London Part 1
Last Updated on Saturday, 10 October 2009 17:56 Written by Elise Monday, 12 October 2009 00:00
I am happy to say that all in all the trip was a rousing success. In fact, I wish we could have stayed longer (that said, London is pricey! So my wallet was glad to come home even if I wasn't).
Day 1: After a fairly quick and uneventful flight we arrived at London Heathrow airport. The flight was only 5 hours and 45 minutes, so barely enough time to sleep, with the help of some Dramamine I think I dozed a bit, bit it's safe to say that none of us really got much sleep on the way there.
After some debating re: the cost of a cab v. an hour on the Tube exhausted with luggage, we opted for the cab. With 4 of us pitching in, it would almost cost the same as the tube! This turned out the be the absolute right decision, since we got a chatty cockney (think Michael Cain's accent) taxi driver who told us lots about the sights and the city.
After dropping our bags off at the hotel, we headed out. Despite the rain we were bound and determined to spend the day wandering the city.
Our Hotel was in a great central location and right across the street from the Scotland Yard office (safest hotel in London according to our taxi driver). It was just a short walk to Westminster Abby...
Big Ben...
and the Thames (with London Eye and Parliament).
These were the sunny day day pictures I went back and took, because really it was quite bleak out. Still, onward from there we walked to Covent Gardens, which is an outdoor marketplace. There I had my first real traditional pasty. It was filled with beef, onion, and yes, suet (rendered animal fat). I have to say it was fantastic. Flaky crust, rich savory inside. The Goog hared it with me and he is holding it for this picture.
It really hit the spot. I have found the key to jet lag is occasional snacking, to keep your energy up. By this time we had been up for at least 24 hours, so we were getting quite tired.
Still onward to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery.
After a dinner of fish and chips. We headed back to the hotel for the night....finally!
Day 2: Day two was originally supposed to be Tower of London Day, but seeing as how that's a lot of outside time, and it was still raining, Day two became British Museum day. The British museum is large...really large and has some very impressive pieces.
I would say the two most well know, and most sought after are...
The Rosetta Stone: This acted as a key for unlocking Egyptian hieroglyphics. The text on the stone is a decree from Ptolemy, and once they figured out his name, that helped unlock things.
The Elgin Marbles: Lord Elgin um...acquired these from the Parthenon in Greece in the early 1800's. Greece is still trying to get them back. Here is one of the friezes that would have been along the top of the Parthenon. The story behind these friezes is that the humans had a party/wedding, and invited the Centaurs...but the Centaurs got too rowdy and tried to steal all the women, including the bride! Consequently, a fight broke out. Crazy centaurs.
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