London Part 1

After spending some time not knowing what the hell the French and Spanish were talking about, it was good to finally have an English speaking country on the horizon. I landed at Stansted Airport which is about an hour from the center of London. After paying way too much money for a shuttle into the city, I finally arrived outside the place I was staying. Located right near Regents Park, I was a tube ride away from anywhere in the city. After meeting up with a friend of a friend, we decided to have a typical English classic for dinner, Chipotle. All jokes aside, this burrito was better than many I have had in the states and even better than the one in France. Once we had stuffed our faces enough, it was time to explore the city. Eric (the guy I stayed with) went back to study and go to sleep. I on the other hand was ready to see this new city. I walked around Regent's Park for a while, taking pictures that came out looking like a horror movie scene. After darkness came, I hit the lit up streets alone and with lots to see. My first stop was Big Ben and the London Eye. I managed to figure out the tube AFTER my first ride which put me in a part of the city I did not want to be in. Finally figuring it out, I was where I wanted to be, standing in front of a massive clock on top of a bridge looking at a ferris wheel (seems strange huh). This was one of the most iconic places in the world and it was truly remarkable to experience this. Me being the dumb tourist that I am, I had no idea the Tower of London was around the corner so I went looking for that for a while. As I marched down the street with little to no knowledge of where I was, I ran into a familiar looking building. After about 30 seconds it finally hit me that I was standing at the gates of Buckingham Palace, the residency and principal workplace of the monarchy of the United Kingdom. It was strange to me that a place that was so famous just popped out of nowhere, but you get a lot of that in Europe. At this point is where I knew I was there, it started pouring rain on me in the middle of Buckingham Palace square. The rain, however, did not keep me down. I walked through the famous St. James Park just beside the palace and into Parliament square. Another famous place that I have marveled at before on television. After walking around a bit more, it was time for me to head home and get ready for some dinner. The place nearest to my room was called the Globe, so I walked in. I sat down to eat some ACTUAL classic English food. Fried shrimp, french fries, and mashed peas all smothered in ketchup, salt, and pepper and of course 4 or 5 very strong beers to wash it down. It was delicious. I had eaten, drank, walked, and now it was time to sleep. The next day was sure to be a busy one.

My second day in London was long and eventful. It started around 11 because I got a late start to the day (slept in). I took the tube all around the city because I wanted to see as much of London as I could. I walked in what I thought was "downtown London" looking for a restaurant recommended to me by my aunt. After finally finding it, turns out they were hosting a business event and were not serving breakfast. First mission now was to find breakfast, and I did with the recommendation of a bell hop outside a hotel. A small little restaurant tucked around a corner with no signs or anything provided me with a great breakfast to start the day. I indulged on two huge blueberry muffins, a bowl of oatmeal, fresh fruit, and a couple heaping glasses of OJ, the perfect start to any day. After finishing breakfast, it was time to hit the street again. I walked basically everywhere you could (without wanting to pass out). I walked all the way back to Buckingham Palace to get a good view of it in the day time. It was so cool to see the guards out front in full retard regalia. I watched them do their funny walk and keep a straight face until I couldn't keep one. After this, I walked into St. James Park for an ice cream at a little cart right by the entrance. A double scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough would be just fine for now. With ice cream dripping from my beard and chocolate chips stuck in my teeth, I made my way over to the nearest tube stop and jumped on. About 3 minutes later I was on the complete other side of the city and near one of the most famous parks in the world, Hyde Park. Outside the park was a mix of horse drawn carriages, locals getting in an afternoon workout, and street performers providing some mid-day entertainment for people walking by. I stopped to soak it all in but knew I was on a strict schedule if I was going to see everything, so I snapped a few pictures of the park and some squirrels running around and off I went. Next stop, Brick Lane. A famous street near the outskirts of the inner city, it truly was confusing. At first I almost left after passing about 40 Middle-Eastern restaurants until I hit the part I have been hearing about. In a blink of an eye it switch from Little Iraq to almost like Seattle (or what I would imagine Seattle to be like considering I have never been there). A G-Shock store, Nike store, vintage clothing stores, and best of all, little food carts with the most amazing food. Naturally I was hungry again, so I stopped to eat and look around. I waited in like for about an hour at a cart called "Home of the Meat Porn" and boy was it worth it. I got a pulled pork sandwich with pickeled red onions, homemade BBQ sauce, and a side of freshly made sweet potato fries. All cooked to perfection, it was the best way to watch the sun go down, with a messy face covered in BBQ sauce and salt from my plate. Once I had finished, it was time to find my way back (easier said than done). I jumped on the tube and it took me to a stop I had never been before, halfway between where I was staying and Big Ben. Another big square with another big building, but this time I had no idea what it was. I took about 100 pictures of the statues out front because they were the biggest statues of lions I had ever seen. 5 lions surrounded what looked like a giant pencil in the middle of this well lit square hosting probably another parliament building. I stopped to watch a street performer for a while and before I knew it, it was getting to be around dinner time. I headed back to my room to change and get a sweatshirt (because unlike SLO, other places around the world get cold). By this time, I was so tired I was up for anything close and good. Down the street was the Globe where I had eaten the night prior, so naturally I knew what I wanted and went there again. This time, I ordered the fish and chips along with mashed peas (which is now my new favorite way to eat peas) and another several rounds of beer (this number I'm not proud of). The waitress remembered me from the previous night, so most of the night was spent talking to her, drinking beer, and watching rugby. After finally mustering up the courage to walk home, I finally stumbled out of the bar and got on the elevator to go to sleep. I passed out in about 30 seconds. With about a day and a half left in London, I still had plenty to do.

More on that Monday with part 2 of my London excursion. Ciao for now.