King's Cross and Other Stations, London

We took a trip last August to London for a quick weekend of seeing the sights. Our train from Yorkshire took us into King's Cross Station, which is most famous recently as the train station from which the Hogwarts Express departs for school. The station does have a spot where you can get to Platform 9 3/4 if you jump just right.

You can't push your way through

Magical jumping action

We were surprised to discover that King's Cross is right next to another rail station, St. Pancras. They are literally across the street from each other!

St. Pancras looks nicer

St. Pancras was originally a luxury hotel for London travelers but they didn't put in any bathrooms (whose idea of luxury was that?) so it went belly up. It was converted into a train station in the 1860s.

Both stations share an underground rail station, conveniently named the King's Cross St. Pancras Station. We used the "tubes" on Sunday to get around. We were surprised by the long distances we had to walk underground to get from the street entrance to the train platform. It wasn't just King's Cross St. Pancras either. When we got off for the Brompton Oratory, we spent a good ten minutes walking before we could get out from underground!

The train stations in London range from utilitarian urban (London Bridge) to charmingly handsome (Gloucester Road).

Could they squeeze another merchant in at London Bridge?

A more civilized stop

We liked the metro except for the long walks underground. We did not travel during rush hour during the week, so we missed out on the crowds. We are not complaining!

More on London in future posts!