'Cause there's this tune that makes me think of you somehow
And I play it on repeat
Until I fall asleep
ASHLEY, COMMANDING OFFICER.
Well, we still aren't going back to pregnancy stuff, yet. For you that miss those updates...I'll get back to them eventually, I swear it!
However, have I got a treat for you. A post many months coming. The long-awaited, spectacular, awesome, "can't believe I got to do it"...SIGH...Epic European Excursion of Epicness!! (I've been waiting because I wanted to treat you guys to actual non cell-phone photography.)
As many of you know, I have this really awesome friend named Valerie. Her and I had been talking about going to Europe for about 6ish months prior to actually going. However, it wasn't until about 2 weeks prior to departure that we actually said, "Screw it. We only live once. Let's go to Europe!" (I should add that Valerie was approximately 8 months pregnant at the time of our expedition. Kudos to her BTW, rockstar that one.)
So, without any more distraction, we packed two weeks worth of winter clothing into a carry-on each and made our way across the pond.
HERE'S PART ONE OF THE AWESOME EUROPEAN ADVENTURE!!
STOP ONE: London, England
As a little girl, I've always dreamed about going to London. Growing up watching Peter Pan, Harry Potter, perfecting my British accent and having a healthy obsession with the Royal Family, particularly the Ginger Prince, have cultivated this obsession. To this day, I love British rock, British pop, British hip-hop, Doctor Who (particularly Ten), Harry Potter and still harbor a not-so-secret love of Prince Harry of Wales (seriously though). So, when the first stop was London, I could have died happy right then and there.
Day One
We arrived in London with absolutely no plan. No hostel booked, much to the dismay of airport immigration control. You know, because we were going to sleep on the streets while Valerie was 8 months pregnant. We boarded the London Underground where you are told to "Mind the Gap" at least twice per stop (yes, that really happens!). We finally arrived at Piccadilly Circus (not an actual circus) and did about the most American thing you can think to do. Yes, we found a Starbucks and commenced "Operation Find a Place to Sleep Tonight" with the help of free wifi and exceedingly expensive coffee (That black coffee that costs $2.50 in the US? When translated to £ and back to USD it cost around $5.)
The hostel we landed in was delightfully called "4 Star Hostel" in Piccadilly. Location, awesome. We also couldn't argue with the price as it cost about £7 per night. This roughly translates to approximately $12 per night in USD. Was this hostel a 4 star? Yeah, absolutely not. However, what it lacked in bougie, it made up for in adventure! But, we'll get into that...
When we arrived to the hostel we unpacked our stuff and struck up a conversation with two girls from Germany that were staying in our room. Whilst unpacking another girl from Paris, France joined us and we got to know her a bit. This was my first experience in a hostel environment and I was immediately taken with the people you get to encounter along the way. We locked up our expensive and small things and headed out to London.
May I introduce you to Piccadilly Circus. No, not an actual circus. However, there is live entertainment playing on street corners (musicians, dancers, etc), it's pretty colorful and like...has the best shopping of your life. You know, all for double the price you'd pay in the states. Haha.
Of course, there were telephone boxes. Of course.
Trafalgar Square. By the time our tour in London was finished, Valerie and I had memorized the entire Battle of Trafalgar (A British Naval Victory in the Napolenic Wars).
There are four of these lion bad boys. They are really high up. It was quite a climb, but even Valerie got up there! Also, the police in London don't care that people climb up all over their monuments. I can't even get that kind of love at the SC State House. What's up with that America?!
Where there are telephone boxes, there are sure to be red double decker buses. However, we didn't manage to find any yellow submarines.
This here guy is part of the Queen's Royal Guard. We couldn't get close to the fuzzy hat guys, but we got the awesome calvary metal hat guys instead. They are obviously way funnier and FAR more handsome. And, no, they don't move. However, you can see this guy cutting his eyes. "OMG, I loathe tourists", but in proper English.
Westminster Abbey!
Speaking of my childhood affinity of Peter Pan, it's Big Ben! I was humming "You Can Fly" for hours and hours and hours.
As the sun set, we walked through the streets of London, just loving life and thanking God for the opportunity to do such things, to see amazing places and for blessing us with the lives we have. I will say that I was kind of sad not to get a 'round on the London Eye as it was closed for yearly maintenance. But, all the same, I was thankful to see it all.
Let's just talk about how this Union Jack is perfectly placed right here.
The first night we went back to the "4 Star" Hostel thoroughly exhausted, jet lagged and awe-struck. This is where I should reiterate that we went to Europe in January. You know, at night...the temperatures dropped into the 20's-30's (which I understand is unreasonably warm for this time of year). BUT, when you put two misplaced South Carolina girls in a European winter, we get kind of cold. Further, when you take away the heat in their 4 Star Hostel...you get South Carolina popsicles, ginger flavored.
