Here is the second part of this double episode all about great things to see and do while in London 🇬🇧. Listen to my friends and family talking about the city 🏙️, learn some fascinating bits of history 🔥, get inside tips 🗺️ and learn some vocabulary in the process.
Just like for part 1, this page contains (below) some very useful things (you’re welcome). Including:
- A PDF transcript
- The video of my Walk & Talk in London
- A summary of the places and recommendations from this episode
- A vocabulary list from the episode
1. PDF with transcript, list of London travel tips & vocabulary list👇
2. Watch my Walk & Talk video in London 👇
3. A Summary of the Recommendations from the Episode (Part 2) 👇
Here you will find a summary of the places and recommendations from this audio episode (Part 2).
🚶 Walks and General Exploration
- Walk along the South Bank of the Thames
- Walk from Victoria Station to Leicester Square via Westminster, St. James’s Park, and Buckingham Palace
- Walk through St. James’s Park, Green Park, and Hyde Park
- Stroll around Soho, especially in the early evening
- Wander around areas like Brixton, treating it like a little village
- Explore Chiswick and its high street markets
🌉 River Thames & Bridges
- Stand on bridges like Waterloo Bridge, Westminster Bridge, Tower Bridge, and London Bridge
- Visit the Port of London and view The Shard
- Learn the story of the bus that jumped Tower Bridge in 1952
🏛️ Landmarks & Cultural Sites
- Big Ben and Houses of Parliament
- Downing Street (Prime Minister’s residence)
- Trafalgar Square – fountains, Nelson’s Column
- Covent Garden Market
- Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus
- Baker Street and the Sherlock Holmes statue
- Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard
- Chinatown for Chinese food
- Dalston for Vietnamese cuisine
- Green Lanes (North London) for Turkish food
- Brick Lane for Bangladeshi culture and food
🎭 Arts & Entertainment
- See a musical in London’s West End (e.g., Les Misérables, The Lion King)
- Go to the Leicester Square box office for discounted theatre tickets
- Visit St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church and the Cafe in the Crypt
- Do brass rubbings at St. Martin’s
- Go to Tate Modern (free exhibitions and contemporary art)
- Visit The National Gallery and The National Portrait Gallery
📚 Bookshops & Browsing
- Visit Waterstones Piccadilly (huge multi-storey bookshop with a café)
- Browse independent bookshops and check for your own books (like Anna Brooke!)
🎧 Music & Record Shopping
- Explore record shops in Soho and elsewhere
- Go to live gigs in small venues (e.g., Denmark Street, Camden Underworld)
- Go to band rehearsal studios in Brixton
🍽️ Food & Drink
- Enjoy pubs for cosy atmospheres (e.g., The Porter House in Covent Garden)
- Eat at food markets across the city
- Explore restaurants representing many world cuisines
- Try a proper fry-up breakfast in Brixton
- Grab pastries and coffee from weekend food markets
⚽ Sport & Atmosphere
- Attend a Premier League football match for the electric atmosphere
(e.g., Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, West Ham, Crystal Palace)
🛍️ Markets & Shopping
- Visit Portobello Road Market (antiques, second-hand goods)
- Browse Chiswick’s Sunday Markets:
- Cheese Market (the last in the UK!)
- Antiques Market
- Flower Market
- Food Market
4. 📘 Vocabulary from “Favourite Things to Do in London” (Part 2)
bustling (adj.)
Definition: full of activity and energy
Example: He says it’s bustling with activity.
cantilevered (adj.)
Definition: supported at only one end, allowing for extension
Example: Tower Bridge with its cantilevered road.
derelict (adj.)
Definition: in very poor condition
Example: The bridge… got derelict and had to be replaced.
auction (noun)
Definition: a public sale where items are sold to the highest bidder
Example: He bought it in an auction for two and a half million dollars.
spire (noun)
Definition: a pointed structure on top of a building, especially a church
Example: The Shard with its great tall spire.
sneakily (adv.)
Definition: in a secretive or clever way
Example: I usually try and do it sneakily by going to the Leicester Square box office.
quirky (adj.)
Definition: strange in an interesting or attractive way
Example: It was great sitting at tables that are on gravestones. So just it was very quirky.
serendipitous (adj.)
