London in Three Days

We liked jumping from one attraction to another and stopping by the pubs when tired, getting lost in the dark streets where Jack the Ripper might have been... London will always stay the ultimate mecca of the city-tripper.

Quick Tips:

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The hotel is clean, and rooms are spacious. All rooms have clean coffee/tea-making facilities, which I really admired. Breakfast is varied, so if you are a vegetarian, you will not be stuck with a British breakfast. There is plenty of fresh fruit served. The employees are motivated and friendly. They will answer all your questions about London and help immediately in case there is a problem. When we checked out, they were so friendly to offer that we could deposit the luggage for the day. Room prices are more affordable during the weekends.

I would like to provide a few addresses around the city:

Sofra has six restaurants around the city. They have a healthy menu for £11.95 for dinner, off which many different specialties of the Turkish kitchen are served. For the addresses of all restaurants, see www.sofra.co.uk.

Café Naz is a great option on Brick Lane, the colorful neighbourhood of London near the Liverpool Station. Address: Brick Lane 44-46.

Tas also has many restaurants around the town. The one in the Bloomsbury could be ideal after a visit to the British Museum. For addresses and information, see www.tasrestaurant.com.

It is located a huge, luminous building in Bloomsbury. It may take a few days to see it all. But the museum management makes life easy for the visitor by closing some of the halls when they do not feel like exhibiting that day, with the excuse that they do not have enough personnel. That’s surprising, because none of the souvenir shops or countless restaurants are closed during museum hours due to lack of personnel.

The museum does not follow a chronological order, or any order at all. For example, you can see Greek statues on main floor, first floor, and lower floor. It is like this all over the museum. I found this very inconvenient and incorrect.

You can see the collection on the Internet before you leave, and once you are there, you know where to visit. For making your own guided tours, see www. Britishmuseum.ac.uk

This is the most amusing way of seeing Thames and its surroundings. We were lucky that the people working on the boat were making interesting comments about what we saw. You can go under all the famous bridges of London, and it is also an ideal way to take photographs of the buildings around the Thames. Of course, it is more fun if the weather is good. This trip is affordable and neither tiring nor boring, so taking a boat from Westminster to Greenwich is not a bad idea at all.

Regular exhibitions are rich, with pieces from Gerhard Richter, Paul Klee, Salvador Dali, and many others, but there are also temporary exhibitions here. When I was there, a collection from Kahlo was being exhibited.

The first thing I noticed in this museum was the space. It is so crowded in London, but in this museum, I saw that the average space per visitor is more than in the parks. The museum has a café on the ground floor, but for an excellent view over St Paul’s Cathedral, go to the seventh floor. There is an outstanding restaurant here as well where you can eat modern food, literally.

Entrance to the museum is free, and it is open 10am to 10pm Friday and Saturdays and between 10am and 6pm other days.

The maritime museum, which is the most equipped of its sort in the world, is an interesting stop for the children. My guidebook claimed that there was a clock from The Titanic in this building. However, this is not true. They do have a Titanic Hall, though. There are all kinds of ship models, equipment used in navigation throughout history, and special exhibitions for kids. Entrance is free, and it is open from 10am to 6pm in summer and 10am to 6pm in winter.

Greenwich Market is one of the most colorful markets I have ever seen, with creative clothing for babies and adults, handmade jewelry, natural soaps, and all other things behind the imagination of a common tourist. Once you have been there, you do not fall into the "My daughter has been to London and all she brought is this lousy T-shirt" cliché.

For me, a stop in the oldest pie shop in London was inevitable. They serve delicious shepherd pie against unbelievable low prices. After that, spoil yourself with an apple crumble served with custard. Lovely. I thought British food did not taste good, but Goddard’s pie shop did not disappoint me. I will never forget the simple but tasty meal here. It is located on Church Street; I do not know the number, but I am sure everyone around there does.

A visit to the observatory is a must when you are all the way in Greenwich. There is also an exhibition about discovery and possession of time by means of clocks through the British history. Entrance is free between 10am and 5pm.

Walking in the Hyde Park is a relaxing experience. I have also seen the monumental fountain for the memory of Princess Diana. I think this has been an appropriate monument in her memory: This waterway is small at some points, large at others. The water is still at some point, wild at another, just like the life of the princess.