I always wanted to go to England and thought I would eventually make my way here. I didn’t put England, specifically London, on a pedestal, but many books I read as a child, and even now, were written by British authors or set there. When I learned that the moon looks different in the Northern hemisphere, I wanted to see it myself.

We have a lot of family in England, and luckily, our aunt lives in London, and she was kind enough to host us during our time there. We even got to hang out with some of our cousins there. We decided to spend the remaining two weeks of the Europe trip in England, a week in London, and another week visiting family in Leicester and Birmingham. So, let’s begin.

From Venice, we flew to London by plane and arrived at Heathrow airport, a short flight away. I first hand experienced the British affinity for queues. We took the tube to our aunt’s place. Most people say New Zealand is like a mini UK, but they aren’t wrong. When the Brits came here, they copied and pasted everything. For example, on the tube, the upholstery of the tube and the ones in our NZ trains were the same, the high school uniforms we saw, the same, I could go on and on about it. We spent much of our time going, yeah, it’s the same over there as well. The biggest difference was the traffic lights; they still use miles, and most people drive manual. I can totally understand how so many people move from the UK to here and vice versa. The first night there, we went for a drive through the city, and it was finally night, so I sketched what the moon looked like, and then back home, I drew what it looks like in NZ. I had London Boy on loop on the tube, so I am ready for everything.

Tower of London

Excuse my ignorance; I thought the Tower of London was like a single tower. Is it actually a castle? The Tower of London was founded in 1066, and the white tower was built by William the Conqueror. It has been used as a royal residence and a prison; there was a moat. It has a vibrant history, with many different businesses occurring here. Like for most of the day, we saw the royal residence, the dungeons, the mint collection, some weapons and of course the crown jewels. You aren’t allowed to photograph the crown jewels. Still, seeing the Kohinoor diamond, the crown, and the royal clothing worn in the coronation was cool. They look so heavy and grand. (I am admiring the craftsman).

We also saw some Ravens; they are much bigger than I thought they would be, so I kept my distance. We also saw some guard ritual thing. The Tower of London is kid-friendly, although some dark stuff has been found here. Still, they have a lot of interactive elements for kids. My favourite parts were learning about the Zoo animals that were kept here in the past. Then, learning about the Yeomen warders who are the guardians of the Tower of London. I thought they were just regular members of the Royal Army. But there are different uniforms, and they used to be called beefeaters. You have to be in the military for at least 22 years to qualify to become a Yeomen warder. It was fascinating.

Tower Bridge

After visiting the Tower of London, we walked on the Tower Bridge. Built in the 19th century, it looks pretty cool with its blue highlights. You can see the London Bridge from here. The nursery rhyme one, which was first written way back, like 1000 years ago. So, we walked along both sides of the bridge to see the different views. On the other side of the Tower Bridge are many souvenir shops. You can get so many things. I have to say, the Thames River is so murky-looking, all grey and stuff. After that, we called it a day.

The British Museum

After some side quests, we headed for the British Museum the next day. We went to the museum, which is free! It is dedicated to human history, art, and culture. Its collection contains over 8 million objects. It was established in 1753 and was the first public national museum. The collections were primarily based on the physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane’s collection. It was expanded mainly due to the Empire. Many of its items are in long-term disputes, and some under contest talk about it in their descriptions. While it was cool seeing the Rosetta stone and the Caryatid, seeing the things returned would also be cool, in my humble opinion.

I feel that the way the collections are organised puts the plundered items front and centre, and many British items (the stuff actually sourced from Britain) get lost in the fray. When you get to those parts, you give up on absorbing more information, like what happened to my sister and me. We came with a mission to see everything, and we basically did; we only had one room remaining. But that just meant looking and glancing at everything rather than trying to read the descriptions of everything. Plus, you get to a point where you are like this so much, but I did learn some new things.

One of my favourite parts of my trip requires some backstory. At the beginning of the year, I read Eli Shafak’s There Are Rivers in the Sky, which is based on the character of George Smith, an Assyriologist who translated the Epic of Gilgamesh. He used to work at the British Museum and went on excavation trips to find some of the artifacts. It was so cool seeing the items of the Assyrian empire, especially from the Library of Ashurbanipal. I geeked out seeing one of the Lamassu (above), which are protective deities used to protect the library. So cool. Seeing the Rosetta stone, this ancient jade statue, and their money collection, I also found it cool. I found the evolution of money pretty interesting. There were also some items from Aotearoa and, obviously, India! I remember reading the descriptions of these things, but I can’t remember anything! (See what I mean?) I got some good book recommendations from the museum gift shop, so learning more from the museum is not over yet.

