Let's Go, Jane!

I arrived in London on a Sunday morning, bleary eyed but ready for adventure. The London portion of my trip was split into the first two and last two nights. As a result, I only had two full, uninterrupted days to explore the city.

I grabbed a cup of strong coffee at the airport and made my way to the hostel. This was the only hostel where I had a shared room (in Helsinki I had a private room with a shared bathroom, and in Amsterdam I had a private room with a private bathroom) and it was by far the least expensive, coming in at just €35 a night (about $40). My roommates were all in their early 20s, and were well behaved except for the final night when 2 out of 3 came home loudly at 3 am, and the 3rd didn’t come home at all. Oh, to be 23 again.

I dropped my bag at the hostel and headed out for the afternoon walking tour I’d booked, riding a red double decker bus to the meeting point. Our tour guide, Ollie, was charming and funny. A university student who leads tours on the side for extra spending money. We hit all the usual sights; Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and Trafalgar Square. I grabbed a quick bite of falafel on Brick Lane before heading back to the hostel for an early night.

On Monday I rode the tube to Kew Gardens, a botanical garden about an hour west of the city. Eager to try the local food, I stopped at a restaurant along the way to eat a traditional English breakfast of poached eggs, roasted mushrooms and tomatoes, and bacon that resembled ham, before continuing on to the gardens. With no one telling me it was time to go, I wandered happily among the plants for three and a half hours. There were many beautiful specimens that day, but for me the highlight was the water lilies. They ranged in size from tiny to huge with flowers of all colors. Truly stunning.

By late afternoon, I was running on fumes. I sat in the common area and did some work for my research job before heading out to a Punjabi restaurant where I ate the most delicious spiced lamb and lentil stew. Similar to eating Surinamese food in Amsterdam, I made an exception to the “local food” rule in London, knowing that they are known for having a large Indian population and authentic Indian restaurants. My final step count for both days in London was over 20K and I slept very well. In the morning I woke at dawn to catch a flight to Helsinki.

I was back in London a week later for the final two nights of my trip. With one full day left to spend in London, and having not checked off very many items on my list, I decided to take the Thames Clippers ferry from Westminster to Greenwich (about 45 minutes) to see the city by water. Sort of like a boat tour, but without the voice over. I had a “nice” time in Greenwich (no one ever gets that joke, I think it’s hilarious) walking around Greenwich Park and the Royal Observatory before hopping on a train to Borough Market.

Borough Market was the culinary highlight of the whole 2-week trip. It’s an outdoor food market with vendors selling meats, cheeses, breads, and produce, as well as street food of all kinds. I had watched an Instagram video with highlights, and even though I arrived with an empty stomach I was still only able to enjoy a sausage roll, cheese toast, and strawberries with melted chocolate before declaring myself too full to continue. I needed Carey to split things with me, it was just too much food. I did see the mushroom risotto and the fancy donuts and the paella from the video but I was too full to try them. Another time.

It was my last night in London, and the last night of my trip. I sat in the courtyard of the hostel for a few hours, working and people watching. I had a nice long phone call with Carey, filling him in on the details of my trip. At the end of the night, I walked through the bar area to get to my room, and they were starting a karaoke night. On a whim, I put my name on the list and ordered myself a beer. An hour later, they called my name and I had an entire bar of 20-somethings singing along with me as I performed Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.” What an entertaining way to wrap up this solo trip to Europe.

In the morning I packed up my trusty Osprey backpack and took the tube to Picadilly Circus to walk around until it was time to head to the airport. I logged another 10K steps while loaded up with all my stuff.

Back in the States for a short pause, I’m already preparing for the next chapter: Spain, Portugal, and Greece in September. These two weeks gave me exactly what I needed—a trial run, a few lessons learned, and the confidence that I can do this. The real journey starts now!

P.S. Big news — my second book is officially out! 🎉 Downsizing After 50: A Practical Guide to Letting Go of Stuff and Gaining Freedom, Time, and Peace is now live on Amazon. It’s part practical guide, part personal story of how I went from a four-bedroom house to just a carload of things. If you’re curious (or know someone who might be), you can check it out here.