London I, Or, I Actually Packed a Digital Camera

Day 1: London

Well, I made it. I had left with a feeling that I somehow would never make it here. I couldn’t envision myself physically in London or Paris, and so when I left I was convinced the plane would be crashing en route.  Needless to say, that didn’t happen.
 
My first impression of London was of a town that was green and lush and covered in moss despite it being the middle of December. The sky was thick and gray and much like I envisioned it would be from reading Harry Potter. 

In London, the tube has funny names. Everything has funny names. I took the Piccadilly line to Cockfosters. There was the Jubilee line and the Waterloo line.  The conductors said things like "mind the doors! Tippy-top now!" I could buy tipples if I were thirsty. Everyone was wearing pea-coats and toting worn old briefcases.  It was magic.

The first thing I did was take a free walking tour through Covent Garden. I love these tours. They are a great primer for what you might want to see later, and great sources of advice and ideas. Plus, you learn a bit of background so you're not constantly saying "look at that pretty castle" and then leaving it.  Like in most European cities, Covent Garden was a square of Apple stores and coffee shops nestled amongst old cathedrals and architecture.

The sun came out, which is not common, as our tour guide told us. I must be good luck.

London, apparently, is 2000 years old. I didn't know that. Somehow it seems newer, younger. It is also the most surveilled city in the world – on any given day, you’re captured on camera at least 300 times throughout London!

We toured Trafalgar Square, with a statue of Admiral Nelson.  Apparently, just as his soldiers won a battle against the French, he was fatally wounded by a gunshot. He said "kismet, Hardy," ("fate, Hardy") to his second in command, who promptly kissed him as he thought was requested. To preserve the body, they placed him in a barrel of brandy. Lo and behold, when they reached land, they discovered the brandy in the barrel had all been drunk by the crew - hence the term, "a stiff drink." So yeah. There's a big statue of him in Trafalgar Square.

We also saw the Admirals Palace, which has been sold as an apartment building. What?!

The next stop was St. James' palace. It looked a bit more old and less grand than the others. It was built around 1530. At that time, buildings were narrow and tall, because you needed only to light one central fire ad it would warm the whole tower as the heat rose. King Henry (VIII?) wanted to impress people, so he built a castle that was short and long and had dozens of chimneys. Fun fact: apparently King Henry's last meal was peaches and ale, which fermented in his stomach after he died. Two days later his body exploded. I'm not 100% convinced that's possible, so I'll have to do some research about that when I return.

We then walked through St. James's park. Europe loves parks. This one was lovely with a little pond and a huge variety and number of birds. We looked out at Buckingham Palace, where as we learned by the type of flag flying, the Queen was at home! I didn't see her in a window, though! P.S. Only the sides of the palace are original.

Finally, we had a nice view of Big Ben (the clock, which apparently only foreigners call "Big Ben," since that's never been its official name nor its nickname). We also had a great view of the outside of Westminster Abbey, built in 1245, where people like Isaac Newton and Charles Dickens are buried.

Finally, we walked along the Parliament Building and Palace of Westminster. Another fun fact: everything you think is in "London" -- the castles and monuments and touristy stuff -- is actually Westminster!

The Underground here is remarkably efficient and friendly. They also write motivational messages on white boards in the underground, like "today is YOUR day!" After the tour, I took it to the hostel, where I had to figure out how lifts work. I don't like lifts as they are often small and precariously balanced. Step one in moving outside my comfort zone: take the lift!

Seriously, THE NICEST.

After checking in, I walked through the neighborhood, which was called Soho and reminded me very much of New York's own Soho. I had dinner and went on a "pub crawl" through Camden, where I met so many people from other countries: two girls from Belgium and two guys from Italy and some people from the States too. 

Europeans are SO friendly to other countries. It's amazing. Everyone says hello and asks questions. I learned so much about how people live in Europe and Asia. I feel so lucky to have met such diverse and interesting people. I met a guy from Sicily on the pub crawl. When I said I was from Chicago, he apologized and said all he knew of Chicago is that it is cold and dangerous. I laughed and told him he was right. How interesting that that is the international perception of a place that often is cold and dangerous, but has much potential to be the opposite. 

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Day 2: London

I have now established a sort of camaraderie with other backpackers, and it is comforting when I miss home.  When I see someone else with a parka and a backpack stuffed full, I know the wearer is visiting, too. We smile at each other from opposite ends of the underground platform, and know that if we both step onto the train, we’re going in the right direction. It is nice.

I have no sense of direction whatsoever, and today I used a map. There was a decent amount of walking back and forth to figure out which direction was up, but I did it!

