Yesterday Jenna and I had breakfast in the hotel and then headed to the Louvre. We were there early so the line wasn't bad. They confiscated my swiss army knife, but gave me a little ticket, like checking a coat, so I could get it back once our visit was over. We then headed straight to see the Mona Lisa. A few minutes after admiring it we made our plan of what else we wanted to see, since the museum is massive. We decided on French paintings and sculptures, since we're in France and all. A little while later I watched Jenna take a photo of a painting, wandered into the next room, and BAM, Jenna was nowhere in sight. I walked back to the painting she took a photo of, and into the next three rooms. Couldn't see her anywhere. Trying to channel what she might do in this situation, I sat and waited, cause I didn't think it would be good if we were both walking around looking for each other. Well 30 minutes later I gave up, and thought maybe she went to the French paintings section. Which took me forever to find, even though I had the map. I had to ask two security guards and finally found the secret elevator up to the second floor. No sign of Jenna. I tried to admire the paintings and sculptures as I was looking for her, but mainly I was trying to think what I should do next. I then made my way to the museum store cause we had talked about going there afterwards. If she wasn't there I was hopeful she'd be where they confiscated my knife. As I wandered into the main entrance area, underneath the glass triangle, there she was! Phew. We had a long embrace. I was imagining asking a stranger to borrow their phone so I could message her, or finding an internet cafe nearby. Her plan was to go back to the hotel for about an hour. Luckily we didn't have to take those measures. After that we spent the rest of the day hip-to-hip.
As we were leaving the Louvre I spotted an eccentric looking man, and Jenna goes "do you know who that was? It was Richard Simmons!". I wouldn't have recognized him, glad Jenna did. When I picked up my little knife I was shocked at how many others were in the drawer. There was one with the blade 3x the size of a kitchen knife. Not sure why that was being carried around.
Leaving the Louvre we spotted a sweet old man painting and selling his watercolors. I bought two and Jenna bought one. I then asked him if I could take his photo. He seemed shy at first but said ok. Then he picked up his brush and posed for me. So cute.
Satisfied that I bought some original artwork here (from a painter in action, which is one of my favorite souvenirs and experiences), we then wandered across the Pont des Arts which has lots of love locks on it. There were even vendors selling locks to put on there. We had lunch near the Musée d'Orsay as that was our next stop. But the line for the museum was too long (and it was too cold outside to wait) so we'll go back there another day in the morning when it first opens.
Next we walked across another bridge to go through the Tuileries gardens, which were pretty. Trying to find a bathroom we finally stopped for tea to use their facilities. Then we walked along the Champs-Élysées which had lots of vendors out for the holidays. It was kind of overwhelming and not a very peaceful walk. During the stroll I almost smacked right into Richard Simmons. I then noticed his bright green hair which matched his green corduroys. Oh my.
As we got to the Arc de Triomphe we took a right to go take a photo outside of an apartment where Jenna's friends used to live. Tired and cold we then hopped into a cute hotel bar for a glass of wine and little snacks.
We ended the night at the apartment Sophie is staying in. She made a delicious meal for us and shared scrumptious cheeses that she got from the countryside. Ah-may-zing.
A few notes:
1. I'm so glad we don't have to pay for restrooms in San Francisco. I can't imagine shopping and having to pay a few dollars to use the bathroom. I've been able to avoid it for the most part on this trip by going to restaurants instead. But then again we bought two teas for 8 euros to use a bathroom today. Hmm.
2. The French bitterness and rudeness is not specific to tourists. I thought it was, but Sophie has shared that they are just as rude and angry towards her as well. It's part of why she wanted to get out of France and move to the US. Interesting. For the most part people have been fairly nice. But customer service is definitely not great here.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Paris
I had breakfast at the station in Brussels and was chatted up by a 58-year-old single mother who told me her life story. And her son's life story who is 19 and a somewhat pro-basketball player. She barely took a breath and ignored her coffee and soup until they were cold, and then missed her train. Apparently she had a lot to share. She also had a lot of unsolicited advice for me after asking how old I was. She was surprised (that I'm 32) and then lectured me on how great it was that I was enjoying life and that I had plenty of time to settle down. A striking contrast from the conversation the night before with a 20-something roommate who told me she was traveling the world now because once she's 30 she won't be able to go on any more adventures. I didn't have the energy or care to tell her that turning 30 didn't have to be an adventure death sentence.
