To England: London Town, Part Three. More Museums, Greenwich, and the Globe.

I think we are up to Saturday on my London Trip. It was a long, hot, crowded day, though it started out well.

I took less pictures in London, for which I apologize. When there are a lot of other tourists around, I tend to put my camera away more for whatever reason.

I began Saturday by going to the Victoria and Albert Museum right when it opened. That part was great. It was GIANT so I just wandered around with not too much of a plan and tried not to worry too much about what I was missing. One favorite was some early 20th century biscuit tins in interesting shapes. My favorites were a castle and a traveling trunk. I also enjoyed the few remnants of the Great Exhibition of 1851.

After that I wandered into the Natural History Museum for a tiny bit but didn't stay long as it was unairconditioned and very crowded.

I left again and wandered around Hyde Park, again hot and crowded and I was hungry and had desperate need of a free toilet. I thought about taking a wander around on a public bus, but they also looked hot and crowded. I tried to go to St. Paul's but there was some service going on and you couldn't go in.

Finally, I made my way to the British Museum. Also crowded, but not in all corners. I followed Rick Steves' walking tour again and went through at a quick clip, but I didn't have the energy or time for a leisurely visit, so that was okay. I figured I could go back if I found the time later (ha!).

The museum was absolutely packed with things stolen from other continents. "British" indeed. Ha! The Rosetta Stone was right in the entry and surrounded by people. It was a lot HUGER than I was expecting. Lots of cool mummies. Assyrian temple walls and stuff. The Elgin Marbles, which I had recently read a thing about.

I had a tough time getting home. I thought about the Tube, but you had to make a change and still had a hike to get home. I figured out how to get back on a bus, but the buses were rerouted and I didn't understand how. This is one time I really wish I'd taken a taxi. I walked, and it was way further than I was expecting.

I went out for a nice fancy meal this night, though. While in London, I mostly had been eating sandwiches and takeaway, cheap and easy meals for the solo traveler, so it was a nice change.

Sunday.

View of London's O2 from the Royal Observatory Hill

Sunday contained one of the biggest disappointments of my trip. I trucked out to Greenwich in the morning basically solely in order to see Harrison's longitude-aiding clocks. I had just read a book all about the longitude puzzle and competition and I had avoided videos and pictures of the things because I knew I could go see them myself. AFTER I got there, AFTER I paid, AFTER I went in the Cutty Sark because it was a two-for admission, AFTER I climbed the giant hill...only THEN did they tell me they'd be replaced by some stupid steampunk exhibit and "please come back in July"--IF ONLY.

This pissed me off and cast a pallor over the whole day. And the worst part is, now I still have to go BACK to out-of-the-way Greenwich someday to see the stupid things!!

I was not in the mood for the Royal Observatory after that. I looked at the people standing in line to take their pictures on the Prime Meridian and was like "Whatever, it's a FAKE LINE, and I can cross it with every step on my way back down this GODFORSAKEN HILL if I so choose." Haha.

Weird moment on the way back down the hill. This little girl was scootering near me. Some lady touched my shoulder and was like "her hat fell off." I was in a fog of frustration and tuning out the world around me with my ipod, and I'm thinking, I'm not wearing a hat...? I said, "It's not mine." She insists, "YES, I just SAW it FLY OFF her HEAD!" Me, completely baffled and super done with this day: "It's not my kid!" So weird. Hahahaha.

Anyway, before all of that I saw the Cutty Sark which was fairly interesting and took me back to my childhood lagging behind my parents at Mystic Seaport. I especially enjoyed the cabins.

In the evening, I went to the Globe for Antony and Cleopatra. I stood as one of the groundlings and enjoyed it so much! I didn't understand all of it, but I was surprised how much I did understand and it was super funny and irreverent the way Shakespeare should be. My feet hurt a bit but for only five pounds, what an amazing experience.

I thought I took a picture of The Globe walking over the Millennium Bridge but I guess not. Here's a view from a few days later on top of St. Paul's.

To England: London Town, Part Two. Harry Potter and the Tower of London

On my second day in London, I headed to The Tower of London straightaway. Using information gleaned from my trusty Rick Steves guidebook, I made it there soon after 9 (after a packed rush hour on the Tube) and went straight to the Jewels so I could see them with basically no line at all. Yippee! It was very cool, though I did feel there was not enough signage. I guess they were trying to move you through. I am so ready for the next coronation so I can geek out over having seen the things. ;)

Building containing the Crown Jewels taken from inside the White Tower.

