My London Trip - Day 1
Nov. 30th, 2005 05:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
castalieFinally started writing down my London report *g* It's a good thing I took so many notes each night - or morning, depending - or else I would have forgotten way too many things. So I guess I'll divide the trip in at least two posts. This one will be for Day 1. It'll give me time to take a break and type down the other days :-) No pics for now, they'll come later.
First, Our Schedule for Friday :
Friday
Westminster Abbey
Houses of Parliament / Big Ben
New Scotland Yard
Trafalgar Square / St Martin's in the Fields
Baker Street / Sherlock Holmes Museum
Covent Garden
Nice, don't you think?
Then, the long winded version of the program ;-)
Day 1
So. First day in London. I left France at 8.07 am and arrived in the UK at 9.47 am. Gotta love time differences that give you a whole more hour, right? *g* It also means I truly had a whole day of visits ahead of me, which was so great!
I have to say I was a bit anxious at first and for a very simple reason, I was worried that I wouldn't recognise Tai. I mean... it's been quite some time since we saw each other and I knew she'd cut her hair and I was like, imagine I don't recognise her? I'll be waiting at the Waterloo station like a poor soul lost in a foreign country and just - fear omg! But I needn't worry cause hee she was there! And I didn't mistake her for someone else, yay *is proud* Nice thing was, she had the same worries. Aren't we the cutest in our paranoid way?
That was quite exciting to see her again! And so very lovely. It was also pretty surreal to finally be in London. That trip was special for a lot of reasons...
We didn't lose time, we left our luggage at the left-luggage office and off we went to our first visit. Surreal, I tell you *nods* Though in the best way, of course because London + Tai = happy Mouse.
First experience in London was the underground. Dude, Londoners have a very cute underground - it's like a mini-underground... And I saw and heard my first "Mind the Gap" announcement, which kinda became a favourite expression. Just, I don't know... Mind the Gap makes me giggle each time I see it or hear about it *giggles* Case in point. There was this girl at one point in our coach who was singing a Mind the Gap song and I seriously thought it was such a famous thing that people wrote songs about it, you know? But no, it was just your typical teenage girl trying to be witty and stuff lol
Anyway first stop, Westminster, woohoo! The first thing I saw when we left the station was Big Ben, just in front of me! And it's smaller than I thought it would be, and I know there's an explanation as to why but still when I saw it I didn't know anything about that story and though it did look as beautiful as I thought, it was smaller and it made me smile a bit. Though when I say it looked "smaller", it's not by any means "small", know what I mean? Just smaller than what I imagined, is all.
Then there was the London Eye in the background and I had a Hustle moment because it reminded me of that episode ["The Last Gamble"] where Mickey and Danny actually sells it to their mark and so far it was just something I knew from the telly and this time I was seeing it with my own eyes. That's always such a great experience! It's kinda magical, really.
So it was, say, ten minutes into my trip and I was already under London's spell - Big Ben, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament on our right... and there are those red buses and black cabs we always associate with London just about everywhere and bobbies walking in the street and I was just high from it all *bounces*
Our next stop was at the Westminster Abbey. God, it was amazing! It's such an incredible place! So beautiful, so noble, so HUGE so... so everything lol We spent a long time going over every area but it's so big that you cannot do otherwise, really :-)
In no particular order: the Confessor's Chapel is pretty impressive. There's always something special about those shrines, isn't there? I loved the carving. Then you have the High Altar and the Lady Chapel where you need to pay attention to the ceiling or you'll miss something beautiful - actually, you need to pay attention to every single detail, but still... I really loved all the crests and the standards that you could see everywhere, they give a majestic quality to a place that is already pretty majestic on its own. Then there's Elizabeth I's tomb and Mary Queen of Scot's one too and seeing all those tombs of English kings and queens is really special. It really is like facing History - it's humbling in a way too. Though it's also funny cause all the queens had their own "fire blanket" put just beside the tombs and it made us smile for some reason *g*
I'm forgetting a lot of areas but it was so huge I can't mention them all ;-) Though I remember the Air Force chapel too. We also walked in the Chapter House and wandered in the cloisters and just - you could spend hours and hours in that place, it's that amazing. I also quite loved the Poets' Corner. I thought of Babycakes when I saw the tribute to Lord Byron :-)
Isn't incredible to think that people such as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and David Livingstone are burined in the nave of the Westminster Abbey? I mean, wow.
