This spring I spent 6 days in the beautiful city of London and I had the opportunity to get to know it a little bit. As I was here before once last year, the enthusiasm was not so big, but I remember in July last year, when I first got to the Waterloo train station and I was so excited I was in London that I just felt I want to jump up for joy. I only spent 3 hours in this fabulous city back then, just had a quick tour on the Westminster Bridge, Parliament, Piccadilly Square, St James Park, Buckingham Palace, and Hungerford Bridge. I spent a lovely evening then with two dear colleagues, as I was there for business that I will never forget. This spring planets were aligned again, and I came back to UK to explore it more. In the six days that I spent in London, I visited so many places, for the first day I already revealed what I visited. I continued my journey with Tower of London, British Museum, Covert Garden, National History Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Kensington Palace, cooking class in central London and so on. I pretty much liked everything I saw, but now I want to make a top 3 places that I loved most here.

1. Kensington Palace

I visited this lovely place in a rainy afternoon but I was impressed of the royal park that we walked to get to the palace. At that time I was reading Kate Morton, The distant hours, and the main character usually was walking in this area, and for me it was awesome that I can be in the place where the action in the novel I read is happening. It was easier to imagine everything and I discovered here a great place where part of the Royal Family lives today. The palace looks very small from outside, but visiting it was a great journey in the past. Every room has a brochure that mentions what important events happened there, contains details about the furniture and everything else that the visitor can see. I was impressed even from the first room I saw. It was the one where Queen Victoria had her first council when she became the queen at only 18 years old. I must confess that before I came here I didn’t know too many details about Queen Victoria but visiting the palace where she spent her entire life, sitting in every room, reading the stories, seeing the decorations I must say it was a great history lesson for me. I remember the room she shared with Albert, the room of their 9 children and their toys, the room related to a big social event that Albert and Victoria organized. I was impressed how much they loved each other, the queen was the one who proposed to him. After their wedding she wrote in her journal: “I NEVER, NEVER spent such an evening!!! MY DEAREST DEAREST DEAR Albert … his excessive love & affection gave me feelings of heavenly love & happiness I never could have hoped to have felt before! He clasped me in his arms, & we kissed each other again & again! His beauty, his sweetness & gentleness – really how can I ever be thankful enough to have such a Husband! … to be called by names of tenderness, I have never yet heard used to me before – was bliss beyond belief! Oh! This was the happiest day of my life”. They were very happy together but unfortunately Albert died at 42 and after this the queen wore only black dresses until the end of her life. Their love story really impressed me. By visiting the palace, I felt like a guest in their house and it was a great experience. Because I saw beautiful rooms, learned a lot of things about the Victorian age, for me this is the greatest place I visited in London.

2. Tower of London

I spent almost an entire day in this wonderful place full of history. Along time, many kings lived here, and it was a bloody location as on a hill close by many people were killed. Henry VIII, one of the most important kings of England lived here after he was crowned in Westminster Abbey . His wife Anne Boleyn was executed here. I enjoyed at the Tower of London the wonderful landscapes of the different towers or the London Bridge closed by and I also saw the Crown jewels exhibition that includes all the crowns that kings wore along the time. A great peek into the past!

3. Covert Garden

I walked a lot on London streets and i must say I apprecited a lot how people dress in London, it’s the place where I saw the most shocking combinations related to vestimentation. It is a fashion city and I love it for this! While walking I discovered this fab place where there were a lot of street performers, some singing, some making jokes and everybody was having a great time. I stayed here for more than an hour looking at street singers, dancers or comedians. I definitely want to come back!!!

What are your top 3 places in London?