Travel to London, UK in 2024

 

It started with a dream. Sailing high up in the clouds using Singapore Airlines, the flight to London was all about expectations and comfort. When the plane landed at Heathrow International Airport, London, the universe played itself in the most dramatic way.

In a lovely part of the city, Stratford, it was pretty much returning home. Every day started with a tea and plans to conquer the endless beauty that this city has to offer. Buckingham Palace was more than a building, it was the epitome of history and followed a hundred-year-old tradition of welcoming people at its gates with the God Save the Queen chorus.

The London Eye was an altogether different experience with an aerial view of the whole city. From the most apparent heights, everything exists and it is undoubtedly possible to imagine the most pleasant sight, where the Thames slowly meanders through central London. The lines were long but the experience was great.

London Bridge has its obligatory stories and stepping on its stones invokes responses from centuries of business, victory and an unyielding will. This is a must visit if you ever go to London.

Westminster Abbey was an unsettling aspect of history in all its horrible dimensions where all the kings and the queens ended up buried. The design was quite striking as even the smallest pieces engraved into the history were somebody's hard work. Kensington Palace was an uninterrupted rewind of the happiest hours and the spicy sounds of its gardens brought some peace and tranquility from the hustle and bustle.

There were far more of them, be it street vendors’ stalls or secluded corners of a cafe, all promising to divulge the story. Owing to the historic as well as the contemporary, the aristocratic and the mundane, the city of London did not cease only as a place, but rather remained a memory.

Stratford, whichever way both ‘day’ and ‘night,’ was one such day which ended with the same glow. It was not only an exploration. London was a different world altogether that was full of surprises on a different level.

After 10 days, it's time to go home. This experience will surely be an experience to remember.