The Tour...

Day 3. An exhausted me decided last night that today would be a sleep in, take it easy kind of morning. So by the time I got up, got ready, walked to the train station (without getting lost! Yay!) and got into London, it was already 11:00. 

The first thing on my agenda for today was the British Library. A library might not sound that exciting, but this one has the largest collection of catalogued items in the WORLD. It's huge! It also has at least five different exhibits about various artifacts and/or history. In there "special items" exhibit I got to see the Magna Carta, Gutenberg Bible, the first know book, original handwritten music by Bach and Mozart, sacred texts that were thousands of years old, and original lyric ideas written by the Beatles. It was crazy to see all of these things and realize that some of them are hundreds or even a thousand years old! Too bad cameras weren't allowed in the exhibits.

Before I left the library I went to use the toilets (they're not called bathrooms here) and I got super excited because they were free! That's kind of a big deal in London, as many places charge you 20-30p. So that made the British Library even better :)

After the library I took the tube to Baker Street and went to see 221b, the home of Sherlock Holmes. It wasn't hard to find. They have a museum and gift shop there, and lots of signs all down Baker Street. I was pressed for time and wanted to get lunch before headed off to my afternoon tour, so I didn't stop to go inside. Instead, I headed down Baker Street in search of lunch.

After only a couple of minutes I saw a sign for fish and chips. Since eating fish and chips is kind of a must while in London, I stopped and ordered some. They were...alright. They were definitely hot and fresh, but also tasted pretty greasy. Which I guess is pretty much the point of fried foods. I just don't really like fried foods. So anyway, I did the fish and chips thing. Moving on...

Next I got back on the tube and went to Euston Station, where I'd be taking the train to Watford junction for the Harry Potter Studio Tour. I had a long wait before the train arrived, and after that I had a long wait while on the train. And after that a long wait for the bus that would take me to the studios. Then a long bus ride. It was quite a long process.

But it was worth it.

Prior to arriving at the Warner Brothers Studios in Leavesden, I'd been afraid that I would be the silly adult among bunches of younger fans. I was very wrong. I saw very few kids there, it was mostly adults who were roaming the lobby waiting for the three o'clock tour to begin. The lobby was a wide open space with the gift shop on one side and a cafe on the other. All around the room are photos of the cast, as well as various film artifacts on shelves or hanging from the ceiling. As our time it approached we got in line, where we were shown the first set from the films: The cupboard under the stairs.

When 3:00 finally arrived we were brought into a large, cinema-like room. Everyone sat down and watched as Dan, Rupert, and Emma told us about all the behind the scenes work that went into making the films. After just a few minutes the film ended, and the screen went up, revealing the doors to the great hall.

Out guide gave us a quick run down of how the tour worked. We'd start in the great hall, hear a few facts, ask any questions, and then be free to go at our own pace through the rest of the tour sections. Then she opened the doors.

It was incredible. It really was the great hall. A huge room with tables set and the teachers standing at the end. And to think it was the actually room used to film all the great hall scenes in all of the movies...

We finished in the great hall and walked through the doors to the second part if our tour. This room had set after set, prop after prop, costume after costume. Again, I would realize in the middle of all of it that everything I was seeing was actually used in the movies. What's crazier is that people actually had to make all the sets, props, posters, costumes, etcetera, etcetera. SO much work went into these films!

After a LONG Time in that area of the tour, I headed outside. Here was the knight bus, the Hogwarts bridge, the chess set from Sorcerers Stone, the Potter house in Godrick's Hollow, and of course, Privet Drive. They were also selling Butterbeer here, but I passed on that one. 

Next was back inside for the "creatures and makeup" portion of our tour. Again, makeup must've taken forever in some of the scenes. We were also shown some if the animatronic creatures used on set. The Monster Book of Monsters, and Buckbeak both moved around as we walked by.

After that we entered Diagon Alley. Again, it was really amazing because it was all life sized, each shop intricately decorated for those walk-through Pre-school year scenes. Fred and George's joke shop was my favorite.

And finally, I made it to the last section of the tour: sets and design. The first room consisted of small clay models of buildings or structures in the films, as well as concept art paintings. The next ( and last ) room was Hogwarts. It was so much bigger than I had expected it to be! They used the model for all the exterior shots and filmed the actors on a green screen, then put the two together. Amazing.

Of course, we exited through the gift shop. I simply couldn't walk away with nothing, so I bought a time turner, a chocolate frog, and Bertie Botts Every flavor beans.

