Ever since I was a 10 year old emotion kid, London has always had a giant place in my heart. Without sounded like a twat, my heart fills warm when I'm in the city and if I could afford to live anywhere with a London postcode, I'd jump at the chance. A girl can dream.
Living 20 minutes away from central whilst at university, I've tried to take full advantage of being so close to the city and had many an adventure with my pals, exploring different areas of the place. Indians in Brick Lane, vintage hunting in Camden town, pretending to be sophisticated at the National Gallery, I've made some golden memories.
However, since being in my third and final year in university, time seems to be trickling past at an unmanageable speed and I haven't been able to venture in to London as much as I'd have liked to. So last week, when speaking to one of my best friends from Kent, we arranged to have a cheap day in the city. Being a student in Brighton, she's more comfortable with being by the sea and only sees the tube map as a pattern of mix matched lines so I was more than happy to be her guide for the day.
We agreed to meet at Charing Cross, where her train got in. Arriving in to King's Cross way before we had arranged to meet, as usual (I'm one of those annoying early people) I decided to catch the Piccadilly tube line to one of my favourite spots; Covent Garden.
Situated very near to both Charing Cross and Leicester Square, Covent Garden is always full to the brim with tourists. However, as I past through at 10am on a Monday morning, it was eerily quiet. The first of the street performers were setting up, as were the market traders and lots of people in suits were hurrying past as part of their commute to work. If you haven't been to Covent Garden, I would recommend the Punch and Judy pub where you can overlook the street performers and the giant Paella stand which can be found on the bottom level of the market, right next to a beautiful cupcake shop. All of these places won't rinse your pocket and can be an affordable part of a visit to the city. You can easily waste a few hours being entertained/embarrassed by the street performers.
After I had met with my friend, we decided to head to the Science Museum in South Kessington. I have excited memories of spending time there as a child. The museum is free and we spent a good 2 hours looking around the different interesting exhibition and taking part in the interactive games found all the way around the building.
Along the same road, there are several other free museums, including the beautiful V and A museum and the Natural History museum. A whole day can be spent exploring these and not spending a penny. Just be prepared to bump into the odd school trip or twenty!
After we had done with the Science museum, we were both hungry. I knew just the place to grab a bite to eat. Camden market. I first started going to this place during my teens when my friends and I thought we were really cool and alternative. The district, North of the river, is considered the more alternative part of London with plenty of characters living there. There a lots of market stalls which sell really reasonable and unique items. Similarly, there is a great food market section, gracing stalls with food from all over the world. After having a hard time deciding what to choose to eat, I went for a Thai green curry with rice and salad for an impressive £5. Amy went for an amazing Turkish beef and feta wrap for £4. We both felt suitably satisfied once we'd finished eating as they gave us huge portions.
By the time 5 o'clock came, we were both exhausted and wanting to avoid the rush hour crowds, we headed back to King's Cross to catch our train back to my university. However, King's Cross itself is worth a visit. Having only been refurbished about 2 years ago, the station has an array of places to eat, shops and a nine and three-quarters trolley where there is always a queue of tourists waiting to have their photo with the Harry Potter memorabilia.
Situated just a five minute walk from King's Cross is the British Library. A beautiful building from the inside, there are always interesting and affordable exhibitions taking place in the Library. Similarly,if you are a student like myself, the British Library can provide really great sources for your studies, normally for free. Many of my friends have taken full advantage of this whilst working on their dissertations.
We had such a brilliant day in London and I learnt that you don't have to be severely out of pocket in order to fully appreciate what a beautiful place the city truly is.
Share with me your favourite spots in the capital which are cheap!
(photo courtesy of my friend)
SCIENCE MUSEUM
CAMDEN
Kat xx
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