The Backpacking Chronicles- 'Ello London!

Black Cab + Double Decker Bus

     I skipped my stint on London in the face of pure excitement over my nine course french meal but I have to say a few great things about my time in London. I've never been to England although I've met a bunch of really nice english folks here in Murcia, like my awesome roommates (you da best Jess & Jess). Although they sent me to England with a few sites to see (look kids! Big Ben, Parliament!), they informed me of some unofficial things (Nandos, kebabs) that an American tourist in England must do and some I made up all on my own.

Elephant & Castle Hostel

    Hostelworld found Elephant & Castle Hostel, a nice place for us to crash for the night since our stint in London would only be for a night, and we threw down our stuff finally happy to be off our feet after the long layover in Iceland- and no sleep. Of course, being in a new country and hearing all my english friends rave about the quality of english kebabs, I had to have one. So we walked around the area outside our hostel in the valiant quest for a kebab. I was informed, only after returning to Murcia, from my friend Reanne that Elephant & Castle happens to be a, 'proper dodgy bit of London', which in hindsight, explains why I felt like I was walking through little Jamaica and having no luck with kebabs. Finally we found the promise land of garlic mayo and chicken wraps, refueled, and crashed for the night.

Royal Guard

   First thing I saw after getting off the metro was my first double decker bus- I would like to point out that it was a constant battle to restrain myself from the countless Harry Potter references continuously about to be blurted out. I took my picture in a red telephone booth and saw the infamous black London cabs. Then we were fortunate to walk by the royal stables right when the royal calvary were starting a procession. Unfortunately the queen's guard was otherwise occupied escorting her to tea or something similarly royal and english, so no changing of the guards that day. Buckingham palace was absolutely gorgeous. Although I was expecting torrential downpours, it was just overcast and a little soggy all the time. Perfect for pictures!

     I am not really a fan of eating anything that comes from the ocean, but of course I needed to try some proper london fish & chips. My conclusion is that anything slathered in batter, deep fried, served with a lemon wedge and a cup of tartar sauce could never be anything but downright delicious. More food commentary, it seems every dish in england is deconstructed. I ordered the chicken dish next to the fish & chips picture, and it really just seemed like a deconstructed chicken pot pie. The kebabs? Deconstructed on a plate. Maybe it's an excuse to not go outside in the cold and the wet if you have to spend a little more time constructing your meal. I don't hate the idea.

typical english pub!

typical english pint!

typical english chicken dish!

the most typical english fish & chips

     One of the highlights for me was seeing Shakespeare's Globe theatre. Since I study literature back home, given the amount of times I've read about The Globe, I had to see it on principle. I had another fish and chips at the restaurant outside the Globe, extra tartar, then had some cocktails by the river and watched the london eye illuminate the skyline.

Outside of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

    London was busting with people everywhere you go, there's plenty of good places to eat and relax, and it has a lot of interesting sites to spend the day meandering to and fro. Two days definitely wasn't enough time to take in all the sights and history but it was enough of a tease to convince me this wouldn't be my last time in the city.