My first official day in London! Yesterday does not count, as I was somambulistic for the most part. This morning I awoke at the absurd time of 730am. On a Sunday. Would never happen back home. But happened, it did in London. And what a gloriously sunny and hot day it was to be.
First order of business was to to get some groceries for my 2 week stay. I was so excited to learn there was a Tesco market nearby at Ealing Broadway centre. Forget shopping for clothes, I can totally see blowing my money on food items. Tesco is awesome. We soooo need Tesco in Vancouver!
They have amazing products! Things you can’t get in Canada or New York even. Items like orange KitKat bars, mint KitKat bars and traditional Cornish clotted cream with the thick, golden crust to go with the butter scones and strawberries I just bought.
Other goodies purchased includes: Ribena juice boxes (a favourite from childhood), blackcurrent cheesecake slices, prawn and mayo sandwiches. I only stopped shopping when I realized I had 4 bags worth of food and still had to walk the 25 minutes back home. 50p for apple slices, £1.80 for 3 vegetarian sandwichs, 4 fish cakes for 77p, fresh mash potatoes for 99p, cheese/tomatoe pizza for 64p, baked penne for 94p. love it!
(Sidebar: I know I’m no longer in my 20s or a party girl anymore, if I can get the same passionate excitement I have for a market, like I used to about a club – yeesh!)
My accommodation is fantastic. I’m 25 minutes from central London by tube on the Piccadilly and District lines (10 of those minutes is walking to Acton Town statiom.)
The place I’m at has 5 bedrooms, living room, conservatory, huge backyard with trampoline, 2 washrooms and 3 toilets. The 5 person family rents out 3 of the bedrooms to longterm female renters only. The unbeatable part? £80/week! That includes free wifi, washer and dryer, full use of kitchen, no curfew and weekly maid! That works out to about $22 cdn/day! Even hostels in London, dormstyle, start at £40/day.
I sure lucked out on this find! Where from? Craigslist. Skepticism aside, I’ve only ever had good things from Craigslist. I bought my 40gb iPod and my Nokia n800 online, found all my New York gigs and my current job which I love on Craigslist.
The afternoon mercury climbed to a muggy, hot and sunny 24c. I met my friend, Chris at Covent Garden. We started off our explorations with a cold bevvie. Chris is originally from Limonge, France but has been in London the past 10 years. One of the coolest talkers I know. And by that, I mean, he’ll speak a few sentences with a French accent, then undeliberately, say the next few things with an English accent. Back and forth, it’ll go and I’m sitting there thoroughly amused.
We walked to Trafalgar Square to walk around the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery. We were going to grab a bite at the Cafe at the Crypt. Yes, a cafe located in an actual crypt under St. Martens in the Fields Cathedral. Too bad it was closing at 6pm. So we took our grumbly stomachs to Tokyo Diner in Leicester Square. Goodness, how I’m so very thankful for the quality sushi and affordable prices in Vancouver! Nowhere i’ve been could beat it, not New York or London.
After that, more walking to Oxford Circus. We were on no schedule or itineraries, just meanderings. We then ended up at a pub called, The Cock. I kid you not. I’ve heard some pretty strange British pub names, like the Frog and Firkin, the Pig and Whistle, Elephant and Castle, Rose and Thorn and the Spotted Pig, but this one…I can’t even begin to comment.
Well, what could possibly come after that, I dare say? We parted just after 10pm, as Chris has to work and I’ve still have residual jet lag and I want to rest up for more ¨London calling¨ adventures in the am.
Corrine Day’s photograph of Kate Moss at the National Portrait Gallery
Pearls of wisdom from today:
01. Tipping is not mandatory or expected in most places
02. Get an oyster card for tube/bus travel. The o/w fare can cost up to £4! With the oyster, you’ll not only pay a discounted rate, but it’ll only charge you maximum £5/a day-no more than what a daycard cost.
03. Look from right, then left when stepping off a curb. Little miss New York jaywalker, here, won’t even jaywalk for fear of getting hit by a double-decker because she couldn’t look the right direction that traffic is coming at. All i can say about that is somebody is ass-backwards here.
04. The trains do not have any air-conditioning as the tube is quite old, and the planners did not think to include that in their construction. Makes for a comfortable ride, non?
05. There’s really no such thing as service at the restaurants/cafes (unless it’s posh), so don’t expect it. The staff do not bring you the bill, you go up to the counter to pay. Same deal at the pubs. You walk in, go to the bar to order and pay for your drink, then sit down.
06. For as much as London is a cosmopolitan city, things close by midnite, as do the tube stations. Geez, even Vancity goes until 1am.
07. There are CCTVs in abundance in outdoor public spaces. Yes, big brother is really watching and taping your a**. And yet, you don’t even think about it or are oblivious to it.
08. And the wierdest thing? Lots of Brits don’t have picture ID. Many goes for decades without photo ID. Of one doesn’t drive, nor travel outside UK, there’s no need for a passport or drivers license. The government is trying to change that law, so they can keep track of everyone, much to the consternation of those Brits.
09. Museums are free. Hallelujah!
View more photos of my trip on my Flickr album.
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