Definition: occurring by chance in a happy or beneficial way
Example: You can do a bit of serendipitous show watching.
crypt (noun)
Definition: an underground room beneath a church
Example: They have a cafe in the crypt.
to get your bearings (phrase)
Definition: to figure out where you are
Example: You just don’t get your bearings.
fry-up (noun)
Definition: a traditional English cooked breakfast
Example: Maybe go for a cup of tea and a fry up somewhere.
to dig through (phrasal verb)
Definition: to search through a pile or collection of items
Example: Dig through some of the vinyl boxes there.
mooch about (phrasal verb)
Definition: to wander about in a relaxed way
Example: Have a mooch about, maybe go for a cup of tea.
to rifle through (phrasal verb)
Definition: to search quickly through something
Example: There are always interesting places to go and rifle through.
formative years (noun phrase)
Definition: the years that shape one’s development
Example: Something from your past, your formative teenage years.
venue (noun)
Definition: a place where events are held
Example: A small venue on Denmark Street.
cosy (adj.)
Definition: warm, comfortable and inviting
Example: They’re just cosy, you know, when it’s dark and rainy.
bland (adj.)
Definition: lacking strong flavour or character
Example: Maybe they’re a bit bland compared to what you can get.
nailed (verb, informal)
Definition: done very well
Example: We’ve got restaurants in London absolutely nailed.
foodie (noun, informal)
Definition: a person who loves food
Example: I’m a big foodie and I miss it a lot.
hard pushed (phrase)
Definition: finding something difficult to do
Example: You’d be hard pushed to find a place that had a better selection of food.
little one (noun, informal)
Definition: a young child
Example: When I can take the little one out with me…
walk of life (noun phrase)
Definition: a person’s background or occupation
Example: You will see every form and walk of life.
stop off (phrasal verb)
Definition: to stop somewhere briefly during a journey
Example: You can always stop off for a drink on the way.
invigorated (adj.)
Definition: filled with energy
Example: I felt really invigorated by the energy there.
popping up (phrasal verb)
Definition: appearing or opening suddenly
Example: There are always new ones popping up on the outskirts of London.
one of a kind (phrase)
Definition: unique
Example: The experience is one of a kind.
pub (noun)
Definition: a traditional British bar serving drinks and often food
Example: I just love the atmosphere of pubs in the UK.
Changing of the Guard (noun phrase)
Definition: a traditional ceremony where the guards at Buckingham Palace are changed
Example: You’ve got the Changing of the Guards, which is a sort of ceremony.
black pudding (noun)
Definition: a type of blood sausage often part of a traditional English breakfast
Example: Black pudding is from blood, a blood sausage.
builder’s tea (noun)
Definition: a strong, traditional British tea with milk and sugar
Example: A nice strong cup of builder’s tea.
to promote (verb)
Definition: to make something more publicly visible or known
Example: I did move one of her books out so that the cover was showing just to try and promote Anna’s work.
record shop (noun)
Definition: a store that sells vinyl records and sometimes CDs or cassettes
Example: I love spending an afternoon with friends, going around various record shops.
gig (noun)
Definition: a live music performance
Example: I love going to gigs in London.
venue (noun)
Definition: a place where an event or performance happens
Example: A small venue on Denmark Street.
dive bar (noun)
Definition: a small, unpretentious, and often slightly run-down bar
Example: It was probably a dive bar or pub that also puts on live music.
redeveloped (adj./verb)
Definition: renovated or rebuilt for modern use
Example: They kind of got rid of a lot of the authentic music shops as the place has been redeveloped.
emotional value (noun phrase)
Definition: personal significance due to memories or associations
Example: It also has some emotional value.
cosy atmosphere (noun phrase)
Definition: a warm, comfortable and pleasant environment
Example: I just love the cosy atmosphere of pubs.
backstabbing (noun)
Definition: betrayal, especially from someone you trust
Example: Stopping at rejection, disappointment, backstabbing central.
shattered dreams (noun phrase)
Definition: hopes or goals that have been destroyed or failed
Example: Stopping at rejection, disappointment… and shattered dreams parkway.
skeleton with headphones (humorous phrase)
Definition: someone who has been waiting or listening for a very long time (an inside joke for LEPster)
Example: You haven’t turned into a skeleton with a pair of headphones on.
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