The train ride from Brussels to Paris was only about an hour, a very smooth ride. Once arriving in Paris' Gare du Nord station I got slightly confused on my ~20 minute walk to the hotel, but made it pretty easily. I hung out for a bit, people-watched and read more about Paris from my guidebook. Once Jenna and Sophie came back from lunch we hit the town together. We tried to go to the Catacombs first since it's a sight that Sophie has never been to and, well, she didn't want to go to the Eiffel Tower or other typical sights. The line was too long around the time of the last admission so we walked around the Bastille neighborhood instead. After that we walked through the Luxembourg gardens on our way to Blvd St. Michel for some window shopping. Jenna got some fancy boots. Next we had delicious savory & sweet crepes at Creperie des Arts before heading to a Bach concert at Sainte Chapelle, which was very special and intimate.
We ended the night at Sophie's friend's apartment in Montparnasse where she had a few people over for champagne, including the artist of a print she just bought along with the gallery owner. It was fun. Heading to bed reeking of an ashtray. I'm in Paris!
The train ride from Brussels to Paris was only about an hour, a very smooth ride. Once arriving in Paris' Gare du Nord station I got slightly confused on my ~20 minute walk to the hotel, but made it pretty easily. I hung out for a bit, people-watched and read more about Paris from my guidebook. Once Jenna and Sophie came back from lunch we hit the town together. We tried to go to the Catacombs first since it's a sight that Sophie has never been to and, well, she didn't want to go to the Eiffel Tower or other typical sights. The line was too long around the time of the last admission so we walked around the Bastille neighborhood instead. After that we walked through the Luxembourg gardens on our way to Blvd St. Michel for some window shopping. Jenna got some fancy boots. Next we had delicious savory & sweet crepes at Creperie des Arts before heading to a Bach concert at Sainte Chapelle, which was very special and intimate.
We ended the night at Sophie's friend's apartment in Montparnasse where she had a few people over for champagne, including the artist of a print she just bought along with the gallery owner. It was fun. Heading to bed reeking of an ashtray. I'm in Paris!
Friday, November 15, 2013
Atomium
This morning I headed straight to Atomium, which was built for the 1958 World's Fair. It's actually the cover image of my World's Fair coffee table book. It was cool to see. You can go into 5 of the 9 balls or 'atoms' via stairs and escalators, one being the top and a panoramic view (which kindly has an elevator). I followed the audio guide tour, which was pretty informative.
Afterwards I took the metro back to the center of town and went into the Cathedral. I got lost and turned around trying to find the Comic Strip Museum. I had no idea that the Smurfs were from here, or several others for that matter. I think Tintin is the most famous. Speaking of which, I also didn't know that Belgium was known for lace. Love how much I learn when traveling. Anyways, once I found the museum, it was approaching the closing of lunch hours (usually around 2:30pm), so I decided to skip the museum and head towards TheePot, which is supposedly the best vegetarian meal in town. The map does say that it's not very inviting and it's hard to find. I found both to be true, but the meal was delicious. It was buffet only, but so so good. It was by far the healthiest meal I've had since I've been in Europe, which made me happy. It was probably the most local meal I've had as well, no other tourists were in there, which was nice.
Afterwards I strolled back through Grand Place and bought some chocolates at Godiva and Neuhaus. This evening I plan on staying near my hostel and recharging my batteries, both literally and figuratively. Heading to meet up with Jenna and Sophie in Paris tomorrow!
