Thursday, February 12, 2015

London

My flight from Eindhoven left at 8:00am. This meant I had to leave my hostel by 5:10 to get the 5:45 bus from the train station. Which, of course, meant that I left at 5:30. Here's what I did though. I tricked myself into thinking that I had to leave that early, so that I would still get out of the door with plenty of time. I (secretly) knew that I would be OK with the the next two buses after that. I had a twenty minute walk to the train station, and I'm not gonna lie, I think for the first time this trip, I was a little bit concerned. As I walked alone with my huge backpack and map open in my hands there was not another soul out and about. I saw one person on my entire walk, which is more scary than seeing several.


Wearing two scarves because I didn't have room in my bag for either of them... I was super warm!



Empty.



Bus station - Empty.

I made it to the airport without a problem though and even snuck my huge backpack on as a carryon! I was supposed to check it, but since the flights are so cheap - only $20 to London - they charge double just to check a bag. I did not give in to this bullying, and I came out on top. 


After obnoxiously being the person that holds up the line by taking FOREVER to make their bag fit in the overhead bin, I settled in for a 40 minute hop across the English Channel. And then I was that same person again as I barely avoided hitting several people as I pulled it down.

When I entered the London airport, I realized something that I had overlooked... customs. The line for the EU citizens was much longer than the non-citizens line, so I was grateful in that moment that I was not a citizen... That sentiment quickly faded when their line disappeared completely, and an hour later, I was still standing in a short line.

After no sleep and standing in a daze in line, I stumbled into the madness of figuring out how to get to the city center of London. There was no information booth to help me know which way was best. So I wandered from booth to booth, trying to decipher whether train or bus or whatever else I was being offered would, both budget wise and time wise, be the best way. After deciding that bus was definitely not the way to go, I was somehow convinced by the most sketchy bus company that I should buy a ticket from them because their bus was leaving in 5 min and would take me straight to Victoria station (just a short walk from where I was staying).

Well the next bus did indeed leave in 5 minutes. And believe it or not, I was there in time for it. There was just about 50 other people that were in line ahead of me. Oh yeah, and the bus was already full. And the next one wasn't coming for another 30 minutes. And there was no guarantee that I would make it on. At this point, it was 9:30 and I had told Kelsey that I would meet her at 10:00... And I had an hour and a half bus ride that I was still in line for. Optimism strikes out again.

As the next bus rolled up, everyone held their breath and crossed their fingers, hoping against all odds that there would be a seat awaiting them. The line moved forward, and with three people ahead of me, he pulled down the rope in front of us. And told us to wait. After a very long five minutes, he said that there was room for five more. I was number four. Oh happy day.

After dozing off for a bit, I woke up to see Big Ben across the river. LONDON, BABY. After going the opposite direction than I was supposed to go, I mentally stepped into my map and was reunited with Kelsey, who welcomed me with open arms. We then headed to Borough Market.

I love meeting up with people while traveling because you get to recount stories in a way that no one else will ever hear. All of our failures and triumphs as solo travelers for a day were fresh in our mind... So I would definitely say that the story-telling from both sides was on point.

Borough market, in my opinion, is the best place to eat lunch in London. There are so many options of food, all fresh and inexpensive. We settled on some €5 Italian dishes. (It also helps that samples are offered from all around.) We also got some mulled wine (heated up with spices - tastes similar to a hot cider, but better!).

Westminster Abbey was the next stop. Now, paying €18 for Westminster Abbey (and that's with the student discount!) was a bit spirit-dampening, but the moment we stepped into the nave, it was all worth it. The history of this church is more fascinating to me than any other. Westminster Abbey is the burial ground for over 3,000 people, including Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, Henry VIII and so, so many more. Listening to stories of their conquests and accomplishments, while gazing at their magnificent tombstones and epitaphs is the best option for any history buff, like myself, on a cold winter's day in London.

Now, I have been to London before, about four years ago. I remember being enamored with this city, and I was interested in seeing if I would still feel that way after being all across the continent of Europe. The answer is, yes, I feel exactly the same way towards London. It has the right combination of a deep, spectacular history, combined with a familiar, "I could live here" feel... At least for me.



London - 2011




London - 2015

We then headed across Westminster Bridge for what Rick Steves describes as the "wow, I'm really in London" feeling. It has a gorgeous view of the Thames, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and much more. We asked how long the line for the Eye was. The reply was "two hours." We started backing away, all interest immediately lost. But he yelled out a "just kidding!" We only actually had to wait for ten minutes. While overpriced, the views were quite exquisite.


I love traveling with Kelsey. We take turns navigating, and the only time we got lost (for about 3 minutes) we simply asked two guys standing outside of a bar which way to go, and they sent us on our way, after, of course, trying to coax us into the bar they were at instead.

We went to a (Rick Steves' recommended) pub for dinner and were not disappointed. When we asked what kind of English beer we should try, the bartender brought out 8 different kinds for us to try, so that we could decide for ourselves! He may have ended up being a bit too helpful though. Right when we were trying to leave he decided to give us a 15 minute description of everything we should do the next day... Which was sweet, but we already had our itinerary planned.

Day 2 in London began with breakfast at the hostel and then a tube ride over to the magnificent St. Paul's Cathedral. While Westminster Abbey's history is unmatched, St. Paul's has its own kind of history that makes it fascinating. Listening to how Christopher Wren designed the domes is remarkable. Another favorite of mine is listening to how, during WWII, about 30 men would watch over St. Paul's. They would extinguish incendiary bombs as soon as they were dropped. While all the area surrounding St. Paul's was flattened, the cathedral remained and is a constant symbol of resilience and hope.


At the top of St. Paul's Cathedral.

We grabbed lunch at a pub right next to Borough market, where I finally had an entire meal of fish and chips! Phil and Julia 
constantly got this the last time we were in the UK, but I refused. I thought that when I wrote this post, I would be saying how pleasantly surprised I was by this meal. Instead, I am here to tell you that I experienced waves of nausea for the next 24 hours. Never again.


The Tower of London was the next stop. We missed the last tour by about 15 minutes, but I think that we gave ourselves a grand tour. The crown jewels were as jaw-dropping and sparkly as ever. And the history. From the 11th century all the way up until WWI, people were tortured and hung here. We read of so many incredible stories of deception and betrayal.

We then took a lovely cruise down the Thames as the sun set, and took a stroll through the park to see Buckingham Palace. We then went to a lovely bar for dinner (that used to be a bank) where I couldn't eat because of the cursed fish and chips that I had at lunch. Once we got back to the hostel, I realized I also had a fever. I curled up in bed and watched Kelsey pack, knowing that I had to do the same thing. I then booked a train for the next morning (should have done that before, I know) and a hostel for the next night. Very on the fly. We then watched "Sherlock" in honor of London, and I finally worked up the strength to pack. Kelsey drugged me up and I had a fitful time alternately sleeping and cursing the fish and chips all night long.

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