London sent me off with a glorious last day of sunshine radiating through the city. I zipped through Westminster, strolled through Hyde Park, got a bite on Bond Street, channeled the Beatles on Abbey Road, and shopped till I was ready to drop into Heathrow on Oxford Street. 

Westminster Bridge was my first stop of the day to revisit Big Ben, the London Eye, and my last hotel in London, Marriott County Hall.

Big Ben in the morning light.
Big Ben in the morning light.

The barricades from New Year’s Eve were still up, though pushed to the side for eventual pickup. The bridge was just as busy as it is in the summer, minus the outdoor pub culture along the London Eye’s river bank.

Next stop: Westminster Abbey (from outside, not standing in the several hundred meter long que). Though always a formidable building, I thought Westminster looked especially impressive against a cold, winter blue sky.

After a quick tube ride, I popped up by Hyde Park. My friend Annalee wanted to go by her favorite statue, the Peter Pan statue, and I wanted to walk along the Serpentine and enjoy the gorgeous day. We started at the southeast end by Hyde Park Corner and crossed the whole park, emerging by Lancaster Gate. Along the way, we greeted the park’s resident swans and ducks, stopped at the Princess Diana memorial, and of course spent some time by the Peter Pan statue.

The Serpentine's swan residents.
The Serpentine’s swan residents.

After a morning with a considerable amount of walking, it was high time for lunch. I joined Annalee and her family on a quest for a Italian lunch place, suggesting we head to Bond Street’s side streets to find a range of choices. We would then also be all set to continue on the Jubilee line for our next destination. Bond Street is incredibly busy with a variety of big name brand stores, but there are numerous places to take a break and try a variety of cuisines on the cross streets. We did just that, ending up at Osteria Ambrosia which offered a great lunch special and was delicious. I had carpaccio to start and a pizza for my entrée, and finished with tea. To be very culturally correct, I had tea with almost every meal in London and coffee in Sweden. Pinky up!

After that much-needed lunch, we headed to a London destination that I had not previously visited: Abbey Road. Just a few blocks’ walk from the St. John’s Wood tube stop, Abbey Road seemed less scenic than what the album cover conveys. I also found it highly amusing that there was actual traffic, including taxis, that used the road. Obviously tourists, including a group of four highly entertaining Italian men when we were there, want to pose in the middle of the road for pictures… which doesn’t work well with the cars that are using Abbey Road (though I really don’t understand why these drivers would do that to themselves). Regardless, it was an entertaining sight to visit, and I enjoyed seeing Abbey Road Studios and even the home Paul McCartney bought in 1966 and still owns on Cavendish Avenue. It was fun to think about the Beatles strolling around these areas (or constantly running, as A Hard Day’s Night would have it).

One of the Abbey Road street signs by the famous crossing.
One of the Abbey Road street signs by the famous crossing.

For my last night in London, knowing I would be waking up at 3am the next morning, Annalee and I headed to Oxford Circus and did something we actually had not done at all this trip- shopping. When in Oxford Circus, it is pretty important to stop in at Topshop’s flagship store. After that and some souvenir shops for Annalee, I headed back to the Mentone Hotel to pack up my things and get a few hours of sleep before heading to Heathrow.

Though heading to Heathrow at 4am seems a bit… unfortunate… it was actually a very efficient time to get through check in and security in no time. The breakfast restaurants were already open when I got through, and luxury retailers opened at 5am (I feel awful for those employees). After a breakfast sandwich and purchasing some snacks and water for the flight, I was quite content and ready to settle in for a 10 hour flight to Dulles.

Photos: Emmie Derbäck, Nikon 3200, 135mm lens

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