Konni & Matt - Perpetual Travellers: 29 Jul

Europe

United Kingdom

England

London

City of Westminster

Smart Hyde Park Inn +442072290000 hpi.bookings@smartbackpackers.com

Basic dorm beds for GBP 16.70.- or US$ 26.10 per person per night, including continental breakfast and wifi in the lobby.

Click below for an interactive road map of the Smart Hyde Park Inn in London and for directions:

N 51° 30.74' W 000° 11.17'

Touring wonderful and enormous London extensively by means of underground (“Tube”), riverboat (“Thames Clipper”) and hiking sandals (“Adda”) thus visiting the city's famous landmarks: (i) Buckingham Palace, one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today, with the traditional Changing-the-Guard ceremony, (ii) Westminster Abbey, founded over a thousand years ago as a Benedictine monastery and known to millions throughout the world from televised coverage of coronations and royal weddings, and the Palace of Westminster (including Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament), (iii) the Tower of London with the Tower Bridge, (iv) Trafalgar Square (obligingly noticing Canada House and South Africa House) with Nelson’s Column, and last but not least, (v) the well-maintained Hyde Park with the adjoining Kensington Gardens, and recuperating thereafter in the infamous London pubs with “fish ‘n’ chips” and quite a few pints of draft (... and finding out that food in England really is as bad as people say it is).

“London on your own actually seems more exotic than Egypt on a tour.”

(Laura Fraser)

Crossing the vast Atlantic Ocean and flying with Air Transat (8 hours flying time) in an Airbus A 310-300 from London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 4 to Toronto/Ontario (Lester B. Pearson International Airport) for all inclusive GBP 274.- or US$ 425.- per person, one way, changing in mid-air our watches from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT/UTC + 00:00 hours) to Eastern Daylight Saving Time (GMT/UTC - 04:00 hours), and being issued with a 6-month visit permit to Canada on arrival, free of charge; welcome to Canada!