Afterwards I took the metro back to the center of town and went into the Cathedral. I got lost and turned around trying to find the Comic Strip Museum. I had no idea that the Smurfs were from here, or several others for that matter. I think Tintin is the most famous. Speaking of which, I also didn't know that Belgium was known for lace. Love how much I learn when traveling. Anyways, once I found the museum, it was approaching the closing of lunch hours (usually around 2:30pm), so I decided to skip the museum and head towards TheePot, which is supposedly the best vegetarian meal in town. The map does say that it's not very inviting and it's hard to find. I found both to be true, but the meal was delicious. It was buffet only, but so so good. It was by far the healthiest meal I've had since I've been in Europe, which made me happy. It was probably the most local meal I've had as well, no other tourists were in there, which was nice.
Afterwards I strolled back through Grand Place and bought some chocolates at Godiva and Neuhaus. This evening I plan on staying near my hostel and recharging my batteries, both literally and figuratively. Heading to meet up with Jenna and Sophie in Paris tomorrow!
Bruges to Ghent to Brussels
I got up around 7am to use the bathroom downstairs. This is the first time, this trip, that the bathroom isn't in my room. Well, since I'm not a fair-weather blogger, I will share that I unexpectedly got sick in the bathroom. That's right. I threw up in Bruges. I knew my head hurt but didn't realize it was that bad. Oye. I went back to bed and listened to the rain.
I then got up a few hours later, checked out, but left my bag there to take in a bit more of Bruges. It had kindly stopped raining. I had breakfast at a local favorite, Li O Lait. I then went to the Basilica of the Holy Blood, and saw the dried up holy blood vial. My stomach turned a bit.
I then walked back to the hostel, picked up my bag, and asked a local "where are the swans!?" He replied - they're everywhere, they are hard to miss. I hadn't seen any and was quite disappointed. I was then told that they often hang out by Minnewater, a peaceful lake-filled park with lots of canals, which is on the way (kind of) to the train station. Sure enough I found the swans! I then couldn't figure out how to get to the train station, ended up walking through the Begijnhof (where Benedictine nuns live) which has lots of "shhh" signs as you're supposed to be quiet. No singing for me in there. After walking around in several circles I found the station and headed to Ghent.
I threw my bag in a locker (#12) at the station and took the tram to the center of town. I then followed the walking tour in my guidebook. Fun fact: the local vegetarian organization has succeeded in making schools and city services meat-free on Thursdays, which was the day I was there! Ghent has the most veggie restaurants per inhabitant in Europe.
I navigated through several squares, enjoyed the Cathedral of St. Bavo, passed the giant City Hall, walked through the little lane Werregaren Straat, which many call Graffitistraat. It's full of artwork and graffiti by the locals. The wall is always wet with new paint, and it smelled like it. Pretty smart, instead of outlawing graffiti entirely, the police designated this the place where people can express themselves and not get in trouble. I tried to eat at a guidebook recommended vegetarian restaurant, situated across the street from the Castle of the Counts, but I had just missed the lunch window. Most restaurants close in between lunch and dinner. So I got a lentil salad at a cafe instead.
Once I got back to Brussels and checked in (to a different and much nicer hostel), I made my bed and took a nap. A much longer one than I expected. I basically got up, washed up, and then went back to bed for the night.
I then got up a few hours later, checked out, but left my bag there to take in a bit more of Bruges. It had kindly stopped raining. I had breakfast at a local favorite, Li O Lait. I then went to the Basilica of the Holy Blood, and saw the dried up holy blood vial. My stomach turned a bit.
I then walked back to the hostel, picked up my bag, and asked a local "where are the swans!?" He replied - they're everywhere, they are hard to miss. I hadn't seen any and was quite disappointed. I was then told that they often hang out by Minnewater, a peaceful lake-filled park with lots of canals, which is on the way (kind of) to the train station. Sure enough I found the swans! I then couldn't figure out how to get to the train station, ended up walking through the Begijnhof (where Benedictine nuns live) which has lots of "shhh" signs as you're supposed to be quiet. No singing for me in there. After walking around in several circles I found the station and headed to Ghent.
I threw my bag in a locker (#12) at the station and took the tram to the center of town. I then followed the walking tour in my guidebook. Fun fact: the local vegetarian organization has succeeded in making schools and city services meat-free on Thursdays, which was the day I was there! Ghent has the most veggie restaurants per inhabitant in Europe.
