrived right on time when the museum opened and it looked like it was going to be busy. Once the crowds got too big, we headed upstairs to the cafe, ordered a coffee and enjoyed the amazing view over London.

Waterloo Station

London

London Eye

London

Tate Modern

London

Around noon we left Tate Modern and took the train to St. Pancras, because for lunch we planned to eat at Temple of Seitan in Camden. Their vegan burgers are the best you can get in London and so it had become a must go for us during the last trips to London. On the way to Temple of Camden we got two delicious vegan donuts for later, but after those amazing burgers we had to try one right away. In the afternoon we headed to Piccadilly Circus to check out the new Hard Rock Cafe, but unfortunately it was impossible to get a table. So Claudia and I decided to go to Oxford Street and stroll around the department stores. I guess the whole city was on its feet, because every store was really crowded. Luckily another Hard Rock Cafe had just opened at the new Hard Rock Hotel on Oxford Street. There we got some drinks and relaxed a bit from the crowds. A couple of drinks later we bought some snacks for dinner and returned to Wandsworth, where we spent the evening at the Alma Pub.

London

Temple of Seitan

Vegan Donut

Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly Circus

Hard Rock Cafe Oxford Street

The Alma Pub

Friday, 17 January 2020

London 2019/20 - Part 3

New Year's Eve

Tuesday - December 31st 2019

The last day of 2019 was basically a copy of the last days of 2017 and 2018. After breakfast, we took the train to Waterloo Station and from there we walked along Cumberland Street and The Mall to Buckingham Palace, and from there to Piccadilly Street. At Piccadilly Street we stopped at Starbucks for coffee and then we continued our walk to Whole Foods Market. On the way we came across Crosstown Donuts and of course we had to get their vegan donuts. After we bought all our snacks for our annual New Year's Eve picnic in our hotel room, we headed to The White Horse Pub and enjoyed a couple of drinks.

Wandsworth Town

London

The Mall

Buckingham Palace

London

Vegan Donuts

London

Carnaby Street

The White Horse Pub

Around noon we left The White Horse Pub towards Tibits for lunch, one of our favourite restaurants in London. Lunch was as delicious as we remembered from previous years. Afterwards we just strolled around Chinatown and Covent Garden. Unfortunately it started to rain and so we decided to return to Wandsworth. Ou the way to Waterloo Station we passed by the Bond in Motion Exhibition at the London Film Musuem. As a huge James Bond fan I couldn't resist to see all the famous Bond vehicles. The ticket was on the pricey side, but it was worth it. Back in Wandsworth we got a couple of gin tonics at The Alma Pub before we returned to the hotel. There we spent a relaxing New Year's Eve.