London Calling

Once we got to the Dublin airport we soon realized that Ryan was not on the same flight as us to London. We got  to the airport before 7, our flight left at 9 or so. Ryan's didn't leave until 2 in the afternoon. He was then forced to stay in the airport for about 7 hours before he could get on his flight to London. We had to separate. If he bought the ticket to our flight it would be another 235 euros, and we couldn't change our flight either. It sucked, but we knew he could handle getting London because there is no language barrier.

Once the girls (Sarah, Elizabeth, and Me) landed in London and boarded our shuttle to the Earl's Court we were so excited! The first time I saw the double decker buses I knew I was in London. I pulled out my Ipod and listened to "London Calling" on repeat. I have wanted to go to London so bad, and once I knew I wouldn't go to Greece for Fall Break, I hoped I could get a group together to visit London. And here I was, on a shuttle with the driver on the wrong side of the bus, driving on the wrong side of the road, with all the craziness and history of one of the greatest cities in the world.

London takes the best of Chicago and New York, adds in some European flair and some great accents and creates the best city I've visited. Now, I love Rome, the city is so full of history. But London has the metropolis feeling Rome lacks. It has the such an efficient public transportation system, and a city that meshes it's history so well with its modern lifestyle. It's the city that I would live in if I had the chance. I would be a short flight away from everywhere-- France, Spain, Germany, Italy. It's so easy to travel in Europe. (And the fact that they speak English helps a lot too).

Now, we got our Oyster Cards at Earl's Court. It's a tube card that cost 28 pounds for a week. (yeah double that- that's about how much it cost in dollars..) But, it was worth it. It was unlimited travel in zones 1 and 2 of London, basically everything we wanted to see. We could tap and go on all the tube lines and buses. I felt like I lived there with it. We got to the Astor Museum Inn, our hostel that is located across the street from the British Museum, off the Holburn stop on the Piccadilly Line. We were so hungry so we stopped at Pret-a-manger (ready to eat in French) to get some soup and sandwiches. The sun was shining and it was so warm. We just walked towards Leicester Square and Convent Garden looking at the shops and stopping in Marks and Spencer which reminds me of a target. 

Before we knew it, we walked to Trafalgar Square, named after the battle of Trafalgar. Seeing the National Gallery and the London Eye popping up above the buildings- I was just in shocked that in the morning I was in Dublin having breakfast, and for lunch I was in London. We snapped some pictures and made our way towards St. James' Park and Buckingham Palace. Elizabeth and I planned a picnic in St. James' Park the next day. 

There was also a free concert going on in Trafalgar Square, but it  was no one we knew so we decided to keep walking around.

As we walked through St. James' Park, we caught our first glimpse at Buckingham Palace. The only bad thing I could say about it was the crazy tourists around us. The Guards were marching around the Queen Victoria Statue and mobs of tourists were sprinting around the palace trying to get a good spot to view them. I understand that it was a pretty cool sight. But that doesn't mean you need to be dragging your children through to street to see some British guards!

All in all it was a pretty cool thing to see.

After walking all the way from our hostel to Buckingham Palace, we decided to take the tube back to our hostel to wait for Ryan to get into London. What we didn't realize was that he got to the hostel about 10 minutes after us, but by then we were already asleep in our dorm room-while he was waiting for us in his! I guess we really need the sleep because we slept for almost an hour. Sarah and I then had to search the hostel trying to find Ryan. We ran into him in the kitchen and we were finally reunited!

After we got Elizabeth up, we asked Jeremie who works for the Astor Museum where to eat. He told us about Shakespeare's Head, a pub nearby, that has good cheap food. Exactly what we were looking for! I got a hamburger (I know, I know! But it had been a while since I had one!) and an Irish cider. It wasn't too expensive, as long as I didn't think about the exchange rate. After dinner, we hopped on the tube to Piccadilly Circus. As I walked up the stairs of the underground station and I saw those huge screens with ads on it. I just though of Bridget Jones' Diary,when she is walking through London having one of her internal monologues about how life will finally turn around and she'll stop smoking. I had to smile. It didn't really remind me of Times Square though, it just wasn't as big and the buildings are not as tall. But there were street performers and we stopped at a Starbucks and stopped in a huge souvenir store, We had to be a bit touristy once in a while. 


