Beans on Toast
Cheerio everyone! It has been a hot minute since my last post. School has kept me busy these past few weeks and I had an unfortunate incident in Athens that ended with my laptop being stolen. But we can discuss that later! I have so much to catch you up on!
Easter weekend was spent in London! Like every kid who grew up on Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter, I have always wanted to see London. It was at the very top of my travel list when I started the semester. We flew into London the night before Good Friday. Our hostel, Wombat City Hostel, was only a short walk from the Tower of London. Some of my roommates had stayed there earlier in the semester and loved it. It's a very nice hostel chain with various locations around Europe.
The first thing we did Friday morning was find the Sandeman's free walking tour (good ole Sandemans). The free walking tour led us around the heart of the city and, of course, led to other tours. That night we did their London Dark Side Tour, which covered stories about the Tower of London, the Plague and Jack the Ripper. One of the best and most interesting tours I have ever been on. Like Edinburgh, London has plenty of dark historical stories. On Friday I also managed to find a Waterstones! For a young book-lover who has been living in Italy for the past three months, English bookstores are very welcoming.
Friday night, we decided to have dinner at Duck and Waffle after a suggestion from J (see my Tour de France post). Duck and Waffle is a famous 24-hour restaurant that sits 40 stories above London. The only reservation we could get was at 2:15 am. Definitely worth it to try and make a reservation. I had the duck and waffle (duh) and it was delicious.
We got a late start on Saturday (gee, I wonder why) and went to the Tower of London. We bought discounted tickets from Sandemans. We had time to wander the grounds of the tower for a bit and do the Yeomen Warder tour with the Beefeaters. They are the ones who guard the tower and they hold tours every day until around 3pm. On the tour we got to go inside the Royal Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula. This chapel is where Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey were buried after their executions at the Tower. The Tower has so much to see! While there, you can see the Tower Ravens with their clipped wings or some of the famous torture instruments that were used back in the day. We had booked a Harry Potter tour through Sandemans, so we did not have time to see the Crown Jewels on Saturday. Instead we had to rush over to Westminster Abbey to find our guide.
Some of you may remember when my Harry Potter tour was tragically canceled in Edinburgh due to weather. Seceretly, I'm still a little bitter. The London tour is still finding its feet, but was a lot of fun. We saw multiple filming locations and talked about the many inspirations J.K. Rowling took from the city of London. My favorite part was the end though, when I got to get my picture taken at platform 9 3/4. It meant a lot to a kid who had waited a long time for her Hogwarts letter.
That night we randomly looked for Stonehenge tours that we could do on Sunday. It was very last minute, but we found an open tour to Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle that began the next morning. Windsor Castle was unfortunatly closed, so that the Queen could celebrate Easter there with her family. We ended up at Hampton Court Palace instead, which we loved. Our tour group spent all day loaded on a bus together, being rushed from site to site. We saw the Roman Baths in Bath and yes, I tasted the gross mineral water. Stonehenge was beautiful, I only wish we had more time to explore the vistors center there. They have all of the information about the mysterious history that surrounds Stonehenge. Hampton Court Palace is just outside London and it is beautiful. You could get lost in the gardens there. All in all, it wasn't a bad way to spend my first Easter away from home.
We left the next morning, but before heading to the airport, we snuck back to the Tower to see the Crown Jewels. I wish I had more time in London, there was still so much that I wanted to do!
Till next time!
