So, part two of the whirlwind tour of the British Isles with Elisia and Sarah started in Britain's capital, London, England. We arrived (again, like celebrities) at a reasonably early hour, and made our way into the heart of the city.
First, I should mention that we were all quite tired and hungry, and meanwhile each of us had to carry a bag or backpack since its kind of expensive to leave more than one or two bags at the station, and therefore we were more than slightly grumpy. It doesn't help that in London, people are mean, with a combination of tourists (which yes, we were part of but I like to think less obnoxiously so) and native Londoners who were quick-paced and didn't mind blatantly running into passer-bys and then scurrying off without so much as a "sorry." It might not have been so bad except that we'd just left such a friendly country and there was a noticeable contrast.Thank goodness for granola bars, though; they made the whole "grumpy" thing slightly less intense. As did candy (mostly chocolate), which we'd compiled a pretty delightful stash of along the way.
The city itself, though, is really quite nice. It's actually really big, and I'm sure you're just like "well, yeah, duh, it's London." The thing with the UK, though, is that even their major cities are relatively small and easily navigable. Not so in London, though I was quite pleased to find the plethora of city maps placed along the sidewalks for directionally challenged individuals like ourselves.
We first found Buckingham Palace, which was actually not terribly difficult- the bus station was on Buckingham Palace Road, so once we figured out which direction to head, it was pretty straight forward.
Wait, before I continue, I just want to note something. It occurs to me that this was the first place we'd been that was actually what I consider a "tourist destination." That is not at all to say that anything we'd seen in Ireland wasn't touristy (in fact Dublin city oftentimes seemed to cater more to the tourists than the natives). It's just that in movies with cheesy travel montages or photo albums, you don't see the Giant's Causeway or the Cliffs or anything in the background- you see Big Ben, the red phone boxes, the London Eye, the guards with funny hats, etc, nestled in with Paris and Rome and such. London is one of those cities, the famous ones. I'm not sure why that makes such a difference, but it seemed to; that was the kind of feeling I got when we took the stereotypical tourist shots. Also, this is in no way a bad thing; it was just different, in an exciting kind of way- a metropolitan kind of way, I suppose. It was so interesting and strange standing there taking pictures that I knew millions of other people have gotten over the years.
So, Buckingham Palace. The first thing I spotted in the distance, actually, was the loads of tulips out front. I didn't realize they were tulips at first, though, just saw blocks of color and wondered if there was some kind of rally taking place. But no, there is a delightful and ostentatious display of red and yellow tulips near the palace, close to a statue in the middle of the roundabout out front. Oh, bonus points, actually- the Queen was home, according to the upraised flag (that does mean she's home, right? I know there's a flag thing, and I'm pretty sure it's when it's up she's home...).The palace itself is... not actually as imposing as expected. I'm sure inside it's lovely, buy it looked like a normal government building from the front,actually, with the Greek-style pillars and white/grey stones. They do have some genuinely fabulous statues outside, and some extravagant, gilded gates, though. I was all about the gates. When I live in a castle, I'm planning on getting gates like that for out front. Maybe some of the funny-hat soldiers too, but instead of them being stock still, if someone really gets on their nerves, give them permission to all of a sudden make a face and shout really loudly in the person's face to freak them out before going back to immovability.
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| I'll take one of those, please. |
We took pictures there and just inside some similarly fabulous gates to the park. I mentioned we were cracked, right? So, the girls had been doing video diaries, and Elisia stopped to do one here. For some reason, Sarah made a face at the camera, adding a quip about it being an "Amber impression." I, spurred on by my big sister, did a Sarah impression, holding my camera up to take a selfie. When it came to Elisia, she was like, "I'll do an Elisia impression since there's no one else." Not wanting her to feel left out of the fun, I cut in, "No! No, do an impression of... that guy!" I pointed at some random guy in a black and red plaid shirt who was walking with a girl. He was kind of swaggering, and then in a flourish sat down in the grass. We turned to Elisia expectantly. She needed a little encouragement, but eventually completed the impression amidst a fit of giggles from all three of us. If I'm not mistaken, she still has a video of doing an impression of the random British guy.
After the palace, we took a stroll through St. James' Park, where we could see the top of the London Eye towards which we were heading, and also got to observe some funny birds living in the pond there. There was even one who, despite its small size, thought it a good idea to mess with a swan. Little bird has guts.
