Going Back “Home”: A Weekend in London

Five and a half years ago (!!!!), I spent a fall semester of college studying abroad in London. It was one of the most important experiences in a long chain of events that contributed to me eventually living in Spain. During that semester, I had more fun than I’d ever had in my life. I met some of my very best friends, I was able to jet off to different countries over the weekends, and I got to live a lifestyle unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. Most importantly, I learned that I could do it. I could adjust to life in a foreign country, away from everyone/everything I knew and was comfortable with, and thrive while doing it.

Since being back on this side of the world, I knew it was only a matter of time before I went back to visit. But for the past 8 months, the conditions had never been just right. I wanted good weather, and I wanted to go with a friend. My time in London was such a formative experience that I wanted to have someone to share it with. So much of my time had been spent with friends, and uh… drinking… that I wanted to recreate that if possible. Luckily, my friend Nicole, who’s living in Ireland, agreed to meet me there! So last weekend, we met up for a few days in London.

Hi Nicole!!

Despite my former familiarity with the city, not everything went according to plan. There was the fact that EasyJet doesn’t allow a personal item on the plane (oops). That I didn’t plan ahead and figure out the most efficient way to get from Gatwick to the city center. That I got lost on the Tube twice within 30 minutes of being there, even using Citymapper. That my former university was a little less-than-accommodating when I asked to take a look around the campus.

Baker Street Station

But guess what? None of these problems had an additional layer of difficulty that I’m used to these days: the language barrier. Everyone spoke English! My brain wasn’t quite ready to believe it and I found myself saying perdón more than once while passing through crowded train cars.

Different, but the same

I had the first day all to myself since Nicole wasn’t arriving until later that evening. There was something a little satisfying about being alone, at first. It was like I lived there again. People asked me for directions. I felt like I fit in. I was able to go to all the little places that had weird significance to me and think about how much had changed in my life since the last time I was there – even though so many things there had stayed the same.

There was our bar. The Baskin-Robbins on Baker Street that Hanna and I once sprinted to in the throes of an ice cream craving. The Sherlock Holmes tiles in Baker Street Station. Our dormitory window that could be seen from the Regent’s lawn. The Waitrose on Marylebone High Street where we used to buy alcohol. The little bridge in Regent’s Park. Ben’s Cookies. Ben’s Cookies again. And… again. (Yep, I went there 3/3 days in London and no shame.)

But yeah, some things were different. First of all, it’s easier to get around than ever. You don’t have to buy an Oyster card and continually top it up with funds in order to take the tube or the bus. If you have a contactless credit card – which is the THING over here in Europe, though I hear it hasn’t caught on yet in the U.S. – you just scan it and instantly gain entry to your transportation of choice. Bonus points if your credit card has no foreign transaction fees!

Also, we have to talk about Big Ben at this point. You may know that I’m kind of obsessed with Big Ben. Something about it always hit me hard every time I saw it – some sort of majestic reminder like, hello, you are in London!! Isn’t life crazy?!  In fact, I spent my last day as a student there sitting and staring at Big Ben for a good two hours and crying as the sun went down. But, as you also may know, Big Ben has been under construction since August 2017 and is not expected to be completed until 2021. So the effect wasn’t quite the same this time. Guess I’ll just have to come back again when it’s finished. 🙂

But honestly, probably the worst difference was something small. On our last evening, I excitedly brought Nicole to our bar, The Metropolitan, on Baker Street. I wanted to introduce her to my favorite British cocktail – Strawberry Pimms. It’s a variation of the Pimms Cup, which is a classic, summery British drink. But at the Met, we’d always get Strawberry Pimms. The only difference was they added some strawberry syrup or juice or something, and replaced the regular fruit with strawberries. It’s also a summer drink, but the bartenders at the Met continued to make it on request for us well into December.

Well, guess what? When I went back to the Met and asked for it, the bartenders (who certainly were different from five years ago) looked at me like I was crazy. They could not fathom the idea of Strawberry Pimms. Even when I told them how it was made. Even when I told them I’d “had it here before,” but obviously did not mention that it was five years ago. “Are you sure they didn’t add Bubblegum Liqueur to make it pink?” they asked. This time I looked at them like they were crazy. In the end, Nicole and I settled for regular Pimms.

Old places, new memories

I’d known I wanted to visit London with someone, and I’m happy Nicole and I were able to make it happen. She was a great travel companion. We had lots to catch up on since the last time we’d seen each other – when I visited her in Dublin in February. She’d been to London once before, but only for a day or two, so I got to play tour guide.

A couple of the best places we went:

Primrose Hill

Just a 15-minute walk from Regent’s University, through the park and past ZSL London Zoo. The climb to the top of the hill wasn’t as bad as I remembered.

Notting Hill/Portobello Market

This was the place we went that I was the least familiar with. I think I’d been one time, near the end of my stay in London, and I didn’t remember it too well. Notting Hill is full of colorful (and certainly extremely expensive) houses, and Portobello Market has something for everyone. Nicole and I had lunch at the food trucks and spent a couple of hours in one of Portobello Road’s cute cafes, planning our futures at what we dubbed the new “Loose Park Table” (our former co-workers will understand what that means).

Bright colors on a cloudy day

Borough Market

“At Borough Market,” I texted to Hanna and Carson, my two best friends who also studied abroad in London with me. “Eat that cheese sandwich until you feel sick,” Carson replied. Borough Market is a food market! And yes, there’s a grilled cheese toastie there which is so delicious that you can practically feel your arteries clogging. Nicole and I kept it a little lighter; we found a Colombian coffee stand and spent the rest of our time trying every cheese and cured meat sample available. It’s better than Costco on a Saturday.

Borough Market

These places are popular with tourists, but not quite tourist “destinations” in the same way that places like the London Eye and Tower Bridge are. They’re a little more behind-the-scenes. So I had a really good time sharing these places with Nicole, who might not have found them as easily otherwise. (She’s planning a trip back to London with her sister next month – her turn to be the guide!)

Overall, my return to London was everything I could have asked for. It was familiar and unknown at the same time. Familiar enough for me to recognize it and know the layout of the city and the shortcuts to the best places. Unknown enough for it to feel exciting; like there were still new secrets to uncover and different experiences to be had.

I’m looking forward to my next visit, whenever and however that may be. 🙂

– Cathy

P.S. I know some of you have been following my blogs/writing since I was in London. Here’s a throwback to my old blog from when I was there. It cracks me up to read it now. But I’m so glad I documented everything so I could remember it later.

Originally Published on May 27, 2019.