London Musings

June 13, 2013: Leaving London and it's Lessons

Leaving London was hard. We loved our time here so much, and frankly, I wasn't ready to leave. I could have stayed another week just in this city, not to mention all the outlying places like Bath, Stratford-upon-avon, Stonehenge, the list goes on. But as we leave England, here are some of my thoughts, and lessons learned.




Oyster Cards are so convenient
Best accent award!
English food may not be the best, but the people who work there are warm and wonderful!
Need more time here than expected
Most expensive city, so plan and budget accordingly
Buy the London Pass!
The Tube is amazing. Efficient and clean.

 Lessons Learned:
-I put off London for far too long, because every time I came to Europe as a young person, everyone on the trains always told me it was too expensive, so I didn't come. Big Mistake. England is wonderful! If I EVER get the chance to come back, I will do whatever it takes!! There is so much more I want to see and experience here. It is MY history as an American, and I love it.
-Good shoes are important, and we need to walk more. We walked everywhere. Joseph and I have decided that we want to walk more at home. Don't just hop in the car and go to Harmon's, or a friend's house. WALK there, and enjoy the journey.  
-Plan more time at places than you think you will need. Although we wanted to see everything and get a little taste of as much site seeing as possible, we always seemed to be running against the clock and behind. We also missed out on so much. Partly because our schedule got thrown off, but also because maybe we tried to pack too much in. Make sure you prioritize what you want to do, and get those done first each day. Then pad the rest of your day with the extras.
-It is cold here. (Not that I am complaining...I loved it) But it IS cool. Even in the middle of June. Make sure you have comfy, warmish clothes. No wonder they drink warm tea here. It can get chilly!
-Keep your eyes open, and don't be afraid to get a little lost. There is so much to see in the corners and, as we learned, the middle of the streets with monuments, and gardens tucked about. There is SO much history here, and if you are focused on the big stuff, you can miss out on so much of the little stuff. 
-I love London.

London: Westminster or not...

June 13, 2013: Our last days in London seemed more crazy than ever. There was still so much to see and do, and we were trying to cram in as much as time would allow.

 From Hampton Court, we walked across the bridge, which took us to Surrey for the train back into London Proper. I fell in love with this little "shed" set up at the train station.

 As pretty as the little shop was, I think the sign was my favorite!

 "Alight here...."

And then there was the random camel. I don't know. I just don't know. We were riding the train, I looked out the window, and there he was. That's all.

 We hurried over to parliament and Westminster Abbey, because I really wanted to go inside, and then visit the graves. Westminster Abbey has been around since the 8th century, when it housed Monks. The Anglo-Saxon monarch Edward the Confessor rebuilt the Abbey. He became the first of many monarchs buried there in 1066.

Other famous people buried here include: Sir Isaac Newton, George Frederic Handel, Charles Darwin, and Oliver Cromwell, however, apparently he was disinterred after the Restoration in 1060 and was reburied at an unknown location.

I was most interested in "Poet's Corner" where some of the greatest literary figures are buried, including: Charles Dickens, Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmund Spenser, Ben Johnson, Robert Browning, Alfred Tennyson, and Rudyard Kipling to name a few.

The BUMMER was, when we got there (WHY we had left Hampton early) they were closed! There was some sort of event and they had closed Westminster. :-(



So I just took a lot of pictures of the outside.  



And it was beautiful. I can only imagine how beautiful it was inside.

Facade above a door.

Amazing stonework

 And then suddenly, we spied a bride! What a place for wedding pictures, huh? So I snapped a few too. :-)

Maybe my favorite gargoyle.

The cute random couple.

Joseph and a Bobby.

After the Churchill War Rooms, we took a little break in a park across the street, mostly to get our bearings and to figure out where to go, and what to do next. It was St. James' Park and such a beautiful spot.

When this guy walked by, we were trying to figure out what he was wearing for pants. :-)

The most ginormous pelican I have ever seen. Just chillin'.

  As we sat there contemplating our options, I looked over and saw groups of red marching towards us. SO COOL! They were heading over to the Military Parade and celebration/concert we had heard about earlier.

 At the end of the park was this unreal cottage. I thought at first maybe it was just for show, but it had a beautiful garden and looked "lived in." So then I thought maybe it was the caretaker's house.

 I HAVE to find out what kind of shrub that purple tree is! It looks like the same one I fell in love with in Oxford.

 Walking around London, I just snapped photos of what we saw. And we saw some neat things.

 One of my heroes, Florence Nightingale. Just another monument in the middle of the street.

 I loved what this window said: "By Appointment to H.R.H. The Prince of Wales Suppliers of Fishing Tackle and Waterproof Clothing..." Ha!

 I MUST have this shirt! I must find it somewhere!!

This could be the motto of our entire month in Europe. I love it.

 Heading down into the tube...at this station: Literally!

A tube map

 

 

St. Pancras Station is an absolutely beautiful train station. This was the station we would depart from London, and go to Brussels.

Its known for its Victorian architecture, and there is amazing sculpture and art work throughout it. It was bombed and damaged during WWII, and then revamped and updated for the London Olympics. But neither of these things is why it is most famous.

The beautiful interior.

 

 It is most famous for THIS:

The famous Harry Potter's Platform 9 3/4 is in this station. It used to be at an actual platform, between 2 real platforms. But apparently there were so many visitors trying to track it down, it was disruptive to the real travelers. So they moved the sign (and added a cart) into the main station area.

There happened to be a group with several different Harry Potter scarves, and they let us borrow one for our pictures, which was super nice. I love this picture of Joseph.

 For dinner, we had to have a real London Meat Pie, called a Pastie. They are like a turnover with meats and gravy, cheeses, onions, mushrooms, almost whatever you want. They were very good!

A final picture of "Our" tube station. We always "Alighted" at Gloucester Road Station to get to our "flat."