Our first plan after Piccadilly was to go see Buckingham Palace at night. But I got everyone to change the plan to go down to the river and see Big Ben and Westmeister Abbey. Big Ben was the main thing that I wanted to see in London. It’s that big monument when you go- WOW I’m really in London. It reminded me a lot of the first time I saw the Colosseum, you turn the corner and you see this amazing structure. Now the Colosseum was built in about 2000 years ago, and obviously Big Ben and the Parliament building is newer- but really you are comparing apples to oranges here.


I'm getting off topic here, and I've got 5 full days in London to write about! Let's get moving!

Ryan and I on Westmeister Bridge

Day number 2! It start out with a little picnic in St. James' Park near Buckingham Palace. We stopped at the grocery store by our hostel. We picked up some wraps, pasta salad, and some red wine to round out the meal. Ryan and Sarah decided to do a tour of Buckingham Palace. I would have liked to go in too- but it was like 15 pounds and I couldn't justify spending that much money. I laid in the grass in the sun with my ipod playing Sara Bareilles and I fell asleep. It was the first opportunity in a long time where I was able to just relax, enjoy doing absolutely nothing. Elizabeth read a little, but I just enjoyed the sunshine. 

Abbey Road

Ryan and Sarah met up with us in St. James' Park and we took the tube to go to Abbey Road. We say the cross walk where the Beatles were photographed. It was still pretty cool to see the crosswalk and the studio where they recorded the album. There is a white wall in front of the building where you can write something on it. Some of my favorites were, "Some may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. " "Take a sad song and make it better" and finally, "money can't buy my love." I wrote on it too. I wrote, "All you need is love" Along with my initials and the date.

My handwriting is a little off- its 2 inches off the road
and there had to be 10 layers of paint on the wall!

The thing that surprised me the most about Abbey Road was the lack of tourists. Sure, there was about 2 other groups at the cross walk. But it wasn't covered with tourist. Also, the road is quite busy. There were buses and a lot of cars. 

Abbey Road

So if you want to go to Abbey Road and take a picture, I would have one person stand by a statue that is at the corner and have the rest of the people cross the street. But don't stop!! Keep walking, it's supposed to look natural, and then the cars won't be as pissed because you are not holding up traffic. It's still pretty cool that we got a photo, I didn't think that we would get one that turned out so well! It needed a little cropping, but we are all in sync while we walked. I was saying, "Right, Left, Right, Left" So everyone would be on the same foot!


After Abbey Road, we got on the tube and headed to 221b Baker Street, where Sherlock Holmes lived. It's actually not at the correct address, because the address never existed. So it's a couple houses down, but it has a museum and a gift store. We didn't do the museum, because it was kind of expensive, but we looked around the gift shop and I wanted to buy one of the books. But I couldn't accept spending 15 pounds on a book. I wanted to buy a letter opener for my mom- but I wouldn't have been able to bring it on the airplane home from Paris because I didn't check any luggage.  So I had to nix that idea. 


We headed back to our hostel to get changed for the night ahead. We booked tickets for the London Eye when we were still in Rome, and our appointment time was at 8pm. We had plans to go to Walkabout at Temple after to meet up with some of the workers of the hostel. It was a student night there (It's right by King's College) and we got in for 3 pounds and drinks were a pound fifty! But anyways- the London Eye, well worth the 10 pounds we paid (it was discounted for students and booking online) it was so cool to see London from so high above. We had a great view of Big Ben and Waterloo Station. It was such a cool view I almost forgot that I was so high in the air! The diameter of the rim is 400 feet! It was one of the coolest things to see!


 After the London Eye, we walked across the river to Walkabout. I was a little hesitant when we walked in because there was a soccer game going on, and like in most places in Europe- no one is really talking during soccer. But the game finished and they put music on and we ran into the people from our hostel. Soon enough, Sarah and I just had to get on the dance floor! They played Single Ladies, and that is so my jam at the club! It was a great time to let loose with my friends and party it up in London. And because we had a full 5 days in London, we knew that we could sleep in a bit the next day. We left Walkabout around midnight so we could catch the tube back to Holborn. Soon after we were ready for bed.


