Weekend in London

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LONDON - February 17-18

What I did, in no particular order:

Got up early (two days in a row!) to enjoy the city
Fought crowds at Buckingham Palace
Took a hop-on-hop-off double-decker bus tour
Loved the Houses of Parliament at night
"Flew" on the London Eye
Took a million pictures (at least...)
Mastered public transportation, including the tube (not my favorite)
Realized cathedrals are not open to the public on Sundays
Enjoyed first-rate Chinese and Italian food...and Subway
Learned the truth about Big Ben (the name refers to the bell, not the tower)
Saw the Queen's guards wearing gray, not red
Bonded with three (relatively, new) friends
Stayed in my first hostel - under very questionable bedding
Took a Thames River tour with a hilarious Scottish guide
Found out that they lie about the times they're going to "change the guard"

That's pretty much it! If you want my details, read on...

****OH, and for my pictures - I don't remember what exactly all the buildings are, so if you see a mistake - please let me know!****

I traveled with Betsy, Mary and Maddie this past weekend. The weather was clear, sunny and almost WARM on Saturday, colder on Sunday. Overall, I spent about 75 pounds on all transportation, accomodations, food, tours and souvenirs - not too horrible for an outrageously expensive city. I enjoyed it very much, but was absolutely exhausted by Sunday night! London is a huge, overwhelming city, with innumerable things to see and do. We had a decent "overview" of the city, though, through a bus tour, ferry tour and the London Eye - we didn't take any specialized tours of any site. That'll have to be for another weekend!

I can't put into words how much I appreciated my camera on this trip. For those who don't know (plus, I'm proud of it!), I bought a Nikon D80 SLR digital camera with a 18-135mm lens right before my trip. The investment has been well worth it! It's super wide-angle, so I can get shots that many cameras can't get, and I can take quick pictures in any lighting situation. Though it's bigger than all my friends' cameras, I don't regret the purchase for an instant!

Saturday, February 17:

We left the Winchester coach station at 9:10 a.m., riding the bus that stops at Heathrow and then dropped us off at Victoria Station in the heart of London. We were a little unsure where to go to begin our tour. We had tickets for the Original London Sightseeing Tour, a two-days-for-the-price-of-one deal that included a free river tour. Both were hop-on-hop-off whenever you wanted, and buses came by each stop about every 15-20 minutes, which worked reasonably well, once we figured out how to start. We finally had our online-purchased tickets validated by a very flirty guide, then got on the first bus (forced to ride on the bottom, not the top), promptly disembarking at Buckingham Palace.

The crowds were astounding - and this is the off-season! We didn't realize it was the "changing of the guard" until we got there, so we tried to see what was going on through the mass of picture-snapping humanity...without any luck. We did hear the band and feel the excitment, though the red-coated guards were invisible to us (partly because they seem to wear GRAY this time of year, partly because of the crowds). So much hype for a seemingly pointless exercise, in my opinion! We stopped in the Queen's Shop (a giftshop) and got on the next bus.

This time, we had top-floor seats, which held great novelty and a great view of the city. We decided to stay on for awhile, and the guide gave us facts of what we were seeing. I thought the guy had a great tour-guide voice, until I realized he was actually a woman! It was funny...

We got off at Chinatown - apparantly it was the Chinese New Year this weekend, with a parade and everything - and wandered around. We were starving, so stopped to eat at a decent-looking Chinese place. It was huge and busy, with sketchy bathrooms, but great, reasonably-priced food. I had sweet-and-sour king prawns over rice, with green peppers and onions. Couldn't eat it all! There was complimentary tea with the meal, plus I had water.

We had to stop for the obligatory postcards at a cheap tourist shop, and I found great deals for postcards to send back to the States. We walked some more, finally stumbling onto Picadilly Circus, which is a head-spinning intersection with a statue, pigeons and Times Square-reminiscent advertising. I would have liked to sit here and people-watch, if we had more time.

Back on the bus - this time, there wasn't a live guide, but little headphones you could stick into plugs, depending on your language of choice, to hear a recorded commentary. We got off at St. Paul's Cathedral, but it wasn't worth buying tickets because it was late in the day. We made it into the entrance of the crypt, however - free because it's all cafes and gift shops! - before making our decision. We planned to come back on Sunday and climb to the top of the dome and get the full tour.

Same thing once we bussed to the Tower of London - cool from the outside, but not worth the money for a late-afternoon tour. We'd like to spend a whole day here, someday - I think I'll save it for when my mom comes to travel with me, since she never got to tour it! It's basically a medieval castle that has been built and modified over the centuries (oldest part is over 1,000 years old) and has had various uses, from a zoo to a place to execute people. It killed something like two of Henry XII's wives, and many other people. Non-royals were executed across the street at Tower Hill, however, in public.

