Today we visited the Florence Nightingale Museum to start our first full day in London. I learned a lot about Florence Nightingale that I never knew before. One thing that really surprised me was that Florence had a sister. I had always heard so much about Florence herself, but I never knew much about her family life. The museum also showed many of her writings and personal belongings. Florence wrote about religion, philosophy, sanitation, and statistics in India. She also wrote about the frustrations she experienced as an educated woman living in the middle class during her time period. It was interesting to see how passionate she was about improving healthcare and advocating for women.
One of my favorite parts of the museum was seeing the Turkish lanterns Florence used during the Crimean War while making her nightly rounds through the hospital. I originally saw replicas of the lanterns in the gift shop and wondered why they were so important, but after learning the history behind them, I understood their significance. Florence became known as The Lady with the Lamp because she would walk through the wards at night checking on wounded soldiers while carrying one of those lanterns. It was really cool seeing such an important piece of history up close. I also got to try on an outfit that looked like a soldier’s uniform from that time period, which made the experience even more interactive and fun.
After leaving the museum, my friends and I walked over to Borough Market. The market was packed with people and had so many different food options. I started my day there with a cinnamon bun pastry, and honestly it was probably the best pastry I have had on this trip so far. It was warm, soft, and covered in the perfect amount of icing. After walking around more, I found a juice stand where I got a Super Berry juice that was really refreshing. We also got chocolate-covered strawberries that were amazing. Everything at the market smelled so good, and it was hard to decide what to try because there were endless choices.
The last thing I got at the market was truffle tortellini from an Italian food stand. I love tortellini already, but this was on another level. The truffle flavor made it taste so rich and flavorful. All of us sampled each others food, and we agreed that Borough Market definitely had some of the best food we had eaten during the trip. The atmosphere there was so lively and energetic, which made the experience even better.
After Borough Market, we walked to Tower Bridge and stopped to take pictures. Seeing Tower Bridge in person was really cool because it is one of the most recognizable landmarks in London. The weather was nice, so it made walking around the city even more enjoyable. After taking pictures, we had a long walk back toward the London Eye. While we were there, we stopped to watch a street performance called the Tom Show. We ended up staying for about half an hour because it was so entertaining and funny. The performer somehow managed to fit himself through a tennis racket while riding a unicycle, which honestly seemed impossible. The crowd loved it, and it was one of those random moments that made the day memorable.
After the show, we walked over toward Big Ben and took more pictures. From there, we started making our way to Buckingham Palace by walking through St James Park. The park was beautiful and peaceful, and it was nice to take a short break from the busy streets of London. We stopped at a cafe for a little while so we could sit down, relax, and recharge because we had already walked so much that day. After resting, we continued on to Buckingham Palace. It was exciting to finally see it in person after hearing so much about it for years.
After Buckingham Palace, all of us really wanted to visit the Jellycat store, so we headed there next. It was such a fun stop because everything inside was adorable, and it honestly felt like being a little kid again. After that, we grabbed a quick dinner at a small barbecue place nearby. The food was decent, but it was more of a quick stop before our final activity of the night.
To end the day, we went to the theater to watch Moulin Rouge! The Musical. The show was incredible and the perfect way to end our time in London. The music, costumes, and performances were all amazing, and it was one of the best theater experiences I have ever had. By the end of the night, I was exhausted from all the walking, but it was completely worth it. I headed to bed early because I had an early morning leaving for Paris. I am honestly really sad that this part of the trip is over because I had such an amazing time with everyone. This experience in London is something I will never forget, and I wish it did not have to end so soon.