England has arrived and past but I will recap the adventures while in the country of a bloody history, beer drinkers galore, and people with awesome English accents. Lets start from day 1, Saturday, August 14th at 4:30 pm when I left LAX and started my European adventure. The flight was only 9 ½ hours and went by quite fast considering Air New Zealand airline spoils us with a personal TV with many movies, TV shows, music, and game options along with 2 meals. Once at Heathrow on Sunday we did what a true Englander would do and that is take the tub (aka the underground) well little did I know that was a terrible idea. One thing you should know about London undergrounds is that they are old and not always equipped with elevators and/or escalators, meaning that I had to drag my huge suitcase, backpack, and two carry-ons up way too many stairs. Well enough with the dramatic side and on to the juicy stories. We arrived in the morning at Heathrow so we took advantage of the rest of the day we had and explored the surrounding area of Kensington. Walked to Kensington Palace and hit the Science and National History Museum on the way back.
Day 2
Due to the time change and knocking out so early the night before, we woke up way too early to start our day. Took the tube further into the city, got a little lost but found some amazing old buildings and hidden beauties. Made our way to Buckingham Palace and we would go on the day that change of the guard wasn’t a big show. During the summer it occurs every other day but my mom was not upset and we went on the tour of the Palace. No photos were allowed so I will just have to describe to you what it looked liked from memory. The palace is huge, taking up a few blocks and housing hundreds of rooms and bathrooms. The tour only allowed for a viewing of some of the staterooms and none of the actual apartments that the queen and her staff lives in. Every room is unique in its own way but one reoccurring theme was the way each room was manicured, but that is to be expected of a palace that houses the queen of England. We then made our way to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and House of Parliament. My mom chickened out of London Eye but I am sure I would have been scared shitless as well.
Day 3
This day was dedicated for visiting some museums. British Museum was first on our list and it was enjoyable, saw the Rosetta stone and Easter Island statue. They house a huge collection of mummies along with ancient sculptures and artifacts from all over the world. England does not charge admissions to museums, which is awesome don’t get me wrong but since August is peak tourist time the museums are packed. Sometimes lines to just get in and then to even see the work of art takes a few minutes to get a good view. Tate Modern was amazing. I remember going there 4 years ago and really enjoying myself but this time we paid to see the Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance & the camera exhibit which was 14 rooms full of photos and videos that were taken by hidden cameras. The five themes consist of: The Unseen Photographer, Celebrity & Public Gaze, Voyeurism & Desire, Witnessing Violence, and Surveillance. On display with the photos were the cameras that took some of the pictures and varied from being hidden in the bottom of a shoe, clothes pin, jacket, to a walking cane. The artist got clever with where to place the camera for good shots. Rather than blame the camera for showing illicit or forbidden material, Exposed explores the uneasy relationship between making and viewing images that deliberately cross lines of privacy and propriety. The Tate displayed a few Picasso’s and a room full of Andy Warhol, and I mean the walls and pictures. For those of you have seen Exit Through a Gift Shop I think you will appreciate this. I have not seen any Banksy unfortunately because as of right now there are only 2 still up and they aren’t in the city. I did get a little inside scoop of him from an Englander who claims to have met him. Anyways, I saw a Space Invaders work. I was very excited and a have a picture to share with you.
Day 4
The Tower of London was first on our list for the day. We went through the White Tower, House of Jewels, Bloody Tower and the rest of the buildings that contain history of their bloody past. Sadly I don’t remember all the history and stories from the Tower due to all the same names and many years it was in operation. My mom seemed to really enjoy it considering she knew quite a bit of the history already. For dinner we were recommended a restaurant in Covent Gardens (Theater district) that was decked out in props and mini stages. The restaurant was not really known for the British food but more for the appearance, which I have to admit, was pretty impressive. The Theater district was really cute and we ran into a Farmers market/ promenade area that had delicious dessert.
Day 5
On our last day we had planned for the London Dungeon but were surprised by the theme park aspect of it and decided to explore the area. We ran into one of the oldest Gothic Cathedrals that had stood there for 1300 years. Past the cathedral there lie an adorable farmers market with the best desserts and foods. I had one of the best sandwiches of my life and of course I have a picture of it. The market was divided into products such as fish and poultry, veggies, cheese, desserts, and fruits. It was under a train bridge and reminded me of New York but cuter and quieter. It was nice to not feel like such a tourist and blend more into the neighborhood. It bordered the Thames River and we walked along that for a bit before heading to the Natural History Museum again and the Oxford Street for Thornton’s toffee. I am having my mom bring some home with her so I will have it when I arrive back in he states, yes it is that good! For dinner I dragged my mom to an amazing Indian restaurant that was a few blocks away from our hotel. The food was so deliciously yummy! I was so sad I couldn’t finish all of it. That about sums up our London stay and of course it started to rain a little on our walk back to the hotel. Thankfully we missed the rain.
Overall the trip was fun and my mom seemed to really enjoy London, seeing as she has never been to Europe before. The second time around had its perks but some of the places were exactly the same as the first time I saw them so not as enjoyable but the city is awesome. London is different from our major cities because of the diversity. Diversity in the sense of people from the surrounding countries in Europe, and all the different languages that are spoken. So many people take the tube to and from work and all the stations are always packed. Most people seem to be in shape and walk up and down the many many stairs to and from the trains. One of the stations had over 200 stairs maybe and it was a winding path up and I then understood why people here eat all the pastries and meat they want because they will work it off walking to and from work. Another thing I noticed was the fashion is different. Many more people are dressed up in business attire and yes I was in the heart of London during rush hour but this seemed to hold true for anytime of the day and anywhere in the city. No one wears sweats outside nor really baggy clothes. The girls wear skinny jeans, flats, and a cute shirt with cardigan. The men are either in suits or nice shirts and jeans. All I have to say is their feet must be gross because walking in flats or any shoe for that matter that has very little support ruins your feet after walking for just a day. Women were walking in heels and boots like it is nothing. Props to the Europeans for that. Farewell England and hello France. We are taking the Eurostar to Paris and starting our second leg of the trip. I will keep you posted on the France adventures and then finally off to Prague to start my study abroad. Hope the entry was descriptive enough where you felt like you were here with me!
Cheers from London!
Sorry the pictures are out of order kinda, I am still figuring out how to work this blog. Enjoy!
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