A Trip To to London After Lockdown

We've just returned from a nights stay in London and it had been a bit of a while since we'd seen London due to the lockdown. It's funny because at a few points during the pandemic I couldn't imagine us getting back on a train and heading into the busy capital ever again. It just felt so far from reach after spending months at home avoiding absolutely everyone. But here we are -  back able to do things like this again and whilst we're still aware that we need to be careful and most people still wear masks on the trains and on the tubes, on the whole it feels very 'normal' again.

Something I've wanted to do for years is visit Highgate Cemetery in London. It's I suppose a bit strange to want to visit a cemetery, but I find them so beautifully peaceful and Highgate has always been on my list because the photos I'd seen of it just looked incredibly beautiful. I booked our time slots online beforehand and paid £10 per person which gave us access to both sides of the cemetery - the older Victorian side and the newer side. I also bought a guidebook for £5 which was such a fascinating read! We were limited on time as we had other things booked, but we wandered around most of the Victorian side of the cemetery and it was hauntingly beautiful and so peaceful. 

I found it so interesting reading the graves and thinking about the past and the history of the place and the people who's final resting place Highgate Cemetery is. There's something completely peaceful about cemeteries and Highgate Cemeteries is one of the most peaceful and beautiful that I've ever seen. For a moment I forgot I was even in the busy capital of London. 

After Highgate Cemetery we went to our favourite cocktail bar - Dirty Martini in Covent Garden, where we met up with Adam's brother and his girlfriend who were in London at the same time as us. We sat for a few hours drinking cocktails and just chilling and it was so nice. I love Dirty Martini, because it's a lovely bar and they always have Happy Hours on so you're not paying through the roof for a cocktail in the heart of London. 

Afterwards Adam and I headed to our hotel for a rest and also some dinner. I would like to say a huge thank you to Buy a Gift to who kindly gifted us a voucher for a hotel stay and dinner whilst we were in London. I’ve worked with them before and they’re always so lovely. If you're not aware of them already then Buyagift round 4500 different types of experiences from spa days, to hotel and dinner stays, to adventure and thrill experiences and many more! They’re definitely worth bearing in mind if you are ever looking for unique gift ideas for loved ones, friends or even for yourself as a bit of a treat, as you can get some amazing deals and get to experience some unforgettable experiences that you may never have even thought of.

After dinner we headed out for the evening just to see London lit up at night. There is a different atmosphere in London at night and it's great to experience both the day and evening atmosphere, especially because seeing London lit up looks so beautiful. We met up again with Adam's brother and his girlfriend and we went for a drink in a pub and then just walked around looking at all of the sights. 

The next morning before heading home we met up again and went and took a bus tour around London to show Adam's brother's girlfriend the main sights of London as it was her first time there as she is from New Zealand. I love sightseeing in London and I love the history side of things too, so I really enjoyed it. A bus tour is a nice way to see London if you don't want to join in with the mad rush on the underground tube's, especially at the weekend! 

In the capital anything can happen and we certainly saw some strange things whilst there including... 

1. We walked past a young girl in a park who was literally covered in pigeons. I think she must have been feeding them. She was just stood there with her arms out with pigeons  all over her. She was like the pigeon whisperer or something. It was amazing! 

2. We stumbled upon a completely glass house in the middle of Highgate Cemetery. You could see into every room including the bedroom and there was a sign that said. 'Not part of the zoo, alive humans living here, please don't stare in!'. It was hard not to though - I couldn't' believe how strange it was to find a modern glass house in the middle of an old Victorian cemetery!

3. Whilst eating dinner (we had a window seat looking onto the street), we noticed a bin lorry driver having a FULL on rave at the steering wheel. He didn’t care who was watching, in fact I think he wanted people to watch. He was literally loving life and quite possibly very happy it was Friday. You couldn’t help but smile and want to join in to be honest! 

4. Whilst in Trafalgar Square at night we saw about 200 or so people on bikes go by, stopping the traffic having what I can only describe as a bike-disco! Some of the bikes were lit up and had music blaring from them. It was pretty cool! 

5. And the last strange thing that happened in London whilst we were there was just outside of our hotel. Adam had crossed the road already and I was waiting to when a young woman approached me. She was acting quite strange, but didn't seem drunk and was trying to make conversation with me. She asked me if she looked okay and was fumbling with her lip liner. I said yes and she kept apologising for being weird and socially awkward. She noticed Adam looking at me and asked if he was my boyfriend and I replied that he was my husband to which she said I looked too young to be married. She said we should cross the road and then as we did she turned and walked off really quickly saying 'Oh I just wanted to do my lipstick'. As she walked around the corner, two men who had been chatting on the hotel steps suddenly stopped chatting and one of them ran off in the same direction as her. It was so strange and I don't know if maybe she was trying to distract me. Though I was wearing my bag across my body in front of me and it was done up. So who knows, it was just quite odd! 

It was so lovely to see London again after lockdown. We had an amazing time and the boys who stayed with their Grandparents (my in-laws) had an amazing time too. They had afternoon tea at my in-laws house with their Great Grandad, they went to the toy shop, for a cake in town, they stayed up late watching a film. They are very lucky to have such lovely Grandparents and we're lucky to have such amazing in-laws/parents who enable us to go and have days together jus us like this! 

Thank you for reading. 

  Alex xo