Two and a half hours after the start of my tour (that place is huge!) I was on my way back to Rayleigh. I got back, had some dinner, and talked with Benita a bit. And that was my day! I didn't fit in as many things as the last couple of days, but it was still awesome :)

Sore Feet

Today I woke up sore all over. Arms from lifting suitcases over and over again. Neck from sleeping funny on the plane. And legs from walking yesterday.Tonight I will go to bed with extremely sore feet.

At 8:30 this morning I took the train in London with Benita. She pointed out the Olympic stadium as we went by on our way into town. Then she gave me a few suggestions of what I should see today. Once the train arrived we took the tube and I got off at Piccadilly Circus. Since it was just after 9 o'clock, there were very few tourists around. I loved sitting on the steps to the statue, looking up at the big lit up advertisements, and simply taking in the city. After a few minutes there, I started walking towards Buckingham Palace.

To get to Buckingham Palace I took a stroll through Green Park. It was really amazing how one minute you're in the city, and the next your in this peaceful park, with trees and a lake and no sounds of the crazy London traffic. There are people relaxing and reading newspapers, and there are lamp posts EVERYWHERE! I walked along the bench lined path to some extremely intricate gates. On the other side of the gates was the palace.

It was here that I learned where all the tourist had gone to. They weren't in Piccadilly circus because literally hundreds had decided to visit Buckingham Palace first thing. And at that point, the changing of the guard didn't happen for another 45 minutes! I took a couple of pictures but wasn't interested to see even more crowds show up as the changing of the guard got closer. So I walked through St. James park towards Westminster Abbey.

I know I went to see Westminster Abbey yesterday, but I just had to go back and see the inside. It cost eighteen pounds, but it was worth it. I walked in to see the same intricate architecture as the outside of the building. Giant arches separate rooms or chambers and the ceilings seem to go on forever. Every memorial was marked with a giant statue and plaque. I saw the burial sites of various Kings, queens, scientists, and writers. There was also the coronation chair, and various books that had recorded the burials at Westminster in the past. Unfortunately, there was no photography allowed. So here are just a few pictures of the inside :)

After Westminster Abbey, which took almost an hour, I was ready for lunch. I got on the tube and got off at Covent Gardens. The square there has a large market with clothes, souvenirs, restaurants and smaller food sellers. There were also some very energetic street performances. I browsed the shops a bit, tasted some teas, and then settled on "The Pie Shop" for lunch. The British love their meat pies, so I had to try one while in London. I got a beef and vegetable pastie, and it was very good. British food gets a bad rap, but everything I've had so far had been great.

Covent Garden was followed by a quick walk to Leicester Square. From there I hopped on the tube again and headed for Hyde Park.






I began to walk through Hyde Park and immediately wondered where the Serpentine (The lake in the middle of the two parks) was. I couldn't see it anywhere. When I had walked half a mile and only then saw the start of the the long lake, I realized that I had deeply underestimated the size of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.

Part of me wanted to turn back after a mile. I was thirsty and my feet were beginning to ache and I wasn't even to Kensington Gardens yet. But I wanted to see the Peter Pan statue and Kensington Palace, so I trudged on. After another couple of miles, I had finally found my way to both places. I didn't go all the way inside Kensington Palace, but I did get to see the foyer and gift shop. And I finally got some much needed bottled water.

After I had rested my feet a bit I realized I needed to walk back. Every step became harder; my feet really hurt by now. But I made it back, got on the tube, and headed to my last stop: Leadenhall market.

Leadenhall market was great. It was where some of the shots for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter were filmed, and I could see why. It was built in the 1880s and the Victoria era charm is still there. Its all covered and the shops consist of restaurants, souvenir, and other random shops. I walked by right around 5pm, and there were already crowds of people in their work clothes standing outside of pubs and restaurants.

From Leadenhall I found my way back to Liverpool street station and headed back to Rayleigh. When I stood up on the train my legs and feet had completely cramped up. It was extremely tough to walk until they loosened up, and even then they were killing me. I started to walk back to Benita's. She had given me directions and I'd walked with her to the station that morning. Though I have my Dad's mind for remembering, I still have my Mom's lack of navigational skills. So I took a wrong turn and ended up somewhere downtown Rayleigh.

It was a cute little downtown, and it all looked nice and friendly, but it was getting dark soon and I knew I had to get to the house. After walking a bit more I decided my best bet was to turn around and retrace my steps to the train station, then to take a taxi to Benita's. That's what I did. And that's what I'll probably do from now on from the station.

So, from Piccadilly to Buckingham to Westminster and Covent to Leicester and all the parks and getting lost in Rayleigh, I walked a total of ten miles today. TEN! I think I better take it easy on the walking tomorrow, if I'm able to walk at all!

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!