And then- Big Ben! So many touristy pictures. So. Many. Including several in some of the red phone boxes along the sidewalks.
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| So much fabulous. |
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| Can I have yo number? |
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| Bow ties are, in fact, cool. (Yes, yes we did all wear Doctor Who shirts.) |
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Ta DAAAAAAA!!!! (It was actually REALLY cool. I think I'll have one of those at my castle too.)
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| Um, does anyone know what time it is? |
At this point, we were actually really hungry. Thank heaven for Tesco's. We found a little Tesco express nearby Big Ben, and we grabbed some food. I got these weird little snack things- I'd never had them before, but I was intrigued and they were only 25p, so I though, "why not?" I'm still not sure what flavor they were, but they were strange. They came in ring shapes and pieces that you could wedge the rings onto to make some sort of little car. Instead of that, though, we staged a proposal between myself and Sarah beneath Big Ben. She took too long to answer at first, at which I ate the ring before getting a new one. It was really funny, okay? Or it was then, anyway. A lot was really funny then... we got soooo many strange looks from passer-bys.
After Big Ben and lunch, we headed not too far away to see the London Eye.We also made a cheesy video here. The title of this post might give you an idea to its content. We must have stood there laughing at our own antics for a good ten minutes. : )
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| The Great- I mean, the London Eye! |
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| The London Eye and My Eye. I... I thought I was really clever, okay? And I'm sure I also had some really clever caption to go with it, too, that I have now regrettably forgotten. |
Now, one lovely thing about London is that most of the major tourist attractions are in generally the same area along the Thames, or within a 20 minute walking distance thereof. Westminster Abbey and Parliment buildings are right next to each other, which is right next to Big Ben and the Eye. The Palace isn't too far off, and I found out later that Trafalgar Square isn't that much of a stretch either. Unfortunately, for those few sights that are not in that area, well... I hope if you go you wear good walking shoes or get an Underground pass.
After seeing those bits, the only thing we had left planned for the day was Tower Bridge.We couldn't see which way down the river we needed to go, which should have sent warning bells off in the first place. Nevertheless, though, we asked someone in a nearby shop which way to go and about how far. He told us that it was a half hour walk at most, and quite a nice one at that. He wasn't lying about it being nice, of course- there's all sorts of monuments along the Thames,which is really fascinating, and includes an Egyptian Obelisk. He was mistaken, however, on the distance. After walking at least 25 minutes we couldn't even see the bridge. What we did see, however, was a sign for walkers that read "Tower Bridge 25 minutes." -_-
Being about halfway there, though, we figured we couldn't just turn back. After a few minutes, too, we did finally manage to spot it off in the distance. Our feet were heavily unappreciative of the walk, but I must say I'm actually glad we walked it. We found some really delicious sweet-coated peanuts to snack on, as well as a glass elevator with some foreign guys who showed their appreciation for it by switching from their native language to English and uttering "Woah, panoramic view!"
We also found the reconstructed Globe Theater!! I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned on here how much I love Shakespeare, but, well, I love Shakespeare. Quite a lot, actually. So this was kind of a big deal, and not just for me but for my companions as well. Sarah saw it first, and was trying to point it out to me, saying "Amber! Isn't that the Globe?" I did not see it at first, rather noticing a large building that was actually shaped like a sphere. "No, Sarah," I said, mildly chagrined, "The Globe isn't actually shaped like a globe!" She looked at me like I was an idiot, then basically told me just because she didn't study Shakespeare didn't mean she was stupid, obviously she knew that, and pointed out the actual Globe to me. I felt more than slightly dumb, but was nevertheless pretty stoked. We crossed the nearest bridge and went to take a closer look. Due to our limited time, we didn't have the time to see a show. Though, having gone back a week or so later and watching what was showing, I can say with confidence that neither of the ladies I was with at the time would have appreciated it.
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| TheGlobeTheGlobeTheGlobe!! (I was stroking my chin in lieu of a beard.) |
Finally, then, we made it to Tower Bridge. We were outrageously proud of our accomplishment. :)
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| THE BRIDGE AT LONG LAST |
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| "Oh, hey guys, look a castle!" (All of our reactions upon seeing the Tower of London) |
After this, we were more than ready to head back to the bus station. Our feet ached but we did it! Oh, on the way back there was an incident with an older gentleman with a guitar... yeah, I still don't entirely know what was going on in that conversation. Nevertheless, we trekked back, passing Westminster Abbey on the way (woot woot!) and identifying all of the possible Doctor Who references we could as we walked.
