En Reconnaissance de Paris: London Blog

Bonjour tout le monde!

I have to begin by saying that although this past weekend in London was a truly incredible experience, we are so relieved to be back home in Paris. Seeing nothing but grey for days in a row is a sort of dreary that can really start to get you down. Yes, it's still cold here in Paris, but at least when you look out the window, you can see the sun looking back.

So anyway, we obviously spend the last few days in the UK. Our departure on Thursday was a bit rocky-- namely, we missed our train. Yes, we deserved it, yes, we should have been more careful, yes, somehow everyone else managed to make it... but, no, it was totally not our fault! Basically, a few weeks ago when we made our way to Amsterdam, the train system was unnaturally easy. There was no security, no one to stamp our passports, and virtually no need to slow down at any point at all. Therefore, when we left ourselves what we considered ample time for a similar train ride, we were caught by surprise to find that security and border control actually do exist. That said, we missed the train by a few narrow minutes. Fortunately for us, without even having to ask, we were immediately put on the very next train, an hour later, which was actually less crowded and meant we had time to grab a sandwich and coffee in the station.

Aside from the obvious change in language and direction of traffic, the very first difference we noticed between London and Paris was in the cab drivers. For example, in London they smile. That's not meant to be a joke. In Paris, you will be hard-pressed to find a driver who is friendly, talkative and genuinely interested in you. This is not their way of being cold-- it's just not culturally appropriate to intrude on another's private business. In London, however, everyone was so interested in us and excited about our travels. At first we were overwhelmed by all the talk and questions that we had become unaccustomed to, but we soon warmed up to it and enjoyed the conversation and positive energy in the London cabs.

Beyond some minor exploring Thursday night, our real first adventures happened Friday. We went on a free walking tour that started at the Wellington Arch by Hyde Park and took us through Green Park, past Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial, to the Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, along St. James Park, through Trafalgar Square, and to Parliament's building. The tour took about two and a half hours and we were absolutely freezing, but it was really worth it because the guide was great and we would never have been able to navagate the area ourselves. Needless to say, we were starving when the tour was over, and were really proud of ourselves for having stolen sandwiches from the breakfast buffet that our hostel had completely overcharged us for.

We made our way back to our hostel, but stopped along the way in Top Shop. While we were thrilled to be in this store because we loved all of the clothing, we were depressed to read the price tags, convert pounds to dollars in our heads, and eventually return almost every item to it's rack. But although we left the store a bit dejected, we were happy with the few more reasonably priced items we walked away with.

Later, we headed back towards the center of the city where we had Thai food in Chinatown for dinner. We split a few dishes that were both cheap and delicious. Although food in Paris is certainly enviable, we definitely had been missing some basic quality Asian cuisine.

On Saturday morning, we attempted to go see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, although everyone had told us it was an extremely overrated activity. As it turned out, we should have listened to this advice because after arriving a few mintues late, we realized there was nothing to see at all aside from crowds of cold and complaining tourists.

As we headed back towards the tube, we passed the Ritz. A friend had mentioned that tea time at the Ritz was an especially cool experience, so we decided to take a peek in and figure out what that would entail. We wandered into the hotel, looking outrageously out of place, and learned that this most authentic British tea would be served on the finest china and would include only the fanciest finger sandwiches-- all for only 40 pounds per person. Needless to say, we showed ourselves out, congratulating one another on our repeat stealthy sandwich stealing performance from breakfast.

We continued along to Harrods. I don't know if you all know anything at all about Harrods. It's basically a department store-- not unlike Bloomingdales in that you can buy anything from linnens to clothing to jewelry to perfume-- but it really is so much more. Entering the building is like walking into an alternate universe where there are live opera singers along the escalators (I'm completely serious), gourmet food shops in the dozens, and actually prized works of art on display. We essentially lost ourselves in Harrods for longer than we care to admit, taking in the sights, tasting some foods, and getting completely overwhelmed by the place.

By the time we wandered out, it was getting darker out, but Abbey still had a lifelong dream to accomplish-- a visit to Abbey Road. So after asking a few people for directions, we figured out the appropriate tube stops and transfers and made our way to the famous Beatles's crossing. We were corny, giddy tourists but certainly not the only ones. There were a few others running back and forth over this otherwise very ordinary crosswalk as well. Annoyed drivers continuously honked at us to get out of their way, but we loved every minute of it. We stayed until the sun went down, and Abbey may or may not have shed some tears.

After heading back to our hostel and getting cleaned up, we headed down to meet my cousin James and his girlfriend, Charlotte. It had been so many years for me that I almost thought I wouldn't recognize him, but the moment James appeared, I knew it was him. He honestly had not changed a bit from how I remembered. The four of us took a cab to Covent Garden where we found a pub where we could sit, have a drink, and catch up. I could hardly believe that it had been almost ten years since I last saw my cousin because it really felt like nothing had changed. We talked a bit about our family and what we were all up to now. Although I suppose it shouldn't be so extraordinary to see a relative, it was extremely special to be reunited with a part of my family that sometimes feels so disconnected with me in age and location. Talking with James for these few hours really reminded me of where I come from, what my roots are, and most importantly the value of family and maintaining close ties in spite of the ease with which we can become disconnected.

Sunday morning, Abbey and I woke up early to check out of our hostel and get over to the Tower of London. Although there were lots of families with little kids around, we enjoyed this activity because it was pretty cool to stand where actual kings and queens had been. Highlights were seeing the London Bridge and the Crown Jewels. Some of the stones were so huge they didn't seem like they could possibly be real. I suppose, however, that seeing the 2,000 kilo steel vault doors kind of helped us understand their true value.

Next, we tried to go see Shakespeare's Globe theater. Unfortunately, we could not simply see the theater without paying an outrageous price for a tour, so we thought it better to take a look from the outside and continue on our way. We then returned to Chinatown where we met up with my other cousin, Alana, who is studying outside London this semester and came in to meet up with us. Alana and I are very close, and it was really nice to see her. She looked great, seems to be very happy, and sounds like she's having a fantastic semester. We had a nice lunch together before Abbey and I headed, finally, back to St. Pancras station to board our train (no, we did not miss it this time) and return to Paris.

All in all, it was an action-packed weekend for us from which we returned quite exhausted. Although there were certain sights we had hoped to see, we realized that it would have been physically impossible to see everything in this historically dense city in so few days. As a whole, we were really happy with the way we had spent our time. Abbey was able to see her road, and I was able to see my family. Maybe these would not have been the same highlights for anyone else, but we couldn't have been more satisfied with our weekend.

Now it's back to classes until Thursday when we will be off for our next set of adventures in Prague!