New Thing #81 - L/S/I, Day 3 - London

Monday, May 13, 2013

12+ hours of blissful, uninterrupted sleep. Pure heaven. I don't think I've slept that soundly for that long in a very long time. We didn't set an alarm, but I finally woke up around 8:30-9:00. My traveling companions were still snoozing away, so I quietly got up to shower and start our day. By the time we had all showered and prepped for a day of adventures, it was well after 10 before we started our journey to the train station. It was a bit later of a start than we wanted for our first solo excursion, but I think we all needed the rest. The last thing we wanted was to be zombies during the first leg of our trip.

Oh, I should mention here that we brought our own hair dryer, along with a converter to use for the trip. Since I was the first one out of the shower, I was the first to plug it in.

It did not go well.

I plugged the dryer into the converter and as soon as I plugged the converter into Mel's power strip, there was a large pop, and black smoke shot out.

Directly onto the palm of my hand.

Melissa and Brenda heard it and came in to investigate, and I was just standing there in shock. Not actual electrical shock, but utterly confused as to what just happened. I'm 99% sure I wasn't actually shocked, but it did scare the crap out of me enough to render me speechless for a solid 5 minutes. All I could do was hold up my blackened hand in disbelief. Luckily, it was just smoke, and it didn't actually burn my hand. I also managed to blow a fuse, so Melissa decided it might be safer to let us use her UK approved hair dryer for the time being. We proceeded to use that for the remainder of our stay in London, and just used hostel hair dryers for the rest. (Luckily, it just fried the converter, not the adapter or the hair dryer!)

The train station was a short 15 minute or so walk from Melissa and Aaron's house, and it wasn't raining. Yet. It actually wasn't a bad walk, but I can't believe Melissa does that walk every day, rain or shine, winter or summer (AND she's 7 months preggers). I wouldn't enjoy it during the dead of winter or on the 360 days a year that it rains. When we got to Blackheath, we stopped for some breakfast at Gregg's - a chain bakery we found to be all over the UK. I went with a sausage roll - sausage wrapped in croissant type pastry, along with an apple danish that was pretty phenomenal. I skipped the beverage, not knowing what the bathroom situation was going to be like in London.

If you recall from our trip to Italy, public bathrooms were few and far between, and some of the ones we did find either required money to use or didn't have toilet seats. I wasn't sure what to expect in the UK, so I didn't want to chance it with a giant bottle of water sitting on my bladder all day.

Thanks to Melissa's lesson on train operation, we easily purchased our all day transportation ticket for 8 pounds, and headed down to the platform to wait. While we waited, we stopped in the bathroom where two of us waited while the other went. While standing in line, some girl walked in, quickly bypassed both Nikki and I and started to head into the recently vacated stall. Fortunately, it was Brenda, and as Nikki and I started to call this girl out, Brenda said something about us actually being in line next. The girl claimed to not have seen us or something else stupid, but clearly she did not know how to queue!

The good thing about the ticket we purchased is that it allowed us to use the outer trains (I can't remember what they're actually called) that take you from the suburbs into London proper, the Tubes (London's subway system), as well as their buses. Considering how much we ended up traveling in London, this really was the best deal for our money. Plus, if you bought the ticket after their peak early morning rush, it was cheaper. Since it was around 11, we definitely passed the rush mark.

Our train was relatively empty, and we had a quick non-eventful trip into the city. The only issue we saw is that no one talks on the train. No one. Granted, most people are probably on their way to work by themselves, so they don't have friends to chat with, but it was so eerily quiet that we felt weird even making small talk amongst ourselves. I felt like we were getting pinpointed as the noisy American tourists, but that could have just been speculation.

No talking. Only smiling.

Ready to see London!!

Once we arrived at the Cannon Street station, we hopped on the Tube, and made our way to Tower Bridge for the first stop of the day. Like the other trains, the Tube was relatively quiet and easy to navigate. Brenda was put in charge of the train coordination, while I continued my skills as the map maven. Having already paid for our all day pass was a lifesaver so we didn't have to constantly visit the ticket booths. Once we exited the Tube terminal, we made our way a few blocks over to Tower Bridge and enjoyed a few photo ops on the way. We had pre-paid for our tickets to this as well, so all we had to do was just pick them up. I highly recommend anyone to do this if they ever travel to a foreign country. A lot of places offer discounts if you buy online in advance, and it just saves the headache of waiting in line.

