Our last day in London had us finishing off the last of the major tourist attractions. We missed the youthful Harry Potter train platform, in addition to looking at the British Museum. We would also take the opportunity to inspect Camden Locks, the touristy hipster area north of London that had eluded me on several past visits to the city. We ended up our time here visiting all that we needed to see, with a little left over for the next trip.

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This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Activity City Visit: Deciphering the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum and Hanging out at Camden Locks London, United Kingdom.

On our last day of sightseeing in London, it was time to tie up a few loose ends. There were still a few major attractions we had not had the opportunity to see, so we made the most of the day by taking in all the last attractions we had missed.

Visiting Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross:

We started out from the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington taking the Underground to the famous for kids Kings’ Cross Station in search of Platform 9 ¾ from Harry Potters. The King’s Cross Pancras hotel / station is most impressive from the street.

The platform used to be actually hidden on one of the platforms, but it seems that the world has descended onto Kings Cross station so it’s been moved conveniently and artificially to a location next to a retail storefront.

We could have joined the line for an official photograph but otherwise quite expensive at 9.50 pounds sterling when everyone has a camera phone. After a tour through the Harry Potter gift shop we set out on a short walk for the British Museum.

We walked through towards Russell Square Park. It was a gorgeous day with everyone out and about.

Touring the British Museum:

The British Museum is quite impressive. It was my first visit and there was plenty there to keep us interested and entertained.

Among the most famous exhibits here are the Rosetta Stone, the first decoder that had two versions of Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Greek scripts. It allowed the world to understand for the first time the key behind Egyptian hieroglyphics.

There was also a very well preserved, (and creepy) mummified corpse that had been discovered. It’s one of the more famous exhibits. Needless to say, it fascinated me and creeped Jr out.

Training it up to Camden Town:

We had a quick sandwich at the Pret a Manger near the British Museum and took the Tube from funky Russell Square station up to Camden Town.

Hanging out in Camden Town:

Camden Town is a punk and gothic hip area. I’d never been before and it was neat to finally get to this part of London. For some reason, all the cool kids were sitting in lines on the sidewalk.

We ended up wandering through the local market, which was a combination of food stands and souvenirs. It was perfect to get away from the usual touristy spots. Although this neighbourhood is probably considered to be a bit kitschy for real London regulars.

We checked out the souvenir stalls. I ended up purchasing MrsWT73 a kitty cat magnet. We eventually started to head back to the Camden Town station through this eclectic neighbourhood that reminded me of Haight Asbury in San Francisco, California, USA.

We took the train back to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. Since its free to take in Galleries in London, we took a quick peek through.

The National Gallery is all about paintings and there are lots of impressive ones here. Monet, Rembrant and Van Gogh make their home here.

Closing out London in Trafalgar Square:

After a busy day of walking around, we took a final rest and relax at Trafalgar Square, just to take in the view. It’s probably one of my favourite places in London.

From Traflagar Square, after that quick Ribena hydrating drink, we headed over to Covent Garden Wagamana for a bowl of noodles and ramen. Although it’s a chain franchise, it also happens to be a chain franchise that isn’t available in Vancouver, Canada. We arrived just at 5:40 PM and thankfully just avoided the pre theatre supper evening line. After lots of European food for the last week and a half, WT73Jr was happy to get a little Pacific Rim food.

Last Call at Covent Gardens:

After dinner, we walked and lingered through Covent Gardens on the way back to the Underground station.

We headed back down through the Covert Garden underground station. On a snap decision, junior decided he wanted to take the circular stairs instead of waiting for the lifts. It happens to be a lift only station; there are no escalators here. It was about 13 floors down, as one of London’s deepest underground stations. I was pretty glad I wasn’t climbing it back up!

We headed back to the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, from Covert Garden to Earl Court on the Underground. We spent the evening packing up to prepare for our departure the next day.

My Thoughts on Our Five Day Stay in London:

I had forgotten what a wonderful city London is to spend time in. I had passed over London several times recently, having traveled further afield and to different locations. These five days reminded me of what a terrific city it is to spend time in. It’s an ideal place to explore with a teenager. There is easily enough here to keep you entertained for a week or more.

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If you do a longer stay in London, how long do you typically stay for ?

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