I navigated through several squares, enjoyed the Cathedral of St. Bavo, passed the giant City Hall, walked through the little lane Werregaren Straat, which many call Graffitistraat. It's full of artwork and graffiti by the locals. The wall is always wet with new paint, and it smelled like it. Pretty smart, instead of outlawing graffiti entirely, the police designated this the place where people can express themselves and not get in trouble. I tried to eat at a guidebook recommended vegetarian restaurant, situated across the street from the Castle of the Counts, but I had just missed the lunch window. Most restaurants close in between lunch and dinner. So I got a lentil salad at a cafe instead.
Once I got back to Brussels and checked in (to a different and much nicer hostel), I made my bed and took a nap. A much longer one than I expected. I basically got up, washed up, and then went back to bed for the night.
Bruges
On Wednesday, after a delightful and full breakfast I filled up my water bottle, snagged an apple for later, checked out, and headed to Bruges. I had a hard time finding the central station in Brussels, so started following the commuter-looking crowd coming from a narrow street. I walked through what looked like a mall, again with commuters streaming past me walking the other way. Sure enough the stream of people led me to the station. The ticket machines only take coins or credit cards, but after several attempts I realized that credit cards need to have a pin to work. So I found a ticket vendor. I must look super nice or like I know what I'm doing because at the train platform I had three different couples ask me if this was the right train for Bruges. Actually people often ask me for directions, in all sorts of languages. Maybe I'm more approachable because I'm alone.
The train ride was about an hour, with lots of pretty countryside to look at, little farms with pet-worthy farm animals chilling outside in the sun. Yes, sun!
There were a few delays on the train which gave me time to read the map, my guidebook, and plan my visit. The map had a bit of history included - in 1892 the book 'Bruges la Morte' described the city as a dark, poor, and ugly place. Which seemed to boom tourism in the town. Same thing happened after the 2009 movie 'In Bruges' where Colin Farrell calls Bruges a 'shithole', and that 'if i grew up on a farm, and was retarded, Bruges might impress me. But I didn't, so it doesn't'. Again, tourism boomed. I was told to visit Bruges and Ghent by a friend who knew I was going to Brussels. I then watched the movie. Walking around the town makes me want to watch it again. The hostel I stayed at even had official 'In Bruges' walking tours. I thought about it but instead did my own navigating around town. Another fun fact: Gotye was born in Bruges.
My first stop was to the Belfort/Belfry, or bell tower. I climbed up to the top and took in the panoramic views of the town. The stairs were quite narrow at the top, and at times you had to duck into a corner to let people pass coming the other way.
I then headed back down, picked up some fruit from the Wednesday market, had a waffle with chocolate sauce, and then went to the Church of Our Lady. It houses Madonna and Child, a small marble sculpture by Michelangelo. It's Bruges' Mona Lisa. Unfortunately there were renovations being done in the church and that section was closed.
I then wandered to find the most photographed dog in Bruges, who also makes an appearance in the movie. Fidel usually sits with his head out the window over a canal watching the boats go by. He sadly wasn't there, but a neighbor across the street had a cardboard dog in their window. I assume a mock to the tourists. There are only 20,000 people living in Bruges, so on busy days there are more tourists than locals. I imagine that gets annoying.
After a quick photo of the cardboard dog (take that!) I continued east towards the edge of town to go to a cafe that has vegetarian frites, since the traditional ones are cooked in animal fat. The place was closed as I got there in between lunch and dinner. I decided to wait until it opened, so I headed to the canal, walked up to a windmill which gives views of Bruges, and read my book on a bench. A cute little girl and her opa (Dutch for grandpa) sat next to me and drank chocolate milk. Once my hands were icicles I found a bar nearby and had two beers - Straffe Hendricks (which is brewed locally in Bruges) and a Brugge Tripel (which is a local favorite but not brewed locally).
Two British gents next to me were complaining about everyone on their ipads and phones; "pubs aren't what they used to be". Amen. A couple probably in their 50s sitting at the bar were drinking very very fast. They drank three beers while I had one. The guy was sleazy and hitting on the young bartender. They moved to a table near me and had another one. I was surprised she was still serving them. Sure enough I watched the guy lay down on the bench and pass out. His wife was mortified but equally drunk. These beers are delicious, and very strong.
