Wandering...

I could already feel the jet lag settling in as I stood in the long queue for border control. I had a headache, and my whole body felt exhausted . And there I was, seven in the morning, a whole day ahead of me. After being semi-interrogated by the border control lady (not really, she was just a bit scary when she asked me questions) I got my suitcase and headed down to the Heathrow Express train. 

The Express was an awesome way to get into London. It took just fifteen minutes and was nonstop, and had luggage racks for my suitcases. Plus since I bought the rail pass, it was free! 

The Heathrow Express took me to Paddington station. I got off, hauled my heavy luggage up two flights of stairs, and then headed for the tube. I was feeling really good about my successes so far. 

And then there's that moment when you pull out you're Oyster card, and then realize you don't know how to use it. So you wave it around wildly until it finally works. But then you're too slow and so one suitcases gets stuck on one side of the gate and other on the other side. And then you get yelled at by a French lady. Well.. lesson learned, right? :)

Anyway, I eventually made it onto the tube (yes, I did mind the gap) and headed to Liverpool street station. At Liverpool street station I checked my suitcases (20gbp for both for up to all day) so that I could go straight into London and explore. This was a last minute idea, to leave my suitcases at the station. Which meant I had no definite plans of where I was going today. So I stepped outside and started walking. 

I tried to picture a map of London in my head, since my phone map wasn't working. It took me about 45 minutes to find my first famous landmark. St. Paul's Cathedral is amazing! It's HUGE and the details on the building are so intricate. I didn't go inside, but I may come back later in the week so that I can.

After Seeing St. Paul's, I realized that the river that I had been searching for for the last hour was actually right across the street. I headed over millennial bridge to the South side of the Thames, and there I walked for awhile along the riverbank. I saw a few museums, Shakespeare's globe theater, and lots of really neat shops and pubs. It was getting close to lunchtime and I hadn't had much breakfast, so I decided to head to Borough market. 

Borough Market is all food. All really good looking food. And they have something from every country and culture, which is awesome. I sampled pistachio Turkish delight, almond balklava, and chocolate cookie. Then I bought a tomato and pesto focaccia roll. They had so much good stuff! I was really tempted by the pad thai, curries, and meat pies. Maybe tomorrow :).

After Borough market I went next door to Southwark Cathedral. It isn't nearly as big as St. Paul's, but the design is still pretty amazing. Seeing all the churches and other buildings here makes me wish architects still considered their work that kind of art.

Southwark cathedral was followed by a stroll across London Bridge. No, London Bridge was not falling down. Back on the North side of the river, I decided to move on to a different area of town. My feet needed a break too. So I headed for the tube. 

This time I knew exactly what to do with my card and felt way better traveling on the underground without my massive amounts of luggage. I got off at Wesrminster. When you walk up the stairs from the tube, Big Ben is literally right above you. It sort of threw me off for a moment, having the houses of Parliament and famous clock tower right there. I turned around and there was the London Eye. And a walk up the street brought me to Westminster Abbey. Now I was in the tourist part of London!

There was a huge difference in crowd sizes here. Prior to Westminster I'd felt like there weren't too many tourists in London. I guess I hadn't been in the right places, because this neighborhood was packed with camera wearing, selfie taking, over excited tourists. And I admit, I was one of them.

Westminster Abbey. For some reason this place really made me stop, put the camera down, and just try and take it all in. I didn't go inside today, but I'm planning to tomorrow. The outside though, was crazy amazing. Just knowing it was built nearly 800 years ago makes it even more impressive. 

I sat and ate my focaccia bread in the small park across from Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Then I headed east to Trafalgar Square. This was my last stop for the day. My feet were killing me and I was starting to fall asleep where I stood. Trafalgar Square was nice. Giant statues, fountains, and the National Gallery. Again, this was a big tourist spot. But it was pretty and also a nice last spot to rest my feet before getting on the tube back to Liverpool Street. 

From there, I got on the tube and, after accidentally going the wrong direction a couple of times and having to get out and try again, I made in back to the station. I got my luggage, activated my train pass, and headed to Rayleigh. I took a taxi (Another first) to Benita's, went upstairs, and slept for an hour and a half. I'm pretty sure I'll still have no problem sleeping tonight. :)

So, that's that! Day 1 was really great. I think the  opportunity to wander without a specific goal destination made it even better. I got to see things I wouldn't have if I'd just gone to the main attractions.

Back in London tomorrow! Bring on the parks, Palaces, museums, and literary landmarks!