After that I circled back for a Yeoman aka Beefeater tour. Fun and funny and packed with lots of good info which helped me get situated in the proper centuries.

I went into the White Tower which had an exhibit on armor and weaponry (my favorite--NOT). Also roughly nine hundred people. I did enjoy the Norman garderobe tucked up some steps and around a corner, which 898 of the other people in there missed out on.

I have read SO MANY books about the Tudor days. This featured prominently what with all the imprisonments and beheadings. I majorly geeked out over it.

Wandered in some of the other buildings: mint, prisoner carvings, period pieces from Edward I (?), rampart walk, giant ravens (normal sized ravens but even normal ravens are HUGE). All very interesting. I gave up and went home at some point because all the things remaining to be seen had giant lines out the doors.

Another "Holy I'm in London" moment.

Around 4pm I headed out for my Friday evening entertainment of the Harry Potter Studio Tour. Unexpectedly amazing. The sets felt really real, vibrant, and detailed. Highlights: the cupboard under the stairs, Gryffindor dormitory and common room, and the Burrow. The Great Hall made an impressive entrance. Portrait of McGonagal as a young lady. The Knight Bus, which I understand so much more having sat on the upper storey of double decker buses careening through the city/narrow country lanes.

I shelled out for the audio guide and I'm so glad I did--it made me pace myself, it explained good details, and it contained Tom Felton's soothing voice. It also meant I could take a look at the sets and then sit away from them to listen to the details.

I also bought the book which was worth toting around the rest of my trip.

I was quite sad to leave. It was a pain, too. The nearest train station runs a shuttle, and it was easy enough to hop on but then it took forever for enough buses to come at the end of the day to take us all back.

Once I got back to London, though, I hopped a bus outside of Euston and rode it a couple blocks to nearer my hostel instead of walking. I finally felt like a successful London commuter with headphones in and head down!!

INTERLUDE: My 26th year

When I turned 26 last year, I was very apprehensive. 25 had been magical. I had gotten a grown up job and my confidence and security in my self and my life had blossomed. I really knew where I was going with my life for the first time. I wrote at the time that I finally felt like 25 was an age that fit me. I was nervous to let 25 go, because how could life continute to be better? Wouldn't it stagnate at some point?

However, 26 ended up being even more amazing than I could've foreseen. I finished my first year teaching and started the second on a constantly-strengthening curve of confidence and assuredness. I'm starting to find my identity as a teacher and feel better about who I am when I teach and what my kids are learning.

I got kicked off my old hockey team and I sobbed over it like my heart was breaking, but then I found a new team which I love even more, which feels more like a team in a few months than the old one did after years. I found friends my own age and a role as a better, quicker player, with the chance to grow even further when I had felt stagnant before. I found a close-knit and supportive community without the hierarchies I've experienced on other teams. I found acceptance.

Before they kicked me off, I scored the GWG in the state tournament final in the spring.

Besides hockey, I flourished in other physical ways, too. I continued my second summer running, and did more running into the fall and cold weather. I started doing a workout program with coworkers after school. I'm more fit than I ever have been before.

Post ill-advised running in the rain

I spent five weeks this summer in the UK, largely by myself. I saw amazing things I've dreamed about for years and I built memories. Mostly, I realized strengths and abilities I didn't know I had: independence, navigation, problem solving, and sure-footedness in new situations.

On top of a mountain in the Lake District

I went to New York and finally met a dear internet friend after eight years of friendship. I was pleased and amazed by just how well our internet friendship transferred off the screen, and I am looking forward to seeing her again next summer.

We rock.

I had a good, peaceful Christmas for the first time in years and felt improved closeness to my cousins.

I feel motivated to improve things in my apartment, add touches to make it more homey. I also have been training myself to be neater. I always put my clothes away the day I wear them now, and I've done the dishes nearly every day. I continue to see my neighborhood as my community and I went to a community meeting on transportation.

I realized a health issue and took steps to correct it which have improved every instance of my ability to deal with my daily life. I finally felt like I am in a place to date again. I bought a new car.

Tommo in his element: snow.

I turned 27 last week. And instead of feeling apprehensive like I did last year, I am leaping forward into the future with both feet, eager to see what 27 will bring.

To England: London Town, Part One. I Have Arrived! Or, Big Ben, Westminster, and Museums.

I waited around Coventry for a bit later train, thinking I could miss some of rush hour...I showed up around 6 which is late for leaving, but just the right time for everyone arriving from London to be clogging the station. Whoops. Once in London, I got a bit lost trying to find my hostel, I either walked right past it or jogged a block away from the right street on the very corner it was on.

