Tower and Tea

Day 5: My last day in London

Tomorrow I leave for Madrid, which means today was my last full day in England. I slept in a bit and then decided to head into London one last time. Last night hadn't been sure if I wanted to go back into the city today or just stay in Rayleigh, but there were a few things I hadn't yet seen. So I decided to make it a short trip.

I got to London around 11:00 and took the tube to Tower Bridge. I had not expected the Tower of London to be so BIG. It was a giant medieval castle in the middle of a bustling metropolitan city. I loved the many giant stone towers and huge gateways into the fortress. There were thousands of fake poppies placed all around the base of the castle, each to commemorate a soldier who had died in battle in WWI. I was definitely glad to not have missed seeing this attraction.

As I walked around the Tower of London I came to the edge of the river. From here were great views of Tower Bridge. I walked up to the bridge and made my way across, amazed at how much work must've gone into what could've been a simple bridge.

Next I hopped back on the tube and got off at Embankment, where I walked across the bridge to the South bank of the Thames. Vendors were selling meals and sweets, and souvenir carts were everywhere. People roamed around buying things from the carts and riding the small carnival rides that were there. 

A couple minutes walk brought me to the gigantic London Eye. The line was HUGE, so I didn't go up in it. But it was cool to stand beneath it and imagine what being up that high might be like. I'm not sure I would like it...

I continued to walk down the south bank towards the bridge. From here I could see Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. I bought an ice cream cone and walked across the bridge, taking in the iconic view of London and soaking up the city as an old man in a kilt played bagpipes nearby. It was lovely.

I had seen what I had come to see, so I again got on the tube and made my way back to the train station. I arrived at the station three minutes before the next train to Rayleigh, and speed-walked my way onto the train just in time :)

I arrived back in Rayleigh around 2:30. After we had picked Olivia up from school, Benita, Olivia, and I all went downtown for afternoon tea. We sat at a corner table in a cute little shop that was so old it's ceiling was crooked. The tea was fabulous. On a three tiered tray we were brought a variety of sandwiches (Smoked salmon and cream cheese was my favorite), Scones (Which were amazing), and two different kinds of cake. Olivia rushed through her real food so she could get to the cake, and once she started eating it it was all she could talk about. Everything was really delicious. It was a lovely English afternoon tea experience. :)

Later in the evening Benita and I went out for curry and some drinks. I hadn't ever had real curry, and it's a pretty popular dish here in England. We tried the first two levels of "spiciness". They were both delicious, though the spices are definitely different than what I'm used to.

And so ends my time in England. It really was the best week I've had in a long time...perhaps ever. I will really miss the city, and the train rides, and the accents :) As a last post from the UK, here are some of my loves and disloves...

What I disliked:
1. Smoke: London has the most cigarette smoke I've ever experienced in a city anywhere. Perhaps its because its a larger city than I'm used to. But wherever I went there was someone blowing smoke in my face, and having just got over a cold my lungs are already cough prone. No fun.

2. Water: Even the bottled water tasted funny to me. I guess it's something you have to get used to...

3. Prices: There's no doubt about it, London is an expensive city. Even riding the tube can be pricy if you do it often enough. And don't even think about eating in a restaurant in the city, it's very pricey.


What I loved:
1. Everything else. Literally. I loved the safe feel of the city. I loved the buildings, the history, the culture. I loved the organization of the tube (Maps and directions everywhere). I loved the accents (Even those I couldn't understand). I loved the way people seem to get together and go out on every possible occasion. I loved riding the trains. I loved the country side. I loved the hustle and bustle of the city. I loved the parks. I loved that its a completely different world even though there are many similar aspects to America. Its like living in an alternate universe. I loved the foods. I loved the shops.

I really loved London. And I'll be back.