Day 3 was for the British Museum. We woke up around 9:30 had breakfast and before heading across the street to the museum. It is free to get in, so that was pretty cool, we walked around the Ancient Rome and Etruscan section, up to the mummy section, and ending with the Acropolis sculptures. That was the coolest thing for me to see (besides the Rosetta Stone- which deciphered Hieroglyphics into Greek) I have been to the Acropolis and I remember my tour guide saying that the Greek government was upset that the British Museum refused to give back the Acropolis sculptures. They had a pamphlet at the British Museum saying that, "Greek culture transcends just Greek History and it should be enjoyed by more people, and the number of people who have seen them at the British museum is so high that losing them would be detrimental." I don't know if I believe that. I think they do belong to Greece, and the British Museum just doesn't want to give them back. Nevertheless, it was still pretty cool to see the original sculptures.


After the British Museum, we headed to our hostel to grab our jackets because it was getting colder (well more like London should be) and we ended up sleeping for an hour! I guess we really needed a good rest after all the travel and sightseeing! We stopped at the grocery store to pick up food and ate at the Lincoln Fields Park near our hostel. The sun was shining again and there were people all over the park reading and having picnics. It reminded me of Minnesota and when the weather is really nice we are outside all the time trying to enjoy all the sunshine and warm weather, before it gets cold again. 


We walked from Lincoln Fields to the Covent Marketplace, there were a lot of cool stands and even an outlet with some cute clothes. But I decided to save my money again. We wandered around ended up searching for a coat for Ryan. We went into H&M and found him a grey wool coat, we had to talk him into it, because it was 55 pounds- but that's not bad for a wool coat. 


We stopped at a bookstore to walk around. Well, actually I was on a quest- I needed to buy Definitely Dead (The Sookie Stackhouse Novel). I have been waiting to read this one since August! When I finished the one I brought with me to Rome. (I'm sorry MOM! You know you love me!!) I finally found it. I guess I have a thing for Vampires... :)

The next place we went was the other major place I wanted to see in London. The Tower Bridge. You know the bridge I'm taking about. It's usually the next thing you think of after Big Ben when you think of London. It was another smack in the face that I was in London. The Tower Bridge is right by the Tower of London (another expensive admission fee, so we didn't go in) But we did see it. And I remembered that Queen Elizabeth I was held prisoner there before she became Queen. I did a project Sophomore year with two of my friends about Queen Elizabeth I, it was like a Science fair project, but for history. We spent a majority of our sophomore year learning everything about her life, and why she is such a major character in English History. She brought about the greatest growth in economics and the arts England had ever seen. Shakespeare was writing plays during her reign. Her navy defeated the Spanish Armanda. Before the battle, she gave a speech with one of my favorite quotes, "I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king!" She made the decision to not marry, so she could have the power to rule England the way she saw fit. She was fierce, in every sense of the word. I am still in awe of her. I still believe that she one of the major reasons why England had a female prime minster before the United States. Gotta love Margaret Thatcher!

Queen Victoria Memorial

We walked back to the Tube after the Tower Bridge and headed towards Buckingham Palace to see it at night. I thought is pretty fitting. Seeing where Queen Elizabeth I spent so many of her days, then moving on to where Queen Elizabeth II lives. We came full circle. There is also a Queen Victoria memorial in the roundabout in front of Buckingham Palace. Of course that made me happy too. England has had some pretty amazing women lead their country. And all of them have lead the country to prosperity. hmm novel thought. Women can lead a country and not worry about all those hormones or emotions getting in the way of their judgement. (I know, I know- I'm such a crazy liberal).


We headed back to our hostel that night because Ryan was leaving us in the early morning to head to Oxford. And Elizabeth, Sarah, and I had an appointment with Harrod's and Nottinghill Gate!