We then walked down to the Thames to catch the ferry tour - only to wait and wait and realize that they must have cancelled the 5 p.m. tour! Sad! Another goal for tomorrow...

We walked over to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben (which, by the way, refers to the bell and not the clocktower, that's called St. Steven's or something), which are absolutely gorgeous in the evening, all lit up. Maddie and Mary goofed around and stood on this pedestal that looked like it should have statues on it.

I decided the Houses are my FAVORITE London buildings, and would love to tour them - is that even possible? Anyway, I think it's cool how they've been housing English government for over 700 years, though these buildings were built after the Great Fire. (The fire was something guides mentioned all day - a huge event in London history, I want to say 1666? I guess it started in a baker's shop, and there is a monument - called simply, The Monument - 212 feet high and 212 feet from the origin of the fire. It's the tallest free-standing column. I didn't get a picture, becuase it's in this tiny, narrow alley street that we always drove past very quickly.)

We waited at the bus station for over half an hour before we realized the bus must have stopped coming here, though it should have run until 7 p.m. While waiting, these Russian guys got off a bus, rather drunk, and all dressed up for a wedding. The bride was on the bus, too, though there were only two women with her. The groomsmen, or whoever, were most interested in Maddie and were fascinated by the fact that we were American...or at least that she was.

We finally decided to take the tube, since we were going to have to take it to our hostel, anyway. I really don't like the Underground! It's so dirty, and dark, and I just don't feel 100 percent safe. It was 4 pounds for a ticket, and 5.10 for an all-day pass, which is what we got on Sunday. It didn't require any transfers to get to Stamford Brook, which was nearest our hostel, which was good to hear.

Coming out of the tube, we headed in the direction we thought the hostel (Globetrotters Inn) was. Everything was dark, and the neighborhood rather dodgy (my new English word, meaning sketchy) at night - I think the area of London is Hammensmith. I ran up to what looked like the gates to the hostel, and was right.

I felt welcomed by the atmosphere in the hostel, which was very laid-back and student-friendly. Only 17 pounds for the night, and it had a movie theater, gym, bar, kitchen, free breakfast, etc. It even provided bedding - which many hostels don't, I've heard - but I'd rather have had my own, since it didn't look too clean (mine had weird stains and Mary's had hair) and we had to make our own beds. We picked up a bunch of travel brochures and wandered around, finally asking for a recommendation for supper.

Heading out to look for Revolution, we walked the wrong way and then turned around the other way on the single lit-up street. At the door, the menu prices looked very reasonable, but the bouncers wouldn't let us in after glancing at our passports, claiming that we had to be 21. What?? The drinking age is 18, here...and we weren't going to drink. I think it has something to do with the fact that we're American or were casually dressed. We desperately wanted food, preferably in a sit-down place, but there weren't many offerings.

FINALLY, we stumbled on La Piccola, a tiny, family-owned Italian pizza and pasta place. Very cute!! It was just the chef, his wife and maybe daughter who worked there. It was authentic and posh, and I loved it. The food was great, too - I had hot chocolate (mmmm....), and Mary and I split a ham-and-cheese pizza (Broiscuitta?), meant for one person, but they were huge, very cheesy, and delicious. I think I spend 7 pounds there, total, but it was well-worth the cost and atmosphere. The chef even stopped to chat with us.

Back at the hostel, we were exhausted and just wanted to change into pj's and get into bed. The room was better than I expected (not counting the bedding). It was for four people, and it was just the four of us, so there were no strangers in there. It held two sets of bunk beds, a stand-alone sink and mirror, lockers, standing closet, desk and chair. Very tiny, but functional. The bathroom and showers were down the hall. Each bed had its own little light, with curtains to pull around for privacy, and the furniture was pretty new. We figured the building used to be a hospital, because that's what the hallways looked like.

We laid in bed and ended up talking for awhile, kind of like a slumber party from our younger years. Very girly and giggly - I enjoyed it. I really liked traveling with these girls! It was about 10 p.m. when we turned out the light...

Sunday, February 18:

We were up at 7 a.m. - no showers, because we didn't want to pack wet towels or have to rent them at the front desk - and enjoyed the free breakfast. It was just basic cereal, orange juice, coffee and tea, toast and jam, but satisfying. I'll have to look forward to a REAL English breakfast at a bed-and-breakfast, sometime - you and me, Mom!

We got on the tube and figured out where to get off for Buckingham Palace. We thought we'd get there at 9 a.m. for the 10 a.m. changing...but when we got there at 8:45, a sign said it wasn't until 11:30!! Maddie wanted to wait, but I really found the whole thing pointless and convinced the group to save it for another day (not for me, though). At least we got pictures of the palace without the crowds, and pictures of the solitary guards marching at the entrance.

