What is there to say about our trip to London? Let us start with a checklist.
Nearly get run over on Abbey Road...check
Ask how to get to platform 9¾...check
Sit on a big book in the British Library...check
Walk in the footsteps of Sherlock...check
See the Rosetta Stone...check
Recreate the image of Harold framed by the Tower Bridge...check
Witness three different weddings going on in the city...check
Fight to get on and ride a double decker bus...check
Spy on the guards at Buckingham palace with my long lens...check
Take phonebooth photo...check
Pose with Big Ben (both in the day and at night)...check
Eat at a London pub...check
Flag down a taxi (after failing twice, third time's the charm)...check
Well we certainly made the most of one day. We got up at 5:50am and headed down to the train station at 6:15am to catch our train at 7am. The train ride was fairly uneventful with most of us reading Emma or falling asleep or in my case both. There were some technical problems so we didn’t end up arriving until after 9am. From there we purchased all day tube tickets (well worth it for how much we used them). From our detailed planning earlier in the week Amelia typed up a list of our stops and coordinating tube stations. We first got off to take the very important Beatles photo on Abbey Road. With our assigned parts in two groups we set out to recreate it. We did not expect it to be such a busy road! It was a bit ridiculous but we were comforted by the fact that a group of four guys were attempting to recreate it as well. It took several attempts, but we finally got a couple that we decided were good enough and we ceased risking our lives on the crosswalk.
From the delay on the train to the amount of time for the abbey road picture we were set back in our schedule a bit, but next on our agenda was King’s Cross Station. Here we culminated our experience by asking a guard where Platform 9 ¾ was. He kept an amazingly straight face for a bunch of college kids asking this bizarre question. We proceeded in the direction and were guided by people saying Harry (like Harry when he is searching for the platform only he follows people saying muggle). After this stop we split up and Casey and Christina went to the globe whereas the rest of us went to the British Library. My statement on Friday about seeing the oldest document I will ever see was a lie for we saw much older pieces today. We also saw another copy of the Magna Carta (there are four in total and I think I’ve probably also seen the one in DC so now I just have one left to go). The globe ended up taking the other group a great deal of time so went on to meet them at 221b baker street. The tube station was covered with Sherlock as well which was cool.
Now this stop was probably Laura’s favorite as she loves Sherlock Holmes and is taking the seminar class on him. I went in with her to visit the house and we took lots of pictures, but probably my favorite is our one with the guard at the door complete with hats and pipe. They even had wax figures on the upper floors depicting characters from some of the stories. The globe crew was still delayed so we headed over to the British Museum and did the quickest museum trip ever ;) Trying to get back on schedule. I saw the Rosetta Stone and some of the Parthenon sculptures.
The last true stop and not simply a photo shoot was the Tower of London, however we arrived there a little after 4pm and they said it would not be enough time. This was a little disappointing as I really wanted to go in, but never fear for Laura and I are already planning a trip back to London so we can see the changing of the guard, the inside of Westminster Abbey, and the tower. We got rained on a bit here and waited a while for Casey and Christina to rejoin us. Laura and I went down to look at the Tower Bridge where we took a picture framed by it. It made me think of Harold, who is in the movie The Long Good Friday and delivers a moving speech while being framed by that bridge on a boat. It took some coordinating to finally find Casey and Christina but Amelia discovered them and we headed onward.
The next part of our journey involved the touristy parts of London. First we had to get on a double decker bus because they close certain lines on the weekends to work on them. This was quite a difficult task as everyone seemed to want to get on the bus. We managed to get on the third one that came by and went on the second level. Getting off in Trafalgar Square we discovered that the museums there were closed (our guide books lied to us) so we took some photos and decided to make our way down to Buckingham Palace. It was quite a walk, but upon arriving we got to see the guards move around and take some pretty photos. On the way back we stopped in a gift shop that was just entirely overwhelming and then we made our way to Big Ben. The main sightseeing things in London are all right by each other so we got some photos with Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey before finally stopping for food. It was nearly 9pm by this point so we stopped in a pub where I ordered a coronation chicken sandwich. It was ok, but not my favorite. The chips were really good. After eating, it was sufficiently dark to take our night photos with Big Ben so we did that and then got on the tube followed by the train to get home. The train was fairly full for so late, but we were the very first ones on it. It also was a bit delayed on the way back too.
Upon arriving back we discovered that it was quite cold and quite a long walk to get back up to our house. We elected to see how much it would cost to get a taxi, but that task was more difficult than expected. We got one and as he pulled around he picked up someone else. Another taxi said he would come around but he drove away. We finally got one and she said it would be £6. I sat in the front seat. Now I never really thought that driving on the other side was that weird, but when you are sitting in the space that should have the wheel and when you can see out the front window it is a bit weird. I looked at the temperature gauge in the taxi and it was just 40 degrees outside! Furthermore, in a bizarre twist, Bath was a happenign place at 1:30am. So it shuts down at like 6pm but is bustling with people again later, very strange. Upon arriving back the plan was to upload photos, but I was just too tired to finish so I got a shower and went to bed.
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