The London Experience

Whenever I come home from a weekend trip I am always delayed in writing about it. I am not sure why this is but that just seems to be how it goes. So let’s talk about London!

I left for London on Thursday evening...it is always such an adventure for me to just get to my destination and of course back again. But this is what happens when you are living in the country and relying on others for rides and public transportation. I journeyed from Sneem to Killarney by mini bus then waited there at the bus station for a bit then took the bus to the Kerry Airport. I had almost a two hour wait and this airport is tiny so there is absolutely nothing to do. Lucky for me though as I was going through security I started talking with the lady in front of me who ended up being from London and we ended talking the whole time we waited for our flight. Once I landed at the Stansted Airport I had to take a bus to London City Centre to the Victoria Station which takes about an hour and a half. From there I took the underground to South Wimbledon which is a half an hour. By the time I reached by final destination for the evening it was late and I was exhausted. And thank you to the bus station ticket lady for telling me the wrong directions and what tube line to get on….thankfully I can read a map and realized she was wrong before I got on the underground.

I didn’t say much too many about my accommodations while in London because I didn’t want people to worry or fret about it, but now that I am home and the weekend was a success I will share the details. After arriving in Ireland I had heard talk about this new way to visit places if you were on a budget and that was to couch surf. There is a website, www.couchsurfing.org, which you can go onto and search to see if there are any hosts in a particular area or town. You join the site and can send requests off to see if someone will let you stay with them. I know this may sound scary or intimidating, but hey I am all about trying new things on this little adventure that I am on. I decided I would like to try it at least once to say that I have. I firmly believe that if you are smart about this there really are genuine people out there and it can be a great way to meet new people and make friends all over the world. 

So with that being said I couchsurfed in London staying with Michelle in her flat in South Wimbledon. It was great to stay a little outside of the city but it was so accessible by the underground. Michelle is originally from Canada and has been in London since the beginning of September. She is a teacher and is working through an agency that places teachers in different schools in the London area. She also has three flat mates who are also from Canada and are teachers. She was a great host and we had a great time on Saturday sightseeing around London…more on that to follow. I am really glad that I gave couchsurfing a try….

 

Friday morning I was determined to see as much of London as I possibly could. So off I went to the rail station with my map in hand. I decided to do the free walking tour that Michelle suggested and left a brochure for. I had a little bit of time before the tour started so I took the underground close to the meeting spot and just walked around browsing in the shops. I got to the meeting spot and was shocked to see how many people had turned out for it on such a cold day. We were all split into groups with our own personal tour guide. My guide’s name was Ben and thankfully he wasn’t one of those boring guys…he had lots of energy and you could tell he enjoyed showing people around and telling them about the history of London. 

Throughout the tour we visited Buckingham Palace, Nelson’s Column, Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery, St. James’s Park, Wellington Arch, saw the Queen’s Horse guards, Big Ben, Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms, Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. The tour was 2 ½ hours long and it was very interesting to learn about these different places and the history behind it all. It was nice to do the walking tour as you get to meet other and just start talking amongst the group as you are walking along. After the tour was complete I had lunch with a couple people from the group. We exchanged travel stories and bit and pieces and had a good time. 

There were still more sights to see on my list so after lunch I bundled up and headed out. I decided to do another walking tour that was focused on the Old City of London. Good thing I liked my tour guide Ben because he was the leader of the tour as well. This tour only had 8 of us and that included Ben the tour guide. For this tour we saw St. Paul’s Cathedral, The London Monument, The Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Globe Theatre, The Church of the Knights Templar, Mansion House, London Bridge, The Royal Exchange, Millennium Bridge which is also known as the wobbly bridge, Covent Garden, and Tate Modern. With the hour of darkness setting in earlier these days we got to see some of these sights lit up at night which was really neat. The Tower Bridge is quite impressive and lit up at night it is a spectacular sight to see. 
 
I really feel like doing both of the walking tours was a great way to see the most popular and historic sights of London. And at the end of the day I was able to say I had marked off all of the sights I wanted to see off my list! Quite impressive for one day! After I finished the tour I took the underground to the London Eye area where there was a Christmas Market that is actually called the Cologne Christmas Market after the one in Germany. It was amazing to wonder the bank area around the river visiting all the craft and food stalls listening to Christmas music with the city of London lit up all around. It was a spectacular sight. I really enjoyed it and even tried a German bratwurst….just getting ready for my time in Germany! I did some wondering and browsing…I love all the little hut like stalls and it really just warms your heart and makes you think of Christmas. 

