London!

 "So your Big Ben" I said quietly to myself as I stood in front of the famous clock.  It wasn't what I was expecting,  it was actually quite underwhelming.   I mean I had the excitement I always have going to a new place but I was absolutely exhausted.   I was up at the crack of dawn to grab an early coach so I could have a full day in London.  

I booked the wrong ticket...well...not exactly the wrong ticket.   My ticket was from Bournemouth to Victoria,  but I was getting off in Hammersmith.   "Baby just get on the bus and when they call Hammersmith just hop off,  I used to do it all the time;" but of course I always having to have the exact instructions and directions I asked one of the drivers,  "excuse me, this is my first time in England and I didn't realize I could book my bus to Hammersmith is there anyway I can hop off there."  "Well not all of the coaches going to Victoria stop in Hammersmith, but if you get on mine I will make sure you get off there."   See, if I hadn't of asked I wouldn't have been able to get off at Hammersmith and ended up in Victoria where I would've had to back track it by the tube, and everyone gets lost on the Tube. 

A short two hours later I arrived in Hammrsmith (an hour shorter than going to Victoria).   I wasn't able to check in to my hostel yet so I put my stuff in a locker and off I went.  

I was told by the front desk at the hostel that I could get a day pass that includes the bus and the tube, but the guy at the information counter said that no that wasn't true and if I wanted to take the bus to the Tate Modern then I had to transfer from bus 9 to 11.    I went down to the main floor in the station to purchase my ticket where I was told that yes, I can buy an all day pass for both the bus and the tube and if I wanted to take the bus to the Tate Modern I had to grab the number 10 bus; definatly not what the other guy told me.  She also tossed a Tube map at me that she circled in three places "What is this I dont really understand this map, I have never been here before." "Thats what I was trying to tell you, you get on here" she said pointing to the first circle "you transfer here" second circle"  and you get off here.  Next."   I looked at the map which was colours with names,  I had absolutely no idea what lines they were as some stops had three colours and more then one train to hop on for the transfer.  Lost,  thats where I would be, not just in London but lost in London.  I really wanted to take the Tube just for the sake of taking it but Dan had freaked me out so much about taking it "you will get lost, everyone gets lost,  you will end up in Wimbeldon and wont be able to find your way back." Gee thanks for the pep talk babe; he seems to forget I was backpacking fine on my own before I met him.   Anyways I decided to take the bus.   I went back up to the info booth - same guy- "I was told I have to take the number 10 bus to the Tate Modern"  "Nope,  take the 9 and trasnfer to the 11"  "ok and where would I get the bus"  "over there" he said pointing to the otherside of the terminal like I knew where I was supposed to wait.

It was a red double decker bus!  Awesome,  I sat up top so I could look out at the city.  The ride was long,  it took almost two hours for me to get to the area I needed to be in.  There was so much traffic and it was raining when I had to make my transfer.  I was so angry at this point,  exhausted, irritated, hungry and was ready to head back to the hostel to sleep, but I only had one day there so I really wanted to make it count. 

I looked up at the digital bus timetable,  8 minutes.  It was raining but the street I was had a warm cozy vibe to it; there were old fashioned black taxies and my bus shelter was right in front of the Waldorf Hotel that looked very lush with its theatre like lights and black framing.  8 minutes, not too long;  11 minutes, it must be stuck in traffic.  9 minutes, 7 minutes 11 minutes, 8 minutes,  11 minutes...11 minutes...11 minutes;  the original 8 minutes was taking soo long and I was getting more moody by the minute. 

I didn't have to wait long and the bus ride was short, thank god, and instantly as I stepped off my exhaustion and anger was washed away by the buzz of the city.   I was going to the Tate Modern to meet up with my friend Jess I met in Queenstown  - for lunch.  I walked by the St. James Cathedral, along the Millenium Bridge to cross over the River Thames.  Zen like music with calm talking played out on speakers along the bridge, and out to my left, out in the distance was the Tower Bridge displaying the Olympic symbol. 

It was really great to see Jess, we hadn't seen eachother for a year and a half and we had only known eachother for about 48 hours in New Zealand but we never ran out of things to talk about.  Lunch was great,  I just had a veggie wrap but I was so hungry I think even a can of tuna would've been satisfying enough.  After lunch Jess had to go back to work so off I went along the path (which Jess told me to take) along the River Thames.

The Thames isn't much too look at,  I mean the views from where I was looking across the Thames were nice but the river itself  didn't look overly exciting; it was brown.  Yuck!  But the walk was still enjoyable.   I had no idea how artsy London was, there were so many interesting things to look at, watch and listen to; indie musicians,  skateboarders in a graffitied out skate park, a cafe bar built with sheets of metal making it look like a construction site,  a big family stage theatre with oversized furniture made out of fake grass,  an old red fire truck now used as a hot dog stand,  it was all so awesome.   The vibe was great,  I really wanted to park myself down with a tent and sleeping bag and enjoy this artsy pat of London for as long as I could, it was fab!  Next in front of me was the London Eye.  I got dizzy trying to look up all the way to the top - for those of you that don't know what it is, its a massive ferris wheel that you can see all of London from -  the thing is is massive...and no, I didn't go on it,  I wont go unless I have someone with me as I really dont think complete strangers would appriciate my panic that would set in with my vertigo.