After about two hours of people watching and reading at the bar I headed to the now open cafe. I got fries with mayonnaise (have to be legit and do what the locals do), and a cheese and asparagus croquette. While everything was vegetarian, everything was also fried. It wasn't worth the wait. The cafe owner and another patron talked the whole time in Flemish. All I understood was she kept saying the word 'Facebook'.
I then wandered back towards the center of town. They had just dropped off a Christmas tree in the middle of the main square for decorating. An ice rink also opens up in about a week, with lots of little wooden vendor shacks getting set up for the holidays.
On my tourist map there was a bar that said it had a fireplace. I couldn't find it, gave up, and went into a new cellar bar called Le Trappiste. There weren't many people in there and the bartender was super friendly and chatted with me the whole time. He gave me the run down of the beers on tap and I ordered a Troubadour Magma Galaxy, which he described as an IPA with Belgian flavor. It was delicious. And strong. The bartender has been a beer aficionado for over 30 years and we talked shop - he loves Lagunitas and Sierra Nevada as well. I was about to leave as I had enough boozing, but I think he wanted me to stay and chat more and told me I should try the house beer - Abbot triple. Twist my arm. After that I managed to find my way home and sleep rather well, if you will.
The train ride was about an hour, with lots of pretty countryside to look at, little farms with pet-worthy farm animals chilling outside in the sun. Yes, sun!
There were a few delays on the train which gave me time to read the map, my guidebook, and plan my visit. The map had a bit of history included - in 1892 the book 'Bruges la Morte' described the city as a dark, poor, and ugly place. Which seemed to boom tourism in the town. Same thing happened after the 2009 movie 'In Bruges' where Colin Farrell calls Bruges a 'shithole', and that 'if i grew up on a farm, and was retarded, Bruges might impress me. But I didn't, so it doesn't'. Again, tourism boomed. I was told to visit Bruges and Ghent by a friend who knew I was going to Brussels. I then watched the movie. Walking around the town makes me want to watch it again. The hostel I stayed at even had official 'In Bruges' walking tours. I thought about it but instead did my own navigating around town. Another fun fact: Gotye was born in Bruges.
My first stop was to the Belfort/Belfry, or bell tower. I climbed up to the top and took in the panoramic views of the town. The stairs were quite narrow at the top, and at times you had to duck into a corner to let people pass coming the other way.
I then headed back down, picked up some fruit from the Wednesday market, had a waffle with chocolate sauce, and then went to the Church of Our Lady. It houses Madonna and Child, a small marble sculpture by Michelangelo. It's Bruges' Mona Lisa. Unfortunately there were renovations being done in the church and that section was closed.
I then wandered to find the most photographed dog in Bruges, who also makes an appearance in the movie. Fidel usually sits with his head out the window over a canal watching the boats go by. He sadly wasn't there, but a neighbor across the street had a cardboard dog in their window. I assume a mock to the tourists. There are only 20,000 people living in Bruges, so on busy days there are more tourists than locals. I imagine that gets annoying.
After a quick photo of the cardboard dog (take that!) I continued east towards the edge of town to go to a cafe that has vegetarian frites, since the traditional ones are cooked in animal fat. The place was closed as I got there in between lunch and dinner. I decided to wait until it opened, so I headed to the canal, walked up to a windmill which gives views of Bruges, and read my book on a bench. A cute little girl and her opa (Dutch for grandpa) sat next to me and drank chocolate milk. Once my hands were icicles I found a bar nearby and had two beers - Straffe Hendricks (which is brewed locally in Bruges) and a Brugge Tripel (which is a local favorite but not brewed locally).
Two British gents next to me were complaining about everyone on their ipads and phones; "pubs aren't what they used to be". Amen. A couple probably in their 50s sitting at the bar were drinking very very fast. They drank three beers while I had one. The guy was sleazy and hitting on the young bartender. They moved to a table near me and had another one. I was surprised she was still serving them. Sure enough I watched the guy lay down on the bench and pass out. His wife was mortified but equally drunk. These beers are delicious, and very strong.