We woke up and got on the tube and headed towards Notting Hill Gate! But before that, we got off at Oxford Circus and walked around there. We went into TopShop, but I soon realized that I would blow my budget if I bought anything there. If I made money in pounds it wouldn't have been that bad. But add in the fact that I had to double everything to convert into dollars, that 50 pound dress was really closer to 100 dollars. So no- it went back on the rack. 


But back to Nottinghill! I really wanted to watch the movie beforehand- the one with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. "I'm just a girl standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her." Oh that quote goes right up alongside, "Love means never having to say your sorry" :) We stopped in a few vintage store while we were there, and stopped at a Starbucks to get some coffee. Elizabeth bought a cute teacup at one vintage store. But Sarah and I were ready to get to Harrods.

We got off the tube and walked the few minutes it took to get to Harrods. Needless to say the building is amazing. It's huge and majestic. I'm even going to say it has nothing on Macy's in New York. You can get lost in that place. I headed straight for the purses, Louis Vutton, Burberry, Jimmy Choo, and every other brand under the sun. If I had a few extra thousands of dollars I didn't know what to do with- I would have bought a purse. But no, I settled for some socks. (I know I'm lame, but if you knew the price...oh man). We didn't have a lot of time to wander around Harrod's. But we happened upon a Champagne bar while trying to find a bathroom, and we had to look at the shoes. There were women in huge fur coats with men putting boxes upon boxes in huge Harrod's bags. I don't even want to know how much they were spending on shoes. I even saw a couple employees shopping for boots, I wonder how much of a discount they get? hmm. 

Notice the small green Harrod's Bag ;)

Since both Sarah and I were kind of disgusted by how much we spent at there, we walked across the street to EAT, to get a quick lunch before heading back to meet Ryan. As we were walking to the Tube, we stopped in Hyde Park to walk around and see the pond there. The atmosphere was kind of ruined by a possible drug bust. But all in all, the park was beautiful. 


We met up with Ryan and decided to go along with some people from the hostel on a pub crawl. It was 10 pounds and we got free drinks and specials including no cover to four different bars and clubs. It was great because we got meet some cool people who were staying in our hostel, including a girl who studied in London in college and keeps coming back at least once a year because she can't stand staying away! She wants to finish her masters in London and that is what she is working on now. She said the easiest way to work in London is to go there for school, because once you have a student visa- it is easier to get a green card to work in England. It's something that I could look into...who knows what could happen in two years??

The next morning, we realized that it was our last day in London. Elizabeth left to meet up with an old friend who took the train in from a town near London to visit. So Ryan, Sarah, and I headed to Camden Town, but we took a little detour to King's Cross. We had a date with Platform 9 3/4. They even have a trolley that is half in the wall so you can take pictures. I learned from my friend that it not the same one they use in the movies. J.K. Rowling couldn't remember the platform numbers, and there are tracks between platforms 9 and 10. So it is impossible to have a platform 9 3/4. So for the movies they pick the spot she was actually thinking of and change the signs. Nevertheless, we had to take pictures there!




After King's Cross, we finally headed to Camden Town, there were a lot of markets and a lot of cool jewelry and posters. We wandered around there for a few hours, stopping at stalls and looking at everything they had to sell. There were a few clothing shops we went into, but Sarah only bought something for her sister, and we decided that we should get Chipotle for a late lunch. Now I have become addicted to Chipotle every since one of my very best friends, Abbie, took me there because we got a free burrito. So I can solely blame her for my addiction. And having a burrito after nearly 2 months without it was the best thing I have ever eaten. The peppers were a bit different and they definitely make the burritos smaller, but it was chipotle! (Plus, I'm going to ignore the fact I spent nearly 10 dollars on the burrito itself). We headed back to the hostel ready for an early night. We had to get to the train station to take the chunnel to Paris by 5 in the morning. We had to wake up at 4. So we hung out in the common room of the hostel watching Extras. It's a British TV show with Ricky Gervais. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. He is basically an extra on all these different movies but he is trying to be a "proper actor." He is just so funny!


We headed to bed around 10, and we were up by 4 so we could get a cab to the train station.


We left London, sad because we loved it so much, but also so excited to head on to Paris!


I'll get working on the Paris blog soon!


Ciao Bella


Cheerio :)