December Recap: London again

In the frantic last-minute rush of my final two weeks in Scotland I managed to squeeze in quite a few noteworthy trips, including a second trip to London as a reward for finishing two essays at 2500 and 3000 words- whew!

Before I left, Stirling received a little dusting of snow that was fun to play in- which distracted me from essays even more- but luckily the trains were still in operation and my friend and I headed out from campus on a Monday for England's capital. Our hostel this time was located in Greenwich, a district in south London and home of Greenwich Mean Time and the prime meridian, where the line of longitude is at 0°. Commuting in and out of Greenwich took us on an overground train through a business district, while Greenwich itself was a rather small and charming place to retreat to outside of London. That first night we only checked into our hostel and sought some cheap pub food before falling asleep,  but the next day we left bright and early to make it into London. The first stop was St. Paul's Cathedral, which I had missed entering the previous trip, but was extremely glad I could make it back for. The interior was beautiful and massively humbling, and we spent some time listening to its history on an audio guide before climbing 257 steps from the cathedral floor to the "whispering gallery," where we tried with some success to hear each other talking across the dome. Another long flight of winding stairs led us outside onto the Stone Gallery, with a view of the city, and after about 500 steps up from the main floor we made it to a small ring near the top called the Golden Gallery where the pictures were the best. Interestingly, the design of St. Paul's is such that the dome you see from the street is a false "dome" built on top of the original, to allow for people on the inside to the paintings at a closer distance while still allowing spectators on the outside to see the entire structure. 

Panorama from the galleries

If memory serves me we then took the Tube to the National Theatre for a backstage tour, in which I saw some amazing sets and learned about the production and construction of the different theatre houses, props and plays. Afterwards I made it inside Westminster Abbey, a beautiful but surprisingly narrow church with hundreds of tombs and other monuments inside to various royalties. I really enjoyed my audio tour here as well, and afterwards made it past Big Ben and parliament at night and snapped a picture in front of a Christmas tree. We walked across what I believe was Westminster Bridge to see parliament over the water, then made our way towards South Bank under the glowing London Eye to check out the Christmas markets. I tried roasted chestnuts for the first time, which tasted a little like a nutty potato but felt good to hold in the freezing weather. We also walked around Hyde Park, which had been transformed into a winter carnival with markets and holiday-themed park rides (I have never heard of a winter carnival boasting things like a "Christmas Coaster" before). I believe we grabbed some Italian that night near Charing Cross before heading back into Greenwich. 

Parliament, or technically, the Palace of Westminster

A ferris wheel at the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

The next day we went to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich to see the prime meridian, where I stood with a foot in both hemispheres! (I have been into the Eastern Hemisphere only once before when I was in Tokyo.) In the area we also learned a bit about John Flamsteed, the first Astronomer Royal, and saw a camera obscura- a neat device that makes a live projection of the outside world that resembles a black and white illustration. Afterwards we meandered through Greenwich Park past the National Maritime Museum towards the Old Royal Naval College, an architectural beauty that sits on an oxbow of the Thames and doesn't seem to actually be a college anymore. Back in the main streets of Greenwich we found a market and bought some scarves and amazing fudge from a candy store. In London, I think our first stop was the busy and unsightly Camden Market, where I tried unsuccessfully to barter for a leather jacket, before I went alone on the London Eye back in South Bank. The Eye was amazing; for 30 minutes I rode in a large pod with about 15 others and watched the sun set and the lights turn on over the city. While St. Paul's Cathedral had great views as well, the Eye boasted the best look at Big Ben, parliament and the traffic over Westminster Bridge (including the iconic red double-decker buses). I hurried afterwards to catch my friend at the Museum of London, and while I had maybe 5 minutes to run through the chronological progression of the city's history the museum seemed really well done and I will have to catch it when I go back again. 

On the Prime Meridian

A building in the Royal Naval College

The London Eye

View from the London Eye

Sunset from the pod

Afterwards, we found Somerset House and took some pictures at the Tiffany & Co. inspired skating rink, decked out for Christmas and lit up in pink and blue. We weren't ready to call it a night yet so we took a long walk from Somerset to the Millennium Bridge along the Thames, then crossed towards St. Paul's Cathedral and hopped on the Tube. I was so glad I could make it again to London, but even a total of 5 days in the city between my two trips wasn't enough! 

Somerset House skating rink

My friend and I with St. Paul's on our final night

Next, I take a tour of the Isle of Skye and the Highlands of Scotland the day after I return from the big city!