---
title: "Heading to London in 2 Days"
slug: "heading-to-london-in-2-days"
description: "Here I am, stressing over packing, stressing over the 13-hour flight, and instead of handling my shit. I'm writing a blog.\n\nI’ve only been to England twice, and weirdly, the stuff I remember most isn’t the big tourist bullshit.\n\nThe first time was in 2005 at the end of a backpacking trip through Europe with Russ. We basically just had an overnight near the airport. I barely remember anything except getting wings at a pub, which is apparently what my brain decided was worth saving from that trip."
author: "Adam Clarkson"
lang: "en"
date: "2026-08-17"
published_at: "2026-08-17T00:35:10.000-04:00"
updated_at: "2026-08-17T00:39:32.000-04:00"
feature_image: "https://adamandlinds.com/content/images/2026/08/IMG_6982.png"
tags: ["Journal", "#no-brand", "London", "UK", "Northern Europe", "Europe"]
canonical_url: "https://adamandlinds.com/heading-to-london-in-2-days/"
---

Here I am, stressing over packing, stressing over the 13-hour flight, and instead of handling my shit. I'm writing a blog.

I’ve only been to England twice, and weirdly, the stuff I remember most isn’t the big tourist bullshit.

![Mind the Gap. London 2005](https://adamandlinds.com/content/images/2026/08/DSCF1020.png)

The first time was in 2005 at the end of a backpacking trip through Europe with Russ. We basically just had an overnight near the airport. I barely remember anything except getting wings at a pub, which is apparently what my brain decided was worth saving from that trip.

The second time was after our Queen Mary 2 crossing. The girls were still young. We spent four days in Southampton and four days in London. I think we stayed somewhere just north of Hyde Park, maybe south of Notting Hill, on a road called Prince Avenue or something like that. There was a sandwich shop nearby that I remember for some reason.

![Leaving Southampton and heading to London in 2022](https://adamandlinds.com/content/images/2026/08/IMG_6905.png)

We had generic-ass fish and chips at a pub, which was fine, but later we found a much better fish-and-chip place. I can’t remember the name, but it was a chain with blue and white branding and it was so good. Then we ended up at this tiny local place, maybe in London, maybe Southampton, I honestly don’t remember. It barely had enough room for all of us, and there was this crusty old guy behind the counter in a white apron. That fish and chips was incredible.

![Touristy Fish and chips. good. but not great.](https://adamandlinds.com/content/images/2026/08/IMG_6912.png)

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And here were some yummy fish and chips. it was at a place called Hobsons.

And now that I think about it, that’s what I remember. Not the tourist stuff. The random food, the little shops, the neighborhoods, the places that just felt normal and British. That’s probably why I’m so excited to go back. I want to walk around, go into a grocery store, smell what it smells like, feel the air, and just experience England without needing every second to be some big attraction.