London calling!

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What a fantastic trip this has been so far; I can't believe we are already done London. And what a beautiful city it was! I do have to mention there were major drawbacks due to the fact that we were there for the busiest weekend of the year. Tour de france, 3 music festivals and Wimbledon were all going on that weekend. Needless to say, the crowds were stupid. I have never seen anything quite like it.

The hostel we stayed in was great. It does advertise as having no kitchen or common areas, but that didn't even matter. It's called destinations at the rose and crown, and it's in southwark (London bridge area) just of the beaten path. This meant that it was accessible but quiet. The beds were almost as comfy as my beds at home! And everyone had a memory foam pillow. Goodness it was glorious. And just to top it off, each bed has a curtain so that you get a bit of privacy, which is very rare at hostels. I would highly recommend it to travellers who are looking for reasonable accommodations which are not party hostels.

Our first day was spent doing a ton of walking. We walked along the south bank of the Thames from the tower of london all the way to the London eye, and then back to the hostel. It was great! I wish I could upload my pictures here, but alas I have no USB cord. After walking jay back to the hostel so that he could sleep off his cold, I alone went to St. Paul's cathedral. Unfortunately it was £16 to enter, so I just walked around the outside which was beautiful on its own. Next I went to the Tate modern (which was free), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Some of the pieces were a bit too modern for my tastes but I did get to see some classic picasso's. After dinner at pret-à-manger (a ready to eat sandwich and salad cafe chain) I went to catch a football match at a pub. All of the pubs were packed out the doors, people were watching the game in the streets. It was a great atmosphere to be in, I even met some civil engineers from a company called skansga. I got the email of one of the gentlemen I met, so I'm hoping to send him my cv when I get home. I also got a few free drinks out of it so I can't complain. It was a fantastic night.

The next day, Saturday, I tried to go down to the abbey, but it was way too busy. The line was around the block, and again it was £17 to go in. Not worth it for me, I tried to go again Monday, but same story. Most of the day was just spent walking. We walked around buckingham palace, which is stupidly large, and through a corner of Hyde Park. I'm glad we got to see so much of the city. The afternoon was spent watching the Book of Mormon at a theatre in Piccadilly Circus. First off, Piccadilly was crazy. It's like a mini Times Square, but with just as many people. such a crazy atmosphere. The Book of Mormon was hilarious. I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of crude humour (the creators of South Park wrote the musical). Oh and definitely no Mormons should go, it's quite offensive. But I laughed quite a lot. Thanks mama for the theatre vouchers!

Sunday morning was spent at the observatory in Greenwich. It's easy to get to by either boat or tube, and we spent the whole mroning there checking out all the different exhibits. Definitely something cool to see, and you learn a fair bit walking through the actual observatory. We retired to our pub for the afternoon to watch Wimbledon and formula 1. Not my favourite way to spend an afternoon but it was pretty cloudy outside, and my feet hurt. Jay took me for a nice dinner out and then I took myself on the Camden pub crawl. I was a bit nervous going alone, but I didn't have to make any changes on the tube, so easy to get to. Plus there was another guy from edmonton on the crawl, so we became instant friends. Some of the bars were a little slow since it was a Sunday night, others were packed. Either way, I had a great time. there are free drinks and drink deals at every bar and the leader makes sure you have a good time. I would have liked to go on a Saturday, for the experience, but as I was alone it was probably safer on a Sunday. Getting home was an adventure, I had to take a bus from camden town to trafalgar square, and then I walked from trafalgar. In total it took me an hour and fifteen or so, which isn't crazy, but at 130 am it was a long hike. Oh well, I have no regrets what so ever.

Our last day in London was spent at the British museums. I spent about four hours there, andI probably could have spent more. There is so much to see there, it's astonishing. The best highlight was the Rosetta Stone, though it was a bit blocked but all the tourists sptrying to take selfies with it. the amount of selfies people take is stupid. They spend more time tying to get the perfect selfie than actually appreciating where they are. It's a shame. The worst part of the day was probably our 2.5 hour train delay, but eventually we made it to la belle Paris! I will update in a few days about our adventures in this beautiful French city.

Aurevoir mes amis!

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Comments

[wasarabo]

Pret
Do you remember when we had sandwiches & chips late one night at a Pret-à-Manger in NYC? I think after we went to the Top of the Rock. Same British chain. Sounds like a v. good visit to London. Glad you got things like the British Museum and pubs and the South Bank in. You're staying in a trendy neighbourhood, girl. Am super enjoying following your adventures. xo