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| Westminster :) |
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| She didn't though. She was always bad at the "don't wander off" rule. |
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| These are the kinds of manikins that it wouldn't surprise me if they came to life and started killing people. |
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| This one wasn't even us. Do not even try to tell me that that's not modeled after the Doctor. |
So yes, London. Once we were in the general vicinity of our station, we stopped for a bite to eat. And what better to eat when in London than fish n' chips!! It was quite good, actually, despite my general dislike for seafood. The fact that it was batter dipped and deep fried might have had something to do with it.
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| Yum. |
Soon enough, though, after a little waiting and slight confusion, we were on our bus to Edinburgh. It was 9 1/2 hours long, and I'm pretty sure it was the best, most solid amount of sleep I had the whole week. Though there was a guy next to me I didn't know, and I am just hoping that I didn't attempt to use him or his bags at any point as a pillow, because I was in one of the awkward middle back seats with nowhere to lean my head. After he left, though, about halfway through the trip, me and another girl took the liberty of sprawling out, which made the previous awkward-no-leaning-spots super worth it.
We made it to Edinburgh early the next morning, and used the bus station's bath room to brush our teeth and our hair, change clothes, and wash our faces. I've used bus station bathrooms for way more grooming in the last month than I'd really have preferred, but it certainly did the job.
The day in Edinburgh was really, really wonderful. First of all, we met up with a friend from home named Emily who is studying for the semester in Scotland. Second of all, the weather was just really lovely, too, and we were there early enough that the hoards of tourists hadn't arrived yet, so the streets were quiet and empty. Third of all, just... Edinburgh. Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. It's most certainly one of my top two favorite cities (it's in a very tight competition with Bath). There's so many old, gorgeous buildings and it's laid out so beautifully, and it has Arthur's Seat as a dramatic background and friendly Scottish people as its inhabitants. I've been told it's a "writer's city," and having visited, I can see why. I more than slightly wish I could have an apartment there just to go and write.
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| The Royal Mile in the morning (our lovely friend and tour guide leading the way) |
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| Scotland. :) |
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| Arthur's Seat |
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| Fooling around till the Writer's Museum opened. |
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| Three Grecian Urns |
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| Lovelies before the Walter Scott monument. |
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| I may have taken a creeper picture of a cute Scottish guy in a kilt... |
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| mmmmm. |
There's a lot more about the city that is wildly fascinating and lots to go see and do (much of which I did on my second visit), but since we were so tired and had sore feet from London, we just sort of wandered. We found the National Gallery of Scotland, which had some really lovely art, including my favorite painter (Van Gogh!!!) and a number of portraits that we assigned as characters from Pride and Prejudice (we found Jane, Darcy, Bingly, Lady Catherine/her daughter, a random soldier... there might have been more?). We also visited the Writer's Museum, which was lovely and had a gift shop that, had I the funds, I probably would have just bought out. We stopped by the castle and meandered through a graveyard, and went inside two really lovely cathedrals.
There was a lot of strolling and sitting and soaking in the city. It was just such a nice day, and I loved seeing Em and talking about studying in Ireland and Scotland. While London had been fast paced and full to bursting, Edinburgh was easy and let us breathe. I mentioned I left part of my heart in Galway? Well, there's a chunk of it over in Edinburgh, too. <3
Sadly, we had to move on by 8:00 that night to make our complicated little way over to our ferry port. Before we left, though, we sat in the bus station, Em playing Sarah's ukulele and the four of us singing melodies and harmonies while various station attendants and travelers watched and listened. It was a very, very nice way to end the evening.
Then we were off. A bus to Glasgow, a train from Glasgow to Stranraer, and a taxi from there to the docks. The train ride was pretty fun, though. There was maybe four other people in the train that we embarked on, and one of them was an inebriated Scottish man who looked and sounded just like Scotty from the new Star Trek movies. It was hilarious. He kept asking Sarah to play her uke, Beatles songs specifically, of which she knew one song. She played that song, or what she could, but he only ever started singing- badly and off key- when she stopped strumming. Eventually he decided to go take a smoke, though I'm fairly certain that you're not supposed to on a train. I just sat back and did my best not to laugh.
