London

11th – 16th December 2022

My first post on my travel blog, feeling like a Pig in Mud being able to travel again!

Traveled form New York JFK to London Heathrow, that was an experience, 2 hours to pass through security, even though I had a security express pass it didn’t make a difference.

Had an hour in Lufthansa First Class Lounge, generally a good experience, standard lounge food was served with normal wine and spirits at the bar.

Arrival into Heathrow was very fast, from deplaning to walking out the terminal was less than 20 minutes.

Weather was really cold and snowing, high of 0 and low of -4 on most days, all the roads and footpaths were frozen. I still managed to go out every day in the cold, for everyone that knows me I don’t wear a hat. I did on this occasion!

What I Visited

Hampton Court Palace, Is a Tudor Palace dating back to Henry VIII and his many wives. Lots of history here and the gardens are kept well, it’s about an hour out of London on the overground. Was worth the visit. Photos are below.

The National Gallery, Lots of European Art dating back to the 1300’s. My favourite paintings are Rubens which they had quite a few on display.

Christmas Lights

London does the Christmas lights really good, Regent and Oxford Street have amazing displays. Photos are below

Christmas Markets

There are lots of Christmas Markets, visited the Trafalgar Square and Borough Market. Both well worth a visit, had mulled wine in both of them.

Highlights

Hampton Court Palace, Christmas Markets

Lowlights

Rail strike in the UK, currently there is a Rail Strike in the UK. Found it really difficult to get a train to Hampton Court Palace.

My travel plans from London to Edinborough were disrupted, due to the strike there were no trains running. Had to catch a flight instead, proved difficult getting to Heathrow as the Heathrow Express wasn’t going either, so had to get a Taxi. Will be an interesting insurance claim!

My Photos