Our travels have begun! Last Friday, Bill and I decided to take a day off from classes and begin a long weekend of sightseeing in London. (To be honest, our pharmacology class was canceled... so I didn't actually "take a day off from classes".) On Friday morning, we hopped on a train from Guildford to London in hopes of gaining an extra full day to see the sights. Walking out of the Waterloo train station in London, I was amazed at the incredible view of the city across the Thames River. From our side of the river, we had a great view of Big Ben, Parliament, and the London Eye (a giant sightseeing Ferris wheel that takes 30 minutes to make an entire revolution). Rapidly clicking pictures as we walked across Westminster Bridge into the heart of the city, Bill and I stopped at a small souvenir shop to buy tickets for a hop-on/hop-off bus tour. It took little time to find the bus stop and hop on the right route, but soon enough we were zipping around London on top of a double-decker bus. Riding around London on the upper level of an open-air tour bus is actually quite exhilarating. Thankfully, the weather was gorgeous, which gave us plenty of opportunities to snap pictures as we drove through the streets of London. While on the bus, I managed to grab a few photos of Trafalgar Square, Parliament Square, and St. James' Palace.
Our first stop of interest was Buckingham Palace, the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II. It's actually a rare treat to be able to tour the gigantic palace. For only two months each year, Queen Elizabeth leaves Buckingham Palace and allows the state rooms to be opened for tourism. Luckily for us, the state room tours are only offered during August and September. Expecting a large line of tourists waiting at the palace gates, Bill and I were pleasantly surprised to find virtually no line at all. (Our luck is most likely attributed to the Changing of the Guard... while hundreds of tourists lined the streets to view the pomp and circumstance, Bill and I rushed to the palace ticket booth in order to avoid the long lines that would likely form after the Changing of the Guard was completed.) For £15, we received a very thorough audio tour, baggage check, and the freedom to wander from room to room in the most beautiful palace that I have ever seen. Buckingham Palace is best described by two words: gigantic and ornate. The palace had incredibly high ceilings and large rooms filled with portraits, antique furniture, fine tableware, and famous artwork. Every wall was adorned with gold trim, elaborate wall coverings, and perfectly pleated curtains. The overall effect of seeing the palace is difficult to explain because no photo could capture the enormity of one of Britain's most famous landmarks. A special exhibit covering the 60th wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's wedding anniversary was also included in our tour of Buckingham Palace. This exhibit quickly became one of my favorite experiences of our entire weekend in London. Tying the knot in the late 1940's, Queen Elizabeth's wedding gown was the epitome of formal fashion arising near the beginning of the 1950's. Adorned with flowers on the skirt and flaunting a 13-foot train, goosebumps covered my arms and I quite literally shivered at the site of the beautiful royal wedding dress. A view of the queen's wedding dress came second only to the jewelry given to Elizabeth on her wedding day. I cannot remember a time when I had seen anything sparkle and glow as brightly as this part of the queen's jewelry collection. Diamonds, sapphires, and rubies were all carefully fashioned into the most beautiful necklaces, earrings, and tiaras. Visiting the palace gift shop, I couldn't even find postcards or pictures that could compare with the majesty of Buckingham Palace and the royal jewels. This is one castle that you will need to see for yourself!
Exiting through the queen's garden, Bill and I hopped back on our bus and headed south towards the Thames River (pronounced "Temz"... Bill and I had a discussion on this one). Stopping near the river, we jumped on a tour boat that would ship us from the middle of London to the southeastern edge near Tower Bridge. Our next area of interest was the Tower of London, which is home to the crown jewels and sight of Britain's most brutal beheadings. Expecting a single tall tower, I was surprise to discover that the Tower of London is actually a small fortress originally meant to keep prisoners in and commoners out. Wanting to bypass long lines, we walked into the Tower of London "complex" and headed straight for the crown jewels. Not quite understanding the concept of "crown jewels", I was expecting more jewelry from her majesty's private collection (tiaras, necklaces, bracelets, etc.). Rather, the crown jewels consisted of crowns and scepters used during royal coronation ceremonies. The crowns contained hundreds of diamonds and precious jewels, but I will admit that I was a little disappointed by the masculinity of the crown design. After seeing Queen Elizabeth's wedding jewels, it was hard to look at crowns notably less "feminine" and rather bulky. However, the crown jewels were not ordinary by any means. Upon leaving the jewel house, Bill and I managed to catch the beginning of a "Beefeater Tour". For those of you who are connoisseurs of liquor, you might recognize the brand name "Beefeater Gin" that is actually quite popular in the States. The term "Beefeater" originates from the Tower of London to describe the colorfully dressed guards of the tower. Today, Beefeaters are retired British military men who give hilariously witty tours around the Tower of London. They tell stories of famous executions, clever prisoner escapes, and basic history of the tower. To give you an idea of our Beefeater's sharp wit, here's the best joke that I heard during the entire weekend:
Beefeater: How many Americans are on this tour?
(We slowly raise our hands.)
Beefeater: Looks like we have about twenty Americans. How many of you are from Florida?
(About five people raise their hands.)
Beefeater: I guess we'll need to count the five of you twice.
After having our fill of medieval weaponry, Bill and I noticed that evening was quickly approaching and decided to check into our hostel. (Note that we were carrying our backpack luggage with us throughout the entire day and were ready for a chance to stash our book bags somewhere.) Hitching a bus back to the western side of London, we walked fruitlessly for over 30 minutes trying to find our hostel. Giving up, we hailed a cab and enjoyed the ten minute ride to Ace Hostel. Hurrying through check-in, we barely had time to set our bags down before we were off again in hopes of catching "The Merchant of Venice" at Shakespeare's Globe. Trying out the subway ("Tube" in British) for first time, we were pleasantly surprised how quickly and easily we were able to travel from place to place around the city. A person could easily travel from one end of the city to the other for only three dollars. Unfortunately, our efforts were in vain once we reached the ticket counter after curtain call and were told that Shakespeare plays often sell out weeks in advance. Needless to say, we're definitely planning a second trip to London for a chance to see the Royal Shakespeare Company in action!
Feeling a little disappointed, Bill and I decided to lift our spirits by walking along the Thames and viewing the city at night. Not far from the Globe, we found a nice Greek restaurant with what we thought were decent prices. Unfortunately, this was a rather "posh" Greek place that served mainly wine and appetizers. So for $10, I ordered a Greek wrap about the size of a McDonald's snack wrap. I must give the restaurant some credit, however, since my Greek dish was probably one of the best Greek morsels that I've ever tasted. Giving up on our hopes of large American meal portions, we ordered two glasses of wine and spent the rest of the evening talking about all of the great things we had seen on our first day in London.
Eventually arriving back at our hostel via the Tube, we quickly settled into our six-person bedroom. Exhausted from miles of city walking, I fell asleep before my head even hit the pillow.
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