The bus tour starts early, at least, so we headed to St. Paul's...only to discover that the cathedrals are only open for worship on Sundays! We should have known! So we just rode the bus for awhile, on top under the cover because it was colder, and heard enough of the tour that I could, by now, lead my OWN tours of the city.

We got off near The Eye, though we had to walk across a bridge - Golden Jubilee. I was a little hesitant to fork over 14.50 pounds to ride this giant Ferris wheel...but it's WELL WORTH the cost! I loved it! It's a very tourist-y thing to do, but offers unparalleled views of London. The line was long but went very quickly, and we were even scanned by police before getting on. I couldn't help but think that this could be a prime terrorist target...

Owned by British Airways and opened for the millenium, the London Eye is the tallest observation wheel, over 400 feet tall, and the view is something like 25 miles of London. It carries 32 clear capsules with about 25 people in each one. The ride is about a half hour, though it goes by fast! We got on while it was still moving, because it moves pretty slowly. People who are afraid of heights shouldn't take this - but I liked it a lot, even wished the floors were made of glass, also. Besides the breathtaking views of the Thames and the city, I really liked the beauty of engineering of the Eye, and took a lot of pictures of both.

When it was over, we walked past street performers - like people dressed as statues, one guy covered his face so I couldn't take his picture because he wanted money. We made it across the bridge just in time for a ferry tour...which was another of my favorite parts of this trip! The guide was Scottish and very funny, keeping my attention and giving a different view of London than we've had so far. We learned a lot about some of the buildings we aren't told about on the bus tour, and also the bridges.

The London Bridge, by the way, is supposedly the most famous bridge in the world - but it's so ugly! It's something like the fourth one, and the others fell down (nursery rhyme!), burned down, or where sold to the States (weird...) and this one opened in the 1970s. Tower Bridge, on the other hand, is very beautiful and ornate, and I thought that this drawbridge was London Bridge, at first. We also went past an exact reproduction of Globe Theater, with a museum next door - something I'd like to visit, or even see a play, sometime.

The tour ended, unfortunately, and we got off to eat (cheap at Subway!) and get more postcards. I even got a print of London for just ONE pound! It's really pretty, with the Houses of Parliament (my fave London buildings) and Big Ben, with people looking over the river in the foreground.

Back on the bus, we were VERY tired, by now. We got off a few stops past Victoria, and wandered in Hyde Park to kill time. It turned out to be Speaker's Corner, where, on Sundays especially, there are speakers (many political or religious) that just get up and talk, and it's also the site of assemblies and protests. I found it rather interesting, though I could see tempers flaring and very bizarre topics being discussed.

Hyde Park has these vast fields where many soccer (oops...football) games were casually being played, people walking, and lots of dogs running free. I even saw a Dachshund, making me homesick! I think this would be very beautiful in the summer, when the trees have leaves. We followed signs toward the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, but finally realized it was too far before we had to get back.

We took the tube, which took advantage of our all-day passes, but had trouble getting around. I don't know how people read those tube maps - so confusing! We had to transfer lines, and it all seemed too complicated and I would have rather walked above-ground, since it wasn't very far to Victoria Station. I'm glad we got there early, though, since it took forEVER to find the coach station and the correct line - finally got there about 10 minutes before the bus left. Maddie tried to get into the bathroom, but it cost 20p to go! So odd! I dozed on the bus with my music, and 6 p.m. back in Winchester felt a lot later than it actually was.

After a much-need shower and peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, I did my homework, edited my pictures, talked to my family and went to bed. Great weekend! But exhausting...

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Photos

A pigeon
Mom, at least I'm not afraid of them!

Lone guard at Buckingham Palace
Why is he wearing gray?

Inside the Eye
We just stashed our stuff along the side - no need to worry about people making off with it!

Eww! I think you can eat here...
Why they would want to celebrate this form of torture?

Millenium Bridge
It's pedestrian-only - and apparantly very wobbly.

Maddie in our hostel room
I had the bottom bunk

Comments

[Kristal Donahue]

Hey
Emily I am so glad that you got to go on the London Eye it is breath taking up there and you can get amazing pictures. And for the Tower of London I really think you and your mom would enjoy it. Its a very good place to visit. Make sure if you do you see the Crowned Jewels, which is the jewelery and crowns that the kings and queens wear or wore. They are so beautiful. I like how you took a picture of the pigeon. I am terrified of birds and I remember I thought there were alot in London. Well wait till Italy. They are just covering the ground. It was really scary for me. London is a huge town with so much to see. But it is awesome to get to experience. Well its greating hearing that your having an AWESOME time. Talk to you later and I can't wait to read more.