Oh and there was also this moment when we suddenly heard a voice coming from somewhere thatdemanded asked people to stop walking and talking for a moment of silence and/or prayers.
So my first visit was a success [oh btw, each time we did a visit, I paid the student fee because my French student card works in the UK too - that was really nice *nods*] and I was quite smitten already *g* Also, we picked the right time to do the visit: we didn't queue at all, but when we went out? The queue seemed endless *congratulates selves*
Oh and just after the Westminster Abbey we saw all those school boys in their uniforms and it was so cool! Sure, I can see how people who actually wear those uniforms all the time would find the whole thing so boring and stuff and so very not worth mentioning but to me it was worth mentioning. I mean, British schoolboys in their school uniforms! And there were a lot of them, I guess it was an all boy school. So yeah, neat!
Then we went to Scotland Yard - well the new one, obviously. My parents had taken a picture of it during their own stay in London and I wanted one as well :-) Tai asked a bobby where it was and off we went. On our way to the police station, I didn't know where to look, everything was so new and so cool and so British lol It was a joy to be there and wandering in the streets. There's a classy and pretty building just about everywhere and you could take pictures every five minute and not feel bored. Ever. We found the new Scotland Yard and I took my picture, cue to a very happy Mouse :-)
Next stop, Trafalgar square. And eeeek pigeons! Tons of them. Not that I was scared of anything... as long as they stayed away from me *cough* Took several pictures here as well. The National Gallery looks quite impressive and the lions are gorgeous! Let's not forget the statue of Nelson up high and the fountains. Oh and there was a big Christmas tree here too which, you know, always makes me happy *nods* I also quite enjoyed the view - straight ahead was Big Ben again. I love Big Ben, really. You can see it from everywhere. Nice touch *g*
We were kinda hungry then so Tai took me to a pretty neat and original place - we actually ate in a crypt. How that for cool lunch places, uh? *beams* It was packed and we couldn't find any seats in the main room but it worked out to our advantage in the end as we ate in a secluded area of the restaurant, which was so much quieter than the main room and so much more intimate too since there were just the two of us here :-) The soup was great - and I was pretty cold so the hotness of it was heaven - and the dessert I took was kinda... well, it was good but odd, shall we say.
Afterwards... Baker Street, yay! We pulled a Blair Sandburg and kinda got lost - it took us a bit longer to find the place but hey it's not our fault! Or maybe it is but I'll just say they should make better signals or something. Anyway, we did find the street and the Sherlock Holmes little museum in the end and it was fun! The people working inside were all dressed up. So there was this guy dressed as a bobby and the lady at the till was dressed up as a maid. Fun, I tell you!
Our day wasn't over yet though as we left for Covert Garden afterwards - we did walk a lot during our little trip, that and take the underground *g* Covert Garden is so GREAT! And so Christmassy too, wow, I positively loved it! It's pretty big and so very dynamic and did I mention the Christmassy spirit? I did, good, cause it added to the wonderfulness of the place. Big tree, lights everywhere, decorations... gorgeous! And I love the arcades... it's really a beautiful place, you feel right at home. There were those loud laughs and cheers when we came in and when we approached, a comedian was doing a little show. Then there were those musicians who were playing the cellos, violins and stuff and they were quite impressive. What impressed me too was seeing them play their instruments in such a cold weather. I had my übercool gloves with me and I can't imagine not having my hands safely tucked in. Dude, my fingers would have fallen off. And those guys were playing and all and yeah, nice.
