and bob's your uncle

Well the predicted forecast from my last post was correct: many redcoats, many mouths denied of braces, and too many flags to count.

This past weekend, I traveled to London with four other girls on my program. It is interesting to see the different dynamic across the major international epicenters. London and Paris are two very distinct cities. Paris is heels and scarves. London is canvas flats and bright leggings. London is fish and chips and beer. Paris is cheese and soufflés and champagne.

It was relieving to be surrounded by people who spoke English (and who jaywalk, too....yes).


We went straight from campus on Friday afternoon to Gare du Nord. We rode on the Eurostar – the train that goes under the English Channel to London. You could feel the temperature drop when we were underwater. We arrived in London after a 2hr15min ride. We quickly found a cheap café and bought our three day Tube (the London subway) pass. Mind you, the British Pound (GBP) to US Dollar conversion rate is current at 1:2. As a result, everything on our trip really cost double the listed price when converting back to Uncle Sam’s currency.

We quickly rode the Tube to our Hostel on the west side of London, near Hyde Park. The hostel was, overall, clean and better than expected. Bathrooms were a bit shady or "dodgy" as the Brits say, but nonetheless, it was a nice place to crash. We literally threw our luggage down and ran out again to catch the Tube back to central London to make our reservation for the Ice Bar at 11pm. The (Absolut) Ice Bar is a subzero bar made of, you guessed it, ice. The walls, the bar itself, and even the glasses were all ice. Our charge of 15 GBP each granted us entrance to the bar, one drink, and our thermal cape and mittens.

Channeling an eskimo:

The next morning we ventured to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guards. By chance, we were able to watch the practice run for the Queen’s Birthday processional that will take place next weekend. Serendipity! Redcoats on horseback and on foot paraded down the main street towards Buckingham Palace.

Next, we wanted to find the guards we could actually take pictures with. One of the girls was told that we needed to wait until an hour and half after the parade ended. Unidentified source said to go to King James Palace to find the guards. We decided to take along walk to see Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament until then.

Then onto Westminster Abbey. Royal coronations and burials take place in this Gothic church. Princess Diana’s funeral was also held here:

We traveled over to King James’ Palace around an hour and half after the parade ended. No guards. We asked someone else who then suggested going to the St. Clarence House. No guards. We decided to try again the next day.

Stomachs rumbling, we popped into a store to ask for a fish and chips recommendation. We were given directions to a restaurant, but just our luck, it had closed. The restaurant sign and menu remained, but the former store front was now a construction site. We continued searching for fish and chips. Finally, we found a restaurant and made a pretty penny/pound for a less than stellar inaugural fish and chips experience. I was glad to try have tried it, but for my first meal that consisted of fried food (besides calamari) in I don’t know how long, the staple British dish was subpar. Oh well. Life goes on.

We came across a small market and looked around. One of the vendor sold stamps. I saw family crests and looked to see if they had mine. Sure enough, they had a stamp with the Murray crest and our name (even though my last name isn’t English…it’s Scottish). The vendors tried to pitch a good sales presentation by showing me how to emboss imprint and so forth on a sample piece of paper. Intrigued, I asked how much it was. After being told it was 15 GBP, I decided the sample would suffice. Unfortunately, the vendor asked for the sample back. No sale. No sample.

Buckingham Palace Round 2. No guards and the Palace was apparently closed to tourists through the end of summer. My lack of Buckingham Palace experience aside, what are you thinking, British government? Closed during the peak tourist season? You might want to put some simple business strategies in place.

We then crossed the Thames River and headed over to St. Paul’s Cathedral around 6pm. The church was absolutely gorgeous. Just our luck, it was closed. We decided to come back for mass the following morning and went off to Ye Olde London – a small pub nearby.

Later we walked over to the Tower Bridge which was lit beautifully against the dark blue sky:

Sunday we woke up early, grabbed breakfast, and headed to St. Paul's for the 10:15am mass. Because it was a day of worship, the church did not allow pictures to be taken inside. Sitting in that cathedral during mass was well worth our inability to snap photos, though. The singing of the twenty-man choir was absolutely beautiful. The architecture and detail were overwhelming. Fun fact: Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married here.

After mass we walked around the church's rose garden:

After St. Paul's we tried to find the guards again. After no success, we headed to Hyde Park. This is a gorgeous park in central London. We stopped to smell the roses (and other flowers):

After Hyde Park we decided to reward ourselves after touring and eating around London so cheaply. We had a great meal at Bella Italia in Oxford Circus. This area is surrounded by designer stores - Armani, Alexander McQueen, Ted Baker, etc - and other stores like Banana Republic, H&M, and Apple. I saw some great window displays. I even managed to buy at 5pound pair of shorts!

Despite the several hiccups in our weekend, London was great. But don't get jealous, Paris. You still beat out the Brits any day.