Yep, you read that right. We slept in a hostel without heat. Looking back now, it's quite possibly the funniest thing ever. However at the time, poor Valerie was literally getting baby bump frost bite and I'm in the top bunk delirious and half dreaming about Antartica in the Summer.
We go down to the front desk...
"We're sorry, but the heat doesn't turn on until 11pm."
"Okay. We can handle that."
11 pm, she comes, she goes. No heat.
"Oh, it's broken. We'll get an engineer out tomorrow."
"WHAT?!"
Further investigation proved that this hostel has been without heat for much longer than the past 24 hours. But, we'll get back to that later...
Day Two
We wake up in a tundra, we get our showers, we get dressed, we take on London part II!
First things first, we head to the Tesco on the corner. I'll have you know that the Tesco was amazing to me. First, I didn't realize that there were so many types of tea. I learned about ham and cheese toasties and digestive cookies (Which, coincidently, don't do anything for digestion. It turns out that British people call cookies...digestives). We grab some pastries, various fruit and bottled water. Then, head to Starbucks to steal more free internet and drink some exceptionally expensive coffee, again (we're suckers, have lots of coins and are suffering from frost bite...give us a break).
After defrosting, we hop on a double decker and have more adventures.
We had arrived to the casa of all casa del royalty...Buckingham Palace. It seems there was some kind of "Changing of the Guard" Ceremony when we arrived. Apparently a certain British Monarch requires quite a lot of protection. We finally saw the fuzzy hat guys!
Sadly, my favorite Ginger Prince did not seem to visited dear ol' grandmum, so we politely waved at a window that may or may not have housed a Queen and distinctively Kept Calm and Carried On.
After leaving the palace we took a stroll through St. James Park, observed some wildlife and took refuge from the rain in some public restrooms.
(Here's a little known fact, restrooms in England (Europe, in general) are very private, flush differently and apparently are a staple of pride in their establishments. Also, it seems that Americans have little regard to the privacy of their bathroom guests. I learned that the gaps between the door and the floor are far too large and many people in Europe feel uncomfortable with that.)
The London Eye by day.
The London Bridge.
Thankfully, it did not fall down.
But, it was a close call.
After this excursion we found lunch at a local pub that consisted of fish, chips and mushy peas. We hopped back on the bus, rode to the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, and many other wonderful, beautiful places.
When we arrived back in Piccadilly, we cleaned up and went on the scout for dinner. However, we roamed the streets for several miles around the shopping districts, caught some street acts and reminisced on Valerie's last visit to London. It was a beautiful night, and we finally found dinner right before heading back to the Arctic Hostel...who's heat had still not been fixed.
I should end the adventure of the hostel by saying that on our last night there, we met a lovely girl from Norway. She had accomplished more than any woman her age that I've ever heard of. She'd owned several businesses and was in London interviewing for another job that required rigorous qualifications. She was completely fascinating.
Also, on the last night there, while huddling up for every scrap of warmth...the manager and "engineer" break into the all girls dormitory to provide us with "flammable-so-keep-it-away-from-everything" space heaters around 1 am. We laugh and laugh.
Day Three
We boarded the Underground again, minded the gap with carry-ons in tow. We braved a very questionable mall and found out we were thankfully in the wrong place...and met up with a long time friend of Val's. It was such a pleasure getting to know Valerie's friends. It was amazing hearing their stories, and living vicariously through them.
During this conversation I also learned some neat British vocabulary that I may indoctrinate into my own. For example: push chair = stroller, nappy = diaper, chips = crisps, etc.
LONDON'S TRAVEL SUPERLATIVES!!
Most Expensive
Seriously, we spent a bazillion dollars in 2.5 days. The $ doesn't compare well to the £. We were so thankful for our time in England, but we were also thankful to leave behind the currency exchange when it was all said and done. Lucky for us, (since all our possessions had to fit into a carry-on each) we didn't have much room to store goodies to take back to the states. SO less money to be spent there.
Best Use of the English Language
Valerie and I practiced "proper" English during the duration of our stay, all whilst merrily skipping our way through the streets of London. It's not until you're immersed in a language that is spoken properly, do you understand how it's really supposed to be spoken. Trust me on that.
Most Comparable to The United States
London and NYC are actually pretty similar (with the obvious distinction of the "proper English" thing and the different country thing). I really think it was great that on my first visit to Europe that we came to London FIRST. It wasn't nearly the culture shock to me as the subsequent countries. It helped that I could speak the language (though "improperly"). Also, much like NYC, London is rich in diverse culture, history and people.
NEXT STOP: BERLIN, GERMANY
Song of the Day:
Do I Wanna Know by The Arctic Monkeys
(I mean, c'mon, they're English AND Arctic.)
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