Oh I forgot we found an open market too. It looked a bit miserable though, but hey I still found two little items for The Esu - cheap at that. I always asked Tai before making my purchases :-) I also let her take the first step each time we had to cross the street, btw. I thought it was definitely smarter lol Though if you remember to watch your feet each time you want to cross the street, you'll see "Look Left" or "Look Right" written on the ground but er, when you talk and talk and talk... you just don't think of checking out aforementioned ground, I have to admit *g*
We wandered in Covent Garden, visited some shops and just walked around and I enjoyed myself tremendously *g*
And that was the end of Day 1 in London *g* We took the train to go to Tai's parents' and it felt like going on a new trip to me lol Redhill is a nice town. Note that it's a town not a city. I'm insisting on it cause I always used both words to describe the same thing and now I don't anymore *shakes head* The Tai Family has a gorgeous house that is so cosy that you can't not feel at home at once... I fell in love with it, too. And her parents? Such lovely and interesting people. And such a cute and sweet couple. Another success story, really *nods* Oh and between you and me? Should mommy!Tai tell you she's so not a French cook - meaning, I guess she's not a great cook? - don't believe a word. Everything was delicious. Which made me smile too because English food... is usually discussed a lot here. Not because it's bad as such, but because it's so odd and all.... except dude! Nothing of the likes at Tai's parents', it was yummy. And we had desserts for every dinner, too *smacks lips* Hee I had cheesecake, btw! So very yummy. Oh and speaking of their place, I loved the fireplace too...
I was quite tired every night - which made for such a change compared to the past months - and on that first day? I went to bed around, what, 9.00ish pm? Something like that... Dude! Me. At bed before 5.00 am. Twas so nice! *g* Slept until 8.00 or something like that the next morning so I was feeling WONDERFUL :-) And ready for a new day in the capital.
So to make a long story short, everything was grand and I couldn't have dreamt of a better introduction to a) the capital in particular and b) the country in general.
I mean yeah, can you tell I was completely in love with London right from the start? lol Also for the record, Tai spoilt me during my stay. She made of my trip a true delight, really *kisses again*
First, Our Schedule for Friday :
Friday
Westminster Abbey
Houses of Parliament / Big Ben
New Scotland Yard
Trafalgar Square / St Martin's in the Fields
Baker Street / Sherlock Holmes Museum
Covent Garden
Nice, don't you think?
Then, the long winded version of the program ;-)
Day 1
So. First day in London. I left France at 8.07 am and arrived in the UK at 9.47 am. Gotta love time differences that give you a whole more hour, right? *g* It also means I truly had a whole day of visits ahead of me, which was so great!
I have to say I was a bit anxious at first and for a very simple reason, I was worried that I wouldn't recognise Tai. I mean... it's been quite some time since we saw each other and I knew she'd cut her hair and I was like, imagine I don't recognise her? I'll be waiting at the Waterloo station like a poor soul lost in a foreign country and just - fear omg! But I needn't worry cause hee she was there! And I didn't mistake her for someone else, yay *is proud* Nice thing was, she had the same worries. Aren't we the cutest in our paranoid way?
That was quite exciting to see her again! And so very lovely. It was also pretty surreal to finally be in London. That trip was special for a lot of reasons...
We didn't lose time, we left our luggage at the left-luggage office and off we went to our first visit. Surreal, I tell you *nods* Though in the best way, of course because London + Tai = happy Mouse.
