Just Me and 8.3 Million Others, Part I

I've only been back in Oslo a short while but I already want to go back to London.  Normally I'd be off-the-wall happy to be in Oslo because it's such a wonderful city but when I have to say good-bye to London it makes everything harder.  My past three days in London were, to quote the 9th Doctor, "Fantastic!"

Getting through classes on Wednesday was a struggle because one went by too fast and the other too slow.  Norwegian History was a mad dash to get five key terms described, two passages analyzed, a handful of multiple choice questions answered, a map of Norway's counties filled out, and one essay written in two hours -- two hours that went by far too quickly though, I hope, went well enough.  Norwegian, on the other hand, dragged by; waiting for the class to be over so I could just leave already was like waiting for the summer Sun to go down in Norway.

London from afar

Finally the long weekend arrived and it was time to leave.  Train ride after plane ride after bus ride after train ride and I somehow magically ended up in London.  First thing I did when I got there was purchase my Oyster Card.  If you ever go to London and are going to be there for more than just a day an Oyster Card is a necessity.  You can load an initial amount of money onto the card and then top-up as you need more.  It works for the Tube, DLR (Docklands Light Rail), buses, Overground, and most National Rail services.  It made getting around so much easier than having to buy individual tickets any time I wanted to get somewhere.

St. Mary Somerset Tower

Exiting the train station left me smack-dab in the middle of what must be the financial district -- people in suits all over the place, tall shiny buildings -- and made me feel rather out of place in shorts and a button-up.  It wasn't just in the financial district where people were dressed well.  People going out for the evening were dressed impeccably, as well.  Mixed in with the tall shiny buildings were much older ones.  It was one of my favourite things about London: you could be walking past a modern skyscraper and right next door would be a building dating back to the 12th century.

Eventually I made my way across the Thames (taking a picture of Tower Bridge from London Bridge along the way [see picture, left]) to London Bridge Station where I would catch the train to Greenwich, which is where I stayed.

Before doing that, I explored the area around London Bridge Station.  I came across a market -- Borough Market -- with many restaurants, bars, and pubs.  Around this time, I realised I hadn't eaten anything since lunch that afternoon at Blindern Studentehjem.  Not feeling too picky, I ordered some classic fare with a slight twist: Bangers on a Bun.  It was delicious but I was so hungry I didn't take much time to savour it.  After that I just wanted to check in at the hostel where I stayed and get some shut-eye before a big day of exploring.  Initially, I had intended to just wander around and go to whatever caught my fancy.  But London is so large with so much to do that had I not had at least some sketch of what I wanted to do I probably would have spent most of my time wandering aimlessly, hopelessly lost, or both.  Therefore, I stayed up a little later than I normally would have mapping out major stepping-stones for my first day in London.  Helpful in my search for things to do was an app called "London Travel Guide and Offline City Map."  Without it, I might have known what I wanted to see but no idea of how to get there, particularly where the Tube was involved.

The hostel I stayed at in Greenwich was a little difficult to find.  It's situated right above a bar in a square just outside the main entrance of the Greenwich train station but because I took a wrong turn coming out of a back-way exit, it took longer to find than it should have.  Despite it being right above a bar, I never took advantage of the situation, especially on that first night; I was too tired from many hours of walking or travel to get so drunk that I'd be glad to only have to stumble up a flight of stairs instead of across half a city.  That's not to say it wasn't nice to enjoy a beer or some cider after a long day of exploring London.

Though this was the first hostel I've stayed at since my trip to Europe four years ago (making it hard to make comparisons), I thought this hostel was relatively nice.  Unfortunately, one of my roommates insisted on complaining incessantly about every minute thing -- true or untrue -- that is wrong with the hostel.  I ignored him.  What does he expect?  A five-star hotel?  True, the rooms got rather warm at night and there was only one power strip to share between the room's eight occupants but, other than that, I found the hostel to be satisfactory for the price I paid (cheap).  It had all the essentials: a bed, clean sheets, free internet, a cage for my belongings (supply your own padlock), a relatively clean bathroom and showers, free breakfast in the morning, discounts on drinks and bar grub, and a friendly and helpful staff.  Towels you had to pay a fee to borrow but I brought my own so that wasn't an issue.  Overall, I was very happy with my stay there.  If you're looking for lobster and caviar breakfast buffets, 24-hour room service, and spotless private bathrooms with a wide array of elegantly scented soaps, it probably isn't for you; but if you're not afraid to make a few (small) sacrifices for a cheap place to stay for a few days then I'd highly recommend it.  I, at least, didn't spend much time there, anyway; mainly just to sleep at night, which is sort of the point, I think.

This was my second time in London but my first visit was only for a day so I wanted to come back to see some of the things I missed the first time around.  Last time I went with a group; this time I was completely alone.  It was nice to be able to soak up the city at my own pace.  Especially after three intense weeks of meeting new people and trying to be social, some "me" time was much needed.  It was one of the best experiences of my life to be entirely on my own -- no friends, no family, just me, my own instincts, my own two legs, and 8.3 million Londoners.

I haven't even gotten past my first half-day in London so I'm going to leave it there for now and continue tomorrow with Part II.  As always, I hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for reading!  Stay tuned.  - NLD