We ate dinner at a fun pub and got to catch up. Eventually we went back the dorm only to find out the said big group of people I hang out with were going out in five minutes. It was fun chatting and just relaxing and eventually three hours later we came back and crashed.
On Saturday, after rising bright and early we headed to the Westminster area for Lizzie to take many pictures, crossed over the water by Big Ben and walked all the way up on the other side doing St.Paul's in the day light, Shakespeare's globe, the London Eye, and the Golden Hinde for pictures all, some I've included here, but she took more. I'm getting familiar with this walk and the sights...we arrived at "proper fish n' chips" right around lunch, browsed in the hectic borough market (and had delightfully good English tea by the river)...and then following that very filling lunch, we walked up by tower bridge, and the tower of london, (taking pictures all the while), stopped at Old Hallows Church, funny story about that to come.
The cool thing is getting to take more pictures of yourself when other person is there, goofy touristy ones too (like phone booth). Finally we ended up down near Chinatown and Picadilly Circus and walked back to covent gardens for delicious Indian food (although not much because we were still quite full). We then (believe it or not) headed down past LSE to the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. I really wanted to show Lizzie that pub because it's so old. We sat by a (real) fireplace (with fire, yes that sounds like a stupid clarification, but now-a-days most fires are gas) and old sort of pots and stuff near it, and we were on stools by an old bar, and there was sawdust on the floor (authenticness I guess). I adore that pub, heart! Anyway we had cider and chatted for a long time, lots of fun. Finally we went back to the dorms and crashed watching some Grey's Anatomy (first season that Lizzie hasn't seen) and munched on Chinese buns we bought in Chinatown.
On Sunday we walked down past Buckingham Palace (for pictures) and headed out to Hyde Park for fresh naturalness. The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain had re-opened (it was closed last time I was there), so we went to take a look there for a little bit and then ate at a cafe by the lake and did some work...followed by dinner at the Mongolian Restaurant in Covent Gardens (again soooo good) and more Grey's with more (fresh) Chinese buns.
Lizzie left Monday morning and I headed back to real (non tourist) life. It was great fun Lizzie, good times to remember years down the road ;>)
Oh by the way, little astricks (*) mean she took the photos although some are self explanatory (because I'm actually in them), and I am going to reference her "spot on" captions from her blog at times because she just has a way with words. Righto, so here we go for basically Saturday's pictures. Sunday is coming soon I hope.
Friday evening:
Pub where we got to have burgers with chedder cheese...and cider for Lizzie!
Saturday:
Started off with the Westminster viewing....Parliament buildings, Big Ben and the Abbey
On the bridge headed across to the other side. Pictures of Big Ben, London Eye and Houses of Parliament (from various angles on a beautiful sunny day). Lizzie was so thrilled by the weather she managed not to growl at my request for photos (of her), there was no issue taking pictures of me for my own blogging obsessions.
The benches on the river walk side have sayings on them apparently. Lizzie noticed this one and I thought I'd take a picture to remind myself how true it really is.
Then we crossed back across the bridge to view St.Paul's in the daylight and take more pictures. I should say I've taken so many that just a few are here for the sake of covering our journey. The picture of the towner bridge is taken from the walking bridge that goes over the river between St.Paul's and the Tate Modern (also seen here in a picture as we head back to the side from whence we came).
On the steps of St.Paul's...
They walk into the light, joking, but seriously it was blindingly beautiful. (Tate in the background here heading away from St.Paul's).
We walked off the "walking" bridge and as you head down, you double back underneath it so this is just looking at the structure of it. Lizzie got a cool picture of the bridge pillar and St.Paul's so it looks like the cathedral is sitting on the bridge pillar. Oh digital photos...sigh..
We headed past the reconstructured globe theatre, and then I took her down a few streets away from the river to show her the site of the original globe pictured below. In the top shot, there are some places where the bricks are a different color (you gotta look closely), that's apparently where actual remnants of the theatre were excavated from.
Then we went back out towards the river and headed to eat lunch. It's the restaurant right near the Golden Hinde (which I showed her, but I've already posted pictures of it here so I didn't repeat that), and the Southwark cathedral that has the "proper fish n' chips."
They were so good!
After lunch we got good good tea and walked back out to the river's edge where we sipped it and had random conversation before heading farther up towards tower bridge.
The Tower of London as seen from the other side.
Lizzie and big fancy bridge..
Once we crossed over, we stopped and took pictures outside and around old hallows church.
Can I say how much I've wanted to do this since I got here! Thanks Lizzie (she did one too which made me feel much better).
Okay so brief picture pause (if you're still with me) to talk about our experience inside this church. We were in there just taking a glance around and suddenly this older man who works there came up to us and once he found out we weren't locals, he started quizzing us on random London/ancient factoids etc. I brainstormed with Lizzie a few days later and although I could remember them, she typed some out on her blog and I'm basically just taking them from her (Thanks again Lizzie :>)
From Lizzie:
"-to knock someone up comes from the dark ages before the advent of the alarm clock. if you worked in the factories, you would ask the night watchman to 'knock you up' in the morning: come by and knock on your window on his rounds.
-oldish britishism for stay positive, keep your chin up? ...keep your pecker up.
-british tradition dictates that if you ride in a certified taxi (black and funny-shaped), your bags will ride in the passenger compartment rather than in the roomyish trunk. reason being that taxis are still certified as hackney cabs, which would reserve the back space of their coach for a bale of hay and bucket of water for the horse.
-when the site of the globe theater was being excavated, the floor was covered with 9 inches of what archaeologists first thought was cement. what was it really? ...stinky. (with orange peels too).
-if you are a boat that requires that a drawbridge be raised on the thames so you can pass underneath, there is no charge.
-if you try to buy a fanny pack in a british shop, you will be laughed at. because in the uk, a bum back hangs at the back, and a fanny pack is aptly named for women who wear it at the front... with that in mind, you are advised not to itch your fanny in public.
...there were more, but these are all the ones that occur to me right now... standing there chatting with him was definitely a highlight :) "
Okay more pictures...
Walked back towards St.Paul's, in beautiful afternoon sun....
Then up Fleet Street(that turns into the Strand which goes by LSE), where we took pictures of the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (frequented by Charles Dickins) where we went back later in the evening for cider....
A little up from there on the left is st.bride's church. Basically I was fooling around with camera colorings here, sepia, black n' white etc.
Me and dragon who guards this side of the City (on the Strand near LSE).
Oh I heart tea, and so do others I know! Pretty, I have to go in here for gifts at some point...
And of course Royal Courts from across the road...
This is Nelson/Trafalgar Square from quite a distance in the evening light (we were up nearer to LSE here looking down the Strand). We walked up into Covent Garden so Lizzie could take pictures and ho ho! We stumbled across a street performer. I think he might be the same guy I saw years ago when I was there. Maya any recollections?
First he tried on his own, then he had some guys help him out...
Then we walked to Picadilly Circus, then Chinatown for buns, then back to covent gardens for dinner at the Maasala Zone (very good Indian food!). Finally we went back down towards LSE...
To Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese...amazing, I love this pub. Those who come to visit, beware, ye shall be taken there...
Coals!!!
You could feel the history (schneee, history geek here)!
Yes, bitch please....
Whew, that was Saturday, about 10-12 miles of walking (exhaustion) was followed by relaxing and Grey's Anatomy.
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