London

I've been really lucky. I haven't gone to a million places and actually I've only been to 8 countries (which is still a lot for an average person), but I have been able to visit London twice in my life. This is a city worth visiting and staying for as long as you can.

The first visit I had was almost ten years ago when I was 25. I went by myself, it was the first time I ever traveled overseas. I was so nervous. It was not the best trip. A woman died on the plane, the airline lost my luggage, I got ripped off at the money exchange place, and my hotel (which was in East Croydon) lost my reservation. I was unprepared, scared, and alone. It was a learning opportunity.
I quickly found the bus, learned the tube system and rails. Made it to Stonehendge, Bath, Winchester Cathedral, tower of London, watched a rugby match with strangers, had fantastic meals, and on my last night I got drunk with some Scottish/South African DJs I met in a bar. In a nutshell, London is an easy place to get along and it still is relatively safe if you don't take major risks and you pay attention (getting drunk with strangers was a bit careless, I was completely at their mercy, I am not endorsing this).

One thing I truly regretted from the last time is I did not get to go to Harrod's. I made Randy promise we would go to Harrod's. They recently added the 5th floor, "Shoe Heaven". It truly was amazing. The thing I didn't know about Harrod's is they have a bakery, fromagarie, butcher, and all sorts of fancy delicious food. I thought they were only clothing, but they have cavier too!  I shopped around, looking at hats, dresses, and even swimsuits. Then I found the champagne bar. It was pricey, but I figured it was an experience purchase, so I had a flute and people watched.

Randy had some items on his list as well. He wanted to see the Ice Bar in town. We met up with some friends, Eric and Stacey, they happened to be visiting London at the same time. We all went in the freezer and had shots. They were delicious and cold because they came in glasses made of ice.  It was fun and the ice created amazing pictures.

Big Ben is, well, big. Basically it's just a giant old clock, but it's beautiful and at night it is particularly stunning. On the other side of the Thames was the London Eye, which is a giant Ferris wheel looking thing. It does not blend. It is amazing how completely out of place it looks next to the old buildings, but the view from the top of it is amazing.

The Tower of London is a must see. It currently has beautiful red ceramic poppies covering its usually green lawns. This is in rememberence of World War I. It is an amazing display. The history of this structure and the way the city has been built around it is extraordiary and worth a look. Also, it is where the crown jewels are held.

London is like many other European countries and it is a mixture of old and new. It reminds me of Boston (which I suppose it should because Boston was kind of designed to be like London) and it also reminds me of Grand Rapids, where I live now). The imposing river cutting right through the middle, the buildings are large, but not too large, not New York or Chicago large, and the reminders of it's history everywhere.  It has struggled by having more than its fair share of tragedy with fires, revolutions, and plague. It has maintained, in fact thrived. The stone buildings, palaces, businesses, and tourism industry continues to grow. I really didn't see as many homeless as I have in other places I've been, like Paris or even recently in Edinburgh. I expected more, but I didn't see it.

Transportation in the city is easier than a lot of places. They have the London Underground (The tube system) which is a series of subways moving all around the city.  On the surface there are light rails which travel to many places all around the outside of the city, and the buses travel just about anywhere a person can go. You can buy a card and put money on it to use throughout the city. The card works on  the tube, buses, and the rail system.

The Double Decker buses are immensely popular tourist attractions and they are helpful in finding places around town. If you visit and you buy a pass on one you can get off and on as you please and it will take you to most destinations, however they don't run past 7pm (1900).

Buckingham Palace is where the Queen's main residence is located. Kind of like it's her home address. There are ancient and dangerous barbs surrounding the grounds. Kind of like a prison. They are on top of the fence and they look more painful and awful than barb wire.

One thing we may have found cheaper and more effcient is the London City Pass. It provides transportation and admission to many musuems.  London has a lot of is museums. There are musuems for children's toys, shoes, all sorts of crazy stuff. We were only there for three days so we did not try this, but it actually looks like a good deal to go to tourist destinations.





Where we went and some website to check out and help you with your trip:

http://www.londonpass.com/?aid=60&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&refcd=MS9855707805b_AZpass_AZcity_AZlondon&tsacr=MS1169809015

http://www.attractiontix.co.uk/tickets/london-eye

http://www.goldentours.com/tower-of-london?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc

http://www.viator.com/tours/London/The-Original-London-Sightseeing-Tour-Hop-on-Hop-off/d737-3302OT?pref=204&aid=m3053