I spent a lot of my first few days in London getting stupidly lost.

On Thursday morning after a lot of fumbling, I finally made it to the Eye and Big Ben/the Houses of Parliament. I got giddy in a touristy way I don't usually, thinking "I am HERE, I am IN LONDON."

Can you blame me? Iconic.

I was listening to an audio walking tour by Rick Steves and really enjoyed his voice in my ear while I was looking around at things. It also kept me from feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by the large crowds everywhere.

I went into Westminster Abbey at a very busy time of day (I'd been trying to sneak in before the crowds, but my getting lost negated that and put me in the thick of them).

It was different than what I was expecting, based on my experiences with Spanish cathedrals. Spanish cathedrals are packed with side chapels. Westminster had a few chapels but mostly graves, tombstones, memorial plaques, monuments EVERYWHERE. I loved the graves of Mary I and Elizabeth I especially. A hidden gem was the monk's chapter house off the cloisters. I was awed by the ancient grandeur of the Coronation Chair. I especially loved the note that the Stone of Scone had been returned to Scotland, where I'd be seeing it before too long...

I ducked into the Churchill War Rooms. Very interesting but claustrophobic, especially with how crowded they were. Recommended for any interested in Churchill or WWII.

I continued on up to Trafalgar Square, which was buried underneath the beginnings of some kind of music stage.

I went to the National Gallery and wasn't too impressed. Sorry. The last time I went to Spain overwhelmed me on art and I'm still not recovered. Highlights: that weird Dutch wedding portrait (the Arnolfini Wedding Portrait), some Van Gogh Sunflowers, Monet Water Lillies and Bridges.

Later I went to the National Portrait Gallery. It was really interesting to see some of the more famous portraits, like Queens Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn, and Queen Victoria.

My legs ended the day super sore, I think from the influence of Warwick Castle the day before. My diary notes that I got lost again, too, though I don't remember how now. I must've gone out of the Tube station heading in the wrong direction. Typical for my first few days.

To England: Shakespeare's Stratford

After my misadventure of a day in Oxford/Blenheim (in preceding post), I ran into more travel snags getting to Stratford-Upon-Avon. I had to take the train through Banbury, but when I got to Banbury, there was no longer a train to Stratford. I was told to go to Leamington Spa and they would get me a taxi from there--but the next train to Leamington Spa was very delayed.

WELL. By the time I finally made it, I was more than ready for a relaxing time, which is exactly what I got in Stratford-Upon-Avon. I spent an evening and one full day there and that was plenty to see just about everything I wanted. Had a great meal and my first Pimm's the first night, in the lovely Old Thatch Tavern.

Woke up early the next day to see Shakespeare's birthplace. Lots of tourists, little emotion. I also felt like it was poorly explained: I spent most of my time in a fog of confusion trying to remember if this was his actual birthplace or reconstructed or just what was going on? Thanks for no explanations?

I did get to see my first First Folio which was exciting.

Went back that evening to get a photo without tourists clogging up the facade. The smell of Subway a few doors down still hung in the air, though...

That site was BUSY so I was kind of shocked how nicely empty the other places around town were.

I visited the church where Shakespeare is buried.

What a human.

Then I went to Hall's Croft, where Shakespeare's daughter Susana lived with her doctor husband. That was my favorite because it was the most like a proper house and actually explained things to me.

After that, I popped in to Nash's House and New Place. Nash's House belonged to Shakespeare's granddaughter and husband, and New Place is the site of the giant house Shakespeare bought after he made some money, sadly torn down by some dude who was tired of tourists (I can only half blame him). Not a ton to see there.

Later in the day I went to Anne Hathaway's Cottage (above) (Shakespeare's wife's family home), which was a nice mile-or-so walk across a neighborhood and through a park. Fun tippy stone floors and thatched roof and also a garden and woods. Large.

The only one I missed was Mary Arden's Farm (Shakespeare's mother), because it was a bit out of town. I'd do the day again and rent a bike to get there, for sure. I could've done it all except I went back for a nap in the afternoon. (I do vacations right, people)

One of my favorite things about Stratford--besides the slow, easy pace and the quiet evenings after the tourists went home--was the mix of centuries. 21st century storefronts set into 15th century half-timbered uppers. I thought about the way that this isn't Williamsburg, preserved for all time and static, but a place people have actually been living and using and leaving their mark for hundreds of years. The mix of centuries makes it feel lived in and, perhaps ironically, makes it easier for me ti imagine life in the past, when people were living vibrantly and feeling modern for their age, maybe feeling like the timbering was new-fangled and therefore ugly.