When we made it to the train station, we found a dilemma. There was no one there, and the office was closed. Oh, and we were smack dab in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully one of the train attendants took pity on us and asked us if we needed a cab.
The cab driver was really nice and very talkative. We asked him on the way if he had any good stories, and while I'm sure Sarah meant personal stories, he told us a tale of the last European cannibals that lived in that general area in Scotland.
Story time with Amber (as learned from a northern Scottish cabbie): So apparently in the 1800s in the area where Stranraer, Scotland now stands, people who ventured out into that area started going missing. Just, you know, vanishing. The government was like, "well, that's strange," and so sent out some soldiers who found nada. *shrug* So they left it go for a bit. Then a little later, some sort of official (I think- someone important, anyway) went missing in the area. The government was like, "Well, dang it! Better look again and be more thorough!" which they did. The troops they sent out on round two ventured closer to the water and found some caves. In these caves lived a family of incestuous cannibals. There were people hanging on hooks and everything. Needless to say, they were captured and executed. The end
So yeah, Scotland apparently had cannibals as late as the 1800s. Fun times. Anyway, after we learned that charming tale, the driver dropped us off at the Ferry port. You know those doors where there's one set, a little area in between, then another set? Well set #1 opened just fine, and then set #2 was locked and the port appeared to be generally deserted. Meanwhile, we arrived a little past 1:30 and we didn't actually even have to be there until like, 4. Commence our most hobo moment of the trip. We kind of just dropped our stuff and sat on the floor between the sets of doors, hoping that someone would come and let us in.
We sat there for almost two hours before some security guards came and found us. They were super nice, too, though made a quip about how they like Americans because we're always amusing, or something along those lines, after we explained our situation. We then got an awkward pat-down and a minute of panic when our confirmation number didn't immediately check out, but finally we were where we were supposed to be.
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| WE MADE IT! Tired beyond description, but at least we weren't eaten by cannibals. |
I would just like to say that I really hate sleeping on ferries. I've done it twice now, and it's no fun at all. It's chilly and they're really made for day-travel, with arcades and cafes and the like, so not really equipped for comfortable sleeping arrangements. I was uber grumpy the next morning because I was hungry, shivering, and my arm killed from how I'd been sleeping on it. But then we got to Belfast, a city which I am, thankfully, familiar with. We stopped for coffee and pastries for breakfast and dropped the girls' stuff off at their hostel, then waited in the Botanic Gardens outside Queen's University for a while before the Ulster Museum opened up. It was a lovely moment to just breathe, and it was thankfully sunny and not too cold out. The gardens are really pretty, too, and smelled wonderful.
Once 10:00 hit, we made our way to the Ulster Museum so I could show the girls the stupendous history section. Unfortunately a good bit of it was blocked off, which was uber lame, but the part I really wanted to show them- the mummy- was still open to the public. Elisia was so happy she was close to tears. It's strange that a several thousand year old corpse can do that to a person, but it was true- and I totally got it. Sarah on the other hand didn't like it at all, which is also understandable (it is a dead person, after all) and went to look at some cool Celtic artifacts in the next room.
Next was my favorite part of Belfast- St. George's Market. Mmmm. I will never get tired of that place. Yes. It was great. :) Then a tourist shop and a pub. Sarah wanted to try a strawberry daiquiri while still age-appropriate; unfortunately the pub we dropped into did not serve them, and so I introduced them to Kopparberg's cider. Even Elisia liked that, which is really saying something.
Unfortunately- and fortunately- after that I had to head to the train station. The girls waited there with me and we did one final video blog together before I headed back to Coleraine for a little over 24 hours recuperation before heading back out.
It was a really, really good week. I loved sharing my heart's home and all it has to offer with two of my favorite people and experiencing new places and sights with them as well. It was... exhausting. And exciting, and exhilarating, and there were times where we basically lost our marbles. I would never, ever, ever recommend trying a city-a-day for a week trip again. Ever. It is a bad, bad idea. Now that it's over, though, I'm so glad we did it. : ) My further travels were stupendous, too, but it was very special getting to do some of it with people I love so much who crossed an ocean to come see me.
So, that was my first week of travel. It was absolute craziness, and after it was over, I wasn't sure how I'd survive two more weeks. I did, though, and I'll tell you about those ones ASAP. For now, hope you enjoyed reading about week one my UK adventures. : )
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