I must apologize for not having posted sooner. Between dicy Internet service and a whirlwind of spectacular, fun-filled days, I honestly have not had time. Here is what I did on my first day in London:
We woke up at around 5:15am to catch our 6:50am Eurostar train to London. It is a good thing we left when we did, because we almost didn't make it in time. I had forgotten that Britain is not part of the Schengen Agreement, so the boarding process was more like going on an airplane than a conventional train. Once we had rushed through customs and completed entry forms, we sprinted to the train and got on with barely a minute to spare.
We passed under the English Channel, but it seemed no different than any other tunnel, only longer. London is one hour behind continental Europe, so we arrived at St. Pancras station before 8 o'clock. Ashley and I purchased a seven day tube (metro) pass and by the time we checked into our hostel we still had the entire day ahead of us.
We decided that the best way to get a feel for the city would be to see some of the major landmarks, so we set off for Parliament and Big Ben. I learned that Big Ben is actually not the name of the tower, but rather of the bell inside the tower. Next stop was Westminster Abbey. It was massive and very ornate, at least from what I could see of the outside. Excepting services, there is an admission charge, so we didn't go inside. It was still a very cool sight though.
Afterwards, we walked West past no. 10 Downing Street (a very unremarkable residence if you ask me) and stopped a little further down the street to see the changing of the Queen's Life Guard and their horses. Every day at 11 o'clock, the troop stands at attention for over 20 minutes while the ceremony is carried out. Both the mares and guards were dressed in fancy regalia, and this definitely provided me with a sense of British atmosphere. We finished our walk down the street at Trafalgar Square, which has a large traffic roundabout and a towering column topped with a statue of Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson. The pillar was bordered by four large, bronze lions, and I may or may not have climbed up the back of one.
At one end of Trafalgar Square was the British National Gallery, which housed a collection of paintings rivaling the Louvre's. We only travelled through one of the wings, and this alone took at least an hour. The paintings were varied but mostly consisted of realist still lives, landscapes, and portraits. They were not all as magnificently spectacular as the Louvre's, but were still good. Our feet were fairly tired by this point and so we took one of London's famed double-decker buses to the St. John's Wood borough. The bus fare was included in my tube pass, and while it was slightly slower than the underground, it afforded an excellent view of the city, especially from my vantage point in the front row of the upper level.
Once at our destination we stopped for lunch at a grocery-delicatessen called Panzer's; Ashley used to eat here as she lived in this neighborhood when she was staying in London. I think she really enjoyed revisiting some of her old roads and shops. Anyways, I ordered a toasted turkey, tomato and Gouda panini and I must say it was delicious. From Panzer's we walked down St. John's Wood High Street (every borough has a road called High Street) and it reminded me of Southern Pines' Broad Street with its local boutiques, pastry shops and community-oriented feel.
High Street led us to Regent's Park, which is not as famous as its sister, Hyde Park, but much nicer. There were several sporting fields, walking paths, a lake with paddle boats, and my favorite, Queen Mary's Garden. It had sort of a naturalistic feel while also retaining an extremely manicured appearance. I don't know how many gardeners are employed there, but regardless they do a fantastic job.
We stayed for at least an hour and a half; all the while it was growing increasingly chilly so we went back to the hostel via the Baker Street tube station. For the Sherlock Holmes fans among you, you will recognize this as the street occupied by the world's most renowned detective. It was not particularly interesting by itself, though it was quite fun to walk along the road where I had joined my fictitious friend many times before.
After putting on warmer clothes, we took the tube once more to the Soho district in search of Bodean's BBQ. Soho is London's cultural center and is home to countless bars, restaurants and several theaters. Bodean's exact location remained a little hazy in Ashley's recollection but we finally found it after an hour of searching. We were not the only ones wanting to eat there, however, for there was a one hour wait. I decided that we had invested too much time to not eat there and so I spent the interim at one of London's department stores, Topshop. Ashley convinced me to try on a few pairs of jeans and I reluctantly agreed (to be frank I only have one pair that really fits me well).
Let's just say that the changing room experience was traumatic. Either Londoners have a rather feminine sense of fashion or they just do not have leg muscles as both pairs of jeans I tried were more like hosiery than denim. I hightailed it out of there and though still a bit flustered, was quickly put at ease by a delicious pulled pork sandwich with a side of French fries. I cannot say it was as good as a North Carolina pig pickin', but by European standards it was pretty tasty (the restaurant owners were American, after all).
It was past 10pm by the time we finished dinner and so we ended our first night in London with a visit to Picadilly Circus. For those of you with visions of human cannonballs and performing elephants, you must know that this is not an actual circus, but rather a circular area that forms the epicenter for much of London's shopping areas. I think it can be compared somewhat to Times Square in New York, though this is less hectic. On several of the surrounding buildings there were bright, attention-grabbing advertisements and in the center, a statue with steps to sit upon.
What a packed day we had. I had been in London for less than 24 hours and already I knew I was going to love it.
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