London

I visited London this past weekend. Loved it. It's as if someone took the best elements of DC and New York and combined them into one British version of a city. My only complaint is that the time passed too quickly. Oh, and the weather. It was cloudy and cold the whole time. Not quite raining, but the air was wet and misty.

My London weekend started out with drinks with my friend from Thailand travel, George.

It was great to see her again, and this time under better circumstances. Very few people can understand that moment when you wonder if your untimely death will come from drowning in the Gulf of Thailand. When we realized we were having drinks across from a store called Monsoon, George said, I'm going to give you my parents' phone number here in London, just in case something happens and you need it. Fortunately, no natural disasters in London. Moving on!

Saturday started with grand ambitions for a full day of site seeing. I mostly succeeded. I started off the day at St. Paul's Cathedral. I had an embarrassing tourist moment when I asked someone to point me in the direction of the cathedral and he pointed... up. In trying to decide whether to turn left or right, I failed to look behind me. I can no longer silently mock tourists who point to the White House and ask me if it's really the White House.

 

 

I thought the cathedral was beautiful and couldn't quite imagine how Kate Middleton turned it down. I thought the tribute to American soldiers was very touching, particularly after going to the WWII section of Paris' Army Museum that failed to mention the U.S., British, and Canadian forces in the section on France's liberation. I walked along the Thames to...

Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Beautiful place, rich with history and the bodies of dead royals.

 

 

You can't take pictures in either church (nor Buckingham Palace for that matter), which was nice because you can just enjoy the visit.

 

 

I walked up Whitehill Street and peeked in at 10 Downing Street. You can't really get a good view.



Next stop, Buckingham Palace. I got a ticket to tour the State Rooms and the Queen's diamonds. The place was packed, but interesting to see. I'd say the rooms fall somewhere between the White House and Versailles. There were 19 State Rooms alone, so much much bigger that the White House and more ornate. I have to say, if the goal is for the tourist to come away with a more positive view of the Queen, the tour was successful. The staff were incredibly nice and helpful and told us that it is the Queen's wish that everyone who visits Buckingham Palace be as comfortable as possible. She even had a coloring room set up for the kids. Good work, Queen Elizabeth.

I took a quick stroll to window shop on Sloane Street and popped into Harrod's. It was a bit overwhelming to say the least. I went home to change and put my feet up briefly, then headed to the West End for a show. I saw The Lion King. The show was fantastic, and I sat next to a very friendly military family from the U.S. stationed in Germany. After the show, I went down to the embankment to see London at night.

 

Sunday began another day of site seeing. First, to the Tower of London... more like 20 towers. This is practically a medieval city.

 

Great views of Tower Bridge.

 

 

I didn't make it to the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, but I did see them do it at the Tower.

 

 

The best part of the Tower of London are the "Beefeaters." There are 37 trained tour guides that provide colorful commentary for tour groups. They are all decorated former military officers and live at the Tower with their families. It's considered a high honor to become a Beefeater (they used to be paid in the King's Beef; not anymore). 

 

I took a cruise down the Thames, back to Westminster Pier...

to tour the Churchill War Rooms. This ended up being my favorite attraction, I think. It's an underground bunker where Churchill, his advisors, and numerous support staff worked during WWII. You see where he slept and the meeting rooms and offices. Many of the people who lived and worked there for the better part of six years or so were women, secretaries and operators. They worked 16 hour days and risked their lives to help with the war effort. The conditions were not pleasant-- no real air, vermin, no sunlight for days on end. The museum contains everything (and more!) you ever wanted to know about Winston Churchill. The experience inspired me to read a Churchill biography, as I couldn't possibly take in all the museum had to offer.

 

 

My next stop was a brief visit to Notting Hill. I'd wanted to get there for the Portobello Road market on Saturday but ran out of time. I perused the shops and restaurants for a bit. 

My final stop was a "curry" for some Indian food. Hands down, the best Indian food I've ever had. Wish I could have taken the leftovers on the train with me.

And that was it. I headed back to the train station and 2 hours later, I was in Paris. It's baffling that such different cities are so close, geographically speaking. I love Paris, but I have to admit, it was really nice to have a weekend of welcoming people and easy communication. Approaching each and every interaction with some level or worry that you will have some kind of language or cultural miscommunication grows tiresome.

Two days is not enough for London. Can't wait to go back.