Let's start at the beginning. We flew out of Girona because the fares were much cheaper so we saved money but went through many steps to get there!
Step One: Metro to the Bus Station
Step Two: 1 1/2 hr bus to Girona Airport
Step Three: 2 hours flight to Luton Airport outside of London
Step Four: 45 min. bus to the area around our hostel
Step Five: walk a few blocks to the hostel
So....after leaving around 5:30pm, we finally arrived at our place for the weekend around 1:30am. Wondering now if it was worth the money....but oh well! It was an adventure! Since we got in so late we went straight to bed, only to wake up at 7 the next morning. Erin was our amazing planner for the weekend and had us set up to take the Original Double Decker Bus Tour so we hopped on the bus from our hostel to catch that bus at a station closer to the main part of London. Our hostel was nice but it got kind of annoying having to take a bus or tube ride to get anywhere of note. The bus tour was very nice! The commentary was funny and I learned and saw alot. The only problem was that it was freezing! I still wanted to ride on top in the uncovered area though so I could get good pictures. My hands were numb but I would do it again! Here are the pictures I took from the bus:
this is an area in one of the many, many parks where in the old days, people used to speak and hold riot time things, but now it is simply a place where once a week they allow people to come and say anything they want, a free speech area
on the bus
the marble arch - i don't know why but it got sooo annoying hearing this phrase all the time, it just sounds odd that the name of it is simply what it is made of...
not sure what this church is called
picadilly circus
whoop! we didn't eat here though
the national gallery
st pauls
this was designed to remember the fire that devasted london in 1666. it started in a bakery on pudding lane! they named all the streets for what happened on them. similar i guess to people have last names reflecting their family's trade.
view of 'the onion' and the 'gerkin'
tower bridge
more views from the bus
After the bus tour, we were supposed to go on a walking tour through various places relevant in the music world but the bus got stuck in traffic and we didn't make it back to the station in time to catch the bus to the visitor's center where the tour started. So after scarfing down some bagel sandwiches we bought at the station since we thought we'd try to make it, we decided to take the river cruise instead on the Thames. All of these things came with our tickets for the bus tour. So we headed towards the river, passing the Houses of Parliament on the way. After the river tour, we took a ride on the London Eye, the giant ferris wheel that is actually a temporary exhibit installed by British Airways. They actually call the trip a "flight." It had great views and it was very cool to be a room where you stand that spins while the wheel spins. After the London Eye, we headed to the National Gallery which holds many works by some famous artists such as Leonardo DaVinci, Michelangelo, Rafael, Degas among others. The only problem was that by the time we got there it closed in less than an hour so we literally ran through the museum! It was really cool but I'd like to go back since I feel I missed so much of it. We then decided to find a place to eat dinner. Erin had originally planned on us eating at The Sherlock Holmes Pub but didn't know we needed a reservation for an actual table and the bar area was packed! So we went for a walk...and kept walking. It was Valentines Day so everywhere was so crowded! We eventually found a Greek restaurant and ate there. The food was alright but the service, not so much, we never got the desserts we ordered. That could have been the best cake I'd ever have....After dinner we caught another bus back to our good ol' hostel! I went in and took a shower only to discover the restrooms were unisex...not very used to putting my makeup on next to a guy, but when in Rome, right?
parliament
on the boat - it was freezing!
artsy photo of beca - her reflection on my purse buckle
i thought harry potter - well, daniel whatever - went to school at the red building here, but it turns out it's the white one on the right that i cut off
millenium bridge - the first time it was opened, it shook so much because so many people walked on it! they had to close it for a while and add more bracing
the tate modern
the globe theater - modeled exactly from the original theater - i didn't know that it had burned down from a fire that started from a cannon used during a performance of king henry VIII
cool buildings
the tower of london from the river
me and the tower bridge!
the london eye
there was a dali exhibit going on
photos of and from the eye
The next morning we got to sleep in a bit later. First on our agenda was another walking tour that took us through the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.
the gates to 'the mound'
the current regiment
they still use the real french horns!
the palace
he looks like he's 17!
making the switch
After the changing of the guards we decided to try and make the music walking tour that we had missed the previous day. We went back to Trafalgar Square where the tour would start from and tried to find a place to eat fish and chips. We went in to a place that said it was a traditional English pub but they didn't have fish and chips! Luckily it was Sunday so I went ahead and ordered their Sunday Roast, a traditional dish they serve on Sundays. I got crazy and got the vegetarian one though. Anyways, they were slow with our food and we were already on a limited time schedule. Beca got hers first but ate super slow then I got mine around 12:50, our tour leaving about 5 minutes down the road at 1. I scarfed my food, eating almost the whole plate in like 2 minutes! Then I grabbed a pencil and paper and ran down the road to meet the tour. I walked with them, phone in hand, writing every turn we took and landmark we passed. The group called and ran to meet us. We luckily hadn't gone too far but Erin still had her burger in her hand! It was ridiculous, I felt so sick later. The tour was great though! Here are the things we saw:
really unrealistic statue of charlie chaplin
ronnie scotts - famous jazz club where jimi hendrix played his very last show, he died a few hours after, choking on his vomit
paul mccartney's production company
the place where he hangs out
trident studios - this used to be a recording studio where the beatles recorded abbey road and queen recorded bohemian rhapsody. so many other big names as well! when the people bought the place, many of the old recording tracks were still there and they have a tour where you can listen to a lot of them...very cool!
