First introduction to London was a bit overwhelming, with several different large cities making up the well known “London” area, we were overwhelmed by the 13 “Tube” (metro) lines, 7.5 million people, and the transportation categorization into 4+ zones. We were definitely anticipating the return to English speaking nationals and have enjoyed it so! It’s so nice not having to think about ‘the how’ before every form of communication. It took us a bit to realize we could actually carry on a conversation with those around us but once we attempted we met two interesting individuals at our hostel, ‘Daisy from Sri Lanka’ the operator, and a fellow traveler ‘Parker from Australia’ who was looking for some retirement real estate.
Day 1 brought everything one would hope to encounter during a stop in London: flickering lights on “The Tube”, a day full of a what I call “rainy sunshine” where one second it’s pouring and the next holds a sunglasses worthy glare, eating fish ‘n chips (fries) in a local pub, almost getting hit due to a failure to look right before crossing, and accents gleaming with a formality and cheer. An unexpected surprise was the insane amount of wedgies that I noticed being picked all over the place, guess you have to get comfortable. Along with a new currency of pounds, pints, and quids, that's kicking the American dollar even worse than the Euro.
The sightseeing: Trafalgar Square, Changing of the Horse Guards where they honor all fallen horses in past wars (so cool), Parliament Buildings beside Westminster Bridge, Westminster Abbey (which housed the Coronation Chair that has always and continues to be used in the crowning of new royalty, impressive monument tombs of several saints royalties and even Darwin (not sure why exactly) and Isaac Newton, not to mention the place that the newly-wed Royal couple was married. To say the least an extremely impressive preservation of England’s past monarchy with a great audio guide. After standing in line for close to an hour, approaching the front and realizing we were in the CARD ONLY line and deciding to take on the extra bank fee to prevent another long cash line, it was definitely worth it. Along with England’s main goal to “maintain a past rich in history and royalty while still welcoming change”. We also stopped by Buckingham Palace Courtyard hoping to see the famous guards with stern faces, but no such luck. The palace was actually quite modest from the outside surprisingly. We also stopped by to take pictures of the Tower of London. I consider the street strolling to be a sight in itself, pretty sure I was smiling all day. The Brits like to do things a little differently and in their own way (sound familiar) but it works for them.
Next day brought the British Museum which was huge and free! Favorite exhibits included the Egyptian wing which housed everything from sphinx statues and pyramid treasures, to real mummies and the Rosetta Stone. Other impressive wings included the Greek, Syrian, and European cultures of old. There was also a history of clocks room that I really liked. The Enlightenment room was a pretty impressive tribute to the great minds of the past. A history of Money room had me seeing dollar signs. The Living & Dying exhibit seeking to encompass the human response to all things living and the thereafter was interesting as well.
While Magen went to the musical Wicked (I didn’t want to spend for the ticket in British Pounds this time) I went to see some of the exhibits set up around town for the first, but future annual, London Street Photography Festival! Stopping by the Orange Dot Gallery and the Exmouth Market Gallery I was treated to a casual presentation of some of the best student photographers capturing real life as it happens everyday, free from editing. I really enjoyed viewing their work and would love to see more from each artist, my hobbyist liking for photography was pretty impressed! There was one taken on October 10, 2001 that really struck close to home, titled "Five More Found," showing a night scene of Ground Zero with a huddle of firemen and a light beaming up from the rubble, pretty powerful and sad stuff. Between the exhibits I decided to walk the streets as opposed to the Tube and really saw what local London is like. I was in more of a college generation neighborhood which made for great photo opps with a realism I definitely appreciated. I also decided to stop by the backside of Westminster Bridge to get some pictures of the impressive Parliament buildings. Day 3 brought the British Library housing ancient manuscripts from the likes of William Shakespeare and Leonardo da Vinci. It was Britians way of showing off the prized possessions they’ve come across over the years, and I was impressed. Pretty sure Magen shed a tear or two, words seem to impress her on a level that I just don’t reach, and I’m quite confident she will find a place to work someday that inspires her on that level again. There were also more of the street photography photo exhibits though not as impressive as the other two galleries, they showed life from 1940s London. It’s pretty amazing the preservation techniques of the Brits and it definitely deserves some kudos, and the majority of the cities museum and gallery sights are free to the public (encouraged donations of course). We also stopped by St. Paul’s Cathedral which definitely had our jaws hitting the floor, but was too expensive to go inside, so we walked across Millennium Bridge to see the reconstructed Shakespeare’s Globe. And in good Tyler and Magen fashion decided to venture over to Hyde Park for a relaxing break in some green grass with the locals and tourists alike. I must say, today was the first day I can truly say I was tired, not really sure why, but it was just one of those days. My patience was short and the infinite number of people were starting to annoy me, but I’m sure I’ve gotten it out of my system and will be ready for the next venture.
Speaking of . . . we are currently spending the night in the Train Station awaiting our 6:20 am departure to Lille, France where we will get a connection to Paris. With our Global Passes Britain isn’t covered so all we get is a discounted fare into nearby Europe. We came two days early (which we’ve never needed to do before) and all other train times were sold out for the discounted fares so we got stuck with the earliest train out. All part of the adventure though!! Staying in Zone 3 quite far from the train station, we decided that we couldn’t make it here in time to check in through customs and all if we chanced the first train out of our Upton Park stop. So here we are : ) , two well traveled friends, a couple of backpacks + , basking in the greatness of our London adventure . . . life is good! With a smiling nod we bid fellow backpackers great travels as they pass our bench-post, (which hopefully will turn into a sleeping space before too long)! So far we've fought off one beggar with a pound, some random girls yelling something about hamburgers, and the night is young. I was thinking today about the idea of normalcy. It has quickly become the stop and go adventure I currently find myself in. It’s funny how quickly we can forget the likes of our daily Lubbock Grad Student Routine. Hopefully the re-transition won’t be as difficult as I’m thinking it might be, this carefree lifestyle is sure tempting though, not to mention a bit addicting.
I must say I will probably miss this culturally rich city, the repeated “Mind The Gap” announcements from the Tube operators, the interesting eclectic-vintage style of many of the locals, their cheery attitudes, and the unique spirit of the streets. Farewell London, good day for now, and tomorrow . . . bonjour Paris!Thanks for reading friends, hope I’m not boring you too bad, and follow the link below for the Public Facebook Album:
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