Buckingham Palace

The next day, we decided to do some sightseeing, although we did drive past what we wanted to see at night, but this time it was to see everything in daylight. Like Buckingham Palace, it is the headquarters of the UK monarchy. It was a private residence, and the first house was built in 1624. The land had been owned by royalty in past but went into royal ownership again in 1761. It was Queen Charlotte’s house, and it became the primary royal residence under Queen Victoria. Unfortunately, the time of year we went, the Royal Tours were closed, and we couldn’t go inside. But having read Spare by Prince Harry, he called it dinghy because it’s old. (I stand by my statement that his ghost writer hated him.) We also took some photos by the Victory Memorial (below). I didn’t know much about it before going, to be honest. It was pretty cool, and after watching the crown and being a royal watcher, seeing such a historic place up close was special.

Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and Palace Westminster

From Buckingham Palace, we walked to Big Ben to take photos. I was unaware that Big Ben is not that old and was only built in 1859. It is cool that it became such an iconic landmark in such a short time. At night, it is lit up with a green light. The design is intricate, but you can’t just stand here for two hours gaping at it because the street is crowded. Nevertheless, I liked seeing it.

Next to Big Ben is the Palace of Westminster, where Parliament is. It contains both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The palace was first built in 1016 and was the original residence for the Kings of England till 1512. I had no idea that the royals moved so much. So, in 1534, Henry VIII moved to Palace Whitehall, which was destroyed by a fire. After that, St James’ Palace became the official house, so it goes Palace of Westminster -> Whitehall Palace -> St James’ Palace -> Buckingham Palace. Anyway, most of the Palace of Westminster was destroyed by a fire in 1834, and it was repaired in Gothic style and finished again in 1870. It was cool seeing it from the outside; it is enormous.

The whole palace moving explains why Westminster Abbey is far from Buckingham Palace. So, I wanted to see Westminster Abbey because it is a historical place, like the site of so many coronations and royal weddings. The Abbey was first consecrated in 959, but it was built in 1065 by Edward the Confessor. He also made the Palace of Westminster. The present-day church was completed in 1269. We didn’t go inside, but there is actually a service that occurs on Sunday. Walking past the exterior was cool, and imagining the crowds we see here on TV, like the most notable last time was during the Queen’s funeral.

After walking along the Westminster and seeing the Church of St Margaret (above), we cross the Westminster Bridge (below), the sight of Nicki Minaj’s No Fraud’s video. Before I went to London, my algorithm recommended reels related to people recreating scenes from the music video. Anyway, yes, sightseeing done. The London Eye is also here, but after asking our cousins, they all seemed to say not to do it, so we took their word. They said there are better places to see London.

Wellcome Collection

We then went to the Wellcome Collection, a museum and library that displays a mixture of medicine and original artwork. It was founded in 2007. It is near a university, so I thought it might be a good place for those who study; they have rotating pieces. Still, it was cool seeing the interactive exhibitions. One of the exhibits had CRISPR equipment, and it made me nostalgic. My main reason was to go to the gift shop for their neat science apparel. Like a pin with an anatomical heart on it. Different body organ plushies. The Wellcome Library was started by Henry Wellcome Collection between 1853 and 1936. Where the Trust took over, and it is open to the public, we didn’t go into the library.

The Shard

The next day, we went sightseeing with our aunt and cousin. They took us to The Shard, a 72-storey pyramid-shaped skyscraper, which is 309m high and is the tallest building in the UK. It was inaugurated in 2012. The building has multiple uses, but for our purpose the main thing is you can go inside! So, there is a bit of security; it takes two lifts to get to the top floor. Here you can see the entirety of London, which is so big. It is never-ending, and I didn’t realise that tall buildings are everywhere; it is not just one location of tall high rises, but multiple places. What is cool is that on the 360 view, there are pictures of the buildings you can see and what they are. You can also see the Queen Elizabeth Park, the London Eye, the Palace, Westminster Abbey, the bridges and the River Thames. It is so cool!

Miscellaneous Sightseeing

From the Shard, we then took the tube to Trafalgar Square, a public square that has been a landmark site since the 1200s. There is a fountain and lion sculptures, but they were covered. I think some work is occurring here. The gallery is also around here, but we became tired of art. From there, we walked to Leicester Square, where we walked past many entertainment centres. There always seems to be a show on in London. There are also sculptures in the square which depict popular film characters. I didn’t see them all but saw Mr Bean and Paddington Bear.

