Before coming to the UK, I did a fair bit of reading on
what were the “must-see” spots in London. Websites and guide books alike recommended
that you take three full length days to explore the sights of London. This
included museums, parks, churches, galleries, restaurants, department
stores…the list goes on. Although
we didn’t visit any museums yesterday, we definitely managed to get through a
majority of the top tourist spots.
 |
| SO MANY RED DOUBLE DECKER BUSES. IN A CIRCLE |
At the very least, I managed to get through
almost all of the things I wanted to do while I was here in London. The only things
that are left on the list are visiting Doctor Who/Harry Potter shops, taking a
picture with the 9 ¾ spot in Kings Cross Station, and an array of embarrassing fan-girl
things to get through. I might do those things on my own, or try and convince a
friend or two from New Zealand to come nerd it out around London later in my
holiday. It’s hard to believe that my holiday extends till the end of February!
 |
| Buckingham Palace! |
I’m extremely unfit as of late and the fatigue of power walking
non-stop all day yesterday has been hitting me all afternoon. I have no reason
to complain though, because words cannot begin to express how fulfilling it was
to see everything in person. I think
if I ever have the chance to visit London on a separate occasion, I’d come in
the summer when the weather is kinder. It’s definitely a challenge to walk
around in five layers of clothing with the wind constantly in your face.
 |
| was really tempted just to run inside and hug all the guards. ALL OF THEM. |
After having a large but healthy breakfast, we headed out
of Tufnell Park around 10:30 in the morning. Taking the subway to Buckingham
Palace took less than half an hour altogether, and immediately I noticed a
change in the atmosphere. I was truly taken aback at the aesthetics of it all, and
equally overwhelmed by the diverse cultures everywhere.
 |
| Seriously, I freaked my shit out when I saw this. People started filming me instead. |
 |
| just casually trooping back into Buckingham Palace. |
Just within the
M&M store in Piccadilly Circus itself, I was exposed to many different
languages. I heard Thai, Malay, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, Russian, the
list goes on. It’s so different to Tokyo in the sense that such a wide variety
of international diversity is rampant here.
As Kat regularly points out; just
sitting in the subway alone, you can hear a million different languages all
being spoken at the same time. Apparently this phenomenon is multiplied tenfold
in New York. That’s one major difference between London and Tokyo. I
t’s rather
odd that such a metropolitan and upscale city like Tokyo only have a population
of less than 5% of (European) immigrants. Guaranteed, immigration into Japan
itself is a complicated procedure that requires…god knows what. From what I know though, it's quite a feat to acquire permanent residency there.
Aside from the people itself, the surroundings and
definitely the atmosphere itself made me rather reminiscent of when I first
visited Minato Mirai in Yokohama. Being new to Japan and finally seeing
something I had longed to see in person (the giant ferris wheel in Yokohama),
the wait was definitely worth it.
 |
| a bit unfortunate I couldn't go in. Would have to pay $30 NZD for entry unless I wanted to enter for the purposes of worship... |
The places I visited yesterday were by far much more
impressive in person. Looking at photos online offer the viewer a sense of what
you’ll see when you visit London, but by no means do they offer you the sense
of the actual size of the buildings itself! A good example of this is Big Ben,
actually. I anticipated it to have towered over all of London, but surprisingly
it wasn’t as tall as photos make it out to be. Regardless though, it’s quite
refreshing to see it in person. The magnitude of it all is overwhelming, and I
might be over dramatizing the experience here. I’ve waited for this trip this
entire year and finally being able to have the holiday that I wanted it’s been
a great mini trip down to London just before Christmas.
We walked
for a few hours around the area, going by the palace itself, Westminster Abbey,
Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, and also went across the Thames to see the
London Eye, and through to Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, then to Covent
Garden. The walk was pleasant, and though I couldn’t actually buy anything, I
was extremely happy to have had 200 more photos in my memory card.
 |
| random foreigner being athletic and flexible... |
 |
| ...while I assume awkward pose in front of the lion. |
Also, this person who was a champion at climbing on top of the lion statues in front of the National Museum/Gallery fully put my non existent athletic ability to shame. This was as far as I got up onto the lion. I tried. It's about the effort.
 |
| posing in the M&M store... |
 |
| nom nom nom nom nom nom nommmmm |
Also, I got
to try out a proper English afternoon tea experience. After walking around for
hours, and purposefully depriving myself of lunch just so I could enjoy
afternoon tea, the first few bites of the decadent chocolate cupcake was to say
the least, absolutely heavenly. Kat and I gorged ourselves on 24 pounds worth
of cakes, slices, scones, marshmallows, and meringues. Unfortunately, getting
through about a 1/3 of the sweet tea was enough to fill us up, and the
remaining 2/3 (with a few slices and meringues to spare) was really self force
feeding. I’m not too sure how much sugar I’ve had since I’ve been to the UK,
but definitely more than I’ve had in comparison to my year at university!
 |
| a haunted house |
At night we all went to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.
Initially it was hyped up to be a walk within Hyde Park that would feature an
ice skating rink, and impressive Christmas decorations all around. To our
surprise it ended up being a Christmas carnival, with festive themed rides,
stalls, and food that were all somehow oddly influenced by Germany and Austria.
 |
| why are there two Santas?... |
 |
| how do you tell the difference between a porcupine and a hedgehog? |
The Winter Wonderland carnival ended up being the highlight of my day - simply
because it truly reminded me of Christmas, and I enjoyed the atmosphere and
surroundings. I’m not entirely sure if I’d recommend it to future tourists
though. It was rather confusing to see German words all around, and not to
mention they sold German food as well! Regardless though- great experience,
great company, and great night. Before heading back home we all decided to drop
in a Canadian bar and warm up. Kat and I had good tortellini for dinner at
around 10pm (completely savory with rosemary breadsticks as a snack), and I
went straight to bed an hour later.
London Day Three has by far been the most eventful one.
Though this trip to London has felt rather short, I definitely plan on coming
back and re-discovering all the places I went to once again. Hopefully I can
find a hair salon here that won’t cost me a small fortune (seriously, why does
it cost more than $120NZD to get a trim here…?), and I’ll be warm with my
inadequate winter clothing. The weather has been plummeting into the single
digits by now, and I’m starting to really feel the chill. I should have brought
warmer tights with me! To those of you who stuck it out and finished reading up
till here- thanks for reading! And for those of you who just clicked the link
to look at pictures- thanks anyway :D
All my love always,
April
No comments:
Post a Comment