In the next pages of this journal, you will discovered the city of London with us. Our main purpose when we went there was to find in which University we wanted to pursue our studies. Also, we wanted to get familiar with the city where we might live next year. Let's get started with the first day of our trip!
September 1st 2017
We headed to Pierre-Eliot Trudeau airport at 5 pm because our flight to London took off at 7 pm. Once in the plane, we slept the whole flight to have a lot of energy to start the adventure. We were so excited to arrive and to explore the city.
September 2nd 2017
We landed at 10:15 am at Gatwick airport and there was a men waiting for our luggage to bring them at the hostel. It costs us 30$. Next, we made a pit stop at Starbucks to get breakfast and of course coffee to get through the big day ahead of us. We first took the bus to get to London to see the London eye. The bus costs us 3$ each for a 1h40 hour drive to the beautiful city. When we got to the London eye, the weather was a little bit foggy, but the view was spectacular. We took a ride on the London eye and it costs us 60$. It was really worth it! We then ate at a little café near the London eye and the food was great. It wasn't expensive at all! During the afternoon, we visited the first University on our list: the University of London. We really looked forward to it and let's say that we were not disappointed. The architecture was majestic! We also discovered that in London, people speaks different dialects of English. There is the Queen's English, the Cockney accent, Estuary English and the Kettering accent. The dialects depend on where you lived in London. We learned a lot of things from this University.
During the afternoon, we went to see the Big Ben and it costs us nothing. The view was amazing and we took a lot of pictures to share with our families and friends on Instagram. After, we head to the place where we will sleep during our journey: the Palmers lodge which costs us 561,36$. We spent 40$ on food today.
September 3rd 2017
We woke up early to see as many things as possible during the day. We ate the breakfast that was included with the room. Ann-Sophie and I went to see the Buckingham palace to start the day. It was free and the view was magnificent! We took a lot of pictures and we headed to the Thames river boat cruise that costs 36$ for the both of us. The boat tour was a lot of fun and we saw London from a different view. It is something that we will always remember. Around noon, we ate a pizza on London's street and we headed to Greenwich University which is another school that we might go next year. After the visit, we had a head full of information, so we took a nap back at the hostel to be ready for the night ahead of us.
After our nap, we got ready to see the Mamma Mia play. The play was divine and the actors were really good! It was definitely worth the 222$ we paid for the tickets. After this big day, we went back to the hostel for a great night of sleep. All the food that we ate only costs us 40$ for the both of us.
September 4th 2017
After we ate our breakfast, we headed to Oxford street. We walked on the Street, looking at beautiful clothes while drinking our fresh pressed lemonade. It costs approximately 500$ for the both of us because we bought souvenirs and pieces of clothes. We headed back to the hostel to drop our bags. Next, we went to Hyde Park and ate our lunch there. We also bought a book at a local library and we read it during the afternoon at the park enjoying the sun. Close to five pm. we rent a pedalo for an hour and it costs 24 $ for the both for us. The view was amazing and we had a really great time. After, we had a table at the Savoy grill, one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant. The food was amazing and we will always remember the experience. We paid 150$ for our food, but it was really worth it. Then, we came back to the hostel and slept.
September 5th 2017
We ate our breakfast and we first headed to the National Gallery. It costs us nothing and the paintings were amazing. The visit took us about three hours. We took the bus to London's Ritz hotel to arrive in time for our reservation for the afternoon tea. The experience was really great and the tea room was richly designed. The tea and the little sandwiches were so good! We were full by the end of the afternoon. It costs us 108$ for unlimited free tea and sandwiches.We explore the surroundings of the Ritz for the rest of the afternoon. The architecture was beautiful and we took many pictures. We ate dinner at a local restaurant near the hostels and we went to bed early to be in good shape for the next day.
September 6th 2017
We woke up late, so we did not have time to do what was planned for the day. We went to the Greenwich market to buy souvenirs for our friends, family, teachers and ourselves. After spending a few hours there, we headed to the Greenwich park witch was close to the market. We rent some bikes for the day and it costs us 20$. When we arrived at the park, the sun was shining, so we made a stop there to enjoy the sun and each other's company. We biked around London during the rest of the afternoon, discovering the beautiful city and taking a lot of pictures. We ate at a restaurant in central London. The food and the service was great. It costs us 40$. For the night, we went to the Tower Bridge. It was all illuminated and the view from the bridge was mesmerizing. It costs 20$. Seeing London full of lights was breathtaking.
September 7th 2017
Last day in London! We didn't want to leave. While waiting for the bus to take us to the hotel near the airport, we went to a really cute local café and watch for an hour or two people walking in the streets while drinking our delicious tea. We ordered macarons to celebrate this trip. It costs us 40$. At noon, the bus took us for the 1 hour and 40 minute's drive to the hotel near the airport. The bus costs us 3$ each. We just stayed in the room, ordering room service and we went to bed early because we were tired from this trip. The hotel costs us 111$.
September 8th 2017
We woke up really early to go to the airport for our flight because we needed to leave this amazing place at noon. We were really nostalgic to leave London and to get back to our boring routine. The flight only costs us 1693$ for the both of us, so it wasn't that bad. The flight went really smoothly and when we arrived at the airport, our family was waiting for us. We were really happy to see them again.
The both of us chose our future university: the University of London. We can't wait to go back in this amazing city and to discover new places. This trip was amazing! This perfect adventure costs us 3741,36$.
Ann-Sophie Montembeault and Juliette Soucy