Last Day in London

Sunday, June 1, 2025

I had wanted to go to Highgate Cemetery and Hampstead Heath, which is a park nearby to the cemetery. I decided against it because it would've taken about an hour to get there and I just didn't have it in me to travel that long to get there and back.

I've never done this before, but I didn't do anything this day in London. No sightseeing at all. I felt a little guilty about it; it's very important to me to take advantage of my time as best I can. But honestly, once I made the decision, it was actually a very relaxing day and I enjoyed it.

I walked down the street to one of the only cafes in the vicinity, a place called Foreign Exchange News. It's cute in there. It actually is a foreign exchange place, but with a counter in the middle for taking drink orders. I got a coffee and croissant and took it back to my room.

I enjoyed my breakfast and scrolled social media and read my book. The weather was beautiful, so it was perfect to have the massive terrace door open and take in the fresh air.

Eventually it was time to get another meal. I walked over to The Cleveland Arms, a pub within a five minute walk. It was the vibe I was looking for in a pub on my last day in London.

I had to get Sunday Roast! Sunday Roast is roasted meat, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding (which is kind of like a crusty, flaky roll), gravy, and vegetables. And I got Pimm's to drink since I hadn't gotten it yet on this trip.

I sat at the pub for a while. I had taken my book there, so I just had a leisurely late afternoon. It was pretty quiet and not too busy; perfect for me.

I went back to my room and enjoyed the terrace the rest of the day. Packed up and tidied the room since I was flying home the next morning.

I left my room at 5:50 am the next morning to walk to Paddington, take the Heathrow Express to the airport, and depart at 9:15 am. We arrived a little early to Chicago.

Usually I wait for a charter bus to get home, but Peoria Charter wasn't running as often, so I had pre-booked a rental car. I guess it's kind of odd to rent a car to drive from Chicago to Bloomington, but I'm not trying to inconvenience anyone to come pick me up and a rental car is cheaper than paying for parking.

Getting the rental car was easy. Traffic was not. Getting home took an extra hour because of multiple crashes. We were at a crawl for a very long while. But I made it home eventually and I knew I would.

Another great trip to England in the books! The Lake District will definitely be on my list again in the future.