London is a No Show

Yesterday I woke up from my dirty London hotel. Oh, the hotel has these really nasty stains on the sheets that looked like someone has been eating in the bed. So gross!

My Hotel Cover

Anyway, I woke still not feeling to well. I force myself to get up and get out of the tiny hotel room. Oh, if I stretched my arms out I could touch both walls. I don't mind a small room if it's just me, but I do like it to be clean. Ok, so I forced myself up, but then I checked out the TV channels and I did watch an episode of "Who's Line is it Anyway?". It was the original with Clive Anderson....my favorite! After an episode I said, "That's it Matt, get off the TV and go outside". I tried to find a cafe with Internet, but free wifi is a tall order in London. The place I went to the day before where I had a really good breakfast was closed on Sundays. Anyway, I wanted to see what shows were playing since I couldn't get to The Globe or Stonehenge. I never found a good Internet spot so I just went on my way. I decided that since it was Sunday I'd head over to the Speaker's Corner so I walked through Hyde Park to get there. Sadly, no one was out there ranting. Sucks! Then I decided to take the underground to Camden where they have the Camden Lock Market.

When I arrived the place was PACKED!!! Right out of the underground they had this long row of funky shops. You walk down further and there is more. You walk over a little stream and there is even more. Most where t-shirt shops....LOTS OF T-SHIRTS!!! It was like a giant outdoor garage sale, but with new stuff. There was one area that had antiques and some used stuff, but most was newer stuff. Tons of vintage t-shirts, paintings, jewelry, watches, handbags, scarfs, etc. Most of the stuff was pretty unique from each other. I really think my sister Meg and and my friend Kate would dig the clothes they had. Both Megan and Kate have a really cool fashion sense that I like. Very hip! This place was funky, huge, had tight walkways, and was swarmed with people. So much fun! The food there looked AMAZING! There was food from all over the world and vendors are handing out samples (or in Lily's case "simples") like crazy. I walked around most of the afternoon just looking at stuff. I didn't really buy anything because most of the stuff was clothes and I don't like buying clothes for people. I never know their size and if I ask it spoils it. If I just by it I risk offending someone. If it's too small then they can't wear it or return it and they feel fat. If it's too big, then they think that I think that they are fat. It's a lose-lose situation for me! So, I give gift cards instead. Anyway, in this case all I can say is that if you wanted some funky wardrobe items then you need to head to the Camden Lock Market. It's cool!

Camden Lock Market

I was going to get some food at the Camden Lock Market because it looked so good, but the place I really wanted to go wasn't open for dinner so I had to go and grab lunch. Can you guess where? Yep, Joe & The Juice!!! Dude! I love that place! I got a Joe's Hangover with a Club. The cool thing was that they had free wifi. I checked online for some Sunday shows. They had some great stuff on Sunday (although limited) with some cheap matinee shows here and there, but sadly I couldn't find anything that wasn't sold out. Back to the good stuff: So, when I was done looking up shows....with no luck, I decided to try my luck in the theater area. First I grabbed another juice for the road...I got a Joe's Sweet Kiss. Soooo Good!!! I walked up and down the streets where all the shows were looking for an open box office for information. No luck! Many of the shows weren't even playing on Sundays. Crazy! I really wanted to Les Miserables, Wicked, Chicago, Much Ado About Nothing, or The Mousetrap. I had to give up so I decided to see the new Simon Pegg movie, but couldn't find a theater that was playing it. It looks lame, but I love the Simon Pegg and Nick Frost movies. Nothing else playing looked any good. I decided to head back to the hotel. On my way back I walked by Hamleys. I had to go in and look around! The place was pretty cool! All the staff had toys out and people were playing with them. This toy store must of had about 5-6 levels to it. So cool! The coolest toy was this large gun that the size of a bucket. It looked like a bucket with a shower cap over it. Well there is a hole on the top part of the shower cap. Somehow there is a trigger and it shoots a concentrated blast of air across the room. When it hits you it feels like someone slapped you softly on the shoulder. It was freaky! I have no idea how it works and I didn't get a great look at it, but it was pretty sweet.
After, I headed back to the hotel and dropped off my stuff. I headed back out and grabbed dinner at a small little restaurant. I was the only one inside. I was there for over an hour. Took my time drinking my coffee and thinking. I headed back to the hotel and packed my things for my flight.
Currently I'm on my flight to Munich. I've very excited to be heading back to Germany. The UK and Ireland were great, but very expensive to travel in. Northern Ireland wasn't too bad, but England is the worst. Let me put it this way. In Northern Ireland my 30-minute cab to the airport cost about 13 pounds with tip. In London, my 10-minute cab to the bus station cost 20-pounds. CRAZY! The 3-hour bus from Dublin to Belfast cost 15 pounds. The 1 hour bus from central London to the airport cost 9 pounds. Just to give you an idea. Buses are super cheap, but slow. Trains are super expensive, but fast. I got bad advise from a friend who told me that the trains were super cheap in the UK. If I'd known better than I would have taken the bus from Cambridge to Bath and from Bath to Wales. Oh well! What can you do? Mistakes were bound to happen my first time out here on my own.
I did want to talk more about Scotland (Edinburgh specifically). I really feel I have rushed my last couple of blogs. There is one topic in particular I wanted to share because I found it funny. So, my first day in Edinburgh I was just walking around looking and checking out the city. Several things happened during the day that I found odd or unique, but then brush them off. The following day while taking the walking tour I learned a few things which later brought those odd happenings/observations to light. I've organized these into what I observed on Wednesday (WED) and what I learned on Thursday's walking tour (THUR):

