London, England

I must confess, I’ve said in the past that visiting London held no real appeal for me; so I was pleasantly surprised when not only did I enjoy my time in London, but really came to love the grand old city.
I spent a total of four days exploring London, including two marathon days that started at 5am and didn’t finish until almost midnight. I roved from my base out in Upton Park early on each drizzly day to soak in as much of the iconic city as humanly possible.

London turned out a suitably grim day for my visit, but was still thoroughly enchanting.

While I’m sure I barely made a dent in what the city has to offer, I have fond memories of turning my legs to jelly climbing St. Paul’s Cathedral, wandering along the Thames after visiting the Borough Markets, idling in riverside parks, snapping photos of landmarks I never dreamed I’d see up close, and enjoying as many full English breakfasts as my stomach could accommodate.
A big part of London’s charm was that it didn’t feel as crowded and busy as I had expected it to. The dreary weather certainly lived up to expectations, but this wasn’t a city that seemed too full of itself to smile. While certain areas definitely did have a hustle and bustle to them, I never felt unwelcome in the way I have in cities such as New York and even my beloved Sydney.