25-26 Feb. - London-town
I can't believe I just spent the weekend in London, the home of the 2012 Olympics and one of the worlds biggest and "one of the world's four primary global cities" in company with New York, Tokyo and Paris. The home of Shakespeare, the Royal Family, the Beatles, and the birthplace of so much more... some of which I will mention later on.
Molly, Stephanie and I left bright and early on Saturday morning and walked to the Cheltenham bus station to board our National Express Coach. Three hours later we pulled into the coach station. We were a little disoriented when we walked out of the station and it took a while (and a few wrong turns) to get us going the right way... whichever way that was. We didn't have any specific plans for the day (other than wanting to see EVERYTHING), but we needed to find our hostel and check in.
But there were a few things that happened to impede our path, like a big building where the ruling monarch lives (or something like that), a mini-parade, a huge park, a white marble arch and a lot of big red buses. (not to mention confusing street signs)
First stop: Buckingham Palace.
Molly, Stephanie and I left bright and early on Saturday morning and walked to the Cheltenham bus station to board our National Express Coach. Three hours later we pulled into the coach station. We were a little disoriented when we walked out of the station and it took a while (and a few wrong turns) to get us going the right way... whichever way that was. We didn't have any specific plans for the day (other than wanting to see EVERYTHING), but we needed to find our hostel and check in.
But there were a few things that happened to impede our path, like a big building where the ruling monarch lives (or something like that), a mini-parade, a huge park, a white marble arch and a lot of big red buses. (not to mention confusing street signs)
First stop: Buckingham Palace.
Apparently the queen wasn't there that day. We later learned that if she's there, there will be another flag underneath the national flag atop the palace. Only one flag today. We didn't get the chance to see the changing of the guard, either... later we found out that we probably would have seen it if we stayed longer. But it was cold!
I have actually seen the palace before-- inside and out! On my first trip to England, almost 12 years ago, we went on a tour. Buckingham Palace is only open to the public during August and September. From there, we managed to find our way to Hyde Park; our hostel was just north of there.
on the way, we passed this on the street. I don't know what it is, or who they are, but they're women and they stopped traffic and that was worth seeing in itself.
So, we stumbled through Hyde Park (which, might I add, is a little more than a walk in the park. It's beautiful, but it is huuuuggeee). While stopped on the edge of the park, all three of us examining our maps, a man with a boy stopped by us and said "Do you need directions?" It was an American voice! We said we were pretty sure where we were going since we just needed to get through the park (or, I said it, I guess I spoke for everyone...) but it was very nice of him to ask. Either he overheard us talking, or we really looked like Americans, which is more likely. We had a few other "American spottings" over the weekend, some welcome and others not so welcome. Sometimes you hate to claim the same home country as some people...
Eventually we found the road where our hostel was supposed to be.... and then stopped for lunch at a little pub called "The Swan." All three of us ordered hamburgers.
The Swan was probably the first place where I realized how international the city really is. Maybe that would seem obvious. But hearing all the different languages at that pub was just a taste of the culture I would savor throughout my time in London (as short as it may be).
A few more blocks down Bayswater Road and we finally reached our hostel. We checked in, received our linens and climbed the stairs to our room. It seemed pretty decent... even if it was my first stay in a hostel.
We were exhausted already! Between waking up early and walking around all day, and having full stomachs we were all ready for a nap!
So we made our beds and relaxed for a bit (or as much as you can relax in a hostel, anyway). We examined a couple tour bus flyers we picked up on the way. The night before we left for London, we asked British-American advisor & liazon Andy (see below) what our best strategy would be to get the most from our weekend, and he suggested the tour bus.
We opted for the bus that stopped nearest to our hostel. And oh boy were we full fledged tourists on that beast.
We were exhausted already! Between waking up early and walking around all day, and having full stomachs we were all ready for a nap!
So we made our beds and relaxed for a bit (or as much as you can relax in a hostel, anyway). We examined a couple tour bus flyers we picked up on the way. The night before we left for London, we asked British-American advisor & liazon Andy (see below) what our best strategy would be to get the most from our weekend, and he suggested the tour bus.
We opted for the bus that stopped nearest to our hostel. And oh boy were we full fledged tourists on that beast.The top deck has a nice view, great for picture-taking and getting an overall feel for the city-- the wind blowing through your hair... I bet it's nice in the summer. But not in 30-degree weather! (that's Farenheit.) It was a very cold weekend. Cold and windy. Kind of felt like Chicago.
We were bundled up all weekend. But the sun was out here and there, and it didn't rain. Two days in London without rain; I guess I can't complain.
At the end of the weekend we decided that the tour bus was a good idea. Our ticket was good for 48 hours from the time we bought it, and we could hop on and off at any of the stops whenever we wanted. Pretty convenient. It hit most of the London hot-spots (except Shakespeare's Globe, much to my dismay) and even had a historical narrative via headphones. So we got to learn a lot about the history of places we might have otherwise overlooked. For instance, the church where poet Robert Browning was married; the church where Oscar Wilde was married; the famous Baker Street (Sherlock Holmes anyone?); Abbey Road (Beatles' recording studio); and one of our personal favorites, the church whose steeple inspired the tiered wedding cake!
We were bundled up all weekend. But the sun was out here and there, and it didn't rain. Two days in London without rain; I guess I can't complain.
At the end of the weekend we decided that the tour bus was a good idea. Our ticket was good for 48 hours from the time we bought it, and we could hop on and off at any of the stops whenever we wanted. Pretty convenient. It hit most of the London hot-spots (except Shakespeare's Globe, much to my dismay) and even had a historical narrative via headphones. So we got to learn a lot about the history of places we might have otherwise overlooked. For instance, the church where poet Robert Browning was married; the church where Oscar Wilde was married; the famous Baker Street (Sherlock Holmes anyone?); Abbey Road (Beatles' recording studio); and one of our personal favorites, the church whose steeple inspired the tiered wedding cake!
posted by Anna K @ 2:30 PM
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