Travel With Me: Two and a half days in London
Base City: London
Accommodations: Palmer's Swiss Cottage Hostel
Overall, this hostel was a good experience. We arrived early in the morning and were able to leave our luggage without charge until we could come back to check in later. Our room was downstairs beside the restaurant, which was a little annoying at night, as bargoers would use our bathroom as we were getting ready for bed. As far as the bathrooms went, they were clean, and the showers were in their own stalls with locks; however, the bathrooms were co-ed, which was uncomfortable for me, as someone who had never used a co-ed bathroom before. The best thing about the rooms, in my opinion, were the privacy curtains! It felt like I was sleeping in a cave, and I never noticed other girls getting ready in the morning.
Travel: London Tube
June 25, 26, & 27: London, England
We arrived, bedraggled and with spirits dangerously low, to London Victoria around 7 a.m. after our near-eternal ride on the Night Bus from Hell. After getting as far away from our fellow passengers as quickly as possible, we got our bearings and headed for the nearest underground station so that we could drop off our bags at the hostel.
However, upon arrival, we had a chance to really assess our current state: wearing the same clothes for the past 24 hours, smelling like a mixture of curry and a port-o-potty, and desperately in need of the bathroom. Since our rooms weren't ready yet, we sat in the lobby, taking turns watching the luggage while the other person went to the bathroom to freshen up. I changed clothes, washed my entire body with some face wipes, dabbed some mint essential oil on my wrists and neck, then brushed my teeth. Even though it was awkward to use the lobby like our own personal room, I felt like a new person and ready to take on London.
First stop: Caffé Nero for breakfast. I got a vanilla yogurt with berries and granola, with a lemon poppyseed muffin on the side. Let me tell you—it felt amazing to eat something healthy and fresh for the first time in what felt like forever. After eating meat and potatoes out at restaurants every day of the trip, this was a welcome break.
We then took a lovely walk through St. James' Park, where we discovered a pigeon who we affectionately called Deuce, since he had only two toes on one of his little feet. Mary and I spent awhile feeding him peanuts and laughing when he obeyed our commands to chase the other pigeons away. However, that all got way too real when a squirrel decided to join the party and hopped right up on the bench with us. We'll never forget you, Deuce.
Post park, we strolled past Buckingham Palace, which was all done up with beautiful flowers for the summer, and briefly enjoyed the sights of London that we'd both seen before when we studied abroad. Then, we headed to the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square.
And it was mayhem: the entire square was cordoned off, the lions were not accessible at all, and a huge crowd and stage were blocking the view of the museum. Apparently, it was some kind of free West End (Broadway, essentially) event, with different acts taking the stage to sing the recent hits.
One thing that I did notice that was different about the National Gallery was the bag checks. Last time I was there a little over a year ago, I don't remember doing bag checks, so I believe they've cracked down on security since the London Bridge terrorist incident. However, other than that, the museum was just as enjoyable as usual; I'm continually amazed by the variety and depth of their collections. I also noticed a Van Gogh that didn't catch my eye last time: a painting of two brilliant orange crabs.
For dinner that night, we had Porky's BBQ Bankside—the American BBQ restaurant theme is apparently becoming a big thing in the UK. I had a pulled pork sandwich topped with macaroni, which was divine, but very filling. Then, it was time for the main event: our tickets to the Globe.
Last time I went to London, it was one of my biggest regrets that I didn't have a chance to go to a show at Shakespeare's Globe—I was, after all, studying Shakespeare at Oxford. So this time, I made sure to buy tickets to Romeo and Juliet very early. And when we got there to redeem our online tickets, sure enough, there were only a few people in line (you have to queue outside of the Groundling Gate if you have floor/standing tickets, which are only about $7). After an hour of waiting and trying to rescue a poor little pigeon with a stick stuck to its foot, the gates were finally opened and we hurried inside, waiting again while a man walked around with snacks to sell, until they let us into the theatre itself.