In Leicester Square, we also went to the M&M store, where I found a fudge recipe I have to try. There was also the LEGO store, but there was a huge line. You know one of my regrets from last year was that I had two gift vouchers totalling $300, and I set out to spend them. After spending them, I then went to the LEGO store and saw a Gotham LEGO set for $500. I could have combined the gift vouchers with my birthday money and got it, but I had already spent it by then, it was so sad. My sister saw the built set in Sydney and says it isn’t cool, so I take her word for it.

We also walked through Chinatown, Bond Street, Oxford Street and Picadilly Circus. These contain a lot of shops and billboards, and there were street performers as well. It was cool.

Lord’s Cricket Ground

When we came to London, there was the test world cup, so you couldn’t tour the ground during match days. But luckily for us, they finished a day early, so we got an early booking for the classic tour at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Dubbed the home of cricket, I really wanted to go there after watching the movie 83, even though it is the ground where we Black Cap fans faced the worst heartbreaks in 2019. (Yes, I am still upset over it.) Also, my dad and literally all my male relatives were excited we got to go. (I am not even exaggerating here).

Lord’s is a cricket ground built in 1813-14, it is the home of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is home to the Middlesex County Cricket Club. It holds 31000 spectators, so before the tour, you can go to the MCC museum, the oldest Sports museum in the world. Among its collection is the Ashes urn and the old Cricket World Cup (above). Fun fact: the cup in ‘83 was the actual World Cup used in the series. It also contains artifacts from famous cricketers like Shane Warne and Jack Hobbs. The museum was officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1959 who was a big fan of Lord’s cricket. So, the tour starts at the museum, where we went into the Victorian Pavilion, the Long Room, the Dressing rooms, the media centre, and the grounds. The Pavilion and long room contain paintings of famous cricketers and such. In the dressing room, we see where some famous cricketers preferred to sit, like we sat in Viv Richards’ seat, and the Honour boards of both the home team dressing room and the visitors’ room. It was interesting to see how some famous players, like Shane Warne, haven’t made it.

Then we went to the media room, pretending to be cricket journalists. It was called the spaceship, and of course, the grounds. It was so cool and interesting. I like how when I watch a cricket game on the TV at Lords, I can now say I have been there. Definitely a must if you are a fan of the game.

Abbey Road Pedestrian Crossing

We didn’t know this, but our Lord’s Cricket Ground tour guide mentioned that the Abbey Road pedestrian crossing is nearby. Aka the crossing featured on the Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover. You know the one where they cross the road. So, like moths to a flame, we went to see it. It was only a slight detour from the station. It is really just a pedestrian crossing, and we walked on it. But it was funny seeing people try to recreate the photo while being courteous to the cars passing by. Hilarious. Glad I went to see it.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

After visiting Lord’s, we returned and headed out to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where we went to see Beyoncé. This is the home of the winners of the UEFA Europa League if you care about football. I have been forced to align with Manchester United, which is going through a rough time for God knows how long. Anyway, we went on the underground and overground trains to see Beyoncé. On the overground, it was easy to find where to go by following the people with cowboy boots, hats, and sparkly denim. My thoughts on the concert are that I saw Beyonce live, I will put them in another post; it’s already too much here.

Natural History Museum, London

After going to Leicester, Birmingham and coming back, my sister wanted me to see the Natural History Museum, one of the three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington. The museum contains 80 million items of botany, entomology, mineralogy, palaeontology, and zoology. It was established by Richard Owen, who separated the Natural History Museum from the British Museum (Rightfully so, the collection seemed a mess beforehand, with things disappearing). As we were on Earling Road beforehand, I couldn’t spend the entire day here. There are many things here, such as Dippy, the most viewed dinosaur skeleton, and Hope, the whale skeleton. I didn’t go through most of the collections, but not to brag a lot of the information provided in the animal things I knew. I’m so smart (I think I retained more information about evolutionary biology).

I also went through the rock collection and took photos of the pretty ones (the blue ones). I also saw their erionite collection because my sister wanted me to find them (she has been studying it forever). I also looked at the other zeolites.

The most special thing to me was finding Kryptonite; apparently, in the Superman Returns movie, they gave a fictional chemical formula, then in Sebria, later analysis found the mineral. So, there is actual Kryptonite! It’s not harmful to us yet, obviously. But isn’t that so cool? After going through the nearest rooms, I went into the city to buy souvenirs, but I am glad I took the time to go; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to geek out on a mineral (I have been spending too much time with my sister).

