A memoir of journeys made

When people think of romantic European cities, those in countries such as France and Italy immediately jump to mind! Even Belgium’s Brugge and Czech Republic’s Prague are popular choices too. I’ll have to say that London is IT for me! For real! :D

St. James Park

Being in a city as vibrant as London, you’re never at a loss for choices. From a chill date to one that would have you going from one end of the city to the other to having a romantic, activity-filled or a geeky date, I say, London can cater to it all! You just have to know what you want. :)

A wonderful day would include some of these:

Colourful Notting Hill

Going to one of the city’s numerous markets, one of which is in Notting Hill’s Portobello Road. The colourful houses make for such a nice backdrop to an area teeming with stalls that sell everything from cheeses to olives to pheasants and freshly baked breads; to antiquities and oddities and clothes and loads more! I love food and starting the day with a happy tummy goes a long way to buoying up my mood. ;)

Seeing the panoramic view of London from Greenwich Observatory either at daytime or night time. They both have their own charm!

London skyline by day

London skyline by night

Music could help set up a romantic atmosphere. Whether be it watching a musical – Mamma Mia and Wicked (The Phantom of the Opera as well as Les Mis are both amazing but not exactly the mood we’re going for after all!)- or by listening to one of the many street performers play instruments and/or sing.

Watching Mamma Mia

Somehow, one thing that I truly enjoy doing in this city is walking along the River Thames at night. I’d suggest starting from St. Katherine’s docks (Tower Bridge Station) where you could have dinner with your special someone while enjoying the view of  the many  varied yachts parked there. No rush, there’s no need to hurry. When you’re ready… head towards the riverside, walk by the Tower Bridge then cross over to the South Bank of the river from here. There would be a pedestrian lane that you could follow once there plus it’s more picturesque. The walk would take you past Shakespeare’s Globe and the Tate Modern Museum which is just near it. From Tate, I would suggest to cross the Millennium Bridge back to the other side of the river, well, you do have the option to continue walking along the South Bank. I say that the view of St. Paul’s Cathedral from the end of this bridge is just amazing and at night, the fact that there are hardly any tourist so you basically have the place for yourselves make it special.

The pedestrian only Millennium Bridge by day

Millennium Bridge at night

Most European cities are built around a river. It’s where life revolved around on. That’s why you’d see the most historical buildings and district along the riverbanks. One nice way of appreciating the city is to go on a river cruise. Having a romantic dinner while aboard one of those cruising boats sounds very inviting, isn’t it? :)

Beautiful Parliament Building and Big Ben

If you’re with somebody special, I don’t think what you two are doing nor where you both are would be such a big deal since being in each other’s company is all there is to it to be happy and content. Then again, exploring new places, trying out new things, and having memorable experiences together would make it all the more worth it romantic. :)

This is my entry to the February 2013 Carnival of Europe hosted by Aleah Taboclaon of Solitary Wanderer with the theme “Most Romantic Places in Europe.”