Believe it or not, my first trip to London was with a private jet client. I tell you this because no matter how much you traveled or how many times you’ve been around the world, there’s always room for another first. So how does an experienced crew member do sightseeing? Like a tourist of course.
My first day there was spent with my pilots who took me to some of their favorite spots. We went to a delightful Maille mustard store. Yes, the whole store dedicated to purveying fine French mustard. If you brought your own refillable crock (they each had one) you could refill it for free at the fresh draught bar. These were large pottery containers with a spigot on the bottom. The bar offered about 8 distinct blends. Different wines, spice and herbs created a variety the likes I had never seen. The store must have contained 25 varieties at least. I bought a crock and filled it and purchased a few extraordinary blends on that stop. Look it up if you get to London and are a bit of an epicurean.
To keep the food theme going (food and beer dominated our stops) they took me to Harrod’s food court. Don’t make the mistake of likening this to a domestic mall food court in any way. The international gourmet options were just joyful to explore. Ok, taking more food home. Good thing we had plenty of room in baggage.
We squeezed in a walk by Kensington Palace, since we were staying in Kensington, before we commenced pub crawling to evaluate British brews. You just have to do this. Sit with the locals, ask their opinions and you are instantly part of the conversation.
The next day I was on my own and went full, geeky tourist. I took a double decker bus around the city to get the big picture. Not recommended for August, when you spend hours sweating in the blazing sun. Good overview, though, so you can get your bearings in the town.
On the third day, I decided I enjoyed our walking tour more and resorted to one of my favorite go-to solutions for digging in to a new town. I pulled up Rick Steves’ walking tours of London and selected one that would focus on the sights I had found intriguing on the first 2 days. When traveling to new locations, you really should bookmark his page and try some well-researched walking tours. They are self-guided and you may linger where it suits you.
Buckingham Palace
I fell in love with London and was so grateful for this in-depth introduction. Add London to your list and get out there and walk it! You won’t be sorry.
Whitefish Dog and Home 