London
12.31.2004The following's a synopsis of my two days in London (16-17 December). Overall, I enjoyed London very much. Everything cost about twice as much as it would in Michigan, but it was a clean, organized city. The people were prim & proper, for the most part, though friendly (I asked so many people for directions). But watching people queue up for the tube is a stark contrast w/ the mad crush of any other subway I'm familiar w/.
Arrived in London near midnight, after a long, harried flight. Heathrow's one of the more confusing airports I've encountered, but it might've been in part due to the lack of proper sleep. After a brief pass through customs & money exchange, I headed to the tube station (w/ help from some friendly locals). The night tube buzzed w/ a smattering of Hindi, Russian, and Spanish as it made its way to Victoria Station (I later discovered that morning tubes are a crowded hush).
From there, I wandered about, using my Lonely Planet guidemap & asking people for directions to reach the Astor Victoria hostel. The hostel was comfortable enough, even if a bit cramped & noisy. But my 4-bed room was empty, save for a bumbling Japanese girl who seemed to crash almost every time she moved. I slept the night, through Japanese girl's constant wheezing & thrashing about in the next bunk over.
Woke at 7:15, and headed out to the confusing London streets. Numbers don't follow the American pattern of even/odds on separate sides of the street, or having entire blocks consist of centuries, meaning you can't judge distances from/to places by looking at addresses alone. But by midday I was getting used to a few common sights, getting my bearings on my LP London Condensed guide.
Went back up through Victoria Station, a shopping mall built around a tube/rail station. Including the obligatory Starbucks Coffee. I mostly just wandered around the rest of the morning in the gloomy London fog, wearing my black parka & feeling very mod. A light breakfast of English breakfast tea w/ toast & jam on Buckingham Road, and I was on my way.
Started w/ Westminster Cathedral (not to be confused w/ Westminster Abbey), a recent building in Neo Byzantine style that's just awe-inspiring. It's recent because it was built in the 1890s, which isn't surprising since the British still executed Catholics into the late 1600s. Even after my trip through Italy, I still believe this was the most beautiful, stirring, and aesthetically pleasing church I've yet to set foot in.
From there, I wandered along the streets of downtown London past Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Number 10 Downing Street, and up to Trafalgar Square.
The grounds before Parliament were littered w/ a few obligatory anti-war protest signs (sans protestors). Amusingly, the sign reading "There was never a good war or a bad peace" stood only yards away from the monument to Winston Churchill who, I'm sure, would have a few thoughts on the matter.
From Trafalgar Square, I could oversee a wide vista of central downtown London. Near the monument to Lord Nelson was an engraved map of the city's Jubilee Walkway, which charts a footpath through a series of highlighted sights in historical London.
Behind me was The National Gallery. The free museum hosts a series of paintings displayed in chronological order. I'm not generally a big fan of museums, but they afford a chance to step out of the London rain for an hour or so. I was, however, blown away by Quinten Massys' (1465-1530) "The Virgin Child With Saints Barbara and Catherine". The museum also included an Art In The Making: Degas exhibition, showing Degas pieces in various states, highlighting his creative process.
Lunch at Sei Caffé on Strand (near Charring Cross Station), and tried a "jacket potato" (they were advertised almost every place I passed. Nothing spectacular; it's just a baked potato opened up & filled w/ chili con carne, cheese, etc.
From there, up Strand through towards Saint Paul's Cathedral, passing by the Bank of England along the way towards the East End. Hooked back, walking towards The British Museum.
Hands down my favorite part of my London trip. The British Museum — free to enter — was breathtaking. One of the first sights, after walking through the temple-like Great Court, was the Rosetta Stone — which, alas, was behind glass (I'd wanted to sneak a touch). All in all, an amazing museum (you can explore it online). The best part? The Reading Room. Built inside the Great Hall, it's like a temple dedicated to books. I felt myself hush as I entered, standing under it's domed ceiling, books all around me. I spent a total of three hours in The British Museum, and I may've seen as much as a quarter of it, even if moving briskly through the Greek & Roman and Early British sections.
From there, back out into the streets to find a crisp, swift sunset. Back to the East End for a Bangladeshi dinner, then made my way back towards Belgravia, stopping at Dirty Dick's Pub along the way for a pint.
Next morning, packed my backpack & headed out across the Thames to walk along South Bank, heading vaguely towards Liverpool Station (to catch the express to Stansted Airport). Walked several miles in the rain, past Shakespeare's Globe Theater, the Britain at War Experience museum (which I accidentally stumbled upon, but didn't enter), and Tower Bridge.
In three hours walking, the December rain soaked through my bag, making my clothes damp (and heavier), making me desperately wanna sit down, anywhere, to rest & warm up & gather myself for my flight to Rome. Decided on a "full English breakfast" (eggs, beans, cumberland sausage, tomatoes, back bacon w/ English breakfast tea) at a little spot across from Liverpool Station. Finished the first half of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, my soaked-through reading material. Then, hopped on the Stansted Express & zipped out to the airport to say goodbye to England.
Posted by Miguel at 07:25 PM
Comments
Is England cold, grey and foggy as people always say?
Can't wait for the Italy pictures!!!
Posted by: Stephanie at January 1, 2005 05:08 AM
It seems that, yes, London's mostly cold/foggy. My friend Josh Dahl (who lived there for a year) said it was so throughout most of the year.
Posted by: Miguel ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.centellas.org/miguel/nav-commenters.gif)
at January 1, 2005 10:13 AM
I am thinking of going to London during Spring break. It depends on the price of tickets. I was there in 1987, thus, I don't remember anything, was just too young. N.
Posted by: Nenad at January 1, 2005 10:20 AM
Wow!
If I were to head into the library with the historical information of Rome, Greeks and early Britian, I would of been all geeked out about it and stayed the whole day there just reading.
The photos are excellent. About the hostel though, do they have like lockers to put personal things in so that people in there along with you will not steal? Or is that that each person and/or family gets a 4-bed set room?
Can't wait for the rest of the trip photos and informaiton.
Posted by: Rodolfo Martinez at January 1, 2005 01:20 PM
Yeah, I wish I'd had more time to explore The British Museum — and it's reading room. But. Limited time. You know?
As for the question on hostels. If you wanna save money, they're great. They do have little lockers or something like it. The one in London had foot lockers under each bed, and you could've put a padlock on them to keep them safe. I didn't have a padlock, but no one stole any of my stuff. It was pretty safe.
They do have (more expensive) rooms for single people. The others are dorm-style rooms w/ bunk beds you share w/ a group of strangers. Which means if you're someplace for a few days, you can probably make some friends & site-seeing buddies. There's also common areas w/ TV & internet.
Posted by: Miguel at January 1, 2005 03:48 PM
I can't help it, but I am coming back to read that short part about a Japanese girl in your hostel. I can imagine you "sleeping" while poor girl is bumping into stuff like someone who just lost her glasses. It makes me laugh so much, every time, thx, lol lol, N.
Posted by: Nenad at January 1, 2005 10:52 PM
Sounds fantastic.
Posted by: tom at January 2, 2005 04:05 AM