Day 1: London Calling!

         Greetings from London!

          I found the right plug converter, so I am now back online and able to blog. Huzzah!

          My journey here went really well. Much better than last year, haha! Last night, I stayed in my hotel, instead of rushing off to the emergency room! It's such a blessing! 

          I feel like I've come home. On the plane, I kept watching the window so that I could see the very first glimpse of the city. The clouds turned from a fluffy white to a flat, grey/brown color, until it was only a veil that thinly covered the rainy city. This year, I knew what I would be seeing: townhouses made of brownstone in a rather uniform style, with driveways and cars in their neat little cul-de-sacs. Masses of green made of a richer color because of all the rain here. Patches of city made of gray, industrial-looking buildings. It doesn't sound special, but it is. 

     London is not a typically beautiful city, but that's part of its charm! It's a city where the old and new live side by side. It's familiar, but entirely different, because of its European background. I can walk down a modern street and see a shop next to a building over three hundred years old! The old buildings are maintained and still in use, of course, so everything melds together with a really unique, European look. And the newer buildings were built out of necessity, since London was blown to bits during the Blitzkrieg of WWII. To me, it's a sign of resilience. London is a city that has survived since the Roman times; it's seen war, plague, persecutions, terror, plots, changing royal families and countries that have held sway in the government, exploration, inventions, epic victories, and so much more. It has been one of the greatest influences of the Western world, and all of its experience can be seen in its capital city.      Today I passed a park surrounded by iron gates. It's one of many public parks, but if you know its history, you know that beneath its green, welcoming surface is a burial pit holding thousands of plague victims from one of the Black Plague outbreaks. It sounds gory, I know, but I find it fascinating! It's also not uncommon to see blue plaques on the brick walls of buildings describing a famous painter or writer that lived there in their time. And, of course, there are the famous buildings that everyone knows, like Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul's Cathedral, etc. 

     Needless to say, there's never a shortage of things to do and see, so I try to spend as much time out of my hotel room as possible. Unfortunately, I was so exhausted yesterday that I caved in and took a nap once I finally got to my hotel. On my way there, I got a fascinating history lesson from my friendly cab driver. My hotel wasn't too far from Paddington station, but it took a while to get there because the roads were blocked for the Queen's speech at the Opening of Parliament. English security used to only block off the block surrounding Parliament, but it's extended quite a bit due to their frequent problems with Al-Qaida. 

     I'm used to small rooms in Europe; I'm a small person, so I get used to it quickly. There's enough room for me! Since I don't spend much time in my hotel room, it's even easier to get used to. However, this hotel has redefined the meaning of "small." Below are a few pictures:

It makes me think of Harry Potter's closet.

Yes, that is indeed a small shower next to my door.

And that is the rest of the bathroom...in the opposite corner of the room. 

     It's also extremely loud. Again, you find this in most centrally-located hotels, but this is pretty bad. I'm on the second floor (which is the third floor, in US terms), and I can still hear the footsteps on the street below. I've been able to sleep though, so that's nice. I know it sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm laughing, really. What else can you do? It's so different, and in the end, it's a place to stay with a story to tell, so I'm grateful. 

     Anyway, I dragged myself up from my nap later in the afternoon and decided to take the tube down to Harrod's. 

     I've come to the conclusion that, no matter how much I want to, I will never be able to afford anything in this store. There are amazing gowns, jewels, watches, etc. that I've only ever seen in magazines, or worn by people with millions of dollars. It's all so beautiful! I mean, the fabrics they use alone point out that I am on the bottom rung of their totem pole. Most of the fashion-forward-looking workers there don't bother talking to me--they know I'm not going to buy anything, hahaha. Also, that store is enormous! I've been there twice and I still haven't been able to find my way through the whole thing! I was trying last night when I came across the millinery section. I heard the camera above me twitching and refocusing every few SECONDS as I looked at all of the fascinators and refrained from touching them. I was sure that guards would come and interrogate me if I did! So I forced myself to move on to another section of the store. After that, a lovely Canadian employee found me and told me that the store had closed (I hadn't even heard that announcement! Maybe that's too "common."). She was very friendly and we had a nice conversation on our way out of the store, as she heard that we had accents in common. 

     I was starving by this point, so I stopped at an adorable little bakery for a chocolate croissant, then at my favorite food chain, Pret-A-Manger, for a take-home dinner. It's affordable, it's tasty, and they use fresh, natural ingredients for food that's made that day and disposed of that day. Yum!

     Well, that's all for day one! I hope you enjoyed it. More to come!

     Cheers!