I spent this past weekend being blown away from how incredible the city of London, England was. I did not know how big the city was and how much it had to offer. Also it was really nice that they spoke English so asking directions was easy and everyone was so eager to help. I really enjoy their accents and their word choices. I always find myself trying to imitate it but I probably sound so silly to them. The only bummer was the weather, most of the time it was rainy and windy but it was just something you had to deal with. One bonus to that was the grass was so green and beautiful. Also they have fall in London! There were beautiful colored leaves on the ground and the air smelled so wonderful, it reminded me of home. The climate in Barcelona doesn't really allow for the fall season.
Saturday we ran all around the city trying to see as many things as possible. It was an awesome but exhausting day. We started off with a tour of the Arsenal stadium, Arsenal is a soccer team of london and they are one of the top premier teams. It was so cool we got to go into the locker rooms and the presidential suits. This stadium is only ten years old and of the last 10 years they have won best field in 9 of them. It is real grass! Also a fun fact we learned was that there is an ice bath in the teams locker room but the team has only ever used it to keep their champagne cold!
The next stop was a guided audio tour of Westminster Abbey. The church was absolutely beautiful but pictures werent allowed in many parts. It is the nations coronation church and it was MASSIVE. To me it seemed like everyone important and their mother was buried there. Just to name a few, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, and many Queens and Kings.
Then we went to the jewel tower which was built in 1365 to house the King's personal treasures. It is also one of the only two complete buildings remaining from the medieval Palace Of Westminster
After the Jewel tour we had an audio guide of the Churchill War Rooms, yes Winston Churchill. We got to walk all around the hallways he walked during Britain's war effort. This was a room where they would make many serious decisions about their next move in the war. Winston Churchill sat in the wooden chair of course smoking his cigars. Back then this window would not have been here because everything was so secretive. Also in this secret underground bunker there were many rooms for those who worked here to stay safe from the bombings.
Of course I took a picture in one of the famous red telephone booths! If you go to London and you don't, did you really even go?
Then we hit up the famous London Bridge, I couldn't get the nursery song out of my head the whole time we were on it!
Our next stop was at the tower of London, unfortunately we were hard pressed for time but I probably could have spent a whole day there. It was like a medieval city in its own with a massive White Tower, the ability to see the King's medieval bedchamber and also the Crown Jewels which are in the building in the picture. Again unfortunately you are not allowed to take pictures which killed me because they were all so beautiful and sparkly and PURPLE! I knew I liked purple for a good reason, its the color of royalty!
Lastly, we made it just in time for the last tour of Shakespeare's Globe. The one shown here is a reconstruction of the 1599 open air playhouse. The original one was burnt down when they used a cannon during one of the plays, probably wasn't the smartest idea. The atmosphere was so cool and the fact that the theater was made out of wood and in a circle so that the actors would never need assistance from a microphone was such a great forethought. We also learned that they fit 700 people in the pit to stand during the performances and that it is not uncommon for people to faint because of the long play, the weather or just being too close to other people. The record for this theater is 40 people during one show! No thanks Ill pay extra for a seat! Not to mention there is no roof and only the seats are covered, the show always goes on no matter what the weather so if its raining you're going to leave the play looking like you just jumped in a lake. Not my idea of a night out at the theater.
It was such a great weekend and I left so many things unseen. I must go back in the near future. The only bummer is that everything was so expensive, so maybe Ill start a piggy bank up for the next time I hop over the pond and meet up with my mates in the ever so lovely England. Cheers!
It was such a great weekend and I left so many things unseen. I must go back in the near future. The only bummer is that everything was so expensive, so maybe Ill start a piggy bank up for the next time I hop over the pond and meet up with my mates in the ever so lovely England. Cheers!