Strange Things About Europe, Volume 10
1) I love the British accent, but after a while it becomes very irritating.
2) The Brits drive on the wrong side of the road, which is weird enough. But the entrance for the Victoria Train Station is on the right side of the road (which is the wrong side of the road for them). And every time I crossed that street (which was numerous) I almost died because I looked the wrong way.
3) Walking down the streets of London inexplicably made me want to sing. “Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-oo! I do what I likes, and I likes what I do!”
4) About 2/3 of London is either closed or being restored.
5) Walking through St. James Park, I saw some kids flying a kite, and once again I felt like singing. “Let’s go fly a kite. Up to the highest height. Let’s go fly a kite and send it soaring. Up through the atmosphere. Up where the air is clear. Oh, let’s go fly a kite!”
6) It’s actually more difficult to go through customs in Italy than it is in Cuba.
7) I felt like more of an international traveler than ever when I looked into my wallet and found three currencies (pounds, euros, and dollars).
I have returned to Florence after a wonderful weekend in England. I have such a story to tell. You’d better get comfortable for this one.
The adventure getting to London was somewhat of a muted one, though the cab ride to the airport was interesting. I still had to pick up my camera before leaving. I dragged Paulo downstairs with me and asked him if he would tell the cab driver that I needed to be taken two places. Paulo speaks pretty good Italian, but that comes from speaking Spanish and taking Italian I at FSU. Anyway, he got the message across to the driver and I was off.
Finding the bus company was no small trick. It’s not far from the airport at all, but it’s tucked away from everything. We arrived at the address, and I ran into a small office. I had talked to a guy on the phone, but there was only a woman behind the counter. I asked her, in English, if she knew where my camera was. By her look she conveyed that she spoke no English. I then asked her, “Dove Alterizi autobus?” She lit up, excited that a stupid American knew any Italian at all. She pointed to around the corner. The cab driver is all confused as I walk out and then towards another building. I buzzed the door. It’s a gated driveway that I’m standing in front of. Suddenly a huge dog comes bounding towards the gate. Most of you probably know how much I hate dogs, especially big dogs, so I’m about to piss my pants, even though he shouldn’t be able to get to me. After the dumb mutt comes a guy holding my camera. Sweet! He passes it to me through the gate, and I went back to my taxi.
Getting to the airport was a snap. Getting my boarding pass was easy. Going through the regular security was no problem. Then I had my passport checked. I was asked what day I first entered Italy. Oh man, that was a long time ago; I don’t remember. I guessed May 5. The woman behind the counter says, “Um, May 6 maybe?” Crap. That’s not good. But thankfully she lets me through anyway. Sometimes it pays to be a stupid American. Everyone else expects you to be stupid too.
After a minor delay (they had to switch aircraft) I got underway. The plane was pretty empty. I was on the aisle and there was no one in the middle or window seats next to me. I slept for a good bit of the trip, waking up when the brought out sandwiches and drinks. Before too long we were touching down at Gatwick.
As I got off the plane and walked towards customs I was struck by a blinding flash of the obvious: I was in another country. It never ceases to amaze me how the simplest truths can often be the most profound.
I got my luggage and, after getting some pounds sterling, hopped on a train that would take me within about 100 meters of my hotel. I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed to good old Comfort Inn. I stayed in rooms that weren’t even part of the hotel. There are three bedrooms; we all share one bathroom.
I went to bed super early. I changed one time zone, so when I went to bed at 10 PM in London my body thought it was 11 PM, but that’s still super early. Before I went to sleep I watched a special on Ronald Reagan on BBC2. I liked it. I really liked how there’s no commercials.
I slept very well. I kept the window open, as there was no air conditioning in my room, so I did get some street noise. I woke up ready to go at 6:30 AM (I’m programmed to my 7:30 AM wake up in Florence pretty well). The breakfast was really good, much better than in Florence. I actually got some orange juice. That’s been one of my #1 cravings since coming to Europe.
My day began with trying to figure out the Tube. First I needed to find it. It’s part of the train station, but it’s underground. Victoria Train Station is really big, and there’s only one entrance to the underground. This made finding the proper train difficult, since even finding the Tube was a challenge. I eventually found my way downstairs and actually picked the right train on my first try. I had an-all day pass, so if I’d picked the wrong train I could have just tried again, but this was a bit of good luck.
My first stop of the day was Westminster Abbey. To tell you the truth I did not like it as much as the Italian churches I’ve seen. I was impressed by the Royal Air Force Chapel and the Chapter Room. Both had incredible stained glass panels. But I did not like the elaborate tombs that everyone had. They were painted sculpture, and they looked tacky that way. That and they all had their hands in a praying gesture even though they were dead. What can I say, it just wasn’t my thing. I’m glad I didn’t spend the extra 4 pounds for the guided tour.
