Heaven For the History Buff

I can finally kick back and relax after a fun-filled weekend in London. By myself. But fun, nonetheless. Where to begin? How about the beginning? Sound good to you? Doesn't matter does it? I'm the one writing this.

To start, my flight left Edinburgh for London's Luton Airport at seven. AM. Do you know how early I had to get up? You don't want to know I can some it up with this checklist:

Walk through an all but deserted city alone in the dark... check.
Walk by a creepy cemetery in an all but deserted city alone in the dark... check.

Nuff said.

Oh and I realized that, unless you have an early flight like I did, you had probably better leave at least two and a half hours early. That's if you're flying out of Edinburgh. I did just that and by the time I got through security and got to my gate, I had twenty-two minutes before I had to board.

I got to my first stop around 8:45am; the House of Parliament. Almost as soon as I took my first step onto the sidewalk, it started raining as if to welcome me to England. Granted, I had already been in Edinburgh almost four weeks. Same island. Same weather. Still...

But I digress. My first mission was to find a toilet. I sort of lingered though. I walked by the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben (aka the Clock Tower), Westminster Abbey, etc. Then I made my way to Victoria's Square (sort of by accident since I was just wandering around). Not a whole lot to see there, but I snapped some photos of Westminster Cathedral; not to be confused with Westminster Abbey. I did find a toilet though. Yay!

I wandered over to Buckingham Palace during the changing of the guard. I lucked out on that since I didn't make it back at that time again for the rest of the trip. I just happened to be there at the right time, though I couldn't see everything inside the gates. Found out later that they only do the major ceremony every other day. So if you're waiting outside Buckingham Palace at 11:30am and nothing's happening (or nothing much), don't worry. It'll be going on tomorrow. Pain in the butt to get through those crowds though.

Then I walked over the Piccadilly Circus (lots of shopping to be done, food to be eaten, and things to be seen). I had lunch and then went through a museum. Fun stuff. Cute guy at the entrance sort of hit on me, but... he was 31. Deal breaker, right there.

At that point, it was about four in the afternoon and I decided it was time to find my hostel. I had been walking around all day with my backpack on because I had informed the hostel upon booking that I wouldn't be in until later. No big deal. The backpack wasn't heavy or anything. I made it to the hostel in about 45 minutes. Suffice it to say, my feet hurt so bad that I was basically in for the night. I also already had blisters. No fun.

The second day my feet only felt better for about an hour. This time, however, I was smart enough to take the underground. My only planned activity for the day was a free walking tour provided by a company called New Europe Tours. They're in quite a few majors cities in... you guessed it: Europe.*

I've got to give these free tours at least four stars out of five. Considering the fact that they are free, they are wonderful. The guides have been so engaging and entertaining, not to mention knowledgeable about what they do. I highly recommend them. These tours are offered, as I said, in most major cities in Europe and the guides on the free tours, as you can imagine, work only for tips. They will tell you this and I urge you to at least give them something. It's polite and they work hard to memorize all the information they tell you, not to mention that information they have to have to answer questions (which are sometimes really bizarre).

Now that I have plugged New Europe Tours... I shall continue. When the tour was over, I took the underground to the Tower of London. In the heart of a bustling city. The thought is just amazing to me. I ate fish and chips (though it wasn't as good as I'd had in Edinburgh) with a view of the Tower and Tower Bridge** behind it.

That night, I met a group to do the Grim Reaper Tour (also offered by New Europe). Don't worry, the company offers student prices for everything. Check out their website for more info.
It was about 2 hours or so in length, going around the Tower, East End and then following in some of Jack the Ripper's footsteps. So much fun. This guide spoke a bit fast, but seemed genuinely excited about everything he said. Everything.

On my third day, Friday, I went back to the Tower and actually went inside. Heave for the history buff. There was a 45-minute walking tour included in the entry price. It was very interesting and fun. Extremely entertaining.

I got to see the Crown Jewels (shiny...), visit a palace that is nearly a thousand years old, and see where Anne Boleyn was beheaded, along with many other of the nobles accused of treason. I walked in history for a few hours. I touched history. So. Cool.

That night, I headed back to Piccadilly Square. I remembered what friends of mine had said about seeing shows and on my first day I had seen some discount tickets booths. I got a ticket to see Avenue Q for 35. (I can't do the pound sign without a number pad. Sorry) Haven't heard of Avenue Q, you say? Think Sesame Street for adults... Funny as hell. My abs actually hurt from laughing so hard. That was the end of my night.

The last day was Saturday (minus the day I left, of course). I had to decide what I thought I could do in the amount of time left, given travel time, etc. Hampton Court Palace was my decision. Ever heard of King Henry VIII? Yeah, that was where he lived. He wasn't the one who built it, though. A priest who later became a cardinal (Wolsey) built it and Henry liked it, so he took it, building onto it from there and adding his crest everywhere. The palace was a royal residence for centuries, though now it is a tourist attraction and historical site. It's huge.

Actors portray Henry and, occasionally, his wives and other members of the court. I went on a day when they were reenacting the wedding day of Henry VIII to his last wife, Katryn Parr. I also got to see the story of young Henry, up to the point where he divorced Catherine of Aragon and married Anne Boleyn. Very interesting to see that side of him.

Anyway, the palace was built onto by William III and Mary II (Elizabeth I's successors when she died without an heir) and of course that looks much "newer". Weird to use that word when stating the difference between the late 1500's and early 1600's. The grounds are very extensive with all the gardens (not to mention the actual buildings) and there's a MAZE! Haha. William III had it made and it's one of the first of its kind. Cool, huh? Ok, so I'm being way more "history teacher" than "gushing tourist". I get carried away. Sorry.

I ended up seeing Chicago (also for a discounted price) on Saturday as well. Amazing. I wasn't crazy about the actress playing Velma Kelly, but it's sort of because she seemed to put almost TOO much attitude into the songs. I couldn't always understand her. Otherwise, everything was wonderful. The actress playing Roxie was phenomenal. Fun times, even by myself.

As to my travel and hostel...
Easyjet: Not bad. Really cramped, but cheap (if you don't check bags and don't buy drinks/snacks on board). Just don't use them if you're claustrophobic.
West Two Hostel: I'd heard a few bad reviews. No, it's really not that clean, but I saw no bugs. The beds were actually kinda soft even if the pillows were flat and not so soft. They don't have towels for hire, which I knew. They have free coffee and tea and that's about it, but a hot shower and a bed was all I needed. It had what I needed and I didn't find anything to complain about.

All in all, I had a great time. I successfully navigated London all by myself for four and a half days. AWESOME! I mean, I know I have a pretty good sense of direction, but I surprised myself. By the way, on the way back to Edinburgh, here is the transportation I took (minus walking to and from stops):
Underground from hostel to train station.
Train to Luton.
Bus to airport.
Plane to Edinburgh.
Bus to City Centre of Edinburgh.
Bus to flat.

Yeah, that is just one way. I recommend getting an all-day ticket for the underground when you get to London and, if you go to Hampton Court Palace, get an all day train ticket. It's cheaper than getting the round trip ticket.

Um. I think that's it! I had a great time, but the place is filthy. Bring hand sanitizer and your sense of adventure. Not to mention a camera.

Kilts checked to date... 47.

*You may remember I did this in Edinburgh on my first weekend. Same company.

**Note: Tower Bridge and London Bridge are not the same thing. Tower Bridge was built between 1886 and 1892. London Bridge was built in about 43AD (or BCE, if you like). It was the only bridge crossing the Thames at the time.