Good ol' London Towne

My feet hate me immensely for absolutely everything I’m about to write.

I wolfed down some cheap continental breakfast (read: cereal and toast, but free!) at the hostel and got moving first thing in the morning Wednesday. Initially intending to only visit Westminster station, I realized that the station attendant had sold me an all day zones 1 and 2 pass…and so I changed plans. I started out at London Bridge (station, it’s different for the Tower Bridge ßwhere I wanted to end up!). My, were my aspirations low!

Tower Bridge!

FYI: When I say I don’t know where I am, I rarely mean precisely that. I mean I don’t know where I am relative to other sights to see, and, occasionally, an Underground stop. L

My sometimes methodical but often wayward travels this day

So! I found a really awesome path called the Thames Path along the Thames (because you couldn’t infer that) and hoofed it back to the Tower Bridge (think London Bridge). Along the way, I discovered the Monument (I intend to go back and climb it), shops, and the London Tower. Didn’t expect that one! I kid you not when I say I really had no clue where anything was relative to anything else. I hadn’t bothered to look at a map of London and was frankly stumbling along hoping to find something cool.

Bright ideas, I haz them!

This path took me from Tower Bridge all the way to the London Eye (but I didn’t know that yet). I took it to St. Paul’s, across the Millennium Bridge to the Globe Theatre (rebuilt!), putzed around Southwark, hopped the Underground to Piccadilly Circus (wasn’t that great, honestly…maybe it’s better at night?), walked the Strand a while, hopped back on the Underground to Covent Park and eventually figure out where Parliament was—across the Westminster Bridge I went! In doing so, I found a wicked cool skate park, a lovely rooftop garden, the London Eye, and the aquarium! It’s all across the not-so-lovely Thames from Parliament/Big Ben. Come to find out, Westminster Abbey is right across the street from Parliament! Good grief! Unfortunately by this point, my feet had had enough and were positively screaming for me to sit down and go back to Greenwich so I could go to the Royal Observatory (the whole reason I chose a hostel in Greenwich). Then the Starbucks effect kicked in.

The Starbucks effect is this: you know there are a million Starbucks locations within a stone’s throw of you, but none of them, not one!, happen to be located within eyeshot of the road you are currently on until you’ve walked two miles. This happened in New York on Madison Avenue, and this also happened wandering around Westminster looking for an Underground Station. The real kicker is looking at a map of my approximate area and seeing all the markers for the Underground...

St. Paul's...not the in the Blitz!

The London Eye and the Aquarium (that building also serves another purpose, but I'd be lying if I said I cared about anything besides the aquarium)

Parliament!

Parliament!

Big Ben! It is indeed big. And apparently named Ben.

Half an hour later, I discover Victoria Station (what a place!) and drag myself into a train that will get me back to Greenwich. By this time, it’s 3:30 and I’m quickly becoming concerned the Royal Observatory won’t even be open! This cannot be! For I am a geography major and I need to see the Prime Meridian! TODAY!

By the time I reach Greenwich, my feet certainly feel a little better and are nearly ready for the next beating. Turns out the Observatory is quite close to my hostel (which is EXTREMELY close to the train station) and is no more than a 10 minute walk to reach Greenwich Park. My, what a lovely park! Fall colours (c wat I did thar) suit the UK gorgeously. There were wide open green spaces, large and shady trees everywhere, and benches aplenty. No time for that, though—I’m on a mission! 

TO THE OBSERVATORY!

Naturally, there’s a steep hill to climb for my already injured feet (blisters and aches), but I don’t feel it quite yet—the Observatory is in sight! Upon reaching the top of the hill, I quickly realize the place closes in a half hour and they’re about to sell the last ticket.

OH NOES.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the UK, it’s that its citizens are almost unnaturally helpful and friendly. The gent at the register asked if I was a student and actually gave me student admission in good faith that I wasn’t lying to him…and told me about the annual pass. “Annual pass?” I ask. “How much is that?”

“7 pounds 50.”

“I’LL TAKE IT!” It’s been a long time since I slapped down money that fast.

And so, with 30 minutes until closing, I proudly stood on both sides of the Prime Meridian. No words can describe my utter freaking joy at this moment, something I never thought I’d do and suddenly, here I am! 

LOOK, MOM, I’M STANDING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE PRIME MERIDIAN!

That still makes me smile.

The view from the u is fantastic and absolutely lovely. You can see downtown London, the Royal Naval College (is that right? I can’t be bothered to check, haha!), the Queen’s House (don’t think she spends much time there), and half of the green expanse of Greenwich Park. I ended up sitting on a bench in the Park writing postcards wishing the afternoon wouldn’t end (and that the wind would stop being so chilly).

Greenwich Park

Me! On the ridge looking over Greenwich Park. The Queen's House is directly to the right of my head and the Naval College surrounds it.

Just a lovely, lovely day. Worth every ache and every pain. I’m excited to go back and actually tour some of these places! I know a boy I want to take with me… ;)

Cheers!

Note: I focused more on video (to come!) and less on pictures (why I have so few). I'll also start linking to my Picasa account so everyone who subscribes to the blog can see the pictures I take!