Yeah, we're pretty excited.

I see it!

We passed the Tower of London on our way across the Bridge.

The Poplar Street Bridge in StL isn't this fancy. :(

I wasn't expecting it to be so colorful.

We got to go up in that.

At Tower Bridge, we made our way up an elevator to the first tower where we watched a short/cheesy video on the building of the bridge and then made our way to the catwalk along the eastern side. The windows offered a gorgeous view of the London skyline and the catwalk was filled with numerous exhibits on the building of the bridge, along with photos of famous bridges all over the world. The Eads Bridge in StL even made the cut!!

Eastern view looking down the Thames.

St. Louisans next to the Eads Bridge sign!

At the other tower, there was another video, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was about. It was pretty boring though, so we made our way to the other catwalk for the western skyline and more art/facts about London. It was pretty educational, but would have taken three times as long if we had actually stopped to read every single display. Once we finished, we headed back down to the base of the second tower, across the street and underground into the engine rooms.

Random statues of people meant to look like they were building the bridge.

The sign on the right says: "Tower Bridge was not bombed during World War II. It was used by enemy planes as a landmark for navigation." Hmmm, didn't know that.

Western side.

I do my little turn on the catwalk.

Handy dandy informational signs to let you know what you were looking at.

I had to take a picture of one of the panels talking about the Greenwich Meridian Line. We were just there!

I liked this one. It says: "Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese"

So fancy.

I liked these panels of London landmarks down the stairwell that were lit up with changing lights.

Most of the photos we seemed to take on our trip look like we were photoshopped in. I assure you I was there.

Coal furnace in the Engine Room.

Not real coal.

Whilst: a word you won't see on a sign in the US

Stairway to heaven?

Not Watch Your Step....Mind the Step

It's so pretty!

Glass Gonad again.

Some more photo ops later, and we headed back across the bridge to the Tower of London. Everyone we talked to said we needed to be sure to hit this famous landmark. Again, we pre-paid, and made it a few minutes before the next Beefeater tour started.

Traitor's Gate up close and personal.

Plaza next to Tower of London.

I wonder if those two people on the right realize they're walking in sync.

Tower of London/Tower Bridge shot.

This grassy area used to be the moat. Years ago the water became so disgusting and hazardous that they had to drain it.

Random catapult.

Flat Nate isn't sure about ToL. At least he isn't being taken through Traitor's Gate.

Our tour guide's name was Simon, and he was absolutely wonderful. We found out during our tour that the Yeomen Warders (Beefeaters) actually live with their families inside the walls of the Tower of London. It's part of their duty as guides. (I don't think they really know where the nickname Beefeater comes from, but it could be tied back to the fact that they were essentially guards who looked after the Crown Jewels and the prisoners previously kept there. Because of that, they were allowed to eat as much beef as they wanted from the King's table.) We also found out that the Queen does still have a residence within the walls, but rarely stays there. I can imagine it's a logistical/security nightmare when she is there due to the fact that tourists are in and out every single day. You'd think she'd just stay at Buckingham all the time.

Simon! Loved him.

Inside of Traitor's Gate. Now, it's apparently a wishing well.

Some residences.

Bloody Tower - where supposedly Richard, Duke of Gloucester, killed his two nephews (both princes), so he could assume the thrown.

Inner ward.

Simon just being awesome at his job.

Oh hey, Tower Bridge!

Royal Guard guarding the Crown Jewels. We couldn't take pictures inside.

This is as close as Flat Nate would go.

The rain had finally started, and while it wasn't a soaking rain, it was enough to be thoroughly annoying. So, we headed inside some of the buildings to stay dry. We spent a little bit of time looking at the Crown Jewels, and while they were pretty damn fancy, I think I was expecting a much larger selection. The area where they were kept was smaller than I anticipated. Not like I expected there to be cabinets with diamonds overflowing drawers or anything, but it seemed a bit sparse. Or maybe they keep some under heavier lock and key. Who knows. I'm still pretty jealous of them though.