I also LOVED my B&B. I love staying in single rooms because they are just the perfect size for one little traveler like me with one little bag like mine. So cozy. The owner was a fast-talking Frenchman and he made everyone feel right at home and did his best to get us all interacting, which is much appreciated by a solo traveler. I lingered over breakfast on my full day there, talking to a lovely family of Swedes about IKEA and Swedish food and Minnesota and I don't even know what all else.

Preceding entry explains about my day between Stratford and London. In leaving Stratford, I felt daunted by the prospect of entering London but I soon found a good home there.

To England: Side Trips, Part One

I had a few days built into my schedule as sightseeing days en route to my next destination. This got a bit complicated as I was always weighed down with my backpack--no matter how light I tried to pack, there is something unpleasant about running around loaded down, so finding a place to leave it is a must. Still, more challenging is time management, especially when trying to string a few sites together at the whim of bus amd train schedules.

Trip one, between Bath and Stratford-Upon-Avon: Oxford and Blenheim Palace

Easily the most disappointing/frustrating day of my trip. I made it to Oxford a bit behind schedule thanks to the trains. Was able to leave my luggage at a hostel by the train station for a few pounds. The next bus to Blenheim wasn't for awhile so I decided to see a bit of Oxford first--mistake. I should've waited for the Blenheim bus and done Oxford after.

I bought a walking tour map of Oxford but was barely able to complete the one small loop, while moving at breakneck speed, before the later Blenheim bus I'd picked out.

Proof I was actually in Oxford. 

Blenheim was a disappointment. It just didn't seem that great to me. Palaces/manor houses aren't really my speed (to make a sweeping statement, history and architecture generally bore me between like 1650-1939) and I thought this one would be SO great I'd enjoy it but I just didn't. An EXPENSIVE bust.

Also, annoyingly difficult to take a half-decent photo of. 

Bustled back to Oxford and ended up sitting in the train station for about an hour before my train, too tired/short on time to see anything else.

Not a good day. Learned a ton of lessons though. Next time, I'd spend more time in Oxford and skip Blenheim completely. I'd still like to go back to Oxford.

Trip Two, between Stratford-Upon-Avon and London: Warwick, Kenilworth, and Coventry

This day was better. I was a bit nervous about touting my backpack around all day but it wasn't too horrible.

I started out on a bus to Warwick Castle, where I was able to store my bag in a locker.

 I was expecting Warwick Castle to be Disneyland'ish, and it was.

But it managed to not be completely void of character and it had some great ramparts walks.

After that, I took a bus to Kenilworth, then walked around the town with my backpack a ton, trying to get to the castle.

Was it worth the giant uphill climb under backpack duress?

Yes. (Especially after I left my backpack behind the counter at the visitor's center...) I could've stayed there all day taking photos.

Besides the beauty of the place, it was once home to Robert Dudley, lover of Queen Elizabeth.

Which is the type of history right up my alley.

Finally, I took the train to Coventry and just managed a quick poke around the bombed out cathedral (WWII damage) before it closed.

After dinner, I took an evening train into London for my adventures there!

To England: Henges, Thatch, and Cats

I took a bus tour one day, in order to visit Stonehenge, Avebury, and the villages Lacock and Castle Combe. 

Yes, yes: a bus tour. But it's not what you're thinking! It felt a lot like traveling with my Uncle Wayne: skinny back roads (even in a midsized van), silly commentary, and off-the-tourist-path sights. 

Stonehenge was first. I think it has improved in recent years, having heard horror stories of what it used to be like. However, it was SO crowded. 

Miraculous photo in which you can almost not see people...almost. 

A bit underwhelming, though not exactly disappointing: much smaller and gray-er than I was expecting. Still interesting though. 

Honestly, even to me, my pictures of it are more interesting than my memories of it...

Then we went to Avebury and unfortunately hardly had any time at all. Avebury was MORE impressive than I was expecting--not as much for the circumference of the circle (though impressive) as for the SIZE of the rocks which I'd pictured as much smaller. 

I would've spent all afternoon standing about in the field with the rocks.

And the sheep.

Then, on to Lacock village for lunch. Lacock was full of thatched roofs and half timbers. 

Disclaimer: yes, I know this is not thatch. Trust me when I say we saw a TON. 

And one lazy cat. 

Castle Combe which was a street, where all the highly rich hang out. I did not really manage a picture of the town, I guess. 

Just the church, and one hunting cat. 

All in all, a fabulous day. I walked away from the bus back in Bath with a huge grin on my face!