when we finally took off early the next morning-- after another delay-- midflight they tell us that the airport we were supposed to be going to ( i can't even remember which one anymore) is closed because of snow, we were supposed to be landing just outside london, instead we are taken to birmingham 2 hours outside of london. we land and sit on the plane for a while because they're waiting to hear from the other airport. then, we get off the plane they crammed us literally like sardines into this tram to take us into the airport, who knows why. i'm lucky the door didn't close on my butt like i thought it would because that's how close to the door i was.
once inside the airport we waited for an hour or so before hearing an announcement about the buses that were taking us to the original airport ( not to london itself ) oh because they re opened the airport at 930 am. What time did we land in birmingham? 10 AM !!!!!
so it's like the amazing race to get to the buses, families are getting separated, children are crying, old ladies are tripping people with their canes... none of us knew how long it would be before the next bus came so we ended up getting on the bus for the 2.5 hour drive. the bus was super crowded, every seat was taken and the people behind me were making out the whole time. the bus ride, that was supposed to take about 2 hours or so took 4.5 hours because of traffic, i almost killed myself. --- really ----
my anger has clouded over this part of my memory but somehow we got to our hostel on friday night, too late to be on time for our reservation for the london eye. on the bright side, our hostel was GORGEOUS. we paid a good price for the rooms, it definitely wasn't the most expensive place i've stayed but so far it's been the nicest. it was the home of arnold palmer of palmers biscuits, an old cookie company in england. that night we just stayed at the hostel, we were too tired from traveling to go anywhere else.
we revamped our plans for the next two days because of the day and a half we had lost. we had a big list of things to do and we actually managed to accomplish most of them!
first we went to buckingham palace for the changing of the guards at 1130. i dont think i would go again, it's too hard to see the whole ceremony and it was really crowded for something that wasn't so exciting. after that we hopped on the double decker bus tour and took it to westminster abbey and the houses of parliament. parliament was so much more beautiful than i realized and we spent twice as much time in westminster abbey as we meant to, but it was so amazing inside that we didn't mind. unfortunately, you can't take pictures in there, but there was so much history -- and you know i love that--
big ben was right next door and i feel like it's my friend hahha, its such a familiar beautiful thing. everytime i see it i can't help but think, second star to the right and straight on till morning from peter pan . actually, big ben is the name of the huge bell inside the tower, the clock is just called the westminster clock techinically. but no one, not even locals call it that.
so after a quick lunch, we got back on another red bus and sat on it for a while, we learned a lot about london and its history and we got to see a lot, like fleet street, st. paul's cathedral, and london and tower bridges. we decided to hop off near the london eye and try to redeem our previous reservations and they let us! we got right on, the line wasn't long at all and it was sunset! the whole half hour, the sky was lit up in gorgeous colors and it was breathtaking. it really made up for the hell traveling we had the day before.
after that we went to the national gallery in trafalgar square we saw some beautiful pieces-- van gogh was there and some seurat pieces that i love it was closing though so we went to the SHERLOCK HOLMES RESTAURANT! for dinner! it was one of the places i wanted to go to the most. the menu was themed like his mysteries and there was a room set aside to be like his study. unfortunately i got really sick that night, really run down and achy-- this was the start of my month long cold. terrible but i really was having a great time!
after dinner we went back to the hostel because we were starting an early day on sunday. when we left the hostel, we started out towards abbey road, to take pictures where the beatles did. it was a little harder to find than i thought it would be actually but we got there and took our touristy pictures before heading out on the subway to the baker street stop. i went to the sherlock holmes museum and the other two went to the beatles museum. the sherlock holmes museum was really cute but very corny. it was set up like his house with different rooms showing different mysteries. when i went into the first room an older man introduced himself as dr watson. he offered to take a picture with me but of course my camera was dead so i couldn't. the rest of the house was interesting. the dummies were very life like and that was creepy but i had fun after that, we got on the train again headed for harrods, hyde park, and the natural history museum. my friends wanted to see the darwin exhibit and i wanted to see the princess diana memorial so we went our separate ways. i really, really, enjoyed the walk by myself. we had been together non stop for hours straight so getting to walk by myself in the sunshine was a nice feeling especially in the park. even though it's a huge tourist attraction you tell there were SO many locals who use hyde park on sundays. i saw older people out for a stroll, young couples out running, families having picnics, others walking dogs. it was really a great thing to kind of be removed from the situation and see normal things like this going on.
The diana memorial was nothing like i expected but it was so beautiful and perfect; i loved it anyway. it was a big circle with all different water elements through it. in some places it moved quickly and others it lazed along. there were fountains in some parts, and shelves in others. there was a sign in front that said diana would have enjoyed people playing in the fountain so please feel free to do that. trail your hands and feet in the water and enjoy. it was so sunny and nice out and i had my wellies on so i sat on the side of the fountain and put my feet in. the water was cold, i could tell through my boots, but just sitting there in the sun, alone, watching the water swell and jump, and ebb and flow over my shoes was so calming. it was one of the times i've felt the most peaceful. it was so nice to just sit and relax and not think about anything. i think the memorial was one of my favorite places.
next, we went to harrods. i loved it there. it's like a whole different world inside. i definitely didn't get to spend enough time though. you know when you want to be in a place and take your time but the people you're with want to leave. even when they say, no take your time, you feel rushed? that's how i felt in harrods. i managed to see a few things but i could have spent hours inside. when i ever go back to london i will definitely be going back there. i couldn't afford most everything but i love to just browse around and watch people. it's nice to be treated like you can afford those things too.
when we were done, we got on another red bus back to the tower of london which was what we were supposed to do for the afternoon. unfortunately, we arrived too late and we weren't allowed to go in -- our first big loss of the weekend-- we decided to take our complimentary boat cruise instead. that was fun we learned about some things on either side of the thames. when we were done with that it was dark out so we hopped the subway to mayfair. I really liked mayfair, it was so pretty there. we had reservations at the absolut ice bar and when we got there they gave us capes and mittens to wear inside. it was so cool! everything was made of ice! the bar, the glasses, the tables and chairs. it was fun in there but we didn't stay long. we were hungry and we found this cute italian restaurant on a little square off the main street. i had the best meal i've had so far in that restaurant. i got spaghetti carbonara and it came with two strips of REAL bacon on top. the cream sauce was fabulous and it was a big portion. after dinner and dessert, we took the train back to the hostel.
we checked out the next morning and got our flights back to cork without a hitch.
so, that's london! despite the travel mishaps and the terrible sickness i had, it was probably one of my favorite places on this trip because there's SO much to do, you could never be bored.
and now, i need to go write a paper about the famine even though its a rare sunny and warm day outside! :(
when i get this essay done, i'll come back and write about barcelona! until then, xoxoxo
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