I continued my walking tour of London down Birdcage Walk when I passed the soldiers preparing for the changing of the guard. I had actually forgotten about it, though it was on my “to do” list for the day. I watched them present arms and turn themselves around in circles. The guy telling them what to do was funny. Whenever he ended a command it sounded like his voice was cracking. When they finished their preparation they crossed the street and walked over to Buckingham Palace. It’s impressive; all the history and ceremony involved in what seems like a routine activity.
I didn’t get to go into Buckingham Palace because that takes a reservation pretty far in advance. I also didn’t get to go into the Houses of Parliament because Saturday was the Queen’s birthday. I continued my walk on through St. James Park. I stopped to have lunch there. It is a really beautiful park. I enjoy the ability to just sit back and enjoy a park. I hope this summer I get to do that in New York or Boston. There’s something that’s just so peaceful about watching the rest of the world go by you as you sit on a park bench.
After lunch I made my way to Trafalgar Square. They had some big clean energy demonstration going on there. This place was impressive. It’s right in front of the National Gallery, which was my next stop. I tell you, I really think that I must have Standahl’s Syndrome (you get weak when you’re over exposed to art). By the time I got through with the National Gallery I had a terrible headache. But I loved the Gallery. Michelangelo, Picasso, Rembrandt, van Gogh: they had a lot of great paintings. I could have spent much more time there, but that day just wasn’t an art day. I was there for about an hour and a half. Since it’s free admission I didn’t feel as bad about leaving after such a short visit.
Upon leaving the National Gallery I found a phone booth and called home. I hadn’t called my mom from London yet, and I wanted her to know I was okay. My parents were a little worried about me traveling alone (and I’m sure that was putting it mildly).
I then went back to St James Park. I did some reading and writing. I planned out my Saturday perfectly. At this point I’m getting really tired. It doesn’t feel like I’ve done too much, but I think the added stress of traveling solo took away some of my energy.
I left the park with one more goal: find Hard Rock Cafe. When I had called my mom I asked her to check the web for the address because I hadn’t done that before I left (I thought it would be in my travel guide; it wasn’t). So I called her again and got the address and which Tube exit it was closest to. The directions as they were written on the web were to take the Tube to Green Park, leave the station and turn right. So that’s what I do, thinking it will be right there as I come up from underground. Yeah, not so much. So I pull out my map and my compass and look for the street. I find it. Turns out I am supposed to turn right… and walk about 6 blocks. No matter. I walk to the store and do a little shopping. I got a classic white shirt (duh, who wouldn’t?) and a black bandanna. I’ve really been getting into bandannas now that my hair is so long (not so much over here though; it screams ‘American’).
I headed back towards my hotel. Once I got back to the Victoria Station I picked up some Chinese food for dinner, then went back to my hotel. I planned out Saturday before going to bed. Friday’s walking tour had been straight out of my guide book (with the addition of Hard Rock Cafe). Saturday was devised by me, so I needed to make sure I knew what I was doing.
Saturday began, once again, very early in the morning. After packing up and grabbing breakfast I went to Victoria Station to begin my day. Saturday things were much easier. I knew what kind of Tube pass I wanted. I knew where the entrance to the Tube was located, and I understood the system much better after reading up on it in my travel book.
My first stop of the day took me to the Tower of London. I hadn’t realized how much was actually there. I knew that’s where the Crown Jewels were at, but I didn’t know about all the artillery displays they had there. I didn’t think I’d be spending more that an hour there; I ended up being there for two hours. I wasn’t sure how this would impact the rest of my timetable. It wasn’t until the end of the day that I would find out.
After crossing the Tower Bridge I went to the HMS Bellfast. This was a last second addition made to the plan. It’s an old WWII warship, and I figured with all the D-Day stuff going on it might be worth a look. I’m really glad I went. I’m always impressed by the tight space and narrow ladders and overall poor conditions that sailors put up with on those vessels. They had a song playing in the background in one compartment that my dad sings: “We joined the Navy to see the world. And what did we see? We saw the sea!” 
I think it’s funny. One thing that was really cool was that they let you sit in and operate (aim, that is) the old anti-aircraft guns. They did have a special D-Day exhibit on display with stories from a lot of old veterans. Those were some brave people, let me tell you.
Next, after crossing London Bridge, I walked to St. Paul’s Cathedral. I have to admit, I was disappointed. Most of it was either closed off or covered up because they are restoring it. Even the fresco of St. Mark had been removed from the ceiling. The stairs to the roof were closed off as well. I did like the alter that thanked the U.S. for its involvement in WWII. I loved a modern art statue of the Madonna and Child, and I usually hate modern art. There was a statue of John Wesley out in the courtyard that was pretty cool. But all in all I was thoroughly unimpressed. I’m sure that part of it had to do with the fact that I just saw St. Peter’s last weekend, and of course because of the restoration, but I think it’s partly due to the Victorian art inside. I don’t like it nearly as much as Renaissance art, or even Gothic or Mannerist art for that matter.