First experience in London was the underground. Dude, Londoners have a very cute underground - it's like a mini-underground... And I saw and heard my first "Mind the Gap" announcement, which kinda became a favourite expression. Just, I don't know... Mind the Gap makes me giggle each time I see it or hear about it *giggles* Case in point. There was this girl at one point in our coach who was singing a Mind the Gap song and I seriously thought it was such a famous thing that people wrote songs about it, you know? But no, it was just your typical teenage girl trying to be witty and stuff lol
Anyway first stop, Westminster, woohoo! The first thing I saw when we left the station was Big Ben, just in front of me! And it's smaller than I thought it would be, and I know there's an explanation as to why but still when I saw it I didn't know anything about that story and though it did look as beautiful as I thought, it was smaller and it made me smile a bit. Though when I say it looked "smaller", it's not by any means "small", know what I mean? Just smaller than what I imagined, is all.
Then there was the London Eye in the background and I had a Hustle moment because it reminded me of that episode ["The Last Gamble"] where Mickey and Danny actually sells it to their mark and so far it was just something I knew from the telly and this time I was seeing it with my own eyes. That's always such a great experience! It's kinda magical, really.
So it was, say, ten minutes into my trip and I was already under London's spell - Big Ben, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament on our right... and there are those red buses and black cabs we always associate with London just about everywhere and bobbies walking in the street and I was just high from it all *bounces*
Our next stop was at the Westminster Abbey. God, it was amazing! It's such an incredible place! So beautiful, so noble, so HUGE so... so everything lol We spent a long time going over every area but it's so big that you cannot do otherwise, really :-)
In no particular order: the Confessor's Chapel is pretty impressive. There's always something special about those shrines, isn't there? I loved the carving. Then you have the High Altar and the Lady Chapel where you need to pay attention to the ceiling or you'll miss something beautiful - actually, you need to pay attention to every single detail, but still... I really loved all the crests and the standards that you could see everywhere, they give a majestic quality to a place that is already pretty majestic on its own. Then there's Elizabeth I's tomb and Mary Queen of Scot's one too and seeing all those tombs of English kings and queens is really special. It really is like facing History - it's humbling in a way too. Though it's also funny cause all the queens had their own "fire blanket" put just beside the tombs and it made us smile for some reason *g*
I'm forgetting a lot of areas but it was so huge I can't mention them all ;-) Though I remember the Air Force chapel too. We also walked in the Chapter House and wandered in the cloisters and just - you could spend hours and hours in that place, it's that amazing. I also quite loved the Poets' Corner. I thought of Babycakes when I saw the tribute to Lord Byron :-)
Isn't incredible to think that people such as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and David Livingstone are burined in the nave of the Westminster Abbey? I mean, wow.
Oh and there was also this moment when we suddenly heard a voice coming from somewhere that
So my first visit was a success [oh btw, each time we did a visit, I paid the student fee because my French student card works in the UK too - that was really nice *nods*] and I was quite smitten already *g* Also, we picked the right time to do the visit: we didn't queue at all, but when we went out? The queue seemed endless *congratulates selves*
Oh and just after the Westminster Abbey we saw all those school boys in their uniforms and it was so cool! Sure, I can see how people who actually wear those uniforms all the time would find the whole thing so boring and stuff and so very not worth mentioning but to me it was worth mentioning. I mean, British schoolboys in their school uniforms! And there were a lot of them, I guess it was an all boy school. So yeah, neat!
Then we went to Scotland Yard - well the new one, obviously. My parents had taken a picture of it during their own stay in London and I wanted one as well :-) Tai asked a bobby where it was and off we went. On our way to the police station, I didn't know where to look, everything was so new and so cool and so British lol It was a joy to be there and wandering in the streets. There's a classy and pretty building just about everywhere and you could take pictures every five minute and not feel bored. Ever. We found the new Scotland Yard and I took my picture, cue to a very happy Mouse :-)
Next stop, Trafalgar square. And eeeek pigeons! Tons of them. Not that I was scared of anything... as long as they stayed away from me *cough* Took several pictures here as well. The National Gallery looks quite impressive and the lions are gorgeous! Let's not forget the statue of Nelson up high and the fountains. Oh and there was a big Christmas tree here too which, you know, always makes me happy *nods* I also quite enjoyed the view - straight ahead was Big Ben again. I love Big Ben, really. You can see it from everywhere. Nice touch *g*
We were kinda hungry then so Tai took me to a pretty neat and original place - we actually ate in a crypt. How that for cool lunch places, uh? *beams* It was packed and we couldn't find any seats in the main room but it worked out to our advantage in the end as we ate in a secluded area of the restaurant, which was so much quieter than the main room and so much more intimate too since there were just the two of us here :-) The soup was great - and I was pretty cold so the hotness of it was heaven - and the dessert I took was kinda... well, it was good but odd, shall we say.
