As we touched down in London while listening to the Kooks, the Kinks, the Beatles, and every other British band we could think of, it only took one glance out the window to fall head-over-heels in love with the city. London was everything we had expected and more- it's literally just a sprawling metropolis that holds anything and everything you could ever want, combined with years of fascinating history and politics! Personally, I was especially captivated by London's commitment to green space and parks. It's a very magical feeling to be walking around in a massive and busy city, then to turn the corner and find a tranquil and beautiful park (this happened to us more than once!)

In terms of weather, we lucked out big time. Expecting rain, we found London waiting for us at a beautiful eighty degrees and sunny! We decided to be tourists in London, since only one person in our group had actually been there before, but we obviously were still all on a student budget (and London is expensive. I may or may not have shed tears when converting my precious euros to pounds- that exchange rate is extraordinarily painful). We covered an insane amount of ground in London and crammed loads of activities into our four days, so here is the SparkNotes of what we were able to achieve in London! We could have spent much more time there if money and school allowed, so we are fairly certain that a return trip is in store, as well as some future exploration into other English towns and the countryside. How We Got There: We flew from Shannon Airport to London Stansted on Ryanair. When booking this, we were not aware that Stansted is about as far out of London as one can go while still saying you're in London! Our flight was only thirty euros, but we all decided that next time it would be worth it to pay a bit more for a flight into either Heathrow, Luton, or London City airports. Once we arrived, we took an hour-long bus ride and then a twenty-minute tube ride to our hostel- it was a journey. When we were traveling by tube in London, we all purchased an Oyster Card, essentially a pre-paid tube pass (which is extremely convenient and easy to use). Where We Stayed: London Backpacker's Hostel is on the list of places I would NOT recommend to stay in London. We stayed in an awful smelling room, the kitchen was connected to the very cramped entertainment room, and it was not in a very good area (to say the least). It also was extremely far away from the city centre, so simply was not worth it for the lower price! You ABSOLUTELY Must See: The Tate Modern Gallery and the lesser-visited Victoria and Albert Museum (both shown below). The Poetry and Surrealism Gallery at the Tate Modern was absolutely unbelievable, and I saw my first Picasso! Some family friends showed us around on the Sunday of our trip, which is how we discovered the Victoria and Albert Museum, which was WONDERFUL. Unfortunately for me, the fashion section was closed until May 2012, but a highlight was the Cast Courts (essentially a room that looks like National Treasure and is filled with replicas of Roman monuments). We also enjoyed the National Gallery, although we had to rush through it which was unfortunate. If you are visiting any of these museums, make sure to allot at LEAST four hours- and that is if you are hurrying through!

We also visited: Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, Kensington Park and Gardens, Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard, Harrods, and Camden Market. We chose not to tour Buckingham Palace or the Tower of London due to location or price, but when we return I will most certainly be touring the Tower!

Our Favorite Meal: We LOVED Wagamama, a chain Asian restaurant that was on the South Bank of the Thames (which is incredible by the way, especially on a Saturday night!). It was not too expensive, and was filling and delicious! We waited for about twenty minutes to get in, as it was extremely crowded but definitely worth the wait. Other favorites were Indian food (YOU MUST.) and the street food at Camden Market.

It's just a quick summary of a jam-packed trip, but it was undoubtedly one of my favorite places I've ever been! We absolutely can't wait to return and explore and discover more. This upcoming weekend, I will be traveling to Graz and Vienna, Austria- so keep an eye out for the next post!