Pictures weren't allowed in here, so I couldn't get a photo of the awesome conveyor belt/people mover they had placed in front of some of the crowns, scepters and tiaras. It was GENIUS. Rather than allowing people however much time they wanted and slowing down the flow of traffic, they put the people movers right next to the cases, so you had no choice but to glance quickly and move on to the next exhibit. I wish it was like this in every museum. It would keep people from hogging the view all the time and making popular exhibits a giant clusterfuck.

The Tower of London was full of history, weapons, stories and jewels. It's hard to believe it has such a bloody history considering it's now a tourist attraction.

I'm not sure if I should say awww that there is a tiny suit of armor or be horrified that they needed suits of armor for children back then.

Lots of old weapons in here.

Flat Nate wanted his own suit of armor.

A very blinged out handgun that looks ridiculously fake.

Dragon made of metal and random armor pieces.

Executioner's axe and headrest.

Ridiculously creepy mask for the executioner!

Cannons!

Well hello there. Someone is happy to see us.

I kinda really wanted this. If I hadn't had to carry it around for the rest of the day, I might have bought it.

White Tower. The Chapel inside has many people buried within. Anne Boleyn is one of them.

Famous ravens. Legend says that the kingdom and the Tower will fall if the six ravens ever leave the residence.  So, to not attempt fate, each one has a wing clipped to keep them from going too far.

This is made of wire.

I'm really not sure why there are lions made of wire next to the moat, but hey, whatever. Brits are nutty.

After we finished there, we figured it was about time to get some sustenance before we continued on with our day. So, we went in search of a restaurant close to where we were. It took awhile and a few blocks, but I finally spotted Hung, Drawn and Quartered, and that sounded like the perfect place to get out of the rain and grab some grub. The inside was full of ornate woodwork, chandeliers and a fireplace. It didn't end up being as fancy as the interior led us to believe though.

This would be our first "English" meal, and I felt the need to go for a pie of some sort. I just really wanted some meat and veggies shoved inside a pastry.

The name seemed appropriate for a restaurant so close to the Tower of London.

Pretty schmance place.

Click on the photo if you want to read it.

Mmmm. Beer. This was a honeydew. It was pretty good actually, a little bit sweet.

My lunch. A chicken and sweet corn pie over mashed potatoes with corn, zucchini and gravy. Yes, please! It actually wasn't too bad. It could have used a bit more salt in the filling, but overall, not bad.

I'm feeling so British in this picture.

I don't know why this made me laugh as much as it did, but read it a few times, and you might get what I'm talking about.

While we waited for our food to arrive, we noticed a random man standing at the bar, drinking a beer, and staring. Staring at us. Staring at the girls at the table next to us. Staring at us. He was just standing there, slowly sipping his beer, being kinda creepy. His new nickname became "Creepstar". This name will come into play later in the trip.

After lunch, we walked over to St. Paul's Cathedral to see what all the fuss is about. We heard it was really pretty inside, but, unfortunately, it cost money to go in. We would quickly realize that London is an expensive city. Everything costs money to go inside. Everything except for the museums and we went into zero museums. Go figure. 

The good news is that there was some kind of service going on, so it was open fo' free! The bad news is that no photography was allowed inside. So, you'll just have to enjoy the photos of the outside.

We didn't spend too much time inside, but we were right next to the Millennium Bridge, so we wanted to walk over there before we met up with Melissa for a few beers. If you've seen Harry Potter, you might remember that the Death Eaters destroyed it in the Half Blood Prince. If you haven't seen Harry Potter, then you might recognize it as a purely pedestrian bridge with a very modern flair that spans the Thames.

Looks cool from this angle, but it's difficult to really tell what it looks like.

You can see the Tower Bridge wayyyyy off into the distance towards the middle left.

St. Pauls' from the Millennium Bridge.

I like the architecture of it. So perty.

