It’s a 3.5-hour flight to London from Iceland. With the in-flight movies, games, and snacks the flight went by extra quickly. Once at Heathrow, we take the long walk to customs to get our much-awaited first European stamps on our passports. Take note of the “long walk” to customs; be prepared, but customs moves pretty quickly.
Once through Customs, we picked up a UK SIM card for the phone, which probably would’ve been cheaper to purchase outside of the airport, but we were excited to get moving. We easily located the tube, got our Oyster cards, and set off on the Piccadilly line toward Cockfosters. After an hour's ride, we exited at Kings Cross Station (home of the fabled 9 3/4 platform from Harry Potter) and walked directly into a very busy, welcoming London.
After spending the last three days in desolate, spacious Iceland, it was a slight shock to walk out into a busy city. It was a real sensory overload as we immediately took in all the sights, sounds, and smells.
We quickly make it to our hotel, The Travelodge at King’s Cross, drop off our luggage, and head back out into the city to find lunch. Back at the King’s Cross Tube Station, there is an artisan food market stocked with independently owned booths that offer up a ton of English delicacies. I spot a vendor selling Scottish eggs while Amy picks up some yummy falafel. On the other hand, the kids were a little less adventurous and stuck to McDonalds until I returned with a lamb kabob, which Ella helped devour. All in all, a comfortable proper picnic.
Halfway there, we decided to take the bus instead since our Oyster cards covered the costs, but I forgot mine in the room, so we opted for some awesome gelato and an early night instead.
