Sightseeing Walk

Hi-dee-ho, neighborinos across the pond!

Today we are going to talk about famous sites in London--the places you see on postcards.

Trafalgar Square monuments

When you go to London, there are certain sites that everyone and their dog wants you to visit. Even though they're mostly tourist traps, I still felt like I should at least see them for the sake of seeing them. So, during our second week here--that would be in late January--we went on a 7.7 mile walk and knocked out all the main sites in one spectacular, if slightly crazy, day.

During our walk, we passed numerous little fruit stands both on the street and outside shops. I saw one that had all the different fruits set up in plastic bowls for only £1 each! Fantastic deal--and I completely recommend buying from the vendors over buying in the supermarket if you can. Even better is that the fruit here is absolutely wonderful compared to fruit in the States. I actually just had some cherries and they were perfect: dark red, juicy, and sweeter than summer.

[from thaifood.about.com]

[Side note: there is a fruit called a lychee that seems to be at all the fruit stands. It's pinkish and spiky, and I have no idea how to eat it, but I'd like to try it.]

Trafalgar Square lions

Our first destination was Trafalgar Square. It's in a bustling area across the street from the Charing Cross Tube station. The National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery are on the north side of the square. In the middle, there are is a thriving population of mangled-footed pigeons, some fountains, and a tall, typically phallic monument surrounded by four enormous lions, which we climbed for pictures, naturally. From Trafalgar Square, you can see three Pret A Manger [preht ah mahn-zjay] fast food shops (it means "ready to eat" in French). Pret has freshly made, pre-packed sandwiches, salads, and healthy sides, like muesli and cubes of mango with a slice of lime. Their food is tasty and has "no added nasties" as they are fond of saying over here, and at the end of each day they donate all their unsold food to feed the homeless. I can't help but think that this business model would make a great replacement for the revolting fast food corporations in the States. Anyway, on with our walk!

Artsy shot of Parliament building

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

After Trafalgar Square, we continued south to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, passing by Westminster Abbey along the way. The buildings were done in intricate stonework and made for some beautiful pictures.

The Eye

Waffle with chocolate syrup

We stopped at a bench on the River Thames and looked out towards the London Eye, which is a giant ferris wheel that allows you to see over 45 miles away on a clear day. We walked across Waterloo Bridge to check it out, but it was a bit pricey at around £19 (about $30) per person, so we didn't go for a ride. By that time all the walking had made us hungry, so we stopped by the Eye for snacks. I got a waffle with chocolate sauce which was goodish, and all my friends got gelato.

River Thames

St. James Park

We decided to head towards Hyde Park, which I know from one of my favorite board games, 221b Baker Street, which is a super-awesome Sherlock Holmes version of Clue. We passed through St. James Park along the way, walking along the Princess Diana Memorial Walk. The park was nature-y and full of swans and angry geese, along with a large human presence, mostly mums pushing prams and couples. I have to say that I like the cultivated beauty of Regent's Park more though.
Then we walked down past Buckingham Palace, but it wasn't the right time for the guard change. That only happens on certain days at certain times, so you should really look it up before you go.

Our last stop of the day was Harrod's, the world's most famous luxury department store. We were completely overwhelmed by all the floors, and there were different rooms for almost every item you could imagine: a room full of only perfumes and cosmetics, a room of lingerie, rooms of men's clothes and hats, tons of rooms of women's clothes, several rooms of furniture, an art room, a chocolate room, a meat room, a cheese and deli room, a candy room..and all of it was connected by an Egyptian themed column of escalators with Harrod's sphinx heads. It was absolute debauchery at its finest. Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed, but I'm sure your imagination will work just fine.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted, well exercised, and happy to have knocked out all the tourist sites in one day so I could move on to the more interesting parts of the city.