Walking London

So much to see!

11/02/2011

Today has been a whirl-wind experience. I ended up getting a late start because I wasn't feeling too well. My plan was to meet Lindsay and her boyfriend Scott in the afternoon to I decided to head to Hyde Park. I started off near Speaker's Corner where on Sundays please can go, stand on a soapbox, and blurt whatever they want. I grabbed a cup of coffee and took a leisurely stroll toward The Fountains. I soaked in the view and watched dogs running free as they chanced the birds and squirrels. I walked all the way to Kensington Palace and circled around back toward Speaker's Corner. I met Lindsay and Scott at Bond Street Station and from there we grabbed a bite to eat for lunch. We made our way through Piccadilly Circus toward Trafalgar Square. We headed inside the National Gallery where Lindsay showed me her favorite painting and Scott was like a kid in a candy store. I really admired the Van Goghs that were on loan: Sunflowers and Van Gogh's Chair among others. Our museum time was brief. I've never been a big museum person, particularly paintings. I just don't have that knowledge of art to really appreciate it. I do enjoy looking (briefly) and admiring the paintwork, but to really dig in and analyze a painting is not my thing. Also, many of the paintings have a religious flair to them and that in uninteresting to me. There were several I really enjoyed and I sure enjoyed the paintings in the than any sort of modern art place. We kept walking and eventually saw Buckingham Palace, Parliament & Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. We saw the London Eye from afar which looks pretty odd amongst all the old buildings. However, I'm sure on a clear day it would provide a beautiful view. This brings up and interesting point. London has mastered the mix of the preservation of history and really keeping up with modern trends and styles. It's fun to look at the old buildings and on the ground floor are all these upscale stores....some even with stone arch entrances. London I noticed is very multi-cultured which I like....and I'm talking about the non-touristy areas too. Anyway, I was starting to get pretty tired and Lindsay was craving coffee so we popped into a Starbucks. We walked over to pick-up Scott's suit and then it was on a hunt for a pub. Along the way we saw the Freeman's Hall. I pushed on the door, but it didn't budge. Sadly, we couldn't find an empty pub one so we decided to part ways. I would see them the following day anyway.

I made my way back to the hostel and tried to get some sleep. I laid in bed tired, but unable to sleep. I decided, since it was a Friday night as well as my last night in London, that it would be better spent on the town. So I got up and found a pub. I had a couple of Stellas which were nice and cold. I had fun talking with the bartender. She was from Poland and was studying Tourism so we much to talk about. After, I headed to a small store and got some fried something-or-other for dinner. On my walk back to the hostel I ran into a young woman who seemed lost. I asked, "As you okay, you seem lost?" She came over and said that her friend was lost and she was trying to find her. We began small talk and I found out that she was French and studied in Strasbourg. She said, "Yeah, Strasbourg is a really nice college town.....A LOT of young people" to which I replied, "That was my impression". Her friend finally walked up and it turns out that they were staying in the same hostel. I walked in the hostel full of beer, fried food, good conservation, and tired legs. Needless to say, I fell asleep right away.

It was a nice day! Here are some photos:
Hyde Park