SP:
After a six hour flight, and less than three hours of sleep in 48 hours, the Evil Twins have finally arrived in London. Well, to be more exact, we've arrived in the customs line from Hell. We've been in line for thirty minutes and still no end in sight. In their polite way, the Brits have posted signs stating that more comprehensive screening takes longer, so deal with it. After glancing at the EU line that remained fairly empty the entire hour we spent waiting to go through Customs, I'm more determined than ever to get my hands on an EU passport. Is it too blunt to ask strangers "Marry me?"
Once through customs, we exit the arrivals terminal (very reminiscent of Love Actually) and jump on the Piccadilly Line to our hostel, Clink 78, near Kings Cross/St. Pancras. We unloaded our bags and headed out for a tour of the city. We magically found our way to Chancery Street, where we were stopped three times by donations collectors (think the British version of those kids that ask for money for Greenpeace). None wanted to ask us for money, but all wanted to ask us about our trip.
We continued on our diagonal line from Kings Cross to the ultimate goal, Buckingham Palace. The first spot was Covent Gardens. For any of you readers that were on the TPS Scotland trip with me, the guy that does magic tricks and acrobatics on ladders was still there, still yelling at the crowd. Around this time, Anna and I were hungry.Using a tip provided by Eleanor, we ate at Rock & Sole Plaice - one of the last authentic fish and chips places in London.
It's also hailed as one of the best. This praise is well deserved. Neither Anna nor I are fish-eating people but this was simply delicious. The cod was flaky, the coating was crisp, and the chips were bountiful! Smother it in a sauce similar to tzaziki, and you've got the ideal meal.
Though desperate for a nap, we continued on. We passed by Big Ben, Parliment, and briefly entered Westminster Abbey. Fun fact: since he was a priest, it was Charles Darwin's fervent dream to be included amongst the plaques in Westminster. But since he came up with the whole "theory of natural selection" bit, the priests at Westminster were at a loss. They wanted to include him, but how could they? So they compromised - Darwin has a plaque, but it's off to the side, away from the other scientists. After paying tribute to the lonely plaque (in honor of Prof. Kiho), we continued on.
AW:
After an eventful morning (of not being able to find the TARDIS or the ARC) we met up with Anna's friend, Anna, from Liverpool. We managed to make our way over to the Royal Gallery and then found our way over to an Underground stop to head over to the Tower of London. Anna, having seen the Tower of London multiple times, decided she would not join us, but treated us to a drink at the pub, Dickens Inn. The Inn was right on the waterfront, had tons of flowers, and was just beautiful. After our drink we said goodbye and headed over to the Tower of London.
As we arrived, the very cute security guard, who also commented on how handsome he was, asked if we had anything suspicious such as a box of chocolates in our bags. After the security guard finished flirting with me (Marry me?), we entered the Tower of London area and got out first look at the famed ravens. Let me tell you, they do not play around or exaggerate about those suckers. I kid you not, they were the size of small dogs, yorkie or chihuahua sized. Actually, I would wager they could carry off a chihuahua...
We climbed a massive amount of steps to enter the White Tower where prisoners were kept. After seeing all kinds of armor, (thank goodness we did not live back then), the history of the keep, and not very much else, we were ready for some gore and some jewels. While we found some nice jewels, the gore seemed to be excluded from the tour. We did manage to find another tower within the compound where prisoners were maintained. These prisoners were quite the graffitti artists. All over the tower were etchings of their names, the date, coats of arms, and a multitude of other drawings. On our way out, we managed to snag a picture of a yeoman and find another yeoman who got to meet President Bush. This yeoman shared that after he shook our former President's hand he checked to make sure his watch was still there. Again, still no TARDIS or ARC spottings. After our tour of the Tower, we headed over to the underground stop to wait for our Jack the Ripper walking tour to begin.
Unlike some, who shall remain nameless (TPS Scotland trip...), Anna didn't mind the two hour walking tour. Hosted by London Walks, this is the third time I've done the Jack the Ripper tour. Each time I've loved it and had great tour guides. And at 8 pounds, it's one of the cheapest activities in the city. Definitely look into this!
By this point, it was late, we were tired, and in desperate need of a bed. Off to home! Or, at least, our home for the night. Clink 78 is the typical youth hostel with an average of 7 to 11 beds per room and one set of showers for the floor. Though it has the potential to be loud and annoying with roommates coming and going at all hours, Anna and I were so tired, we didn't care. The sheets were clean and the beds reasonably comfortable. If you're only staying in London for a few nights, this is a fine place to stay. Warning: the lockers under the bed are small (basically you can fit a backpack and not much else) and locks are not provided. That being said, we didn't have a theft problem.