After about two hours of people watching and reading at the bar I headed to the now open cafe. I got fries with mayonnaise (have to be legit and do what the locals do), and a cheese and asparagus croquette. While everything was vegetarian, everything was also fried. It wasn't worth the wait. The cafe owner and another patron talked the whole time in Flemish. All I understood was she kept saying the word 'Facebook'.
I then wandered back towards the center of town. They had just dropped off a Christmas tree in the middle of the main square for decorating. An ice rink also opens up in about a week, with lots of little wooden vendor shacks getting set up for the holidays.
On my tourist map there was a bar that said it had a fireplace. I couldn't find it, gave up, and went into a new cellar bar called Le Trappiste. There weren't many people in there and the bartender was super friendly and chatted with me the whole time. He gave me the run down of the beers on tap and I ordered a Troubadour Magma Galaxy, which he described as an IPA with Belgian flavor. It was delicious. And strong. The bartender has been a beer aficionado for over 30 years and we talked shop - he loves Lagunitas and Sierra Nevada as well. I was about to leave as I had enough boozing, but I think he wanted me to stay and chat more and told me I should try the house beer - Abbot triple. Twist my arm. After that I managed to find my way home and sleep rather well, if you will.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Bruxelles
The train ride from London to Brussels was quite fast. Especially since I didn't realize there was a time change. Weather thus far has been similar to that in England. I've had a few daydreams of sitting on a couch by a roaring fireplace. Am still looking for that to become a reality.
Arrviving at Brussels Midi I was immediately confused, which was fun. London was very easy to get around, which was great, but there is something exciting about not knowing the language and getting turned around. A Brit stood next to me by the metro ticket machine and we figured out how to get those tickets together. I then took a tram to the Rogier stop and walked to my hostel. I am fabulously the only person in my room.
I then walked towards the Grand Place, a beautiful cobblestone square which seems to be the heart of the city. The buildings around the square, including the impressive town hall, are pretty amazing. A few hours in Belgium and my stomach already hates me. So be it. I must eat and drink everything typical Belgian while I'm here. Today I had a liege-style waffle (sugar on the inside) and a few truffles. I followed the Grand Place walk of my guidebook that circled around the main square to several spots, including the famous little boy pissing, or Manneken-Pis. The small statue was made in 1619 and there are several legends behind the little boy, but the truth is that the city commissioned the statue to show the freedom and joie de vivre of living in Brussels, where happy people eat, drink...and drink...and then pee. Which is what I did at Le Cirio (est. 1886). I enjoyed a couple of beers (Leffe and Ciney blondes) and enjoyed the company of a very nice older man who started talking to me in French. Already the Belgians have been super friendly and interested to talk to me. Perhaps I blended in too much in England, I don't know.
After my friend gave me a few stickers and pamphlets on what to see in Brussels (random) he left and I went back to my book and beer. While it's sad for me to not be able to read outside in the squares and parks this time of year, it's still fun to sit inside and take in my surroundings.
Arrviving at Brussels Midi I was immediately confused, which was fun. London was very easy to get around, which was great, but there is something exciting about not knowing the language and getting turned around. A Brit stood next to me by the metro ticket machine and we figured out how to get those tickets together. I then took a tram to the Rogier stop and walked to my hostel. I am fabulously the only person in my room.
I then walked towards the Grand Place, a beautiful cobblestone square which seems to be the heart of the city. The buildings around the square, including the impressive town hall, are pretty amazing. A few hours in Belgium and my stomach already hates me. So be it. I must eat and drink everything typical Belgian while I'm here. Today I had a liege-style waffle (sugar on the inside) and a few truffles. I followed the Grand Place walk of my guidebook that circled around the main square to several spots, including the famous little boy pissing, or Manneken-Pis. The small statue was made in 1619 and there are several legends behind the little boy, but the truth is that the city commissioned the statue to show the freedom and joie de vivre of living in Brussels, where happy people eat, drink...and drink...and then pee. Which is what I did at Le Cirio (est. 1886). I enjoyed a couple of beers (Leffe and Ciney blondes) and enjoyed the company of a very nice older man who started talking to me in French. Already the Belgians have been super friendly and interested to talk to me. Perhaps I blended in too much in England, I don't know.
