London 01: London Hijinks with Al and Maddie

Sunday, July 06, 2025

I woke up at 03:45 this morning so I could head to the airport for my flight to London. I took an Uber out to the airport, which was insanely expensive (as is everything in Denmark). Check-in and security were thankfully easy, giving me time to get a bite to eat for breakfast. My flight to London departed at 06:55 and I landed at Stanstead Airport two hours later. After taking the train into London, I hopped on the Tube over to Canary Warf, where I was staying for the next few days. It was too early to check in at the hotel, but I was able to store my bags so I could head out for the day.

Since today was my only entirely free day in London, I had made plans to hang out with my friends Al and Maddie. We met outside of the Victoria and Albert Museum at 11:00, where we first grabbed coffee – I was in dire need of caffeine! The three of us spent a couple of hours exploring the massive museum. Al and I chatted away ceaselessly, as is our usual tradition. Maddie has gotten used to us nerding out about things like Star Wars and just lets us do our thing.

When we finished at the museum, we went to a pub nearby to grab a drink and some light snacks. We ordered a snack platter to share, which had some amazing sausage rolls and Scotch eggs. It was a nice break for us to just hang out and recharge before heading out once again.

Our next destination was Portobello Road so we could walk around the famous market there. None of us had ever been there before, so we were curious to discover more of the market. It’s a long street full of stalls selling all manner of goods, from clothes to food to souvenirs to jewelry. We checked out several of the stalls before Al and I decided to head over to a pub, while Maddie continued to do some shopping. The pub was cozy and nearby empty when we arrived. Al and I grabbed a table in the rear and enjoyed several rounds of drinks, all while discussing various topics from jobs to relationships to politics. He and I always manage to have the most interesting, diverse, and through-provoking discussions each time we hang out. Al is one of the most intelligent and knowledgeable people I’ve ever met; I truly enjoy hearing his views on current events, etc.

As we sat there drinking we suddenly noticed that it was pouring rain outside! I went out to have a look and the streets were flooded with water. Maddie was stuck in some shop nearby, but thankfully she was able to stay dry. When the rain stopped, she came over to join us at the pub. The three of us then walked around Portobello Road a bit more and Maddie spotted a store with some cute jackets. She found a reversable jacket that was pink on one side and green on the other – it looked amazing on her! Somehow Al managed to haggle with the shop owner while she and I were busy admiring the coat, and he bought it for her!

To wrap up the day, we went to yet another pub down the road for drinks and dinner. We initially sat outside on the patio, before moving inside when it became too cool to remain outside. We had several rounds of drinks and then ordered some food – I had a schnitzel and then a sticky toffee pudding. By the time we finished at the pub, I was quite drunk (and so was Al). We all walked over to the Tube station, where we had to say our goodbyes as we were taking different trains to get back this evening. I had a lovely time with the two of them today and I was so glad that we had the time to meet up. They have become some of my favorite people to meet up with whenever I travel. Al and Maddie attended my wedding to Thinh back in January and I hope to attend their wedding (whenever that may be).

When I returned to the hotel, I got checked in with ease and went up to the room. I instantly noticed a problem: the room only had one double bed, despite me booking a room with two twin beds. I needed two beds because my dad was arriving in the morning and we would be sharing the hotel room. I went to the front desk to get it fixed, but they insisted that the room was the one I had booked and nothing would sway them to change the room. I believe that they had quite possibly allocated our correct room to another guest and I got this one because I had checked in so late in the evening.

I went back to the room and soon fell fast asleep. I was exhausted from the long day: early morning flight and spending all day out and about. I didn’t bother setting an alarm either – I could sleep in all I wanted tomorrow morning!