I have officially decided that if and when the USA and/or Canada would like to start a figurehead monarchy, I would be willing to sacrifice my average life in order to serve as the first queen. Such a sacrifice, I know, but somebody has to do it. I also have plans to fund it, but I have enough other stuff to talk about that I won't bore you with the details now.
Day 2 was much less eventful than Day 1. After yet another breakfast at the hotel, we attempted to hurry to another walking tour that would take us through the West End of London, but thanks to sleeping through the alarm and Benny's poor sense of direction, we were 10 minutes late and missed the tour. We walked around town briefly before returning to the hotel to, you guessed it, sleep some more. I am still not feeling well, so for me it was a much needed nap. When I woke up from my nap, I cleaned up and we went down to afternoon tea in the hotel lounge. It was a real English afternoon tea time during which the hotel staff taught us about the proper rituals and etiquette. In addition to the tea, we also had fresh scones which were by far the best scones I have ever had. They also served jam and clotted cream to spread on the scones.
Day 2 was much less eventful than Day 1. After yet another breakfast at the hotel, we attempted to hurry to another walking tour that would take us through the West End of London, but thanks to sleeping through the alarm and Benny's poor sense of direction, we were 10 minutes late and missed the tour. We walked around town briefly before returning to the hotel to, you guessed it, sleep some more. I am still not feeling well, so for me it was a much needed nap. When I woke up from my nap, I cleaned up and we went down to afternoon tea in the hotel lounge. It was a real English afternoon tea time during which the hotel staff taught us about the proper rituals and etiquette. In addition to the tea, we also had fresh scones which were by far the best scones I have ever had. They also served jam and clotted cream to spread on the scones.
Following tea time, we headed over to Hyde Park and Kensington Garden. The two together ended up being a lot larger than we expected, so we just saw the major sites: the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, the Serpentine Pond, and the Rose Garden. We enjoyed delicious frozen yogurt in the park. Benny had blueberry and I had honey and hazelnut. After the park, we had dinner in a pub that was recommended by one of Benny's coworkers called The Swan. It has been in existance since the 1600's. We had the traditional London fare, fish and chips as well as London brewed beer. The beer was warmer than we are used to, but that seems to be the way they serve all drinks here. We were even asked at breakfast if we wanted our milk chilled or room temperature.
After dinner, we headed back to our room to watch the Spain vs. Germany World Cup game, which Spain won. Following the game, we headed out to get some beers at local pubs. Little did we know that the English are such big soccer fans, that they will even make a ruckus over a Spain victory. There was a full blown riot in the square near Piccadilly Circus. This also so happened to be when we learned that London has no open container laws. We also learned when we arrived at the first pub at 10:30PM that London pubs close at 11PM, so we had to make do with just one beer instead of a couple.
This morning, we woke up with the alarm, had breakfast at the hotel, and again headed out for another day in town, this time, the east side. It took us about one hour and 30 minutes to get there, but we were really glad that we made the Tower of London our first destination as it only got busier the longer we were there. It was by far the best part of our trip so far. We had a beafeater who actually lives in the tower give us an hour long tour. He told us many stories about the kings and queens that lived there. He also told us about how punishment for traitors was carried out there (punishment being beheading or hung, drawn and quartered). After our tour, we perused the grounds on our own. We also saw the crown jewels which gave me the grand idea about becoming queen. The gift shop even sold jewels for about $80,000. We finished our visit to the tower by seeing the old kings' and knights' armor. After leaving the Tower of London, we crossed the Thames by way of the Tower Bridge. Turns out, it is often thought to be London Bridge, when in reality, London Bridge is a much less impressive bridge about 500 yards down the river. We walked along the river, past the model of Shakespeare's Globe and on to St. Paul's Cathedral for evensong. Everything about it was incredible. Hearing the voices of the all male choir echo throughout the cathedral was amazing. Also, the detail of the paintings and sculptures, as well as the vaulted ceilings and central domed roof were very reminiscent of the Sistine Chapel.
After dinner, we headed back to our room to watch the Spain vs. Germany World Cup game, which Spain won. Following the game, we headed out to get some beers at local pubs. Little did we know that the English are such big soccer fans, that they will even make a ruckus over a Spain victory. There was a full blown riot in the square near Piccadilly Circus. This also so happened to be when we learned that London has no open container laws. We also learned when we arrived at the first pub at 10:30PM that London pubs close at 11PM, so we had to make do with just one beer instead of a couple.
This morning, we woke up with the alarm, had breakfast at the hotel, and again headed out for another day in town, this time, the east side. It took us about one hour and 30 minutes to get there, but we were really glad that we made the Tower of London our first destination as it only got busier the longer we were there. It was by far the best part of our trip so far. We had a beafeater who actually lives in the tower give us an hour long tour. He told us many stories about the kings and queens that lived there. He also told us about how punishment for traitors was carried out there (punishment being beheading or hung, drawn and quartered). After our tour, we perused the grounds on our own. We also saw the crown jewels which gave me the grand idea about becoming queen. The gift shop even sold jewels for about $80,000. We finished our visit to the tower by seeing the old kings' and knights' armor. After leaving the Tower of London, we crossed the Thames by way of the Tower Bridge. Turns out, it is often thought to be London Bridge, when in reality, London Bridge is a much less impressive bridge about 500 yards down the river. We walked along the river, past the model of Shakespeare's Globe and on to St. Paul's Cathedral for evensong. Everything about it was incredible. Hearing the voices of the all male choir echo throughout the cathedral was amazing. Also, the detail of the paintings and sculptures, as well as the vaulted ceilings and central domed roof were very reminiscent of the Sistine Chapel.
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| Silly English K-nights! |
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| Tower Bridge |
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