This is the main draw of seeing a play at the Globe, I think. It's an incredibly unique experience to be crammed on the floor, the stage nearly over our heads, with our fellow "groundlings," the open sky punching through the geometric patterned balconies above us. Instead of prim and proper, as the theatre normally is, think raucous, with people talking around you, shoving your way to the front, and straining on your tiptoes to see the back of the stage.
Anticipation boiled as we waited for the play to start, until it broke with a crazed beat.
It was rave music. In a production of Shakespeare.
Call me naive, but I was under the impression that the Globe Theatre, out of all the places in the world, would do a traditional production of Shakespeare. But I was very wrong. Very, very wrong.
The opening scene was set to heavy bass and delirious dancing. Lady Capulet and Montague were panting, in labor, and wheeled out on two gurneys by scantily clad nurses. Everyone had clown makeup on. Finally, they gave birth to two baby-sized coffins.
I thought to myself, Okay, well maybe it's only the opening scene. Maybe the rest will be more normal. But it just got weirder. From a threesome between Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio, to finger guns, to a Godzilla costume, it just got weirder.
The main redeeming factor for me was the genuine emotion portrayed by the actors playing Romeo and Juliet. Their goodbye scene and death scene were enough to bring tears to my eyes. Additionally, the play was actually very funny and provocative—something I think Shakespeare intended for his Elizabethan audience to feel. I'll never forget a mopey Romeo rising from the crowd listening to emo music, makeup done like a Tim Burton movie, and slouching onto the stage with a bag of Cheetos in hand.
All in all, I think it was an important experience to have, even if it might not have been the best production of Shakespeare I've ever seen. Although, Mary was given a rose from Benvolio in the middle of the performance, so it could have been the best she'd seen (*wink*).
June 26
The next morning, we headed out early to Primrose Hill, a spot where you can get a beautiful view of the skyline of London, where we ate a protein bar for breakfast before continuing on.
Straight along the path took us to Regent's Park, where we visited Queen Mary's Gardens and discovered the most beautiful roses. They smelled and looked divine. We also got to see a black swan (I had no idea they existed outside that Natalie Portman movie), another bird building its nest on top of the water, and a mother duck and its baby swimming on the edge of the waterfall.
Lunch was at Spitalfields Market—a London market is always a must-do experience. Last time, I went to Borough Market, so there was a lot more variety in the goods offered at Spitalfields, including some cute clothes (that we didn't buy because we had no money or room in our luggage). We ate at Bleecker Street, which is known for their burgers. We were starving by that point, so I probably could have eaten anything, but I remember them being nice and juicy burgers with a great sauce, regardless!
After eating and walking around a bit, we stopped for gelato at a place whose name escapes me now. It was crowded, with hardly room for the two of us to sit at a table. The gelato was uniquely presented: you could order multiple flavors, and they would layer them in petals to form a rose. It was so delicious that I forgot to take a picture.
Next on the agenda was the Somerset House. The day was gorgeous, and it wasn't too crowded, so we got our turn in the fountain unaccompanied by anyone else. I'm a sucker for water features, especially interactive ones, so this was right up my alley.
To end our day, we walked around Embankment, visited the Shrek Experience gift shop, watched some live street performers, and met a friendly seagull who wanted to pose in front of Big Ben.
June 27
This was our last day in London, and as it should, it rained. This cancelled our plans to go to Hampstead Heath, so we instead headed to the British Museum. I went here last time I was in London, and I remember it fondly. It was clean, expansive, and not crowded. I could stand and stare at the Rosetta Stone as long as I liked.
This time, it was a monstrosity of tourists. We were shoved and elbowed at every angle. We could hardly see the exhibits at all. And neither of us were enjoying it. Eventually, after trying to get a scone and cream at the restaurant and even that small joy being thwarted by a rude worker refusing to find more cream, we called it quits and left.
Exhausted by almost three straight weeks of traveling, we wearily made our way back to the hostel, stopping by Abbey Road to snap a picture, before leaving London to the tourists and resting at the hostel until we needed to leave for the airport.
And just like that, we were on the return journey, with only Iceland and New York in between us and home!
If you've missed any installments of our European adventures so far, check out the archive to catch up! And don't forget to hit "like" down below! Thanks for reading!