From the Thames to the Clouds: My Memorable London Adventures.

Even though I rented a car during my trip to England, I didn’t feel comfortable driving into the heart of London having to deal with traffic and parking for my sightseeing adventures. I feel I would miss so much having to stay focused on driving. This meant from my hotel in Reading, I could take the bus to Pennington station, and from there ride the train into London. To venture into the unknown of such a large and world-renowned city was super exciting.

It was early Tuesday morning and with the help of Google Maps, it was time to answer the call to London. The bus to the Reading train station picks up in front of my hotel. After a short ride into downtown Reading, it was a brief but pleasant walk to the train station. Shoutout to Google Maps, it makes traveling abroad so much easier. It shows you what train to take (along with times), and how to get to the right track. And while on the train (same as when on the bus), it tells you how many stops until you reach your destination. I got to be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed the train ride into London. Was so peaceful and calming considering I’ve never been to London and my levels of excitement were growing as I got closer.

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Once off the train, I made my way through the stunning open space of Pennington station to begin my adventure. My goal was to try to experience the city by seeing the most iconic landmarks of London. Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, the London Eye, and a lesser-known point of interest, the Graffiti Tunnel off Leake Street. Mother Nature was being kind, and the weather was picture-perfect. I spent the day navigating the city, had lunch on the Thames, bought souvenirs for my friends, and even rode on the underground a few times, which I found noisy but convenient. After a long but memorable day and a shit ton of walking, I made my way back to my hotel in Reading.

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After doing helicopter flights over LAX and Seattle last year, I had to do one over London. On very short notice and with the help of Wingly, I was able to search and book a site seeing flight. The day after my bus and train trip into London, I drove down to Blackbushe Airport to meet Simon, the pilot of my scenic flight. After a quick safety briefing, pre-flight checks of the Robinson R-44, and clearance for departure, we were in the air and headed to London. From Blackbushe airport, the planned route was to join up with the Thames, fly on the southern side up to the London Eye, and turn back on the northern side. Simon was very professional and informative about numerous points of interest up and down the Thames. The only downside of the flight was due to where we took off from. It took more time to get to London than the actual time we spent over it. This was due to my last-minute booking which really limited my choice of flights. Most of the longer scenic flights with closer departure locations were already booked well before I even had this idea. But it was still very exciting and got a unique perspective of London. Time for me to cut the chatter and let you to check out some photos from this adventure. Enjoy!

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