Part Two: Most of London in Several Hours
Trip Start
Jan 21, 2005
1
10
16
Trip End
Aug 20, 2005
London,
United Kingdom
Monday, February 28, 2005
My alarm went off at 9:30 in the morning and I jumped out of bed to shower and get ready for an amazing day of sightseeing in London. The room mates were already gone after an early morning of turning on and off the lights while yelling at each other. At around 10:30 I realized that Alex was still sleeping.
"Alex, you've got to wake up!" I shouted while poking him with an umbrella.
"Ugh, why this early?" he mumbled.
"Do you really want to oversleep and say you spent all of this money to come to London and sleep in a crappy bed?" I asked while slipping in Jewish guilt to speed up the process.
Alex understood the situation and jumped out of bed to get ready very quickly
Alex and Me at Big Ben
. The two of us made to the train station at 11 am, but something was terribly wrong. The clock at the station said 10 am. In fact, all of the clocks said 10 am. It turns out that London is an hour behind Florence. Alex gave me a look so traumatizing that I see it every time I close my eyes.The Tower of London and Tower Bridge
The Tower of London was used to torture and kill those opposed to crown and protect the crown jewels. I found the castle-like structure really cool to look at and take pictures with, but that was about it. What really got my attention was the Tower Bridge. I loved the way this bridge looked over the Thames and (along with Big Ben) the bridge is the main image I have of London. Alex and I wandered around the two absolutely amazed how beautiful the Tower Bridge is. I started playing Brit-Maven and told Alex about the how the tower was used for torture and the bridge was built to collect bodies left in the river... he decided we should just take pictures so I would shut up. We met up with Matt who gave us an amazing tour of London.
Big Ben: London's Very Own Phallic Symbol
Big Ben is the coolest thing I saw in London. The clock tower is absolutely amazing and all of us (Alex, Matt and Me) agreed that it the best place in London. It turns out that the clock is actually attached to London's Parliament building (who knew). We took a picture and moved on, I get enough of Parliament when I watch C-Span at 2 am. Down the street was Westminster Abbey and across the river Thames was the London Eye (a gigantic ferris wheel that overlooks the city). Both were absolutely amazing to look at and take pictures of
Alex and Me at the Tower Bridge
. However, due to lousy weather and a lack of interest in being inside another church, we decided not to pay to enter either of the sites.When Chicago Royalty Met British Royalty
We were all at Buckingham palace taking pictures through the gates. Suddenly the gates flew open and trumpets began playing as two guards came up announcing the arrival of Lord Price of Northbrook. The surrounding tourists cheered and reached out to touch me in hopes I would shake their hand. The queen then denounced the throne and I became the ruler of the United Kingdom... and then I found ten dollars next to the throne.
Although that story seems highly likely, I am sad to say it isn't. Buckingham Palace was absolutely beautiful and a sign of how draining ceremonious royalty is on a country and how cool it would be to be sitting at the top. Down with the crown (unless I'm wearing it)! I watched the guards outside the Palace march for the cameras protecting the queen from danger with their large hats and ceremonious guns. My two poodles provide me with more security.
Harrod's and Covent Market
Harrod's is an amazing department store with little departments and a nice shrine to Dodi and princess Diana
Alex at Monsoon on Brick Lane
. For more information please consult the Travel Channel's website. Covent Market was a very cool shopping area where Alex and I bought England track jackets (in different colors) dirt cheap! I tried an English Pasty, which is some kind of meat and vegetables wrapped in dough. It was very good and I really enjoyed being able to ask in English if there was no pork. The buildings and stores in Covent Garden were very unique. The narrow, cobble stone streets were lined with famous British designers and gorgeous Victorian architecture. I had a great time there and didn't tube home empty handed (for the first time, I promise).Brick Lane: The World Capital of Bangladesh Restaurants
London has an area called "Brick Lane" that is packed with hundreds of restaurants specializing in Bangladesh and Indian cuisine. What's fascinating is that each restaurant is the "Best in London", has the "Nation's Best Chef", and was recently voted "World's Best Food." It turns out that Brick Lane is highly competitive and each restaurant employs a man to sit outside shouting about the amazing cuisine and literally negotiates deals to attract business. Hundreds of Indian men ran up to us shouting deals like "30% Off", "No Service Charges", and "First Round of Drinks Free!" Alex and I were both frightened and confused by the spectacle as Matt carefully negotiated with each man for the best deal
Alex, Chris and Matt in China Town
. We settled on a restaurant called Monsoon because they were offering a free round of drinks, no service charge, and 25% off our menu... what a deal! The restaraunt boasted being "The Best on Brick Lane" which was something attainable and the place seemed busy. Our meal was good and it was worth the search.We later met up with Chris in the Kensington/Chelsea area and walked around Picadilly Circus and Leicester Square. Alex and I were absolutely exhausted and thought it would be wise to turn in early so we can be prepared for our all-nighter tomorrow. We left Matt and Chris and took a bus back to our hostel where we turned in early (at around 2 am) and talked with our Japanese room mates who may have still been fighting from this morning.
And so it goes...
*I hope you all are enjoying these logs. It's hard to capture all the great things that happened this weekend and I hope you are getting a good idea of the time I spent in London. Part three will be my last... I promise!