 

I got back to Michelle’s and we talked about our days and made a plan for Saturday. After some much needed rest I awoke on Saturday ready for another full day in London. Michelle and I headed into London and our first stop was Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards. Unlike Friday, which was bright and sunny, Saturday was very chilly and overcast. 



We got to Buckingham Palace early to get a good place on the grounds to watch the ceremonial changing of the guards. I am glad we got there early because despite the weather the place was very crowded. It was interesting to watch the ceremony take place and how each group marches in. The whole thing is done behind the gates of Buckingham Palace but you could still see what was going on. There is also the changing of the horse guards that take place. These men on horseback are the actual bodyguards of the queen. When she is in town staying at the palace there will be 24 horse guards riding through but when she is out of town there are only 12. It just so happened she was not in London over the weekend. By the time we finished there we were absolutely frozen to the core and I believe neither of us could feel our toes. We headed to Oxford Street to do a little shopping and grab some lunch. After lunch we headed to Westminster Abbey where we attended the Saturday afternoon mass. It was such an amazing experience and I am so glad that we went. The choir was beautiful and just sitting in the church surrounded by all its beauty was very serene. The inside of the church is so exquisite and all of the details of the stained glass are gorgeous. The outside of the church is also very impressive. One of the things I wanted to do while in London was attend mass at Westminster and was so happy to hear that Michelle thought it would be cool to do so as well. 
After mass we walked over to Hyde Park where we met up with one of Michelle’s flat mates. The Hyde Park Winter Wonderland was taking place. This Christmas market was different from the one I went to Friday night as there was more of a focus on foods and rides…it was like a mini amusement park. But nonetheless it was fun to walk around and take in the experience.

Due to the time of my early morning flight on Sunday and the fact that the bus and underground wouldn’t be running yet I had to head out to the airport on Saturday evening and spend the night at the airport. For a girl that is all about just arriving to the airport the morning of her flight and will usually pay for a hotel room close by it is quite impressive that this is my second time spending the night in an airport. I didn’t leave London City Centre until 11pm and due to construction we didn’t arrive out to Stansted Airport til after 1am. I got into the airport and found a quiet spot to curl up and try to get some sleep. Let’s just say that I don’t actually really sleep in an airport because I don’t relax enough and can’t really get all that comfortable. And thanks to a group of guys who decided to have a drinking party I really got no sleep. I find it so crazy how an airport comes to life so early in the morning. At 4am shops and food places start to open and people start to stand in line to check in for their gates. At 6:30am we were allowed to go down to our gate area and start assembling for boarding. I was so thrilled to be heading home and all I wanted to do was get there and get some sleep!

Saturday evening Ireland received a blanket of light snow which rarely happens therefore when it does things shut down! My flight got into Kerry Airport with no problems and actually arrived early. I caught the bus into Killarney and waited to hear from Maureen on what time she would be there to pick me up. A couple hours later I received word that Sneem was covered with ice and the roads into Killarney were quite treacherous. We were going to wait and see if the sun cleared the roads up a bit making it doable for someone to drive in and pick me up. So I wandered Killarney with my suitcase doing some Christmas shopping. I knew I had to keep moving or I was going to fall over from exhaustion. I remembered that a girl who is a resource teacher at my school was due back into Killarney sometime on Sunday. I called her and she was able to give me a ride to Kenmare once she got into Killarney at half two. I called Maureen and let her know I could get a ride to Kenmare and that I would just need picked up from there…Kenmare is closer to Sneem and on a better road. A friend of Maureen’s was actually doing some grocery shopping in Kenmare and would be heading back to Sneem about the time Joyce and I were due to arrive in Kenmare so she would give me a lift home. I met up with Diane and we made the journey to Sneem which was quite the trek. On the journey as we were talking Diane mentioned that my American accent was thicker than usual!! I thought my accent always sounded quite American! I couldn’t believe how snowy and icy the roads were and they don’t salt or clear the roads like they do at home. So after a slow going journey we finally made it to Sneem. I was so thankful to her and Joyce for their rides and making it possible for me to get home. Now all I wanted was a hot shower and my bed!

The only negative thing I have to say about my trip to London is that the customs people didn't put a stamp in my passport!! It really was a great weekend to London and even when things don’t go as smoothly as you plan you just learn to go with it and take it as part of the experience! Through each weekend expedition I have learned so much and all of it is what makes each experience unique and memorable! And I have 200 pictures to prove it!