I am one to make the most of my travels whenever possible. I had the option to take a 9 hour or 13 hour stop over in London- and you guessed it, I chose the latter.
I had never been to London before, so this was the perfect opportunity to get a acquainted with London vibe.
I arrived at London Heathrow airport around 7am. Immigration was simple and quick with an American passport (You do not require a visa with a US passport)
I didn’t have to reclaim luggage as it was booked till my final destination. I did however, have a heavy carry on, which I decided to leave at “Left Luggage” on terminal 3 (other terminals may also have it). My flight arrived at Terminal 3.
After dropping off my luggage, I decided to grab a hot chocolate from Cafe Nero at the terminal, and check my phone service. Thank goodness, I did- because google Fi’s marketing claims it work overseas- it did not. I contacted their customer support and they advised I buy a new sim. So that’s what I did. Again, in terminal 3 there was a phone shop and I got a sim with unlimited data for £25.
I was finally ready to take the train to Paddington Station. It dropped me off by Hyde Park- so I decided to hang out there and take some pictures. I walked around quite a bit in the park- I must admit the park was beautiful. My long walk led to Harrods. I think it would look beautiful at night time with all the lights on.
After roaming around the fancy stores of luxe brands, I decided to get some breakfast from a cute cafe across the street- I had their scrambled eggs with beetroot latte- Trust me when I say the beetroot latte was delicious (I wish I could help the cafe’s name :(- but don’t worry, there were many cute spots around the area)
I charged my phone for a bit at the cafe and chatted with the lovely staff there. I people watched from my seat at the end of the street- It was nice to just absorb the moment and enjoy being in a new city.
I contemplated between walking around oxford street or heading towards Big Ben- Big Ben won.. I took the train to Westminster stop. Navigating the trains is super easy in London and at every stop there is staff to help you out. All of whom I must mention were extremely helpful and kind.
Big Ben was huge- so much better than pictures and super crowded. To avoid the crowd, I quickly took some pictures and headed towards the London Eye.
I met with some of my London friends here, and we walked around a bit to explore that neighbourhood. I was starting to get very tired so we decided to make way toward Edgware- the last neighbourhood to explore. Again, we took the train which was a 20 mins ride.
We chose a lowkey cafe on Edgware and I decided to get a quinoa salad for lunch. For the next 2 hours, I hung out with my friends and had a catch up.
Around 5PM, I headed back towards the airport via the train. I did have to make a transfer going back to the airport- but again it was easy to navigate. I got to Terminal 3- collected my left luggage. Walked to Virgin Atlantic kiosks to get my boarding pass and headed toward the security check points. 
I got through all checks and inside the airport by 7ish- and my flight didn’t leave till 8:35 pm. Enough time to settle in and change into comfy clothes for my next 9 hour overnight flight.
I hope you enjoy London as much as I did. Stop over can be hectic and tiring but so much fun and exciting to be able to explore a new country and city.
Safe Travels,
xx
