Welcome back!

Let me pick up right where I left off in recounting my London adventures!

We hopped on the train to Hampton Court. Oh my gosh, stunning! The picture-perfect angles to the history within the walls, we could have spent so many hours there. Thankfully, our professor joined the small group on this adventure and showed us the way like a pro to see all of the sights in a timely fashion. The tactic was walk the interior, then make our way out back to the gardens. However, while the group stopped for a quick break, I somehow made it up the stairs and “got lost” circling the additional spaces unknowingly. I learned so much more about King Henry VIII at Hampton Court than I remember back in those early history classes in school. I was able to reconnect with the group, and we walked the gardens on a beautiful day, in the light breeze and comfortable temperatures. A quick picnic lunch, then we finished our lovely time at the maze.

Our group broke into smaller groups when four of us decided we had to find the famous Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4. We arrived at Kings Cross station by the Tube, and we were searching to “find” it. For your information, Platform 9 3/4 can be found above ground in the train station between platforms 9 and 10.

We regrouped at Buckingham Palace. A beautiful walk through the parks led us to the stunning gates. We found a local pub for dinner called Three Crowns and enjoyed some ice cream walking through Piccadilly Circus.

Similar to any city, street art can be quite the attraction. We found Strawberry Hill Tours, a free walking street art tour, and ventured off to start our day. Post-tour, we walked through a festival with an exciting atmosphere and even saw an artist at work. We worked our way into Borough Market for lunch — highly recommended to enter on an empty stomach and enjoy all of the vendors.

We thought we had this day planned the best we could. The goal was to experience St. Paul’s Cathedral, until we realized it was Sunday. So reworking our plans at the coffee shop across the street, we decided this was the day to tackle the adventure into Salisbury for Stonehenge.

We had quite the struggle once we arrived at Salisbury Station. We used our Oyster cards, not knowing we could not use the Oyster card outside of London city limits. The gentleman worked with us, and we purchased the proper train tickets. Then we thought we could just walk to Stonehenge from the station but found out it is more like a 30-minute ride on a tour bus. We purchased the tour tickets and had a fabulous time. Stonehenge was much more than I expected, and I highly recommend taking the time to cross it off your bucket list. The tour was phenomenal, and we were only allowed to spend 20 minutes around the stones, so we admired, enjoyed and learned while we soaked it all in the short amount of time.

We ran to catch the last tour bus out so there was a possibility of still exploring Salisbury Cathedral. Bit of advice: Apparently some/most stores close early on Sundays in the town, and we missed our chance on lunch long before making our way to Stonehenge. Thankfully, a little ice cream shop was open, so we were able to tame our hunger with delicious treats for the last train ride home from Salisbury to Waterloo Station.

Upon arrival at Waterloo Station, the first task was to find dinner. We ended at Black and Blue at Waterloo and had the best burgers for dinner.

Stay tuned for the last few days in London and the journey to Manchester!

— Lexi Holstin, digital account executive