Another scorcher of a day today!
Our first morning out, this is what Chris and I found out:
01. There are like, no takeaway coffees in Paris unless you search out the not too common Starbucks.
02. Most stores outside of the Latin Quarter are closed on Sundays
03. There a serious lack of ATMs, so make sure to withdraw more cash than you would ordinarily carry.
I’m a night owl. Always have been, always will be.
Even when I have the excitement of a Paris trip in front of me, I’m scared that there’s a good chance I’ll sleep through my alarm. It didn’t help that I got back from Evesham after midnite. Then I had to pack.
In order to make sure that doesn’t happen, I asked Chris of the 3 alarms’ to wake me.
It’s amazing how a 2 hr train ride could bring you into such a totally different environment than the one you’ve been in the past couple of weeks.
My visit out to Evesham, Worchestershire was just an overnighter (about a 30 hour visit) and as I rode back into London tonight, the countryside felt like a world away and that I couldn’t believe that I had been out of the city for just a day.
The Greenwich and Docklands Festival, London’s most spectacular free festival, started today. Different themes were held throughout the city: a medal ceremony in Greenwich, tango at Canary Wharf and a theatrical track event at National Maritime Museum just to name a few. The festival brought together sports and arts by fusing South Asian dance with football, marathon running with music and swimming with sway pole choreography. Sounds cool, right?
Science Museum part deux. I definitely had to make time to finish things off today. Yes, before any shopping to be done. Priorities, I say.
I journeyed to the Natural History Museum this afternoon. It was nice…if you’re 14 or under, that is.
The only interesting thing about London’s Natural History Museum is in its architecture. It’s impressive and kinda reminds you of being in a Harry Potter movie. And the only pictures I took were of the interior of the building itself. Otherwise, this one is strictly for the kiddies.
What does one do when it’s sunny and warm outside? Spend the better part of the afternoon indoors at the British Museum. Because Chris and I share an affinity for all things Egyptian, we were both psyched and armed with our cameras, made a beeline to the ancient Egypt wing. It was packed, not surprisingly.
My friend Chris just finished a stretch of 5 days of 14 hour days, so I wanted today to be as much for him, as it was for me. Luckily, we both have the same interests and so, we met outside Archway station to see the western half of Highgate cemetery.
Highgate is considered one of London’s magnificent 7 cemeteries, known particularly for its Victorian funerary architecture. Spread out on 37 acres, it has over 50,000 graves and over 850 of notable people. We got there for the noon tour rendezvous. Because that part of the cemetery was old and fragile, we could only go escorted. The tour was illuminating, enchanting and the stroll amongst the mausoleums and catacombs not at all eerie.
Today was one of those days that goes unplanned. Upon reflection on how my day had unfolded, I realized there was a common thread running through them all. Everything in my day had references to Italy: gondolas, Renaissance and Verona. Could be the universe telling me something. My next trip, maybe?
After 4 days of being on the go, go, go and fuelled by the summer sunshine, the tide turned slightly today. It rained late last night, but fortunately, only overcast with sunny spots for today, so I wasn’t deterred from going out. Heck! I’m from Vancouver. We know a little something about rain!
I started my day at the Tower of London. (something nice and light) and for all its tragic history: the fire that destroyed the castle and constant re-building, countless deaths, tyranny, diabolical scandals and political intrigue, it quite felt like being at Disneyland.