Mind The Gap

London, England

*These events took place in October 2025.
*This post is very long, so if it is cut off, be sure to click “View Entire Message” at the end.

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust

Greetings from London!

This is my first visit here, and now that I’ve finally arrived, I’m excited to see what all the fuss is about.

To be honest, London has never been especially high on my travel wish list. I think it’s because, as Americans, we’re descendants of England in many ways. We share the language and plenty of cultural similarities - but unfortunately, not the metric system.

I’ve always been more drawn to places that feel completely different from my everyday life.

My plan was to visit London someday when I was in my 70s or 80s - when I’d transformed into a grouchy old woman who only stayed in posh hotels, drank high tea, and bossed people around…like a queen.👸

I've also always pictured the British as far more proper than we Americans. Just listen to them speak. They're like a luxury yacht gliding across the ocean. We're more like a speedboat tearing across the Lake of the Ozarks with a questionable amount of sunscreen and absolutely no plan or life preserver.

Have you ever seen the SNL skit with Nate Bargatze about George Washington’s Dream for the US - to change the calculations and values of weights, measures, and temperature, and to remove the letter “u” from British words? If not, watch it here, and you’ll understand what I mean.

But James offered to show me London from his perspective, and I never want to turn down an opportunity to see a place through the lens of a local.

James and I drove the two+ hours from his family's home to the city. God bless James for staying three nights in a hostel with me in his own city. He owns a flat in London but is renting it out during this period of his life while he travels abroad.

We found a lively, comfortable, very clean, and surprisingly affordable accommodation called Palmers Lodge Swiss Cottage. It was in a spooky-looking old mansion. James even did me another solid and took the top bunk. What a nice guy.

First stop: Buckingham Palace

According to James, it was practically a requirement to pay our respects to the Royal Family before seeing anything else.

We walked up to the gates, which is about as close as ordinary people get. Apparently, “royal blood” and “tourist fingers” are kept at a safe distance from one another.

The monarchy tends to inspire one of two reactions. People either adore it, or they find the entire concept slightly absurd - a family that won history’s biggest inheritance battle and is still cashing the checks centuries later.

As you’ve probably guessed, I lean toward the second camp. I still think they are lovely humans, though.

Pro Traveler Tip: Purchase a British flag scarf…not only to keep warm, but to instantly identify yourself as a tourist and mildly embarrass your local friend.

Mission accomplished. ✅

Don’t forget to wave it occasionally to demonstrate your newly acquired British pride. 🇬🇧

Selfies with the Royal Horse Guards at Whitehall.

We've probably just contributed to a human fail, which continues this centuries-old tradition of horses standing guard for no reason at all except to look good for tourists who want to take selfies - like us.

To be fair, I respect that they bite and kick people when they are annoyed with them. Maybe I’ll start doing that as well.

We took a brief, and I mean brief, stroll by Westminster Abbey, the site of British coronations since 1066 and the location of countless royal weddings, funerals, and historical ceremonies.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t open for casual wandering and gawking.

I realize I already sound like the grouchy old lady I mentioned earlier, but I’ve always struggled with paying admission to enter places of worship (that typically pay zero or next to nothing in taxes). If it’s a church, shouldn’t people be able to walk in, sit quietly, and say a prayer or even admire the architecture?

This complaint follows me to nearly every country.

We took a walk past Big Ben and Parliament (officially Palace of Westminster). Seeing it made me think of that scene in National Lampoon’s European Vacation when Clark can't seem to exit the roundabout.

"Kids, look! Big Ben! Parliament!"

James informed me that Big Ben is technically the bell inside the Elizabeth Tower and not the clock, like most people (tourists) believe. In person, the tower is gorgeous.

One interesting experience was looking at all the different bills and coins and trying to spot the new from the old. They are in the process of swapping out the British Pounds - from a picture of Queen Elizabeth to King Charles.

So far, all of this is from our first day, and we arrived around 11 am on a Sunday. James is nothing if not a thorough and speedy tour guide.

Speaking of Sunday…it’s tradition to have “Sunday Roast” in England. James took me to a local pub/restaurant that he used to frequent when he worked in this section of town called Mulberry Bush. We had a pint of beer, my first real pint in London!🍻, while we waited.

The meal was phenomenal.

As a meat-and-potatoes kind of gal, this was basically my Super Bowl. Plus, the weather was a little cold and gloomy, so it was perfect.

I was impressed…and deeply disappointed that I wouldn’t still be in town the following Sunday.

Side note: Sunday Roast even has its own Wikipedia page…click this link to see for yourself.

To cap off the night, we played several competitive games of Machiavelli back at the hostel before going to bed. You'd think there would be a clear winner, but we are always fighting over who “actually” won the game…and then who won the most times.

James had a full itinerary for us on day #2, and I had a surprise for the evening activity.

We started with more visits to Monarchy tourist traps, I mean sights. First up, the White Tower, more commonly known as the Tower of London. If you remember my earlier post about King Richard III, this is where his two young nephews - the famous "Princes in the Tower" - were imprisoned before mysteriously disappearing. If they were out of the picture, Richard could be king. Ahhh, the good old days.

This is also the former residence of the Royal family, and where their billions of dollars of jewels (some say they are replicas to keep the real ones safe) are kept.

We were not allowed to take photos inside with the crown jewels, but I was able to snag a photo with this Beefeater (official term: Yeomen Warders). Similar to the police officer in Leicester, I begged this Beefeater to arrest me, lock me in the Tower of London, and throw away the key. He said no...that I was too bossy and would annoy the staff.

Probably true.

His uniform is top-notch.