I apologize in regards to the delay that this post has taken quite a while to continue. Over the past year my writing style has changed quite dramatically so I apologize if the story appears nonlinear.
Part 1 of the London series left off at Shaun and I getting to experience the hilarity that is the Irish comedian Andrew Maxwell. Honestly, I couldn’t have guessed at that time that I would think and giggle about the show years down the line and have a new-found desire to visit Ireland for things like the giants causeway tour– but let’s get back on track.
In regards to jet-lag, I think Shaun and I fared quite well. We rolled out of bed at 11am (5am Austin time), showered, and slowly made our way to St. Paul’s Cathedral to meet our dear friend Doug at Yo! Sushi, this awesome place across the street from the cathedral that offered sushi on a conveyor belt. Sure, it can be gimmicky but I rather enjoyed picking my sushi as it came around the corners. It is like being at the airport but actually being able to pick up that Louis Vuitton bag that you had your eye on as it came around the bend.
The fact we made it anywhere in London was a miracle in and of itself. Yes, I am aware that Queens English and American English are quite different – but to leave out entire letters in the name of a tube stop was baffling.
Take the word LEICESTER.
To an American, it would be pronounced LIE-SESS-TUR.
In London, this word is LESS-TUR.
We almost missed our stop a few times as we pondered where we were on the map. After some giggles from our London friend, we got put on track and were able to meander around after that.
I digress…
Our friend took us on a long scenic walk in and around the Thames. Seriously though, why pay a tour guide when I can just have a friend march me around town? This is honestly the best way to get to know this area. The sights and sounds alone made the long walk worth it. I always feel guilty when I try to take a million pictures and the people I’m with are hauling ass down the street. We walked across the bridge near the cathedral. The Thames was this amazing jade color with the waves splashing against the pillars below. Seeing as Austin’s river is not this busy, I could not help but smile at the barges making their way around.
Doug took us on the river banks, through musty, aged tunnels, green with algae and dripping from the Thames. We went under railroad tracks, next to buildings that were falling apart, and most of all, we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day while doing all of this. Don’t get me wrong. It was February. It was still freaking cold but we couldn’t have asked for better weather. We finally ended up at Borough’s Market, this awesome farmer’s market in which our guide was raving about their cider. This place was amazing. Fresh cheese, butchers, spices, hot chocolate, organic coffee, samples of goodies, candies, everything you can imagine was here. The sounds and smells were so overwhelming that it would have taken forever to take it all in.
Noticing how short we were on time we rushed past the London Dungeon (which is fine because it wasn’t in our budget anyway), past town hall, hauled ass across Tower Bridge (well, as haul-y as you can go while also climbing to the top to take pictures), and rushed to the Tower of London. Doug’s work had given him some free tickets and we were more than willing to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, due to our extended meandering, we missed the last tour by a whopping 8 minutes.
We hopped, skipped, and jumped over to the South Bank in which we proceeded to spend too much money on a giant ferris wheel called the London Eye (which, I admit, I am so glad we spent every penny on it) at dusk which gave us this amazing view of Big Ben along with a photo that I am incredibly proud of.
We hobbled back to SoHo (touring the city in Chucks is a TERRIBLE IDEA), ate at Wagamama (which was awesome! The organic fare in London is amazing!), and headed over to a burlesque/circus side show that would blow my mind, La Clique. This show was probably our best money spent in London. I’m already a big fan of burlesque, but they also added contortionists, rollerskaters, juggling, magic shows, comedy, singing… *sigh* It was wonderful. If you get a chance, I HIGHLY suggest seeing this show or one of the other amazing productions. Making time for cheap london theatre breaks should not be missed!
The night ended there (thank goodness because I thought I was going to die), but our adventure in London had just started.
Enjoy the pictures!
That shot from the eye is great!
I’ve also just spent quite a while trying to work out how your pronouncing leicester!
@Poi: Thanks! The issue with the word is that “LEICES” becomes the sound “LES” when I see two syllables there, “LYE” and “SESS”. Took me forever to find out where East Dulwich was… I kept looking for DULLICH. The “W” has disappeared!
Enjoyed your post and pics. London is one of my favorite cities – I can spend whole days there just walking and exploring. I like your pic from the London Eye – haven’t done that yet. It looks like a spectacular view.
The guys behind Le Clique have a new show now called La Soiree, which I hear is equally as good – http://www.la-soiree.com/
Great pics from London! Yo Sushi and Wagamamma are so yummy, thanks for reminding me of them. I spent 4 months in London, and I still couldn’t get the British pronunciations to trump my American ones.
Totally dig Shaun’s pink hair!
One of my favorite places ever….love seeing familiar sights and reading about places I’ve been with a happy sigh 🙂
Whenever I say “Covent Garden” I still can’t say Covent just like my friends do. One of the vowels is different. At least it’s not as bad as leaving out letters or syllables. Friends got a laugh at me the first time I said Nottingham and Buckingham as well O:-)
Erica, love your beautiful photography accompany by your stories. I never been to London yet, I would definitely visitsome day. The farmer’s market is definitely a visit for me. I like to check out the market just to see how the local buy their food and how the stores clerk sells it haha. I did that when i was in Florence and I end up buyign stuff I don’t even know what it is. xP
@Cathy:I wasn’t sure whether or not I liked the city or not until we got home and reflected on our time there. I LOVE London. So much to do and see!
@Steph: Just checked it out – It looks good! Shame I can’t see it! 🙁
@Bessie: Thank you! We spent too much money on sushi while we were there since it was so accessible. As for Shaun’s hair – thanks! As his personal hairdresser for the past 8 years, I can say that I have it down to a fine art.
@Heather: I think I tried to say as little as possible when it came to location with our friends lol! I just kept saying things “wrong”. <3 I have to say, so many people miss London dearly!
@Sarah: Thank you so much! The market was amazing – I wish we had more time to peruse the items but there were a million things to do in London and so very little time.
I think I may be the only person who doesn’t love London, I just couldn’t get over the cost of it all. But it looks like you had an amazing time, I should try again.
@Ayngelina: We have officially been to the top two most expensive cities/countries in the world – London and Tokyo – and I completely understand where you are coming from. Needless to say we are looking forward to our C/S America trip lol!
I understand what you mean. You want to see so much and yet you wish you have more time. I always feel like that too 😀
As a relative newbie to your blog, I don’t know what your writing style used to be (I’m sure it was equally fantastic), but in any case, I enjoyed this post immensely. I’m right there with you every step of the way… and good gawd, the photos are stunning… lighting, composition and what you choose to shoot =)
@Margo: Thank you Margo! That comment made my day!
London is good fun as long as you have the money, I agree. Still there is plenty to see simply by walking around and not having to pay, and if the weather is good then it all looks that much better!
@Fede: We did a few walking tours since we were on a budget. A few days were even spent at our friend’s house playing Rockband. 😛