When you land at Gatwick you have two options for getting to London, the fast expensive train, or the slow cheap bus. I took the bus. The ride was about 3 hours long. My advice would be to suck it up and take the train, it's not fun to spend 3 hours on a bus after a 7 hour flight and a 7 hour layover.
I ended up walking to try and save some cash. With my jet lag and the weight of my bags distracting me I managed to get myself quite lost. Despite getting lost and the long bus ride I had found the hostel and was ready to hit the town around 10 am.
I've spent a decent amount of time in London and have some favorites that I like to visit right upon arriving. My first stop was Westminster Abbey and Parliament. I had no plans to go in Westminster Abbey, and managed to just take pictures. But just seeing that building helped the reality set in.
After walking on the south side of the Thames for a bit I was famished and wanted some typical British fare. I walked into the first pub I saw and was quite disappointed to see that most of the food was Thai and the English food selection didn't include fish and chips. I was too tired and footsore to find someplace else though.
My first real attraction was St. Paul's Cathedral. This is really the only major attraction in London that I haven't been to. Well, that's not true, I was here during a service once, but it wasn't possible to walk around. St. Paul's was designed by Christopher Wren to replace a much older church that had not survived the 1666 fire. Wren rebuilt many building throughout London, but this was his masterpiece, and it is stunning. The domed ceilings had me looking up most of the time causing me to bump into people left and right. The alter was breathtaking and the funerary sculpture was superb. The entire experience was enhanced by the practicing orchestra and opera singer.
One of the highlights is walking up to the Whispering Gallery. To get there you have to go up about 150 steps. Luckily it's not a straight shot and there are several long corridors to catch your breath in. One of these still had scars from a 1940 bombing by the Nazi's. The Whispering Gallery gives a close up view of the dome. You are also meant to whisper to someone and the sound carries to the other side. However, it was full of French students and that wasn't possible. I also didn't have anyone to whisper to.
119 steps further up is the Stone Gallery. This offered a panoramic view of London. I had a great time taking pictures to prove that I had made it up all of the steps. The only problem was that the wind was so strong I thought I might blow away. It was a bit scary.
After a spiral climb back down I checked out the crypts. I vaguely recognized several names of the people buried there. The most notable was Florence Nightingale. Unfortunately I was not able to take pictures, but at least I have memories.
I really loved St. Paul's and am glad that I finally got there. But Westminster Abbey will remain my favorite.
In the movie Closer Jude Law and Natalie Portman spend some time in a place called Postman's park. While there they look at the memorials to those who died while saving others lives. It's a very Victorian monument. I had been to see it before, but Snapfish kindly lost all of my pictures of the event. So I headed back to reshoot them. I was once again shocked to see how many of the plagues were for kids.
After Postman's Park I had to hurry back to the hostel to officially check in. I had plans with an old friend. Almost two years ago I met British Dave in New York at the beginning of his round the world trip. His trip is over now (he even has a job!) and he is in London. It seemed fitting that we would meet up on the first day of my round the world.
We ended up meeting some of his friends in Kensington for a Pub Quiz. We didn't win the quiz (or the £70 pot) but it was a blast catching up with Dave. I will definitely need to see more of him while I am here.
The first day of the rest of my life was truly a day to remember!
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