For my first venture out since January 2020 I decided to visit the UK’s capital city of London. At approx 150 miles or 240km I decided to sit back, relax and take the train and by booking 3 months in advance I managed to get 1st class tickets for £35 each way (about $50 US / €40 / $64 AUS).
Its been a few years since I last visited London other than passing through St Pancras and Paddington on my way to Heathrow Airport. It was back in 2014 when I went to see the WW1 memorial poppies at the Tower of London.
A warm sunny day on the 8th June, I arrived in London St Pancras at around 10:40 and headed for the south bank. Unfortunately the Palace of Westminster was under going some renovation work and the Elizabeth Tower which house the clock bell known as “Big Ben” was covered in scaffolding.
Due to the aftermath of a post Covid 19 world the city was deserted compared to a “usual” day, even on The Tube during rush hour there were few people about. Normally the platform is full to capacity and people are squeezing onto every carriage of the train. I was able to stand with plenty of space and even got a seat. Most of the souvenir stores were shut and many restaurants were full of empty tables.