It has been a while since I visited London. Back in 2000, there was a teenage goddaughter and her family whom we visited. Soon after, I was back on a business trip in 2003. My goddaughter is a full-grown adult now, ready to march down the aisle to meet the man of her dreams. How time flies!

I arrived to the same London I remember, except only that there’s the “Harry Potter” phenomenon and London Eye attraction adding to those sites from Canterbury Tales, palaces, and Westminster icons. We arrived nearly midnight in Central London. Still sleep-deprived, we managed a very productive first day outing the next morn. The usual drill: Buckingham Palace, Covent Garden, Borough Market, Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square, British Museum, Tower of London, Saint Paul’s Cathedral and London Bridge. Oh ok, add Dragon Alley and Bridget Jones apartment to that.

It is a pity that Big Ben and parts of Westminster Abbey and Cathedral are up for major restoration work. No photo op with all those scaffoldings. The Nelson’s Column still stands dead Center of the Trafalgar Square. It was teeming with tourists the time we visited. And you’d find them again at the British Museum amidst the Nereid Monument, Elgin Marbles and around the Rosetta Stone.

London’s and Westminster’s major attractions maybe all must-see’s but we enjoyed Borough’s Market best. It was a very late lunch here after a 3 hour walking tour and we weren’t just bushed when we got here. We were hungry! Hard to resist those empanadas and Argentinian steaks in a bun! Walking around the market, we likewise didn’t miss the Scotch eggs, asparagus and doughnuts!

By the time we were back at the hotel, we were very tired. All of 18,000 steps in a day. Skipping dinner, I called it a night early. Phew!

Porteña at Borough Market