The bad weather gods finally caught up with us today. We woke to light rain. By the time we finished our lovely free breakfast (not Paris pastries, but we have to move on) and walked outside, it had mostly stopped - but I chose to play it safe by purchasing a new umbrella to replace my lost one. (Still no clue what happened to that thing.) Sam and I bought Oyster cards for the Tube and then headed off to the Westminster stop. Naturally, we were following one of Rick Steves' walking tours. YES - Rick also has a book and plenty of advice that pertains to London. (I could do a testimonial, really.) As we emerged from the Tube stop, it was raining pretty steadily. A bummer as that was our first view of Parliament, Big Ben, etc. We began the Westminster walking tour - towards Trafalgar Square and by the time we got there, the rain had stopped. At this point, we really began to enjoy the walk.We walked EVERYWHERE - Covent Garden, Soho, and just AROUND - before finding ourselves at the British Museum. We LOVED it there and spent quite a bit of time. The pieces are amazing - saw so many lovely pieces of artwork from around the world and throughout history. Particularly enjoyed the Asian art. Barely got a glimpse of the Rosetta Stone with so many people jockeying for a view (but it was still darned cool).
After the British Museum we stopped for lunch in a place that served baguettes (okay, we are still in denial about leaving Paris). Nice place, good food. Afterwards, we took about a 15-minute walk to the British Library. It is a book-lovers paradise and a big thrill for me. Saw the Magna Carta, some of Shakespeare's earliest works, and even some original pages by Jane Austen, just to name a few. It's an amazing place and I sure wish I could visit it on a regular basis.
Our next stop was the Tower of London - which required a quick trip on the Tube. Of course, just about the time we arrived, the rain resumed (it has been on and off all day). Somehow, though, it seemed appropriate to tour the Tower in dreary weather. Despite the somber tone of the history involved, it was fascinating. I kept harking back to the "Tudors" TV show on Showtime.Wrapped up our tour around 5:30 and then walked through fairly significant rain to a nearby pub - where I got some fish and chips and a Foster's. Life is good. Jumped on the Tube and returned to the hotel fairly early. We just couldn't think of any evening activities that didn't involve getting wet - and it's also gotten quite cool as well. Plus, we're both pretty tired at this point. All the walking is starting to take a toll on me for sure. Just about the time my body adjusts to all the walking will be when it's time to go home.
I do like London - the people are friendly, there's lots of history to explore, everyone loves books, and THEY HAVE SEPARATE MENS and WOMENS ROOMS! (Rarely the case in Paris.) But I have to say that there was just something magical about Paris. It already feels like it was a dream.
Hoping tomorrow is a bit nicer weather-wise as it will be our last full day to explore this city. Hard to believe that we walked all the way from Westminster to St. Pancras, with LOTS of meandering in between - and then more around the Tower. A typical day for us. We have dubbed ourselves, "the queens of unnecessary walking" since we so often find ourselves backtracking.
Signing off for today. Cheers to all!
1 comment:
I can visualize exactly where you are...I wanna' go back! So glad you found friendly people! We thought the folks over 50 were quite lovely but those under 50 were unbelievable rude, esp in the tube! Did the same walking too...from our hotel through Hyde Park, by Buckingham Palace, down to Big Ben and across the river....and back! The feet do get tired but there is so much to see and do! I hope you have better weather tomorrow.(we really lucked out on that one.)
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