Afterwards... Baker Street, yay! We pulled a Blair Sandburg and kinda got lost - it took us a bit longer to find the place but hey it's not our fault! Or maybe it is but I'll just say they should make better signals or something. Anyway, we did find the street and the Sherlock Holmes little museum in the end and it was fun! The people working inside were all dressed up. So there was this guy dressed as a bobby and the lady at the till was dressed up as a maid. Fun, I tell you!
Our day wasn't over yet though as we left for Covert Garden afterwards - we did walk a lot during our little trip, that and take the underground *g* Covert Garden is so GREAT! And so Christmassy too, wow, I positively loved it! It's pretty big and so very dynamic and did I mention the Christmassy spirit? I did, good, cause it added to the wonderfulness of the place. Big tree, lights everywhere, decorations... gorgeous! And I love the arcades... it's really a beautiful place, you feel right at home. There were those loud laughs and cheers when we came in and when we approached, a comedian was doing a little show. Then there were those musicians who were playing the cellos, violins and stuff and they were quite impressive. What impressed me too was seeing them play their instruments in such a cold weather. I had my übercool gloves with me and I can't imagine not having my hands safely tucked in. Dude, my fingers would have fallen off. And those guys were playing and all and yeah, nice.
Oh I forgot we found an open market too. It looked a bit miserable though, but hey I still found two little items for The Esu - cheap at that. I always asked Tai before making my purchases :-) I also let her take the first step each time we had to cross the street, btw. I thought it was definitely smarter lol Though if you remember to watch your feet each time you want to cross the street, you'll see "Look Left" or "Look Right" written on the ground but er, when you talk and talk and talk... you just don't think of checking out aforementioned ground, I have to admit *g*
We wandered in Covent Garden, visited some shops and just walked around and I enjoyed myself tremendously *g*
And that was the end of Day 1 in London *g* We took the train to go to Tai's parents' and it felt like going on a new trip to me lol Redhill is a nice town. Note that it's a town not a city. I'm insisting on it cause I always used both words to describe the same thing and now I don't anymore *shakes head* The Tai Family has a gorgeous house that is so cosy that you can't not feel at home at once... I fell in love with it, too. And her parents? Such lovely and interesting people. And such a cute and sweet couple. Another success story, really *nods* Oh and between you and me? Should mommy!Tai tell you she's so not a French cook - meaning, I guess she's not a great cook? - don't believe a word. Everything was delicious. Which made me smile too because English food... is usually discussed a lot here. Not because it's bad as such, but because it's so odd and all.... except dude! Nothing of the likes at Tai's parents', it was yummy. And we had desserts for every dinner, too *smacks lips* Hee I had cheesecake, btw! So very yummy. Oh and speaking of their place, I loved the fireplace too...
I was quite tired every night - which made for such a change compared to the past months - and on that first day? I went to bed around, what, 9.00ish pm? Something like that... Dude! Me. At bed before 5.00 am. Twas so nice! *g* Slept until 8.00 or something like that the next morning so I was feeling WONDERFUL :-) And ready for a new day in the capital.
So to make a long story short, everything was grand and I couldn't have dreamt of a better introduction to a) the capital in particular and b) the country in general.
I mean yeah, can you tell I was completely in love with London right from the start? lol Also for the record, Tai spoilt me during my stay. She made of my trip a true delight, really *kisses again*