WED: I found a funky graveyard and had to look around.
THUR: That graveyard inspired names to some Harry Potter Characters. It's home to the most reported supernatural poltergeist case in Scotland.

WED: While walking in the graveyard I saw these two guys leaning up against a headstone and eating their sandwich. I thought "I guess the gravediggers are on their break" and laughed it off.
THUR: I learned that in Edinburgh it is very popular to have your lunch in a graveyard. Graveyards are treated as public quiet space so it's not uncommon for people to go and lay on the grass, have a picnic, or read. Also did you know that graveyards in Edinburgh are the second most common place to have sex in public? The first is restrooms, but not nearly as funny.

WED: Walking out of the graveyard I saw the Bobby statue. I didn't know what it was at the time. I saw I guy taking a picture of him and thought, "That's a funny thing to take a picture of...some ugly dog statue" I brushed it off and went on my way.
THUR: As you know (if you read earlier) Bobby is the most photographed object in Edinburgh.

WED: During the middle of the day while in I was in the New Town looking for a bite to eat I heard what sounded like a loud explosion in the distance. I looked around and no one seemed to react to it. It sounded like dynamite went off. I looked around and then went on my way. Didn't think much of it after.
THUR: Everyday at 1pm from the Edinburgh Castle they sound the one o'clock gun. At 1pm they shoot a cannon to inform the sailors that it's mid-day. Now, mid-day is at 12pm, but the Scottish are stereotyped as being cheap and here's one reason. At 1pm they only have to shoot off one cannon ball and not twelve.

WED: For dinner I stopped by a little shop for some food. Remember my attempt to try new things when I see them? Well, in the drink case there was Coke, Sprite, water, and Irn Bru. I had to try to the Irn Bru. It looked like a Sunkist and tasted like a Cream Soda.
THUR: This drink sells more cans in Scotland than Coke and Pepsi combined. There are ingredients in Irn Bru that make it illegal to sell in America.

WED: I walked by this nice little church. I didn't go in because it looked like another church.
THUR: That church (St. Giles High Kirk) is where Sean Connery was knighted. It's also one of the two places in Scotland where you will find an angel playing the bagpipes.

St. Giles High Kirk

WED: This will sound gross, but it's an odd coincidence. Early in the day I got some weird flem in my mouth and I didn't have a Kleenex and I hate spitting on the ground. It was really disgusting so I decided to spit. I never do this! I did it while I was in a back alley and no one was looking. Later on I was walking near Sir Sean Connery's church and I see some dude hock a big one right near me outside this church. I thought, "Oh please, get a Kleenex or go to the back alley to do that!"
THUR: It's illegal to spit in Edinburgh. In fact there is only one spot where it is legal. The spot is on a heart symbol (set in stone) on the ground outside that very church called, "The Heart of Midlothian". Where that guy spat was the spot. Thankfully, I'm 95% sure I didn't walk over it when I passed through. Everyone spilt there though! That heart symbol in the rival of the ruby team across town so everyone spits on the heart as a "up yours" to the team. Also! The rival team across town says it's good luck to spit on their heart so they do it too. Yuck! Later that night I did partake in the local culture as I was walking by. Plus, if you spit on the heart it is said that you are destined to return to Edinburgh.

The Heart of Midlothian

WED: I took a trip up to the top of the Scott Monument for a nice view. When looking at it from afar it looked fimilar to me. I couldn't put my finger on it.
THUR: When I went out to lunch with the tour group I got talking with this man (the one with his kids in the bar) and he said that the Scott Monument looked like Thunderbird 3. That was it!

Scott Monument OR Thunderbird 3?

So there you have it! It's funny what you do and don't notice when you are traveling in a place for the first time. Maybe one day I'll tell you story of the Stone of Destiny.