The Lust to Wander (Life)

Having last gone to England in 2010 and 2011, I have been anticipating this trip for the last six years and planning and day dreaming about it whenever I get a chance. I've literally done all the popular tourist attractions on these two trips or at least the ones I was interested in. Opinions may vary widely of course.

I've done, Oak Hill Park, Holland Park, Regent's Park, Millennium Eye, Science Museum, Madame Tussauds, Sherlock Holmes Museum, Lord's Cricket Ground, Sea Life Aquarium, Windsor Castle, Hampton Court Gardens, Natural History Museum, RAF Museum, National Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Edgewarebury Park, British Museum, Wimbledon, Virginia Waters, Bibury Trout Farm, Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, Marlow, Oxford, British Museum, Southend (in no particular order) and they are quite a few places that didn't make this list I think.

This time, (later this year) it's time to explore some of the less popular attractions in London, as well as exploring further afield. 

Without any more preamble, here goes the list of things to do that I have compiled thus far, there is still some time to go, so I expect a few things to be added as I stumble across them in my crawl through researching the internet.

1. The view from The Shard - to see London from the top of the tallest tower in Western Europe, at 244 meters, I expect to get some great photographs of the view. Good thing I don't get vertigo...
2. V&A Museum of Childhood - I'm a child at heart, what could be more irresistible than the world’s finest collections of children’s toys, games and costumes? Now, if only I could drag along some of my nieces and nephews as an excuse to visit, so it wouldn't look as bad.
3. A minor bucket list item is to go on a cable car, oooh the danger! But getting some great views of London is a good payoff I would think - Cable Car Trip
4. I love ice-cream just as much as the next person, but the opportunity to see ice-cream is frozen to order amid billowing clouds of liquid nitrogen-generated steam, seems like something I should not miss Cool Icecream
5. Strangely enough I have not visited the London Zoo before, something to correct on this trip. 
6. While I have gone here before twice, I cannot resist going here again - Four floors of books, over 200,000 different titles, it's Foyles flagship store in Soho. As a book-lover, I have to control myself by saying I only have 23kg of luggage to take back to Trinidad. Sooooo many books, just imagine, you literally can spend the whole day here. 
7. I'm an animal lover since I can remember (not all animals though, icky snakes), and it's really time to visit an English Farm - Mudchute Park and Farm
8. While I am an animal lover, I am obsessed with dogs and wolves and I cannot miss going here - Wolf Conservation Trust, hoping to get at least one picture with a wolf to put on my Instagram.. the anticipation
9. Further along the wildlife chain - Cotswold Wildlife Park seems like an awesome day out.
10. Castles! The majesty, the mystery, Leeds Castle, the loveliest castle in the world. 
11. Mind numbing chocolate - a chance to visit the factory! Cadbury! Have I mentioned I'm a child at heart?
12. Being fascinated by books and the huge variety, it's staggering to see the high quality books at second hand bookshops I've gone to in England, (must trawl through all the second hand bookshops again) one of my favorites - The Cottage Book Shop
13. Actually go to a beach in London? It is possible! Ruislip Lido
14. One of the greatest things with London is the wonderful variety of parks - Syon Park is another one to check off.
15. London's highest public garden? Sounds like an offer I can't refuse - Sky Garden
16. I also think it'll be a good idea to take in a T20 match at the Kia Oval cause I have gone to Lords cricket ground twice already in 2010 and 2011, another cricket ground to check off. 
17. Hoping to sneak away to Paris for a couple nights as well. 
18. Must experience a movie in Imax London! (Again after 2011, I loved the experience of this Imax)

Goals for my trip to London

1) Take a picture of every ticket stub/ receipt.

2) Grab a call card/ menu/ branded napkin as a souvenir.

3) Must get at least one memorable picture from every place I go.

4) Must do at least one memorable different thing every day.

I'm only going for 20 days, not including flight days, and it's going to be an unbelievably packed trip to fit all this in, not to mention experiencing some fancy restaurants and dining with family and friends scattered over England. 

Goal before trip - lose ten pounds or more, cause of all the eating I'm going to do. 

I'm starting to think I may have to plan out what I'm doing each day before I actually go, cause this is starting to sound difficult to pack it all in. 

Another goal before trip - must plan out trip. 

It's likely that I'm starting off the trip right, by traveling not only by myself from Trinidad to Barbados and then onto London Gatwick, but I'm traveling by train to my final destination where I'll be staying for most of my trip. Hoping for something memorable, maybe it'll have a celebrity on my flight? 

I wonder how many Virgin Atlantic branded items I can walk away with from the plane? Must count them and take pictures! 

Curiously enough, the underlying unknown in the situation is the fact that I'm traveling via train for the final leg of my journey.

Can't wait!