Next on the schedule were the British Libraries. I had almost left this off the itinerary, but upon learning that they had some of the oldest Bibles in the world there I knew I had to take a look. I spent quite a long time there. They’ve got so much to see there. Original copies of the Magna Carta, original scores of music handwritten by world famous composers (Handel, Mozart, Haydn, Chopin, Bach, Beethoven; they even have Beethoven’s tuning fork!), quite a number of Leonardo’s notebooks, and many other important documents. The two oldest complete Bibles they had were the Codex Sinaituis (4th century) and the Codex Alexandruis (5th century). They had a fragment of the Gospel of John that dated back to the 3rd century and a fragment of the book of Revelation that dated back to either the 3rd or 4th century. They also have an interactive touch screen computer that lets you flip through a few of the books that they’ve got on display. All in all it was very impressive.
In the bookstore they had this book called “Don’t” and it’s filled with all the things you shouldn’t do in polite society. Each rule begins with the word “don’t.” It is the most British thing I have ever seen. What can I say? I had to buy it. 
So I planned my day based on the knowledge that the British Museum, my final stop of the day, was open until 9 PM. So upon leaving the British Libraries I took the Tube over to Tottenham Court Road and leisurely walked to the Museum. I entered only to find that it was only the central part of the Museum (where the gift shop and temporary exhibits are located) that is open until 9 PM. The rest closes at 5:30 PM. I took a look at my watch: 5:15 PM. Crap! It’s free, so it was still worth doing a whirlwind tour. I knew I wanted to see three things: the Rosetta Stone, the Egyptian mummy stuff, and Rafael’s Madonna and Child. I managed to see all of it, though for not as long as I wanted to. I also didn’t take any pictures since I wanted to see as much as I could. I bought a couple of postcards, and I’ve got the map, but that’s the only proof that I’ve been there.
At this point it starts to hit me just how tired I am. So I walk back to Tottenham Court Road Tube station only to find that it’s been closed down. Great, so I have to walk across town to the Oxford Circus station. I didn’t have to change anything else, because I would have ridden into this station and changed there had things gone according to plan. I picked up dinner once back at Victoria and returned to my hotel room absolutely exhausted. I packed my suitcase before going to bed.
Sunday morning came far too early. I wanted to get up early though because my plan was to hit up Hyde Park and the Kensington Gardens before I checked out. This was, in retrospect, not worth my time. Hyde Park pales in comparison to St. James Park, in my opinion. But oh well, the Tube pass didn’t cost much and at least I can say I’ve been there.
I spent hours in the Gatwick airport waiting for my plane. First of all, I thought that my ticket specifically said that all times were local to Florence. So a 2:15 PM take off in Italy would be 1:15 PM in London. Well, this was not the case, it was 2:15 local time. That and my plane was delayed until 3 PM. I was going bananas. I didn’t actually get into Florence until 6:30 PM (remember that I also lost an hour changing time zones).
While on the plane there was this guy behind me that kept putting his arm over unto my side of the seat, hitting me in the face four (yes, four) times. After telling him that it was okay when he apologized the first three times on the fourth time I told him, “Don’t be sorry, be careful.” He put his arm on his side. The woman next to me smiles and said, “Well played.” I wasn’t trying to be mean to the guy, I just didn’t want him invading my personal space.
My overall assessment of London: I loved it. It was worth every penny (or rather, every pence) and well worth my time. At first I was worried about making the trip on my own, not because of safety but because I thought I would be lonely. But I actually think the trip was better this way. I could take everything at my own pace. When I was done somewhere, I left. When I wanted to linger, I stayed. With others this would not have been possible. That being said, I hope the next time I’m in London, if there is a next time, that I’ll be with a friend.
So what’s left? Not much. I leave Europe on Thursday! Where’s all the time gone? I still have to take my exams and write a paper before I leave. I also have to make a number of purchases in Florence. I need to mail post cards to people. If you would like to receive a postcard from me and you are (a) not my mom, or anyone else who I will obviously send one to, (b) not on the Nav summer address list, or (c) you think I won’t have your address, email your mailing address to me. If I get it in time I’ll see if I can send you a postcard. I need to photograph people and places that I see everyday but take for granted the fact that I won’t always see them. I have to pack. I have to prepare myself emotionally for another eight hour flight. I have to prepare myself emotionally to say goodbye to everyone. I’ve done a lot, but I still have much to do.
