Return from Penzance, and around the city
So, I was gone for about 5 days, and that's 5 days too long! My trip to Penzance was amazing, one of the most relaxing holidays I've EVER had. But as I've said time and time again, nothing like the JOY of returning to London. As usual, the train called at Paddington station, it was about 1pm noon and the weather was brilliant. Very crisp, very breezy, light clouds, very Colorado. The first big task I had was checking in my stuff at the new YHA Central on Bolsover Street (parallel to Great Portland Street).
Read my review on the hostel below - I give it 5 stars. The YHA team continues to impress.
Once I dropped my stuff off, I quickly went for a walk around Oxford Street, bought some chochies for friends back home and came back to the hostel to cook my lunch (mac and cheese), and I met this lovely Algerian-French girl who was interviewing for role of French teacher in Manchester.
Late lunch done, I headed back to walking around London. I walked from Oxford Street to Covent Garden, through the Theatre district to Trafalgar Square, from there to Southwark, and from there to B'ham Palace. Phew! Great walk, and I ended it as I always do, with dinner at The Sekara. I spent some time surfing the Internet, and caught the tube back to the hostel after doing some Onken shopping @ Sainsbury's. When I got back, my roommates were up - a high school football coach from Norway and a PhD student from Hong Kong. It was quite interesting talking to them. I finished my packing, and slept around midnight. I wanted to wake up early the next day to go for a walk around London, as I always do the day I leave....
The hostel is located in the heart of London. Oxford Street is about 10 minutes walk, and the nearest tube station (Great Portland St)about 5-10 minutes. Very convenient, and very safe. it has the advantage of being near the Holiday Inn, Regent's Park which has very tight security, so the whole neighbourhood seems safe.
The bedrooms are a bit small though. Not so much the beds, but the space between beds for one to move his luggage so don't take big luggages to this place, you'll have a hard time opening it once in your room.
That said, I give his hostel 5/5. I thought the St.pancras one was the best, well not any longer!