soho mural - also the inspiration for the beatles album cover for sergeant pepper's lonely hearts club band
where will smith buys his suits
number 3 savile row - where the beatles recorded and played their last live show, on top of the roof. the cops came and asked them to stop, they told them to shove it, so 43 minutes after they began playing, the electricity was shut off.
After the walking tour, the group split up in two. Christina and Molly weren't feeling well and headed back to the hostel. We found out later that they ended up going to the emergency room. Christina was diagnosed with cluster headaches and has been in bed since we got back since she gets one if she does anything....sucks, keep her in your thoughts! Anyways, Beca, Erin, Jeff and I decided to go to The Tower of London. On the way, we ran across a bookstore and due to Beca's recent obsession with the Twilight series, we decided to take advantage of the rare opportunity to buy books in English. They had a 3 for 2 shelf so I got 3 books myself since I'm on the last one of the batch I brought with me. I really do love to read. Also, later that night I was looking at the bag and it turns out we stumbled into the oldest bookstore in London. The queen gets her books there! Crazy.
We get to the Tower and find that it is closing 30 minutes earlier than the guide book said it did. We had already bought our tickets though so we went ahead in and made another run through history! We saw the bloody tower which outlined all the torture techniques and then got in line to see the Crown Jewels. Those things are ridiculous! After taking some silly pictures outside the Tower, we headed back to Trafalgar Square and spent 45 minutes trying to find a restroom, finally resorting to buying something from KFC to use theirs. Even the restrooms in McDonalds were closed! We then took some night photos of the National Gallery, and then headed to the Sherlock Holmes Pub again where we actually had reservations. We got there early though so we drank some of their special Sherlock Holmes brew in the pub for awhile. The dinner was great too! I had cheese stuffed mushrooms and some tomato vegetable soup, mmmm
on the bus - it was a little cubby seat!
erin and jeff are real scary
we drove on fleet street! no demon barbers though....
the tower
trebucet
traitor's gate
parts of the tower
outside where the jewels are held - it starting raining! i didn't think i had my umbrella either, but low and behold - the mary poppins purse strikes again!
i'm an angry guard
in the tower walls
aren't we adorable
posing in front of the tower
we are conquerors
the tower
air sword fight
panoramic
gotta take at least one
or two....
the national gallery at night
the pub
on the bus home
The next morning, we woke up early and hopped on the tube for the first time to head to Abbey Road. We of course took the standard walking across the street photo. We then hopped back on the tube and went to The Tate Modern. We were rushed again so we picked and chose what exhibits to see. They have some great stuff though! Dali, Picasso, Rivera, Pollock...very cool design too! It's in an old warehouse but they used the space well. They had a bunch of kids areas too and run decroations. I'll definitely go back there when I'm in London again in May. After running through the museum, we headed to tour Westminster Abbey. It was beautiful! It was quite a feeling to be in such an old building that is also the resting place of many big names (Shakespeare, Charles Darwin, Queens and Kings) and the place where the royals are coronated. After Westminster Abbey we were ready to head home. We had already put our bags into lockers at the hostel so we just had to grab them, eat some lunch and catch the bus. At least that was the plan. We were standing in the lobby of the tube and an announcement came on saying that our line was no longer running from that stop. Thus, we decided just to take the bus to the main bus station and then catch another to the hostel. After hopping on the bus, we noticed it was going in the wrong direction so we hopped off and caught the next one. This one though was a city bus so it made a ton of stops! It did eventually get us to the station where our bus was running late. When we finally made it to the hostel, we were starving but didn't have time to eat...so we waited for the bus and then asked the driver if we could catch a later one and still make our flight. Luckily he said we could! So we walked down the street and I had the best meal yet....fish and chips! A great end to a great trip :)
abbey road crosswalk
in front of the studios
waiting for the tube
construction outside of the tate modern - glad they admit it! humor makes everything better
roy lichtenstein!
cool walls
moving statue - really freaking if you're not expecting it!
whoop!
they have to tell you which way to look so stupid foreigners like me don't get hit by a bus!
westminster abbey
my illegal pictures of the interior...
poet's corner
shakespeare's tomb
views from the cloister
darwin! i find his burial place quite ironic...
st margaret's church
the abbey
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