Up ahead, on the other side of the Thames, was Big Ben. 

You know how when you pour a bucket of water on sand and then you pick up the wet sand and you squish it in your hand and you let it drop into into piles creating an interesting looking sand castle?  Well thats what the Big Ben building looked like,  a rustic gold colour that looked like a wet-sand sand castle; red double decker buses passing infront of it along the Westinminster Bridge over the River Thames, the hustle and bustle of the city, it was picture perfect.

I just stood and stared at it.  It was a lot smaller then it seemed to be on television, and the big round-a-bout in front of it was also a lot smaller,  I expected some sort of massivness...but I have learned nothing seems to be what it is on TV,  I have lived in Hollywood I should know this already.  

 

I made my way to Buckingham Palace - snapping heaps of pictures of Big Ben and red telephone booths.  It started to get warmer on my way to the Palace, the sun started coming out which was really nice.  It was about a fifteen minute walk to the Palace from Big Ben which wasn't to bad.  I don't really know what I was expecting but man,  this wasn't it.  In the centre of the cul-de-sac was the Queen Victoria Memorial that was just infested with tourists.  People were si tting, climbing and snapping pictures all around it.  There were gates around the cul-de-sac each baring the name of all Common Wealth Country - yay Canada!   The Palace itself really just looked like an oversized mansion.  I guess I was expecting more of a castle-like palace -  have you ever seen the Excalibur in Vegas?  Thats how I picture a Palace lol but I guess thats just the little girl in me.  I couldnt help but think what it must be like to have hundreds of people standing outside of your house (or Palace) everyday and climbing over your front statue, or memorial at that; kept looking to see if I could see movement in the windows but there was nothing - apparantly the Queen wasnt there.  I don't think I would enjoy that many visitors everyday,  it would suck,  but I'm just a tourist with a camera :)  The most exciting part for me was the Palace Guards, standing so still they didn't waver,  it was like they didn't even breath.   Once in awhile you could hear a high pitched bell and they would do a little left knee up, right knee up and switch their gun to the other hand.  I must've stood there for 20 minutes just watching them do absolutely nothing, unfortunately standing infront of them and waving, making faces and trying to get them to move is a no-go, it's surrounded by gates and police officers so you can't go up to them, but just being able to see an actual Palace Guard was a highlight for me and now checked off my bucket list.  They did do a sort of march which was just for them to stretch their legs (thats what the Police officer told me), which once again was nothing special but I couldn't stop watching.  It started raining so I decided it was time to leave.  The changing of the guard was in another hour but I was so exhausted and still had to find my way back to my hostel, plus I was meeting up with Jess for some drinks later on and I wanted to grab a cat nap before then.

I had no idea what bus I had to take, all I knew is that I had to go West back to Hammersmith.  The sun came back out.  One bus driver I dont think knew what I was talking about and the other one pointed accross the street and to the right.  with streets coming out of the round-a-about I had no idea which across-the-street he was talking about so I decided to take the Tube.   There was a man working there who seemed to know every single Tube line to take and was pointing everyone in the directions they needed to go.  I went down one level and to the right.  I must've looked terrified as I stood on the tube,  I definately had tourist written all over my face, my eyes popping out of my face like a deer caught in headlights,  LOL!  I was wondering how safe it was,  not because of the people but the Tube itself.  It rattled and shook and jerked this way and that,  it sounded and felt like I was on an old wooden rollercoaster at Canada's Wonderland, except this was inclosed and underground.  I can proudly say I rode the Tube without getting lost and will definatley do it again next time I am in London.

Jess came by for a few drinks at the hostel pub.  It was really great,  it was like we had been life long friends with no time apart.  We talked about our travels and me getting married and just all that girl stuff that I miss so much with my girls from back home,  it was just what I needed.  We could've talked late into the night but she had to be up for work and I was completely beat and decided to call it a night and meet up at a future date.   The musing pouring in my room from down below would normally keep me awake...I could here the songs word for word but completely exhausted and traveling with my iPod I just popped in my earbuds and was asleep in no time.

My coach the next day wasn't leaving till 2pm but hammersmith is quite away from the city centre and I didn't really want to carry my bag all around the city with me so I decided to take an earlier coach.  I called the company and there was a coach leaving down the street from the hostel in 20 minutes, I just had to pay 5 pounds for changing my pick up time and location.  The driver had one spot left on the coach and when I went to pay him he told me to put it in a charity box; I must say being a solo female traveler has it's perks, they don't happen much when I am with Dan ;).


Still, no Coronation Street.