My computer clock is telling me it's 12:15. but I know that it's actually after 8 o'clock, tho the sun is not yet going down. I had a pot of English Country soup for dinner tonight - it was some sort of tomato garlic, with bread, fresh whipped butter, and a pint of Kronenbourg 1664 for about 5 pounds. Super cheap dinner for London. It made me very happy to know I must have made it out of the touristy region. I was surrounded by little British families, and inexpensive quality food. Even cuter, the name of the place was called "Chimes." Tomato soup was exactly what I needed and about all I could handle at the moment, since I am going on about 30 hours with no sleep at this point.
If you're one of those crazy people that can regularly skip nights of sleep . . . all I can say is that I don't know how you do it.
I had a few rough patches, but overall am enjoying this delirious day, although I think I'd have a hard time saying I got the most out of everything I saw. The day started on August 1st when I took a 1pm flight to London, followed by an hour and a half underground adventure to find my hostel which became the morning of August 2nd, and then continued with a 4 hour walking tour which I promptly got lost on. I turned around to take a picture of a cool fountain, and all of the sudden the tour was gone. Oh Well. I hate tours anyway.
I ended up filling up my water bottle at the National Gallery - thanks to the free admission - and took a bleary eyed look at the works of van Gough, Renoir, Dega, and Monet. On the way back I spent 2 hours lost between the Royal Court and my hostel, walking by lawn chairs, swans, flowers, and all the other craziness that goes along with the royal property. The bright side of that was I got to see and use the bathroom at Westminster Cathedral, catch the Eye of London from afar, and walk past the bright colors of Picadilly Square. So I saw a lot . . . I just hope I can get my sh*t together enough tomorrow to start making heads and tails of things. I need to find some context - where am I in relation to the rest of London?
I'm in my hostel now - a 6 person dorm - with two 20 something French guys, a Portuguese guy, and a group of Scottish girls who are all out seeing a play. All three of the guys in the room speak enough English for us to talk together, but it's also enough to remind me that I am a stupid, culturally illiterate, un-linguistic American. I had a moment of panic today, that maybe I couldn't hang, that "what the hell was I thinking trapping myself alone in London" moment, but it has since passed. I'm hoping I can make sense of this all tomorrow.
Things I love about Britan so Far
- The politeness of Street Signs and Mandates - "Please Mind the Gap"
- The healthy fast food options on every corner (pics to come - an awesome sandwich and fruit cost less than $3. It's even cheaper if you take it to go, since you're not dirtying up a seat.
- The cute names of the trains - i.e. Green Park, Picadilly Circus, Barons Court
- The split up 6 packs you can buy for a pound at the convenience stores (cause sometimes you just want one beer.)
- Free Museums - they really come in handy when you have to pee. Or look at some old-ass paintings.