1- London (UK): 6-10th June 2015

MY TRIP TO LONDON

Last 6th June was my first trip to London. I'm still excited after this great experience! London wasn't among my favorite cities... because I prefer smaller and less populated cities but I think it's essential to visit London at least once in your lifetime! This trip has been a real pleasure, short (6-10 June) but very intense! 

One concert by my favourite band, Take That, was a good opportunity to go there! It has been a great decision and I don't regret my choice :) Some months ago I talked with Triny, a Facebook friend from Asturias who is also a big Take That fan... We were waiting the day to know the places of the tour and when finally we had the information and we decided to go to London with Laura another friend of hers and maybe another one. Laura bought the tickets. We got four tickets for The O2 on Tuesday, 9th June 2015. General Admission tickets (Entrance F) which were into the standing area! Laura received the tickets two weeks before the event and sent us this picture 

Airline tickets was the first thing we bought. I compared prices of the flights and I decided to travel with Ryanair again. First, I only bought one-way ticket from Valencia to London at 11.10. My friends and I bought tickets for 6th June but they were flying from Madrid. 

In February we chose the accommodation through the website Booking. Ultimately, we decided to go to YHA London Earl's Court, located at 38 Bolton Gardens, just a five minute walk from Earl's Court London Underground station and the Picadilly line for Heathrow. I booked a triple room (one bunkbed and one double bed) with shared bathroom but sink inside the room.

The hostel is a gorgeous Victorian building and benefits from a courtyard garden which guests can make the most of during the summer

This time I didn't need checked baggage. I brought my hand luggage and this mini backpack 

6th June (Saturday)

 My plane from Valencia arrived earlier at London Stansted Airport: ten minutes before the scheduled time  (12:40 p.m.) but the plane of my friends was due to arrive at 3:30 p.m. and moreover it came later because of the strike in Madrid: workers who handle checked luggage for Ryanair flights were on strike during several consecutive days at Madrid’s main international airport... So they arrived  the past four p.m.

During my long wait I tried to use the free Wi-Fi but it didn't work and it was impossible to communicate with my family and friends. I was able to write a message after paying one pound for ten minutes of Internet in the Cyber of the airport but anything else until we arrived at the hostel. 

London Stansted Airport is the fourth airport in UK in terms of passenger traffic, it's the main low cost airport in Europe and in general one of the fastest growing.

Stansted airport is part of the London airport network along with Heathrow, Gatwick and City airport and is located about 50 km from central London.

There we bought the return Airport transfer with Terravision Bus Service: transport to and from the Stansted Airport. This journey to Victoria Station took almost two hours! This period of time was more than we expected... so we couldn't actually visit the stadiums of Arsenal and Chelsea as we had agreed. There was no time to do anything else so we took de subway to Earl's Court Underground Station ... We bought something to eat at Sainsbury's store in 162-164 Earls Cour Road. The chain of supermarkets Sainsbury' S is the third chain of supermarkets of the country. We looked for the YHA hostel and depositing our luggage there we went for a drink. 

SATURDAY PHOTOS

First pictures still at the Manises (Valencia) Airport

Boarding the aircraft

From inside the plane

Bye Valencia!

Flying over England

Green pastures

Already at the London Stansted Airport, located at Stansted Mountfitchet, a village and civil parish in Uttlesford district in the county of Essex, near the Hertfordshire border, 56 km north of London

Our first pictures together. Triny in the middle and Laura (right)

Triny and I 

Inside the bus showing our most valuable possessions :)

Green landscape

On the way to London... 

The Algha Works factory in east London

Area full of restaurants, shops...

First time I saw the Big Ben (pics taken from inside the bus)

First stop after arriving: Starbucks Coffee (I don't like coffee but my friends are addicted)

Victoria Station is like a huge Shopping mall, with many stores, shops, restaurants etc. 

Many people at London Victoria Station 

At night, at a pub called Prince of Teck, between Earl's Court Road and Kenway Road, watching the final game of the Champions League. It was a warm welcoming establishment... but here again the free wi-fi didn't work!!! 

Juventus failed against Barça (Juventus 1-3 Barça)

Lovely atmosphere. Recommended!

Laura and her Guinness beer

Barcelona celebrating the title while at the pub was sounding "We Are the Champions" by Queen. One of their most famous and popular songs which remains among rock's most recognisable anthems

Triny angry with the triplet FC Barcelona. She's a Real Madrid fan through and through and this season Barcelona won everything XD

Laura, Triny and I enjoying our first night in London :)

Back at the hostel, it's time for bed

I recommend a walk around the residential streets around the hostel (turn right when going out of gate), with mews and private gardens. Spectacular roses, impressing old trees, lovely houses, good local pubs and restaurants