Halloween in London!

Arrival

We had just returned from Majorca when, with Laura and our new friends Ivan and Alessandra, we decide to organize a new trip together; we decide on London. We book the flight with Ryanair (80 euros round trip per person) and the hotel on (Hotel Piccolino 165 GBP for 3 nights with breakfast in the room, payment at check-out). Saturday, October 30 Turin Airport, we hand over the printout of the reservation and do the check-in. On board we buy the Stansted Express train tickets, saving 3 pounds per person compared to buying them in London (cost 21 GBP or 32 euros). From Stansted Airport the train leaves every 15/30 minutes depending on the time slot. Once we arrive at Liverpool Street, we get off and take the metro (weekend ticket) and go to Paddington where the hotel is located (zone 1).

The area is strategic; from the hotel, only 300 meters away, there's the Lancaster Gate metro stop (red line) and Paddington (yellow and green line), the bus stop for no. 15 and 23 and finally the Paddington railway station. The hotel is clean, bathroom in the room, TV, and electric kettle! We go out right away (it's sunny!) and go to Camden Town market, where there's Camden High Street, a very crowded street, full of punks and goths; clothing stores of every kind, stalls in all the side streets, and an atmosphere like our own social centers. I have fun observing the people and the extravagant looks. Later we go to Oxford Street, the most commercial street in London, we detour to Soho (full of characteristic and very expensive little restaurants), and finally we cross the luxurious Regent Street until we reach Piccadilly Circus.

The streets are very crowded and many are anticipating the Halloween celebration, in fact there are quite a few little devils or the most bizarre monsters wandering the streets. Pubs and clubs are organizing costume parties and I'd feel like throwing myself into the mix, but we're all exhausted. Without realizing it we've walked several kilometers and we return to the hotel.

Full day!

Breakfast and off we go! We go to Buckingham Palace, we pass through Green Park and, wouldn't you know it, no Changing of the Guard; oh well! We pass through St James's Park where squirrels and ducks wander undisturbed. The park is very beautiful, in my opinion the best. Walking a few more steps we arrive at Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament where Big Ben is too. From Westminster Pier we take the ferry (the City Cruises at 8.20 GBP, there are cheaper ones) and travel along the Thames to Greenwich where there's the Old Royal Naval College (World Heritage Site), Greenwich Park, the clipper Cutty Sark from 1869 (on board the life on a merchant ship of the era is reconstructed), and the Greenwich craft market. Along the Thames it's impossible not to photograph Tower Bridge and the Tower of London (a fascinating place full of history but with an entrance fee of about 32 euros!!).

Unfortunately there's a long queue both at these places and at the various museums, four days are only enough to savor London, but not to see it well. After visiting Notting Hill we go to have dinner in a small restaurant, and suddenly some masked children come in! Trick or treat?! The restaurant owner picks them up bodily and carries them outside! It's really Halloween.

Long face!

We try again, this time the Changing of the Guard is happening. The police are out both on foot and on horseback, and they try to control the crowd. The notes of the royal march are heard from afar and the guards advance toward the palace. The ceremony lasts almost an hour but there are too many people and you can't see much. We head to Trafalgar Square where there's the column in honor of Nelson, we take a few photos and move on to Covent Garden where we wander around the covered market. Here it's full of street performers and jugglers, the English love to stop and get caught up in the game. We have lunch in a pub and take the famous double-decker bus that will take us to Paddington, along the way we also observe St. Paul's Church which they are restoring.

After 5:00 PM we go to Madame Tussaud's (if you enter before, the ticket costs 21 GBP, we'll pay 13 GBP) we take photos with the various stars and go through the chamber of horrors where, among the various wax monsters, real actors hide and try to scare you. We'll have an unbelievable amount of fun! On the way out, it's a must to take a photo with the statue of Sherlock Holmes located on Baker Street right in front of his museum and near Madame Tussaud's. We return to Covent Garden for dinner. Here too it's full of places and in our opinion the pubs have the best quality/price ratio. A couple of beers and an excellent fish & chips in proper English style. On the way out we take a walk and still find people in costume! It's the third day they've been going around masked, but when will they stop?! We head toward Leicester Square and here too there are the various P.R.

people with signs advertising the various musicals; in London you find them just about everywhere. We return to Piccadilly Circus and its coming and going of people, this area of the City is total chaos in the evening.

Back to Italy

We pay for the rooms and leave the suitcases at the hotel, next destination: Harrods. We go all around the building to access entrance no. 1, in addition to the doorman who opens the door for you, you immediately enter the Egyptian-style section which is stunning. The prices are staggering, from Armani beds to small plush toys the figures make your eyes pop! Seven floors as many as the deadly sins, too chic for our tastes, and we make a jump to London Trocadero. On the lower floor there are all the gift items, souvenirs, tea shops, and a candy shop with all flavors and sizes. On the upper floor the virtual game room, and everything for music. Last lunch, again in a Pub, and then a rush between metro and train to arrive on time for check-in. The return will be ok, the mood is low because we were just starting to savor London when, before you even notice, you're already in Italy.

Four days are a bit few for London but who knows, maybe we'll get a craving for fish & chips!!