Touring London

Day Three

Mum and I took off on our own our third day in London. We caught a morning train to Victoria Station and I fell in love British public transportation all over again. Seriously, America - what is your deal?! The trains and buses in Europe are all well-maintained and affordable - nobody drives! I wouldn't dare ride a bus anywhere around here! Anyway - I digress.

I owe an apology to my mother. I am not a patient person and I'm afraid I was curt with my mother more than once while trying to teach her about the trains/buses/tube systems. Sorry, Mum!

When we got off at Victoria, we found a group of French school children. My advice to anyone traveling to England: find a group of French school children and FOLLOW THEM!! Their schools go to England every year and they know the fastest routes to all of the tourist traps. You won't regret it. Plus, they're fun. We followed our group to Buckingham Palace, but the guards were doing a trial run for the royal wedding and it was even more insanely crowded than usual. So, we took a hop, skip, and a jump through Green Park to the side opposite the Palace and hopped on a Red Bus. Another piece of advice if you're going to England: TAKE A RED BUS! That had to be the best decision of our trip. We saw EVERYTHING and if you get on the original Red Bus Company, you can hop on and off whenever you like along the way throughout the day.

The buses are terrifying if you sit up top. We sat on the top, in the first row and I had to hold in my gasps of terror more than once. Motorcycles and smartcars disappear under the bus like you would not believe. At one point, I decided to stop paying attentiong and try to focus on what the guide was telling us (our first guide was AMAZING) and taking everything in.

We hopped off first at a little pub for some fish and chips and then headed up the street to St. Paul's Cathedral - my favorite place in the world (that I've been to). Another apology to Mum - we spent a tad over 2 hours in St. Paul's. SORRY!

After St. Paul's, we hopped back on the Red Bus and had the worst tour guide ever. Everything he said was complete bullocks and even I knew it. What a load of pork pies! I ignored him as much as possible as we wound our way through downtown London over to the Tower of London so that we could see some family history! Our great-great-great-great-aunt, Lady Jane Grey, was held prisoner and beheaded in the Tower. We saw the site where she was actually beheaded and the glorious monument erected those precious few who were beheaded within Tower walls. We walked through the building she was held prisoner in and saw her name etched in the walls by her ladies in waiting. Then, we went in the chapel where she is buried, also within the Tower. I had been to the Tower before and never knew that I was related to this woman from the past. What an experience!

We spent so long in St. Paul's and the Tower that we didn't do much else, except complete the cycle of our tour. We saw all of the highlights of the city, but didn't alight from the bus for all of them.

It was a great day!

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:

1. Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

2. Authentic fish and chips. YUM!

3. I wish I had words to describe standing at the grave of your beheaded relative. Talk about moving.

4. Pasties. :P

5. I think I'm the only person in the world who enjoys British food.