After my friend gave me a few stickers and pamphlets on what to see in Brussels (random) he left and I went back to my book and beer. While it's sad for me to not be able to read outside in the squares and parks this time of year, it's still fun to sit inside and take in my surroundings.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Mind the gap
I had breakfast with my cute roommate from Kentucky currently serving in Germany for the Army. I then headed straight to Westminster Abbey and stood in line, in the rain, for about 30 minutes. By far the longest line so far. There were little wooden crosses with red poppys all over the lawn with peoples names and general tributes. Once I got inside I walked around soaking in the beauty of the stained glass and ornateness of the shrines. The tombs were impressive and honestly the whole place was a lot to take in. After lighting a candle and saying a little prayer I sat down for a bit looking around at all I could see trying to capture it with my non-camera lenses. I thought of all the momentous occasions that have gone on here. Of my lifetime the most notable being Princess Diana's funeral and Will & Kate's wedding. About five minutes before 11am I was walking through the tombs when someone official got on the microphone and started talking about the upcoming two minutes of silence and the reasons behind it. He talked about the significance of the time (11am) on 11/11 with the end of the war in 1918, and also that the unknown warrior was buried in the abbey on 11/11 in 1920. I went and stood still with several others by the tomb of the unknown warrior for the two minutes which felt quite special. I also really enjoyed the poets' corner and literary section of the abbey with tributes to several of the greats (Thomas, Chaucer, Lawrence, Byron, James, Austen, Shakespeare, Kipling etc), which of course made me want to read. I then took a quick look through the abbey museum and then the shop, where I bought two little souvenirs - a Christmas ornament of Big Ben (or the tower really, if I want to be legit), and a little gargoyle for my sandplay collection.
Nearby is the Churchill War Rooms that my roommate told me I must see. So I did. It has an audio guide with admission which was helpful. It was very interesting walking through there, trying to imagine what being underground during wartime must have been like. Mid-tour I took a break and had lunch in the Switch Room cafe.
Afterwards I walked through St. James Park on my way to Buckingham Palace. The park was lovely and had lots of types of birds, which if you know me well makes me happy. As I walked I was staring at the birds, when I think my mouth actually dropped open. I was definitely not expecting to see a flock of pelicans gliding through the pond. What? A little while I stopped at a sign which talked about the bird species, and that pelicans were first introduced in 1664 as a gift from the Russian ambassador. Apparently earlier this year the city of Prague gave the park three more pelicans. I love pelicans, but it was strange to see them here.
I read in my handy little guidebook that Chihuly made a chandelier for the foyer of the Victoria & Albert museum. So that was my next stop since I'm a big Chihuly fan. Getting there my eyebrows raised at the 'free admission' sign, so after admiring the glass I took a quick walk through a section of the museum, and a wander through their store since it's "the best museum store" per Frommer's. Since it's my last day here I didn't want to spend it inside. But the Natural History museum's 'free admission' sign across the street caught my attention as well, so I took a quick gander, had millionaire shortbread goodness and a coffee in their cafe, and moved on. But before I did I checked out their museum store too, to be fair. And that's when I decided to get up the courage to ask a woman that worked there the stupid question of what the purpose of a tea towel is. She laughed and said that confused her too when she first moved there, and that it's just a kitchen towel. Has nothing to do with tea. In my head I thought it should be a little towel involved in the afternoon tea setup, but they don't really look like they'd be good for that. Glad I asked a human and not the googles. As much as I like the internet, it's fun to ask a person once in a while. That also marked my second and last mini-conversation of the day (after breakfast). Back to singing to myself.