The minute our heads hit the pillow, we zonked out. Tomorrow - guards, Platform 9 3/4, and Paris!
After a six hour flight, and less than three hours of sleep in 48 hours, the Evil Twins have finally arrived in London. Well, to be more exact, we've arrived in the customs line from Hell. We've been in line for thirty minutes and still no end in sight. In their polite way, the Brits have posted signs stating that more comprehensive screening takes longer, so deal with it. After glancing at the EU line that remained fairly empty the entire hour we spent waiting to go through Customs, I'm more determined than ever to get my hands on an EU passport. Is it too blunt to ask strangers "Marry me?"
Once through customs, we exit the arrivals terminal (very reminiscent of Love Actually) and jump on the Piccadilly Line to our hostel, Clink 78, near Kings Cross/St. Pancras. We unloaded our bags and headed out for a tour of the city. We magically found our way to Chancery Street, where we were stopped three times by donations collectors (think the British version of those kids that ask for money for Greenpeace). None wanted to ask us for money, but all wanted to ask us about our trip.
We continued on our diagonal line from Kings Cross to the ultimate goal, Buckingham Palace. The first spot was Covent Gardens. For any of you readers that were on the TPS Scotland trip with me, the guy that does magic tricks and acrobatics on ladders was still there, still yelling at the crowd. Around this time, Anna and I were hungry.Using a tip provided by Eleanor, we ate at Rock & Sole Plaice - one of the last authentic fish and chips places in London.
It's also hailed as one of the best. This praise is well deserved. Neither Anna nor I are fish-eating people but this was simply delicious. The cod was flaky, the coating was crisp, and the chips were bountiful! Smother it in a sauce similar to tzaziki, and you've got the ideal meal.Though desperate for a nap, we continued on. We passed by Big Ben, Parliment, and briefly entered Westminster Abbey. Fun fact: since he was a priest, it was Charles Darwin's fervent dream to be included amongst the plaques in Westminster. But since he came up with the whole "theory of natural selection" bit, the priests at Westminster were at a loss. They wanted to include him, but how could they? So they compromised - Darwin has a plaque, but it's off to the side, away from the other scientists. After paying tribute to the lonely plaque (in honor of Prof. Kiho), we continued on.
AW:
After an eventful morning (of not being able to find the TARDIS or the ARC) we met up with Anna's friend, Anna, from Liverpool. We managed to make our way over to the Royal Gallery and then found our way over to an Underground stop to head over to the Tower of London. Anna, having seen the Tower of London multiple times, decided she would not join us, but treated us to a drink at the pub, Dickens Inn. The Inn was right on the waterfront, had tons of flowers, and was just beautiful. After our drink we said goodbye and headed over to the Tower of London.
We climbed a massive amount of steps to enter the White Tower where prisoners were kept. After seeing all kinds of armor, (thank goodness we did not live back then), the history of the keep, and not very much else, we were ready for some gore and some jewels. While we found some nice jewels, the gore seemed to be excluded from the tour. We did manage to find another tower within the compound where prisoners were maintained. These prisoners were quite the graffitti artists. All over the tower were etchings of their names, the date, coats of arms, and a multitude of other drawings. On our way out, we managed to snag a picture of a yeoman and find another yeoman who got to meet President Bush. This yeoman shared that after he shook our former President's hand he checked to make sure his watch was still there. Again, still no TARDIS or ARC spottings. After our tour of the Tower, we headed over to the underground stop to wait for our Jack the Ripper walking tour to begin.
Unlike some, who shall remain nameless (TPS Scotland trip...), Anna didn't mind the two hour walking tour. Hosted by London Walks, this is the third time I've done the Jack the Ripper tour. Each time I've loved it and had great tour guides. And at 8 pounds, it's one of the cheapest activities in the city. Definitely look into this!
By this point, it was late, we were tired, and in desperate need of a bed. Off to home! Or, at least, our home for the night. Clink 78 is the typical youth hostel with an average of 7 to 11 beds per room and one set of showers for the floor. Though it has the potential to be loud and annoying with roommates coming and going at all hours, Anna and I were so tired, we didn't care. The sheets were clean and the beds reasonably comfortable. If you're only staying in London for a few nights, this is a fine place to stay. Warning: the lockers under the bed are small (basically you can fit a backpack and not much else) and locks are not provided. That being said, we didn't have a theft problem.
The minute our heads hit the pillow, we zonked out. Tomorrow - guards, Platform 9 3/4, and Paris!
No comments:
Post a Comment