There are three airports in London (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted). Although Heathrow is the closest to central London, I flew to Gatwick because there's no direct flight to Heathrow from Alicante. Once I got there, I took the train to Victoria station (an hour ride at ₤12 is a little more if you want to take the express but it's only about 10 minutes faster) to meet up with my friend. From Victoria station, you can take the Underground to your final destination (i.e. your hostel, or in my case, my friend's house in Belsize Park).
Day 1. Borough Market - River Thame - Tower Bridge - Gherkin by Norman Foster - Lloyd's building by Richard Rogers - Architectural Association Project Review Exhibition - Korean food dinner.
Borough Market is a farmers market held every Thursday-Saturday. There are all sorts of food to buy from fruits and veggies to cheese and olives, pastries, seafood, and more. I bought a pack of tomatoberries for ₤2. They were very sweet.
After spending my morning at the Borough Market, I walked along the River Thame. I was lucky enough to see the Tower bridge open up (my friend told me it's extremely rare that you witness this). Walking along the river bank, you'll pass by the city hall, and across the river you'll see some of the iconic buildings of London at one glance. 
I couldn't enter either of the Norman Foster's Gherkin building (well I went inside the little cafe to eat a maringue) and Richard Rogers' Lloyd's building, so here are a few shots from the outside.
One of the mot crucial parts of my trip to London was getting Korean food (and bringing some back to Guardamar with me). My friend was nice enough to cook me dinner everyday, but we decided to go out to eat at this new Korean restaurant in Holborn. This restaurant had one of the best Korean food I've had in my life (especially after a few weeks of Korean food deprivation). My night could not have ended better.
Day 2. Portobello Market - Oxford Circus - The National Gallery - Big Ben - Westminster Abbey - Tate Modern
Portobello Market is held every Saturday, and it's known for the antique shops inside the pastel color buildings. There's a lot to see (and buy if you have the money). You'll catch yourself wanting to stop and photograph at the antique shops, but make sure to ask the owner for permission when you do, because both my friend and I were yelled at taking pictures at one of the shops. Towards the end, there is also a farmers market where I spent the entire morning and where I bought an antique compass for ₤14 (p.s. do bargain!).
My next stop was Oxford Circus (for a very specific reason). My mission was to find macaroons, and it was successful. Fortnum and Mason also has chocolate and other pastries, tea, and cooking spices.
I stopped by the National Gallery for only a couple of hours (because I wanted to save as much time for Tate Modern), but you can probably spend an entire day looking at the collections they have.
You can't miss out on Big Ben, London Eye, and Westminster Abbey when you're in London. I walked there from the National Gallery, and like any other monumental places, there were a lot of travelers taking pictures. Westminster Abbey is only open for church service, so I decided to stay for an hour and go to the service for an hour before heading to Tate Modern. 
Alas, I arrived at the Tate Modern! I had to walk a long way to get to the museum from the underground, and later I realized that it was only because I took a detour and went around the other way, otherwise, it's about a 10-minute walk from the station to the museum. Entrance was free, except for the featured exhibition on Joan Miró. I decided to pay ₤12.20 to see the Miró exhibition and it was completely worthwhile. His work revealed the passion he has for his Catalán identity, and yet his artistic expression was kept simple and abstract. My favorite was the Constellations series.
Art museums are one of my favorite places to be. The experience of reading the work of art itself has a lot to offer, especially for an architecture student like myself that uses visual tools to communicate ideas all the time. However, what I really love about art museums is the air that fills the space with the thoughts and emotions that the visitors offer back to the art. The slow strolls, the long ponderous stares, the whispers between lovers, the curious glance of children, they are the strokes that paint the space to create another layer of art, which I love to enjoy. I allowed myself to soak it in before leaving the Tate at closing time.
Day 3. Design Museum London - Covent Garden
Design Museum is about 15 minute walks away from the station (along the river bank). Once I arrived at the museum, I spent a couple hours looking at Wim Crouwel exhibition and the 2010 British Design Award exhibition, which held all kinds of award-winning design work from architecture, fashion, furniture, to smart phone application (i.e. Angry Birds).
The last place I visited in London was Covent Garden. Unfortunately a lot of the shops and venders were already closed when I got there, but I managed to find an ice cream shop, watch a street show, and find a French teashop that sells macaroons. After buying a box of macaroons for my friend to try for the first time (she loves macaroons as much as I do now!), I went upstairs to sit down for a cup of tea and write to Mr. Palomar about my three days of adventure in London.
Although I was not ready for the rainy weather, my trip to London was quite perfect. I came back to Guardamar with a bag full of Korean food, a stack of postcards, 450 photographs, and a fervent wish to visit again someday.
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