My trusty friend at the front desk of the hostel told me when I first got here that I must check out Camden Town. So that was the next stop. On my way there after I walked through the tube turnstile I heard a loud "excuse me". It was so alarming I thought I was in trouble. But the man was simply handing me a glove that I dropped. My left hand said thank you. That was nice. Overall though I wouldn't say the Brits have been very friendly. They haven't been rude though either. I'm waiting for France for that treatment. Gotta love stereotypes.
Camden was very cool. It's the alternative part of London, apparently. It has a huge market, I think there were several actually. It stretches beside a river with locks. There were many food vendors, mostly ethnic foods so I got a good and cheap dinner. The stores and vendors had everything - antiques, jewlery, rave/club attire, vintage clothing, glowing shirts etc. After I bought a scarf I walked to a pub called The Elephant's Head and had a glass of malbec. Even though some of their beers said 'extra cold' on them, I didn't want to chance it. I'm sure if I lived here I would get used to it, but the wine was delicious. I finished my Bryson book at the bar and will leave it in the hostel for someone else to enjoy his British travel experiences and wit.
As I had hoped, I'm enjoying a room to myself tonight. Off to Belgium in the morning!
Nearby is the Churchill War Rooms that my roommate told me I must see. So I did. It has an audio guide with admission which was helpful. It was very interesting walking through there, trying to imagine what being underground during wartime must have been like. Mid-tour I took a break and had lunch in the Switch Room cafe.
Afterwards I walked through St. James Park on my way to Buckingham Palace. The park was lovely and had lots of types of birds, which if you know me well makes me happy. As I walked I was staring at the birds, when I think my mouth actually dropped open. I was definitely not expecting to see a flock of pelicans gliding through the pond. What? A little while I stopped at a sign which talked about the bird species, and that pelicans were first introduced in 1664 as a gift from the Russian ambassador. Apparently earlier this year the city of Prague gave the park three more pelicans. I love pelicans, but it was strange to see them here.
I read in my handy little guidebook that Chihuly made a chandelier for the foyer of the Victoria & Albert museum. So that was my next stop since I'm a big Chihuly fan. Getting there my eyebrows raised at the 'free admission' sign, so after admiring the glass I took a quick walk through a section of the museum, and a wander through their store since it's "the best museum store" per Frommer's. Since it's my last day here I didn't want to spend it inside. But the Natural History museum's 'free admission' sign across the street caught my attention as well, so I took a quick gander, had millionaire shortbread goodness and a coffee in their cafe, and moved on. But before I did I checked out their museum store too, to be fair. And that's when I decided to get up the courage to ask a woman that worked there the stupid question of what the purpose of a tea towel is. She laughed and said that confused her too when she first moved there, and that it's just a kitchen towel. Has nothing to do with tea. In my head I thought it should be a little towel involved in the afternoon tea setup, but they don't really look like they'd be good for that. Glad I asked a human and not the googles. As much as I like the internet, it's fun to ask a person once in a while. That also marked my second and last mini-conversation of the day (after breakfast). Back to singing to myself.
My trusty friend at the front desk of the hostel told me when I first got here that I must check out Camden Town. So that was the next stop. On my way there after I walked through the tube turnstile I heard a loud "excuse me". It was so alarming I thought I was in trouble. But the man was simply handing me a glove that I dropped. My left hand said thank you. That was nice. Overall though I wouldn't say the Brits have been very friendly. They haven't been rude though either. I'm waiting for France for that treatment. Gotta love stereotypes.
Camden was very cool. It's the alternative part of London, apparently. It has a huge market, I think there were several actually. It stretches beside a river with locks. There were many food vendors, mostly ethnic foods so I got a good and cheap dinner. The stores and vendors had everything - antiques, jewlery, rave/club attire, vintage clothing, glowing shirts etc. After I bought a scarf I walked to a pub called The Elephant's Head and had a glass of malbec. Even though some of their beers said 'extra cold' on them, I didn't want to chance it. I'm sure if I lived here I would get used to it, but the wine was delicious. I finished my Bryson book at the bar and will leave it in the hostel for someone else to enjoy his British travel experiences and wit.
As I had hoped, I'm enjoying a room to myself tonight. Off to Belgium in the morning!
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