Listen up, this is London baby!- That’s one of my favourite soundtracks from Tiktok.
Although I had been to London before, the first time was for a solo short trip, so when me and my wife decided on a getaway from our little bubbly city, the big smoke was where we chose to go.
On a cool Sunday morning in August, we landed Gatwick airport at about 8AM. It was a 1 hour flight from the Belfast City Airport. The flight was so smooth I created a landing video.
@muyiwalagos This content thing no easy lol. Rate my skill.
Here’s everything we did during our 7 day trip:
Day 1 – Arrival
After arriving at our hotel in South London, we strolled around the neigbourhood, had a quick breakfast, went back to the hotel and boarded a train towards the Intercontinental hotel at the O2 Arena. This was the venue of the Naija Brand Chick tradefair in London, an event I had previously attended in Lagos. The London edition of this event brought vendors from Lagos to connect with Nigerian/international community in the United Kingdom.
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The Mrs bought a few African pieces from the fair and you can guess whose tab the bill went haha, (I’m not complaining though).
At the fair, I connected with my friend Uzoamaka, whom I had known back in Nigeria. She was volunteering at the event. She’s also doing well in her new found abode in the UK.
Day 2 – Visit to Oxford Street/The British Museum & Trying Out Japanese Noodles
On day two, we decided to visit the famous British Museum in the heart of London. Our train however didn’t make a stop at our intended stop so we could get to Tottenham Court station which meant we had to walk for a bit. This turned out to be a good thing as we found ourselves right inside the famous Oxford street, one of London’s top fashion districts.
On Oxford street, I saw a billboard that said: “welcome to the fashion capital of the world” and I couldn’t agree less. Lined on both sides of the road were numerous designer brands, both mainstreet and the lesser known. Everything from Gucci, to Ted Baker, Zara, H&M, Primark & Uniqlo was there and every style was well represented.
I picked up a few pieces from Uniqlo as I loved their stylish and contemporary male collection – afterall, what’s a trip without some shopping.
Oxford street to the British Museum was about a 15 minute walk and by the time we got there I was a bit hungry so we decided to try out some street food in London.
I saw an Asian Cafe close to the museum and I decided to try something I have never had before, proper Japanese noodles.
At the cafe, I used chopsticks for the first time in my life. The noodle soup was good and I loved the huge chunk of bacon inside it.
After visiting a couple of museums, most museums just feel the same to me now but I wanted to really see the Benin artefacts at the London museum.
I was impressed by the enormous size of the British Museum complex. It had various sections showcasing historical elements from all continents of the world.
I breezed through most of the museum in order to locate the African section.
Day 3 Private Photoshoot at Westminster Abbey & London Eye
It’s called a private photoshoot so I wouldn’t share haha but here’s one of me at the London eye.
We also tried out the Tiktok famous suya man in Peckham. Shout out to Chef Kolawole Ajayi, his suya was so good and was worth the visit and the jollof rice, so yummy. He also gave us some suya on the house when we told him we came in from out of town and had him as part of our London to-dos.
@kolawoleajayi
Day 4:
This day was for a private family visit. We spent the day with a family friend who lives in London and it was a beautiful stroll around the Erith/Bexleyheath area.
Day 5:
I stay inside, common, one is supposed to rest on a vacation right? Not patrolling around London.
Day 6:
A visit to another friend, who is a respected internet marketer from back home in Nigeria. It was nice connecting with him at his home in a different country. Respect Pato.
Day 7 – flight back home
But before the flight, a quick stop at Enish, a popular high end Nigerian restaurant across London. I had Egusi and my wife had Oha soup. We liked the way they wrapped the pounded yam – in leaves.
My thoughts about London:
London is such a beautiful place. When you’re there, you feel the pulse of a very large and vibrant modern city. No matter your interest, you will always find so many things to do in London. I also love how the railway links connects almost every part of the city.
It is also a multicultural place, catering to a very diverse culture. However, it’s such an expensive place to live.
I will definitely be going back over and over again.
