London, UK, 2019 (2)

Note: This is my second article on London. The first one can be found here:

London, UK, 2019


Trip

This trip took place in October, 2019. This time I flew British Airways, and to my surprise they had put an end to any "free food" during the flight. For the entire duration of the three hours flight you get nothing if you do not pay for it, which is embarrassing as a growing tendency with at least the European air carriers to stray further and further away from being customer oriented. 

On a positive note, the prices are not through the roof and you can get a sandwich for 5-6 pounds. Be warned that cash payments are not accepted.

The flight from Sofia to Heathrow, London, was delayed by almost three hours which we spent onboard the airplane. When the plane first started taxing to the runway, the captain established a problem with one of the two engines and it took a technician to manually open the valve on one of them before we were cleared for take off. In order to do that they first needed to speak to the engine manufacturer and the technical support in London, so it was quite an experience.

The weather

As expected, typical weather for the fall in London. Temperatures between 12 and 18 degrees Celsius, light rains or drizzling enough to make you carry an umbrella with you. Winds in London are not uncommon and make it feel colder than it really is. Yet again - a light jacket will absolutely do.

Accommodation

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Southwark street. Nothing worth mentioning about this hotel. Location, location, location - this is enough to charge the price they want. Yet, it offers all you need for a short stay, nothing shiny. Reception and bar hosted on the same desk, the area also accommodates the restaurant. It is not uncommon to find yourself eating breakfast with the people queuing for the reception just over your head.

General impressions

London was still the same great city as I left it a couple of months earlier. Multinational crowds and people of all possible races and ethnicity groups roaming the streets. You can spend years in this city and still have more and more to explore. 

My roaming area was the financial center near the Monument of the great fire.

This time I was crossing the Thames along London bridge, as the Holiday Inn Express is further to the West.

The impressions I had from my last trip that London is not what it used to be some 15 years ago confirmed. Streets have definitely seen better maintenance and they used to be much cleaner. One of my Uber rides was with the driver being an immigrant from Kosovo, who said he had been living and working in London for 20 plus years and he also mentioned the same thing - he remembered the city being much cleaner and the roads being in much better condition. It's worth mentioning that when I asked him if Uber was his main income source he said it was his only one and he made enough for living and never considered another job.


All other information in regards to safety, credit cards, electrical plugs etc. can be found in my first article on London:

London, UK, 2019

Have a safe trip and enjoy your stay in London!