Thanks to a great relo package and horrible one-way flight prices, I was really happy to be able to take my return trip to Europe. I settled into my biz class seat, slipped on my noise cancelling headphones, and did my best to pass out. Didn’t quite work… a 5 year old screamed the entire flight and no Bose headphones are that strong.

What I did:

Camden— Lunch at the Camden market with friends was fun, though very crowded and with very difficult access to pre-drinking. I had a delicious Indian spiced lamb burger because London. We ended up coming back after the game to grab beers at some dive bar, and then grabbing BBQ nearby for dinner. For the English take on American BBQ, it wasn’t as atrocious as you would expect. Though it is hard to mess up bacon mac n cheese.

Arsenal— After a poor showing during an FA cup game in January, I was thrilled to go to an EPL game against Stoke City. This is something I had planned for months, and even though I’m a Red member I still had to got through a third party for tickets. Worth it though… the seats were behind the goal and amazing. A lot more chanting and hooligans around than the last game, which was hilarious. Arsenal pulled the W and sat pretty at the top of the table for a solid 20ish hours. All was perfect for a sparkling moment in time.

Spa Time— The Montcalm was the gift that kept on giving.

Oxford St. and Hyde Park— Oxford was all lit up and lovely with Christmas lights, and Hyde Park had a winter wonderland theme park/Christmas market set up. I didn’t buy much more than a SIM card at the O2 store but worth it for the people watching.

Random Tips:

• Have your raingear ready. Surprisingly for December, I was fine in a hooded Barbour jacket and didn’t need an umbrella.
• If you decide to eat at The Breakfast Club, be prepared to stand in line a long time. We gave up once we got too short on time 😦

How I got there:

Since I randomly saw friends in London, I decided to skip my second leg and book a new flight from London to Dublin. I was a bit stressed about it all, but it ended up being fine. As long as you show your itinerary leaving the UK and Europe, border control doesn’t care about missing your flight. You’re only screwed if you skip a leg mid-itinerary. I also still got points for what I flew in case you were curious. Several things online report different consequences, so I’m pleased with how it turned out.

At 6am on 3 hours of bad sleep, I found myself on the Heathrow Express to Paddington. Very, very easy. Prebooked in advance and added to my iPhone wallet. NEVER take a cab to a London airport unless you want to be miserable. Been there, done that.

Where I stayed:

I’m either a total hobo who shares a room with strangers at hostels, or a snob who stays in very nice hotels. There is no in between. This trip I decided on the Montcalm Hotel, near the Marble Arch. Upon hearing they had Arsenal fans in their presence, we were upgraded to the WOW Suite and were greeted by a framed photo of legendary player Dennis Bergkamp on the table. Also COYG flower petals and red and white balloons. Gold star to the hotel for their eye for detail!

For 37 hours in London, this trip was more for the company than the tourism. Still jam packed and a bit cray… my tradeoff was losing valuable jet lag readjustment time.