London 2001

16 February 2001 – LONDON- Megan and I left for London after class on Friday. The train was waiting at the station for us. It was another gorgeous, sunny day, and we watched the countryside flash past on the way here. Did a little reading. Pulled into Paddington Station@ 4:40. We got a crash-course in using the London Underground. Many people rushing about! We took the Tube to King’s Cross/St Pancras St. Didn’t really know where our hostel was, but we eventually found it. It’s called Ashlee House, and it seems so much cleaner and nicer than the one in Bath. Our room is a little cramped with 5 bunkbeds, but it’s not bad. Megan and I had the idea to try and see a show tonight. We tossed our stuff here, got changed quickly, then were out the door ~ 6. We took the Tube to Leicester Sq, deep in Soho. Lots of people around. We were thinking of seeing Chicago, but we ended up walking the wrong way, straight toward Les Mis, so we decided to see that. Waited in line to get two restricted view seats in the upper dress circle for £11 each. We ate dinner at this little soup shop down the street. I bought a Les Mis lapel pin. Our seats weren’t bad at all. I was on the very end of a row, and I just couldn’t see the downstage portion of my side of the stage. The show was marvelous, and we got tiny cups of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream at intermission. Ah! So wonderful. We took the Tube straight back and went to bed.

Cara and Megan

17 Feb – Our first full day in London! I got up ~7:30. Ate a free breakfast of toast and cereal with Megan and these two Canadian girls we met, Jess and Randi. We all took the Tube to Charing Cross station around 10. Megan and I wanted to get tickets to see Chicago tonight. They only had one cheap one, so we passed. Looked into a few other shows before getting £10 tickets to see Madame Melville. Macauley Culkin (insert “Home Alone” face here) is in it. We walked and saw St. Martin-In-The-Fields by Trafalgar Square. From there, we walked past St. James Park toward Buckingham Palace. Then we walked to Westminster Abbey. Saw {heard} Big Ben strike noon on the way. We walked through the Abbey, then headed over by the Thames for a look around. It’s a very nice, sunny day. A little chilly, but not bad. From there, we took the Tube to St. Paul’s Cathedral. We looked for a place to eat around there, but nothing was open. We were going to go into the Cathedral, but at £4, it wasn’t worth it, so I bought a postcard instead. We walked on to the nearest station to catch the Tube to the Tower of London. We caught a bite to eat nearby, then went over to buy tickets. Alas, it was too late to catch a tour, so it didn’t seem worth it. We took pictures of the Tower Bridge instead. I was started to feel a bit tired by this point. We took the Tube over to the London Bridge just for the novelty of singing “London Bridge is falling down” while walking across. We walked a little ways over to the replica of the Globe Theatre. It was pretty chilly and overcast by this time. Took the Tube back to King’s Cross. I really, really like London. It may be busy and swarming with tourists and viciously expensive, but everything is so grand and royal and oozes with history. And it’s just so lovely! I have to find a proper souvenir. We all went out to dinner at a little Indian/Balti restaurant just down the street. We were the only ones there! The food was good, but Megan and I had to dash out or risk missing the start of the show. We got to the theater with 15 minutes to spare. Our seats were up high in the square. Still gave us a pretty good view of the whole stage. Not knowing what to expect, I thought the show was good. It’s about a French teacher and 15-year-old student in 1966 Paris, set over the course of two days. Very well acted. We came straight back from the theater. My tummy was giving me fits, so I went straight to bed. There was a disturbance in the room last night – the police came in and asked a guy to leave, I guess.

 

Tower Bridge

Trafalgar Square

18 Feb – We both went out with Jess and Randi again this morning. They’re both from Canada’s west coast area. They’re traveling around Europe for three months, sounds really interesting! We took the Tube to get us to the Tower of London when it opened at 10. Long line, but we bought our tickets and jumped in a Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) guided tour. Our tour guide gave us information about gruesome executions and the buildings for the Tower. For being so old, it’s really been kept in great condition. He explained the Traitors Gate, the Bloody Tower, and the ravens around the White Tower. I got a picture with some Beefeaters after the tour. We looked around and when the line was short enough, we went to see the Crown Jewels. Ooooh, sparkly. Very nice. From there, we walked in and around the White Tower. It was full of old armor, cannon, guns, etc. Got a little old after a while. We walked in the Bloody Tower, and the Medieval Palace before deciding we’d had enough. We went to a nearby shop and I bought an Underground “Mind the Gap” magnet. We split off from Randi and Jess and headed to Piccadilly Circus. For being Sunday, it was heavily touristed. Megan and I got a way-overpriced lunch before walking toward Hyde Park. I stopped at the Hard Rock Café (the very first one!) and bought a bin and tank. Megan and I walked through Hyde Park and Kensington Park. It was so green and lovely, people all around, flowers poking up. I got my picture taken by the Peter Pan statue. From there, we took the Tube to Baker Street. “Sherlock Holmes” met us outside the station and I got my picture with him. At the Sherlock Holmes museum, I bought a little Baker Street sign. We got back on the Tube and headed for Charing Cross. We took in Evensong at St. Martin’s. After the service, we walked around the area in search of a restaurant for dinner. Ended up at a little French café, where we got crepes. We took the Tube from there to Piccadilly Circus to see it all lit up at night. A lot like NYC, I guess (through I’ve never been there). We took the Tube back to King’s Cross. I made Megan walk over to the railway station, so I could get a picture by Platform Nine and Three-Quarters [Harry Potter – where the Hogwarts Express leaves from]. My feet were absolutely dead by this time. No more walking, please! Walked back to the hostel, and took it easy for the rest of the evening, as we’re leaving in the morning.

 

Cara with Beefeaters at the Tower of London

Pre-Cumberbatch Sherlock

What platfom 9-3/4 really looks like...

Obligatory photo op

19 Feb – Got up and out by 9. We exchanged email with Jess and Randi. Got to the train station a bit early, so bought a little food for the journey. Megan bought a stuffed Paddington Bear. The train was pretty crowded the whole way. Eventually made it back.

{transcribed 2/10/2020}