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!

Castles and Capitals 4: Lots of London (2/2)

On Saturday I made my way up to St. Paul’s Cathedral and took a few quintessential red telephone booth photos along the way. The “Occupy Wall Street” protesters had foiled my attempts to see the inside of the building the day before, as their presence had forced the cathedral to close; today the gallery with the view of the city was still closed, so I vowed to return another time. We instead made our way back on the Tube to Buckingham Palace, an area which I loved because of its openness, gorgeous architecture and neat path outside the main gates (unfortunately the Victoria Memorial was obscured behind scaffolding, another off-season project). We ate at a sandwich place and began our walk towards Hyde Park, passing under the beautiful Wellington Arch just as a protest parade involving Syria was escorted past by policemen. Hyde Park itself was fantastically large, a slice of nature in the middle of urbanity, and I enjoyed sitting on a bench with my friends eating a vanilla ice cream cone and walking through the grass under the blue sky and along the lake Serpentine. 

St. Paul's

Buckingham Palace through the gates

My friend and I in front of Wellington Arch

The blue skies in Hyde Park

A walk in Hyde Park

The British Museum

Afterwards, I made my way on the Tube to the British Museum, passing through Russell Square and through the grand columns of the massive (and free to view!) collection of historical and cultural artifacts. I spent only the better part of an hour here but was impressed by the interior of the building and the amount of objects on exhibition. Afterwards I met my friends in Trafalgar Square and popped into the National Gallery to appreciate the architecture and a brief glimpse of some beautiful paintings. We took the Tube one last time back to King’s Cross before heading out to dinner at a restaurant for good pub food (I had fish and chips, a usual in Scotland), and spent some time that night in the room sorting out our belongings for the trip home.

Trafalgar Square from the steps of the National Gallery

Coming up out of the Underground

King's Cross

Gorgeous views out the window of the train

Another pretty view

It was sad to think of all the things I hadn’t seen in London yet, but I was so grateful for all the experiences I did have, and I absolutely cannot wait to come back and see especially St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and perhaps take a ride on the London Eye. I thought the five hour train ride home would be dull, but I was treated with the most beautiful views out the window of sunny English countryside dotted with sheep, small towns with towering old churches, colorful autumn trees, cream-colored houses with red roofs along the water, and the Eastern coastline running parallel to the train tracks. 

The sun was setting as we made it back to Scotland, and when the train operator announced in a thick Scottish accent that we were arriving in “Stahling,” I was surprised to find myself thinking how happy I was to be coming “home” after a week’s travel. 

I had an absolutely wonderful experience that week, and while I may have spent a tad bit more than I had anticipated it was worth every penny. There is a lot that happened and even more to reflect on that I haven’t detailed here, but even as it stands I hope I haven’t bored anyone, and I won’t be offended if you just skimmed for the photos.

Basically the path I took on the trip!

I covered a lot of ground that week and am so grateful for all the planning my amazing friends put into this. Here’s to a week of great sights, great company and a great memory!

Castles and Capitals 4: Lots of London (1/2)

Our final destination on the week-long trip was London! This was my first time in the city but hopefully not my last, as even with three days to explore there is so much left to see.

Abbey Road

We took a train into King’s Cross from Cardiff on Thursday and made our way to our newest hostel. A few of my group decided to make our way to Abbey Road, so after waiting in line for our day pass, we started our expedition on the fantastic transportation system I came to be familiar with: the Tube. I loved how easy it was to zip from one stop to the next and to orient myself with the different “lines,” though I could not have done it without a pocket map provided to me that now hangs proudly (and somewhat battered and water-stained) on my wall. From our station we were whisked to Abbey Road, a very busy intersection where cars from all directions are frustrated by determined tourists trying to take pictures. I was able to cross a couple times on the iconic zebra stripes and saw the outside of the recording studios before we descended back onto the Underground to Baker Street. The interior of the station was covered in a tile of small silhouettes of Sherlock Holmes, and indeed there exists a small museum and gift shop dedicated to the great detective himself (who I had to remember, through my mindset of seeing historical wonders, was fictitious and did not actually live in 221 Baker Street). Nearby was the Beatles store where we spent some time marveling at merchandise before attempting to make our way through the Charring Cross area. We ended up eating an amazing three-course Mediterranean meal in Convent Garden for very cheap and had a good night chatting at the hostel afterwards. 

A quick picture while crossing!

I love the Underground!

Jeremy Brett!

My first impressions of London were centered around how very little fanfare there was for tourists, and rightly so – this is a functioning city, but it was still surprising for me to realize in person, perhaps exemplified best in the situation at Abbey Road where tourists baffled the regular rhythm of traffic and everyday life. Everywhere there was construction on prominent buildings as they worked to remodel during the off season, and I often expected more directions from a tourist-friendly street sign or public map that did not exist. This did not make me like London less, but moreso made me aware of my self-centeredness as a tourist from abroad, which I hope I quickly adapted to for the remainder of my time in the great city.

The Tower of London from the outside

The next day was Friday, one of the last days of our adventure, and perhaps the busiest day so far. A part of the group took the Tube near Trafalgar Square and an area packed with theatre promotions and houses to pick up a London Pass that allowed us discounts and free entry to some attractions in the city. My first stop was the Tower of London, a very famous and fascinating collection of buildings, grounds, architecture and items like the Crown Jewels situated right amongst a very urban part of town near the Thames (you could see the Tower Bridge from the walkway). I enjoyed seeing the different parts of the Tower, and the weather stayed beautiful with only a few clouds. While I did get to see and take pictures with the “beefeaters” or Yeoman Warders (ceremonial guards that live in and give tours of the Tower of London) and the massive ravens (part of a superstition concerning the protection of the Crown Jewels), I did not get to see Jewels themselves as the line on that particular Friday was at least a one hour wait. 

And old building and a modern one

In the back, you can see a guard in red

Tower Bridge

The bell tower where prisoners like Thomas Becket were kept

Instead we perused the Tower gift shop before hopping on the Tube to Westminster area, where I was treated with my first sight of golden Big Ben and the Parliament and the fantastic exterior of Westminster Abbey (I will have to return to see the inside). Afterwards I went up to the Tower Bridge exhibition, which provided lovely views of the Thames and the more modern buildings along the water. We took the lift down and each bought a cup of sugary roasted peanuts from a street vendor before finding a place to watch the bridge we had just walked along raise for a passing boat. As the sun began to set we joined a Thames river cruise, where we got to see the city waterfront as the lights came on (and got a little wet in the process!). 

The London Eye in the back

The awe-inspiring Westminster Abbey

On Tower Bridge

Big Ben at night from the Thames river cruise

 We made an effort to take the Tube to Greenwhich for the British Music Experience; unfortunately we were too late, but we had stumbled upon “The O2” or “Millennium Dome,” a massive, spiny bubble housing an indoor mall made to look outdoors as well as a cinema, concert hall, and various other facilities. We made our way back out past concert-goers with tickets to Britney Spears and back to the hostel before heading out for a night in the East End of London. A friend of the group led us around the multicultural and urban Brick Lane, where I enjoyed some excellent curry before returning on the bus with friends to rest our feet! 

Next part: Saturday in London!