Special Edition - London: December 2024

Hello London! Welcome back to the blog for a special edition - London: December 2024!

Lots has happened since our last blog - most notably, Webster and I bought a house! This week was a nice break from my usual routine. Mom and I spent a week exploring London! We searched for Christmas lights, went shopping, and ate our favourite food. It really is one of our favourite cities - especially at Christmas time!

On Sunday, Mom’s birthday, we flew to London overnight. We celebrated in the new Plaza Premium Lounge and then boarded the plane. It was an uneventful flight that arrived in the city earlier than expected. 

On Monday morning, we started our day at 9AM London time, 4AM Toronto time. We got organized, dropped our bags at the hotel and headed out to see the city. Our first stop was Borough Market for some lunch and shopping! We explored the famous market, full of amazing smells, and every kind of food you could wish for. Mom got award winning chips and I got my favourite Bread Ahead donut! As we were leaving the market I got my first of many, Greggs sausage roll!

Our next stop was Primark to do some shopping. We went to the big London Primark on Tottenham Court Road. We spent time exploring the store and browsing the 4 floors. 

Later in the afternoon, we went back to the hotel to check in. We stayed at the beautiful Rubens at the Palace, a favourite of ours in London. It’s in a great location, close to Victoria station and lots of shops/restaurants. It’s also a three minute walk to Buckingham Palace!

That night we went out in search of Christmas lights! Our first stop was Piccadilly. We browsed Fortnum and Mason - Mom’s first time in the beautiful blue store, all decorated for Christmas!

Then, we followed this route to Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street and Carnaby Street, ending at Liberty London. The lights at this time of year make the city so festive and bright. 

We ended our night with a delicious dinner at Flat Iron, a new find for us in London! It was just what we needed after a long day of exploring.

On Tuesday, we started our day with a scone from Marks & Spencer. Then, we were off to Winter Wonderland, a huge Christmas celebration in Hyde Park. We explored the Christmas market, the fair-like rides, and all the sights and sounds of Christmas. 

Then, we headed to Selfridges, a favourite and must-see when you are in London! We browsed the stores, went to the Shoe Galleries and had cookie dough in the famous Food Hall. Afterwards, we crossed the street for some more reasonable shopping at TK Maxx (Winners in the UK). That afternoon we had Five Guys for lunch - dangerously delicious!

That night, we continued our search for Christmas lights and ended up in Trafalgar Square. They had a great Christmas tree, Christmas market and Canada House (High Commission of Canada to the United Kingdom)! We walked this route from Trafalgar Square to Leicester Square and ended in Covent Garden. It was a beautiful route full of Christmas lights and little Christmas markets along the way! We met up with an old friend from my first-year at Laurier, Emily, who is living and working in London, it was great to see her!

That night, I went back to Buckingham Palace to see it all lit up - it was a late night, so there weren’t too many people out. It felt like COVID in London again!

On Wednesday, we started our day at Old Spitalfields Market. We took the underground away from the tourists hotspots and explored a new part of the city. It was a huge market, beautifully decorated for Christmas. 

Then, we explored the Tower Hill area. We got a Greggs sausage roll and walked along the Thames near the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. I introduced Mom to Paul, a coffee shop, and we had a very decadent hot chocolate on the river banks. 

That afternoon we got all dressed up to go see Wicked on the West End! It was the perfect time to see it since the movie just came out and is getting a lot of attention. It was a great show with a very talented cast.

That night we spent the evening exploring Harrods, another must see in London at Christmas! The lights were spectacular! We browsed the floors that were way out of our price range.

After Harrods, we went to one of our favourite restaurants, Franco Manca for pizza. Emily joined us and it was great to catch up over dinner. 

On Thursday we started our day with a long walk through Westminster. We followed this route, starting at Buckingham Palace and ending along the river across from the Houses of Parliament. It was a cool morning, with a light drizzle, but nothing unexpected for London. On our way back to the hotel, we saw a few carriages carrying a member of the Royal Family along the Mall. 

That afternoon we went back to Flat Iron for another delicious steak! We loved it so much we had to go again. We got the exact same meal! The restaurant was a brand new location that just opened next to our hotel. When we arrived their gas wasn’t working and we were treated to a complimentary cocktail while we waited - well worth the wait!

Later in the afternoon, we ran some errands to get some of our favourite British snacks. We visited Sainsbury’s in Pimlico, the grocery store Webster and I shopped at when we lived in London in 2018. We also went to M&S for some of their great snacks!

That night, we went searching for Christmas lights once more at Oxford Circus. We took the tube (a very busy tube) to Oxford Circus and came out in the thick of the busyness. It is the best spot to see so many Christmas lights at once! We popped into a few shops, walked up and down the street, and took photos of all the lights. On our final night, we tried a new spot for dinner, Mercato Mayfair. It was a food hall in an old church where fifteen local vendors offer a few of their best dishes. I had pasta and Mom had fish and chips!

On Friday morning we got all packed up to head home. It was a typical, rainy London day. I took one last walk to Buckingham Palace and got some plane snacks for the trip home. We spent some time in the airport before taking off back to Canada and said bye to London - until the next time!

Thanks for reading the special edition of our blog! Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Here's to more travels in 2025!