London was my first stop on my trip. Looking back now, I think it was a smart move for any person who's native language is English. Heathrow airport was massive but it was easy to navigate. I arrived at terminal 3 and went through UK customs. It was fairly easy. They just asked you the usual questions. Here on business? How long are you staying type of questions.
My overnight flight arrived around noon and my goal was to make it to the Tower Hill tube stop at 2:00pm for the "This is London: The flash-bang-lightning" tour. I found the entrance to the London tube and picked up an Oyster card. I'd highly recommend this card. It is rechargeable and I used it the entire time I was in London and added more funds so I would be ready to go when I had to come back to London from Paris on my last day. I made it with about 15 minutes to spare. Which from what I hear, is good time to Central London.
The tour guide was great! Judy was fantastic and very informative. Our group walked past the Tower of London and then went on a cruise down the River Thames. We got on near London Bridge and got off near Westminster. We visited Big Ben, St. Pauls Cathedral, St. James Park, Buckingham and St. James Palaces, Whitehall and Trafalgar Square. Needless to say, you can't just come to London and see it all on that tour though. I'm glad I had more time.
After the tour, I found the nearest tube station and hopped on. London had probably the easiest transit system to learn. There are many different subway lines but if you know Piccadilly and the Circle line to start, you should be fine. Just grab a tube map. I had to hunt down the Great Portland Street exit to check into my hostel. I found it funny because when I got off I knew exactly what the streets and buildings would look like. Google Street view helped me out big time. I checked in and then went to find a pub to grab some food because by that time, I was pretty hungry.
I got back and decided that I should stay up for a bit to get my body adjusted to the time change. I grabbed some beers and chatted with other people in the hostels. I traveled solo but I was never alone. I always met other solo travelers and we'd just go out in groups. The hostels in Europe are nothing like what you've seen in movies. Most of the places were very nice and the Central London YHA hostel is no exception.
The next day, I got up crazy early because my body was still adjusting to the time difference. I actually made it to the tube stop about 15 minutes before it opened. I was glad also. It was raining a little bit so I bought an umbrella and about an hour later it stopped. I never got rained on until a week later in Prague.
I wanted to check out Piccadilly Circus and get a better look at London Bridge and
Buckingham Palace. I decided to head to the south bank and the London Bridge tube stop. I got off and took some pictures and then headed back to the north side over London Bridge and took some nice pictures of the castle. I walked along the River Thames and crossed back over to the south bank on the Millennium walking bridge. I was running on perfect timing again. Pretty much out of luck. It was 9:45am and the Tate Modern art gallery opened at 10am and it was just on the other side of the walking bridge. Big Ben signaled 10am and the doors opened. It did not cost a single pence to get in either. I spent about an hour checking out Tate Modern and then walked further down the south bank. I saw the London Eye but the line was just ridiculous and I did not want to wait in line. I continued on down and saw Shakespeare's Globe theater. I crossed back over the river and back into Westminster on the hunt for Buckingham Palace. I found it just in time for a changing of the guards which I caught in high def video. :)I was getting hungry after I ventured into SoHo (think shopping). I decided to find a pub for some fish and chips. What you have to understand about this trip was that not much was planned. Myself or the groups I was in just kind of walked around until we found something that looked nice. I found The Crown at 64 Brewer Street.
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I walked in and ordered. I instantly gave away my identity when I spoke. I sat down and waited for my food and just kind of soaked in the fact that I was in Europe. The waiter brought out my food and asked me if I was an American. I told him yes and he dug out a photo album and sat down next to me. He proceeded to tell me that the pub I was sitting in was a very popular hot spot for the American Airborne during World War II. "They threw plenty of shindigs in here." He mentioned that the pub had not changed and that the furniture I was sitting in was the same as back then. The wood had only been refinished because the scratches gave it character. I really was kind of set back. He recommended an English Cider and I finished eating.
I decided to head towards the Liverpool Street station tube stop because I had to check in for my overnight ferry to Amsterdam. I had plenty of time so I just wandered around. I found the London Brick Market. It was just a bunch of people selling art and food and clothes. It reminded me of the Indianapolis City Market. Except they had Eel and no corn on the cob. I picked up my first item to haul home. A small picture of London on a small piece of wood. I bought some ice cream from a street vendor and then realized I had no idea where I was. I hit the locate me button on my phone. I am not kidding you, my iPhone helped me out a lot on this trip. I liked it because I could take it out and look at a map without looking too overly touristy.
I found my way back to the Liverpool Street station and boarded a train to Harwich. This was where I met my first group of travelers that were just like me. From here on out, I had no idea I would meet hundreds of new people. It was great!
My London picture gallery is here. Note, I still need to fill out captions.
I'll post Amsterdam and it's pictures in a few days.
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