ne thing on my agenda and it fell through but, hey, at least I TRIED to make a plan this time! I had decided that I was going to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace but it turns out that after summer they only do it every other day. And of course I went on the off day. Doh!At least my day started easier this time. Amazing what a difference it makes to actually know where you're going. Got on the right bus, got off at the right stop, took the right subway. Soooo simple.
I decided I was going to spend my day walking so I could see a lot of the things I had missed on my first harried visit to London a few years ago, the general look and feel of the st
reets and such. I started off by picking a subway stop relatively near to Buckingham Palace and then walking through a park to get there. Spent some time there with approximately one billion other tourists before moving on pretty quickly. From there I walked over to the Westminster area which is where Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye and so on is. And then I decided to walk to the Tower of London, taking the route right along the Thames River. It sounded all lovely in theory, a leisurely stroll by the water and all that, but throw in cold temps with strong, ceaseless winds, the occasional smell (and not the good kind) of the Thames, a non-scenic route (how could there be NOTHING to see during that whole walk?!) and the blisters on my fe
et that were seemingly getting bigger by the minute, and let's just say I've had better walks. But I accomplished what I set out to do and I ended my day at the Tower Bridge.
reets and such. I started off by picking a subway stop relatively near to Buckingham Palace and then walking through a park to get there. Spent some time there with approximately one billion other tourists before moving on pretty quickly. From there I walked over to the Westminster area which is where Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye and so on is. And then I decided to walk to the Tower of London, taking the route right along the Thames River. It sounded all lovely in theory, a leisurely stroll by the water and all that, but throw in cold temps with strong, ceaseless winds, the occasional smell (and not the good kind) of the Thames, a non-scenic route (how could there be NOTHING to see during that whole walk?!) and the blisters on my fe
et that were seemingly getting bigger by the minute, and let's just say I've had better walks. But I accomplished what I set out to do and I ended my day at the Tower Bridge.I also wanted to see the infamous London Bridge and it worked out to be on my way. I got there and walked past it and back several times before realizing that what I was looking at actually WAS the London Bridge. I was expecting some old, lovely, historic bridge. But no, apparently that one was bought by an American (figures) and they replaced it with a plain, drab, soul-less, concrete bridge. Remarkable in how completely unremarkable it is (the pics didn'
t come out).
t come out). After my requisite touristy shots by the Tower Bridge, I made it to the subway in perfect time to meet Christine for dinner at 7:30. She is part of a 'connect group' with her church and they meet weekly for dinner. It was so cool to sit at the table with 10 people and realize that almost all of them were from a different culture: Uganda, Australia, America, Nigeria, Portugal, England, Colombia, Malaysia, New Zealand... So already in my trip I have been in the most culturally diverse city in North America and now one of the most diverse in the world. I totally dig that!
So aside from almost getting
flattened like a pancake a few times due to looking the wrong way when crossing the street (it's such an adjustment), I had a great time in London. I was originally scheduled to leave there a day earlier but am so glad I switched my flight and got the extra time... very cool city indeed. But, you know, you can't really go wrong when surrounded by that accent.
flattened like a pancake a few times due to looking the wrong way when crossing the street (it's such an adjustment), I had a great time in London. I was originally scheduled to leave there a day earlier but am so glad I switched my flight and got the extra time... very cool city indeed. But, you know, you can't really go wrong when surrounded by that accent.This afternoon I made my way from London to Madrid. Everything went smoothly and I met up with my friend Sarah here when I got off the Metro. (She is the one I will be doing
the majority of my traveling with from now so you'll be hearing lots about her. She's never been to Spain before so I'm excited to be able to show her what I still consider to be my favorite country!). As soon as I stepped off the plane and saw signs in Spanish and heard people all around me speaking Castillian Spanish (my all-time favorite), I just started to smile. I love it here.
the majority of my traveling with from now so you'll be hearing lots about her. She's never been to Spain before so I'm excited to be able to show her what I still consider to be my favorite country!). As soon as I stepped off the plane and saw signs in Spanish and heard people all around me speaking Castillian Spanish (my all-time favorite), I just started to smile. I love it here.
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