I took to the streets of London this past week. There was never a plan for the day until the day of and I loved it! England has so much to offer, it’s not only a great gateway into other European nations to catch a cheap flight. It’s worth sticking around for a cup of tea and all these other points of interest I’m bursting with joy to tell you about.

This is a photo of me bursting with the afore mentioned joy:

The first step to getting on great in London like I did is booking your travel with DMA Value Vacations on Virgin Atlantic. You then want to buy an Oyster card upon arrival and download the app CityMappers on your smartphone. I love feeling independent and hate being lost for extended periods! Your Oyster can get you rides on the bus, Overground and Underground. Citymappers keeps the directionally challenged totally empowered. Don’t be afraid to take on this Big City, it’s very easy to navigate.

I’ve been a visit all possible landmarks type of tourist in London before. I could talk all about how great a ride on the London eye is. I could tell you about watching the change of guards at Buckingham Palace but being slightly distracted by the far fetched idea that maybe I’ll see the Queen. We’ll pretend for my sake that I have binocular eyes and her majesty would be aimlessly gazing through a peculiar window. I’m also as well acquainted with Big Ben as Belle is Cogsworth, the tightly wound pendulum clock in Disney’s Beauty & the Best. This trip, however, was guided by all activities loved by Cara but British style!

This Caribbean girl brought the Sun to London so of course I had to spend time sitting on the grass, enjoying the crisp, fresh air. Primrose Hill was the perfect place to lay a blanket and have a picnic. Rule of thumb: Never let any lovely weather days go to waste!

Visit Flip out trampoline Parks to achieve childhood dreams you never knew you had! What’s better than one trampoline? Many trampolines! It’s great for kids and kids at heart. We went during the week break so there were a lot of people but according to the staff you can go when the kids are in school and practically have the whole place to yourself. It’s 12. 50 pounds for an hour plus 2.50 pounds for the special trampoline socks.

I’m not plain so my icecream cannot be either! On the list of places to visit is Chin Chin Labs. It’s an icecream shop with an abundance of cool flavours that uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the icecream.

Southbank is another great place to hang out where there is loads of activity. It’s exceptional for people watching and watching actual shows. Did I mention that this is where the London eye is situated?

As you can tell by my lack of an outfit change this was all one day and I didn’t leave the house till about 11 a.m. I’m not quite certain what vacation goals are if it isn’t starting your day when almost half is gone but still managing to have a fulfilling day!

The last stop for the day was Bounce Ping Pong located on Old Street. Bounce is a restaurant & bar where you can go play table tennis. It works out to be pretty cheap if you bring some friends along. You can book to play for half hour or an hour. It’s about 30 pounds for an hour, less if you go at an offpeak time. The atmosphere was friendly and the setup is very trendy. It was a feel good place that catered to my competitive nature. What more could I ask for?

 

If you know me, you know that I love to go to museums. There is no shortage of museums in London to visit. On my trip I went to Tate Modern and The Science Museum which are both free to enter. I was also told that Victoria and Albert is also quite nice. I particularly took a liking to Tate Modern. It was a true representation of imagination running wild and free.

Tate Modern

Tate Modern

Science Museum

Science Museum

Science Museum

science museum

In closing, if you must eat, eat Nando’s, if you must shop, shop Primark and if you must fly, fly Virgin! Feel free to ask any questions about my trip!

There are special fares to London right NOW, call DMA Value Vacations 246-435-7959 or email clientservices@dmavaluevacations.com to book your flight!

Follow me on instagram @caramichaelaa to keep up with me & my travels in real time! This trip was made possible by DMA Value Vacations & Virgin Atlantic.

My heart goes out to all those who lost loved ones recently in the attacks in England. I pray peace and that our choices moving forward are never dictated by fear.

 

Cara Michaela