Final Thoughts

We were in England for two weeks, and while I was in Leicester, I became sick but got better before returning to London. From London, we then flew back to Venice from Heathrow. Something funny is that I found the souvenir shops were more expensive than the tourist ones at the airport. In Italy, we then packed our remaining stuff and organised everything. For example, I decided to wear pants that don’t require a belt. Then on Saturday, we flew back. We were lucky that we flew through Dubai because of the whole Iran-Israel air strikes stuff. That did delay our flight a bit. Then he had a 10-hour stop where I got to go to the Emirates lounge. I tried so many different foods. On the way back, I watched the entire Penguin show, and we flew through Brisbane, then we were in Wellington. Home sweet home.

Can you tell how little planning was put into the London part of the trip? In my defence, I got to see everything I had in mind. Even though it was a little less organised during the journey. I enjoyed my time in London. It is interesting to note the regional and cultural differences between the different parts. In London, I noticed everywhere we turned, we heard Gujarati and each time we were like. Gujarati! I also got to try Indian food at restaurants, and it was terrific. For example, I had Afro-Indian food (Kenyan, more specifically). It was good, like this crispy mushroom dish my sister gushed to anyone who listened. I couldn’t find scones with clotted cream there in our vicinity, so I brought some clotted cream from Tesco and made scones one day. They were good, obviously with clotted cream, but I am more of a butter on scone girl. (Plus, making clotted cream is so much work.) I think that, culturally, New Zealand is like the UK, the UK is just bigger and more diverse. They also have a habit of not pronouncing all the letters in words, for example, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, they pronounce it as tot-nam, like, why are there extra letters then? It also feels there is like more to do, and everything is open way longer. We had Nando’s, which was similar to the NZ one.

Of all the places we visited, England is probably where I could live easily, but only if my whole family moved with me, because the time difference is next level. It feels like we are constantly missing each other; one is awake, the other is getting ready for bed. I was a bit homesick and didn’t enjoy how much time I had with my thoughts (limited data and a phone battery that wasn’t what it used to be). Spending years constantly doing something makes having so much idle time weird.

To finish my Europe travelling series, I learned a lot about the places I visited, not just from the Exhibits I saw but also on a personal level. I learned about different cultures, and how the high unemployment rate and cost of living crisis are global, and it did feel like greener pastures don’t exist. Like a cliché, my travels made me appreciate NZ more in terms of the weather, good water, and lack of geopolitical influence. Everyone after COVID has told me to move to Australia or elsewhere. For the better opportunities, but more opportunities mean more competition! I also don’t want to live in a place without a social security net. Not to mention, I never wanted to live elsewhere. NZ is my home, and I have wanted to be fluent in Māori as much as Hindi and Gujarati. It feels weird that I can’t be a productive member of society unless I leave (although the verdict is out on that).

When we decided to go to Europe, I felt lost and that my whole life trajectory had disappeared. Like last birthday, I called myself a USB (unemployed, single, broke). I guess I am still all these things, but going to Europe was not on the cards, and I did go to Europe. I learned a lot. I was so inspired and came away with new interests like art history. Also want to brush up on my knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology. I guess Percy Jackson is a good starting point? Found new recipes to try, like the Afro-Kenyan food and that pecan maple pastry. Seeing all those historic places, I realised how insignificant I am, and I don’t matter. I also saw one of my idols. Honestly, the whole trip feels so unreal. I can’t believe I was also a person in Europe, even though I have memories, photos, and souvenirs!

On a personal note, I mentioned I felt lost, am boring, and have nothing I want. Like I have no interests and am basically tofu that absorbs the dish’s flavours rather than salt, which enhances the flavours of everything. But looking more closely, I analysed what I was drawn to in my time in Europe, and I think I am just naturally curious, like I seem to enjoy new things that lead to questions, and I want to know the answers. So will try to find them out. I have various hobbies because I want to see if I can do them, and I have an aversion to being still. Even my interests primarily relate to my desire to form connections with people. I have my own interests, but it seems I prioritise the ones others enjoy. I mean, soul searching is a lifelong journey, and it’s not like me visiting one of these places would inspire me so much that I would find my true calling. But for now, I have learned new things, seen some excellent topics to dive deeper into, some great content to write about and a little clarity about some things. I still don’t know what the future holds, hopefully a job, but I know I haven’t figured everything out and am trying to accept that.