I packed my selfie stick for a day of adventures and stopped at a cute coffee shop for breakfast. London prices are definitely on par with New York City prices.  The coffee is much better, though.

I have never been particularly interested in history until I began to travel. Now I love learning the histories and backgrounds of other cultures. First stop: Tower of London. 

The Tower of London is a very large castle complex built in the 1200s. Some of the exterior is still original. The entry gate, built 700 years ago, weights 30 tons and is still functional. A real Yeoman Warder took us on a tour. I had thought it was just a fellow in a costume, but it is a real Queen's guard who, after 22 years of military service, dedicated his life to becoming an armed guard of the Tower and the crown jewels.

The middle Tower was between two moats, of which the ditches still remain. During wars with France, these moats pushed sewage back to Normandy for hundreds of years just to irk the French. Anne Boleyn was executed there. It was also the site of many other executions (by beheading, of course). After the Duke of Monmouth was executed, they realized that no portraits of him had ever been made, so they sewed his head back on and propped him in a chair and painted one. 

In the 1500s, a chapel was built on the grounds. Anne Boleyn is buried there, among other royalty. It is still a working chapel today. 

I also went into the “Bloody Tower,” where two brothers (dukes? Earls? Princes?) were murdered by their uncle so he could claim the crown. In the White Tower, there was a museum and armory with real armor and weapons dating as far back as the 1500s, including King Henry's armor. Fascinating that people wore these things back then...

Then I went to see the Crown Jewels, which are guarded by soldiers with real bayonets. I watched the guard changing ceremony and then went in to see the jewels. There were dozens of crowns, scepters, chalices, and swords from 1600 onward. Most were solid gold. Bowls, cups, and priceless jewels... I should have asked the value of everything in there. I thought it might look suspicious, though.  I did ask if new crowns are still made for each king or queen, but they are not -- Elizabeth wore her father’s crown at the ceremony.

After this I walked up to Tower Bridge. Many people think that that's London Bridge because that's the one they know of and it is very elaborately decorated. London Bridge is actually a boring cement bridge, and the British named it on purpose so dissuade other countries from replicating it.  

Next I checked out St. Paul's cathedral, which is the most elaborate and beautiful of all the cathedrals I have been to. In the basement there was a crypt, a sort of mausoleum with some political and cultural figures’ graves in it. Then, I climbed over 100 steps to the whispering gallery, which was at the top of the cathedral dome. Because of the acoustics, you could hear someone whisper to you from the other side of the dome. It sounded like ghosts whispering to me, I thought.

I climbed another 200 steps to the stone gallery, the outer rim of the dome. There was an amazing view of London from here. Then I climbed another 200 steps to the golden gallery, which was like the bell tower. It was terrifying -- I'm not really afraid of heights, but if I think about it too much I panic. The funny thing about Europe is that there are no waivers, barricades, or disclaimers for this sort of thing – you just go right up. Someone could easily throw you right off the bell tower, which is kind of disturbing. I almost didn't go all the way up, but it occurred to me that I may never come back to London, so that was how I knew I must do it. I'm so glad I did. It was exhilarating. It was dusk, and a rare sunset gleamed off the river. 

View from the very top!

After the cathedral, I checked out Leadenhall Market. London has a lot of street markets, which are basically semi-permanent shops mixed with pop up kitschy stores and places to eat. It seems like these are places to gather with friends and enjoy their company. This market was covered by a very high domed ceiling full of twinkling lights. It had a Christmas feel to it. I read later that it was used in the Harry Potter movies as the set for Diagon Alley, which makes total sense. It looked positively magical!

After that it was off to Harrods -- I promised my mom I'd stop there. It was a very, very fancy maze of things I'd feel guilty buying even if I were terribly rich. Nothing had a price tag. If you had to ask, you couldn't afford it! I did have afternoon tea in their café, though. Exorbitantly priced, but totally worth it!

Then I checked out Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. The only way I can really describe this is that it was like a cross between the Zoo Lights, Frontier Days, and a massive Christkindlmarkt, but on speed. I ate a lot of street food and looked at the tchotchkes and watched people ride rollercoasters.

By the time I was done it was almost midnight... on a Wednesday. And everyone was still out and about. I'm gathering that London is a lot like New York City if it were mixed with Prague. Crowded, expensive, full of old history, and nobody ever sleeps; but in a way more polite, and so full of life. 

I also still haven't figured out exactly how crossing the street works. People just seem to go whenever they feel like it, and I still keep looking the wrong way. I’ve resigned to just looking back and forth six times before I cross over.

Tomorrow I make a wee stop in Paris!