Unfortunately the arrival was not so great. We took a ten-hour overnight MegaBus for a reallllly good price. NOT worth it. Never again! I thought Tylenol PM and my six-plus hour ride bus history would do me fine. Definitely not. MegaBus overnight = MegaHell.
Our hostel was right on Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. It was also pretty close to Notting Hill (although we never made it there --- next time!). Beautiful location and beautiful weather, for the most part, made a lot of the walking great! We did dapple in the bus system if we were REALLY far from somewhere, and then totally utilized the 7-pound Tube pass on the last day. Emphasis on “last” day - meaning LOTS of walking. I did not mind though, I think that’s the best way to see a city.
Upon arrival we walked over to Buckingham Palace to see if the Changing of the Guard was happening that day (only in the summer does it happen every day). Unfortunately, it wasn’t, so we continued on walking to Trafalgar Square – home of the National Gallery, Lions, and the OMEGA Official Olympic Countdown Clock. Admittedly I didn’t even know the Olympics were going to be in London this year. Oops. We walked through the National Collection, which was SO extensive. Tired from the night before we didn’t stay long enough to see everything, but definitely wandered around for about an hour or so. At this point it had started to rain so after lunch and some exploring we decided to try to go to the Museum of Natural History. Alas, a free kid-oriented museum on a rainy Saturday is not the best idea. They didn’t let us in. Such a bummer – but we went to the Science Museum next door. Also interesting, but pretty overwhelming for a bunch of tired tourists running on practically no sleep. After the Science Museum we went back for a pre-dinner nap – and eventually after a lot of confusion ended up wandering the ever-eventful Picadilly Circus (Times Square of London) and Oxford Street! SO MUCH SHOPPING. And for a poor traveling student it was a little depressing, but still fun to look around. I did find the Johnny Cupcakes London store, which I was thrilled about! I had looked up the address before leaving, but was pretty skeptical if we’d actually make it there. So happy I did! I then had to splurge on a London exclusive shirt, of course. Picadilly and Oxford are NUTS. Especially on the weekend. I loved walking by all of the theaters (Wicked, Phantom, Shrek, Mamma Mia, Les Miserables, Lion King, Billy Elliot, MJ’s Thriller, etc.) – I wish going to a show could have been in my budget. My friend Shelby went to see The Lion King, which was of course amazing – so jealous. Next time, definitely!
The next day was BEAUTIFUL. The walk through Kensington/Hyde Park was full of puppies and happiness (like Braidburn)! It made me want to live there. We went to the Changing of the Guard, which was of course JAM PACKED. I could only see at random points, and a little, but it was still cool to be at. Apparently the Queen came out (I honestly don’t even know if that happens), but my friend Kelly saw it. They played a bunch of songs from Phantom which definitely made it worth it. We took a walk through St. James’ Park after, on our way to THE LONDON EYE. Definitely one of the best things I did in London. Worth every pence! The London Eye is a 400ish foot tall ferris wheel on the River Thames. The tallest in Europe, I think. The views were unbelievable. And we picked a perfect weather day. I don’t even have the words to explain how awesome it was – highly recommend to anyone going. On our walk to the eye was through Parliament Square, meaning Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Both amazing to just be in the presence of. A symbol that is so widely recognized all over the world! Absolutely crazy to think about.
(At the top!!!!)
After the unbelievable London Eye we took the absolute longest walk of my life, though very scenic down the River Thames to the Tower of London. Unfortunately, upon arrival at 4:05, we were told that the last people are allowed through at 4:00. A little disappointed, but happy to be saving the money, we stayed around the area. I’m still pretty mad about not being able to get in, but it is a definite for next time. We saw the Tower Bridge and sunset on the area, which was beautiful, and went to St. Paul’s Cathedral on the way back.
Monday morning I spent the best seven pounds I think I have the entire semester: a daily Tube pass. Since it was the last day we were in London, and there were so many things we wanted to pack into the day, we decided to use the Tube. And while I am glad to have walked around so much, the Tube pass REALLY made the last day worth it. There was no way we would have gotten as much done without it!
After purchasing the pass we immediately went to satisfy all of our inner-Harry Potter nerds at King’s Cross Station. We got a little lost, and a little confused but eventually made it to Platform 9 and ¾! It was a little….underwhelming…but I’m still happy we did it. Next on the list were Abbey Road and Abbey Road Studios. About 100 angry drivers almost killed us but it was worth it to take an album photo! It is in a pretty busy area, surprisingly. Honestly, if I lived in London, I would just avoid it at all costs driving, I’m sure there must be another way around. There was a lot of Beatles graffiti around too, while a little obnoxious, was also pretty cool to look at. Camden Market was absolutely nuts! We probably stayed for at LEAST two hours and barely made a dent in walking around all of the different shops/stands/etc. Granted, a lot of it was pretty repetitive, but it just seemed SO never-ending, with a lot of unexpected surprises (and probably Tetanus if one was to decided to get a tattoo, but that’s besides the point, haha). I was impressed. The food was also amazing. I could’ve eaten there all day. I restrained from buying too much food or stuff, but HAD to get some fish and chips. So happy I did, as they were ahhhhhhmazingly delicious.
For two pounds (?) we also had to climb the 311 steps of The Monument, a commemoration of the great fire of London - and now have certificates to prove it! Another site with amazing views in luckily great weather. Finally, winding the trip down before preparation for our 5:00AM airport arrival, we made our last venture, to Harrods! Another London staple I have always wanted to go to, and I was NOT let down. Wow. The place is honestly a dream. If ONLY I had the money to afford more than 5% of the stuff in there. The food alone is enough to send someone into orbit. Wow. One day I’ll be back with actual money to spend (:
Next time (hopefully!): Regent’s Park, Notting Hill, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Theater show, Victoria and Albert Museum, Natural History Museum, Globe Theater, National Portrait Gallery.
Sorry for any awful errors - this was quite a long entry to write (with Ireland still to go, too!)
Dispatch - Valentine
Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
Marina & The Diamonds - I Am Not A Robot
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