Nikki looking ridiculously good looking and adorable.

Me looking ridiculous and trying to stay dry.

We saw these placed everywhere. Genius idea to keep cigarette butts and gum off the streets. Plus, I loved the signs.

Our day was starting to come to a close, so we met up with Melissa after she got off work to hit up a pub and then grab some food. She works in downtown London, so it was easy to meet up with her. We headed out to Stratford, north east of the city proper, to see some Olympic sites. The Tube to Stratford was unbelievably hot, and my eye ball decided it didn't want to play nice anymore. (You'll start to notice throughout this blog that my body was trying to kill me. Everywhere we went, it seemed like something was failing me on any given day.) I have no idea what was going on with my eye other than a firecracker of molten heat searing the inner corner of my eye. Had some strange British bug flown in and tried to make their home there? I have no idea, but for a solid 20 minutes or so, I was in hell.

Miraculously, it went away without having to shove my eye under a faucet, and I was able to continue on with my day. We stopped at a Westfield Mall - yes, they have the same chain in the UK! Although, they had some fancier stores than we do.

Jones Bootmaker, anyone?

The main reason we went to the Mall was because it had a phenomenal view of Olympic Park at one end. There is just this random viewing area right outside a store with benches to sit if you want. Melissa and Aaron went to some of the events, and I can imagine it was awesome/sheer chaos at the same time.

Olympic Stadium

Wenlock, the Olympic mascot.

Mandeville. Or is this one Wenlock? I have no idea.

Yay for weird mascots!

Flat Nate wanted to join in on the fun.

Had to.

Totally random, creepy eye balls on the wall.

That's inappropriate, Nikki.

Once we had our fill of photo ops with the blob twins, we headed over to The Cow for a drink before dinner. This place was pretty funny. I'm not sure if they were trying to mimic western/ranch areas of the US or what, but there was kitschy cow/western stuff all over. The restrooms were for cowboys and cowgirls, and there were cow prints everywhere. Sadly, I didn't really get any photos of the inside. I was kinda ready to put the turtle away at this point.

The beer I had was Hoegaarden, a Belgian beer served with a lemon wedge. I liken it to a Schlafly Hefeweizen, for those of you familiar with our local craft beer. It was delicious. After dinner, we headed to Wahaca for dinner, an insanely cute Mexican restaurant with a tapas style menu. (Tapas are small plates, similar to an appetizer type of idea for everyone to share.) Since all of us were about to eat our arms off, we thought it would be a good idea to get just about everything they had. We ordered fresh salsa and guacamole with chips, black bean and cheese quesadillas, chipotle chicken quesadillas, spicy fried sweet potatoes, black beans, green rice, pork tacos, steak tacos, chicken tostadas, chicken taquitos and possibly a few more than I failed to mark down. We ate so much food, that it was difficult to keep track of everything. Since our table was super tiny and there were about 482 different dishes on it, I never got the turtle out. So, sorry you don't get to see what all we ate. It was delicious though! Who knew you could get such good Mexican food in London?

Even though we were already starting to feel full, we couldn't finish our meal without dessert. It was a rule after all. Oh, did I fail to mention that we decided that we needed to drink beer and eat dessert every day (just like we had to drink wine and eat gelato every day in Italy.) So, for dessert, we had churros with both caramel and chocolate for dipping sauces, salted caramel ice cream and a caramel blondie tart. Just to be clear, we split all of this. I didn't eat all of that by myself.

I didn't care for the ice cream and the blondie tart was just okay. The churros, on the other hand, were quite delicious. I wanted the chocolate tres leches cake, but by the time we ordered all of that, I figured it would have been a bit overkill. Looking back, I still wish I had gotten it!

Sated in Mexican goodness, it was getting late and time to head home. This time we took the Tube to the bus station and took a bus home. Just wait until you read about the rest of the trip. We took pretty much every mode of motorized transportation you can think of. The bus was pretty tame and fairly quiet for being late at night, but it was nice to not be walking for a change. Plus, it dropped us off right outside their house. Three tuckered out girls dropped into bed, ready to do it all over again the next day.