My second full day in London was much like the first: a lot of walking, a lot of seeing touristy things but being annoyed by tourists, a lot of walking, a lot of making sure my phone didn't die. I would have liked to take a trip out to Oxford but a 2+ hour train ride each way would make it a full-day commitment and there were still a few places I wanted to visit in London. I also would have liked to go to Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare's birth and resting place) and Stonehenge, among other places. Next time.
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| Greenwich Park |
I started out my second morning by finally exploring the area I'd been staying in for the past two days. I thought Greenwich was a great, quaint part of London. It seems small and quiet yet is close enough to the city center to not be boring or inconvenient. I appreciated its rich historical background and chance for excitement yet the solitude and tranquility it offered, particularly in 180 acre Greenwich Park -- thick grass covering vast stretches of land and rolling hills, rain falling lightly on my upturned hood, the sound of a dog barking in the distance, enormous trees watching over all. Greenwich park is home to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, best known as being the location of the prime meridian. It was also a place of study for many famous scientists, like Edmund Halley. Walking on stairs once tread by such pioneers of science was a spine-tingling experience. Standing with one foot on each side of the prime meridian was pretty cool, too.
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| Shepard gate 24-hour time clock and standard lengths |
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| One foot in each hemisphere |
Located just down the hill from the observatory is the Maritime Museum, Old Royal Naval College, and The (former) Queen's House. I didn't go into any of them because I had other things on my agenda and, quite honestly, they weren't of any particular interest to me.
Upon stepping off the train into London, I went around doing clean up work from the day before. I went to Westminster Abbey first. Though the tombs and dedications were impressive, fighting the crowds was mostly just for the the sake of saying "I've been there," with the exception of Isaac Newton's and Chaucer's tombs. I was genuinely interested in seeing those memorials, along with the rest in Poet's Corner. From Westminster it was a quick jaunt to the National Gallery to pop in for a glance at Van Gogh's Sunflowers, again, mostly for the sake of being able to say I've seen it -- I appreciate art but I don't fancy standing around for hours looking at it; I see what I want to see and then get out of other people's way. Photographs were not allowed in either place so I don't have any to share with you.
After a bite to eat in Trafalgar Square, it was time to head North. Regent's Park was my first stop where I sat and read for a little bit, enjoyed the flowers, and listened through the hedge to a small portion of an outdoor play performance. On my way out of the park I ran into several cricket matches -- I don't think I'll ever understand that game -- as well a Flying-Trapeze school.
My next stop was Abbey Road. Much like Platform 9 3/4 from the day before, I didn't feel like standing in line to have my picture taken at a place I'm only marginally interested in. That, and the thought of joining the throngs of people blocking traffic annoyed me. So I took a picture of the famous zebra crossing and moved on. Don't get me wrong, I like most of the Beatles' music -- if only because they were the most influential act of the rock era -- but it's never been at the top of my "Most Played" list. Still, Abbey Road was just another one of those places I had to go to so I can say I've been there.
I then had a bit of a trek back towards Regent's Park to get to Primrose Hill. Primrose Hill is both the name of the exclusive residential area that has housed or currently houses many notable residents -- Daniel Craig, Alan Rickman, Harry Styles, and Helena Bonham Carter, to name a few -- and the name of the hill overlooking Regent's Park and London. Once at the top, the view was quite spectacular, even with the haze obscuring the London Skyline's full splendour and beauty. Unfortunately, I didn't bump into any of the people listed above but, according to the people sitting on the bench next to mine, I came into contact with a rather well-known television news-caster, or something. I saw who they were talking about but had no idea who he was. His dog was cute, though. That's one thing London has in common with Oslo: it seems everybody owns a dog and they are all ridiculously cute; the dogs, I mean, though the people aren't too shabby looking either. Tangent over.
A friend in my Norwegian class recommended I go to Camden Market so once I'd had my fill of marvelous views and cute dogs I headed in that direction. I'm very glad I followed his recommendation. There was a festival of some sort going on in the market so in addition to the standard wide variety of street-food vendors and shops, there was a live music stage and a dance stage. Perhaps Camden Market is always that lively but, despite the crowd and perhaps even because of it, Camden Market was definitely a highlight of my trip. The music was great, the food was delicious and smelled amazing, the many maze-like alley-ways filled with innumerable street-vendors; all added to an atmosphere that I soaked up like a sponge. I don't know what finally made me leave but, eventually, I left to walk along the canal.
I headed back to Regent's Park, to the side I hadn't been to yet. I sat
on a bench along the park's main thoroughfare for maybe an hour,
reading and watching all the people on their way to the London Zoo.
That interested me: The London Zoo seemed to not only be a popular
tourist attraction -- the reptile house being where a Burmese
python escaped in
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone -- but
also a place where Londoners went to socialize and hang out. (I don't
know for sure if that's 100% true but it's the impression I got.) As much as
I'd have liked to go in, it was getting late and I had an 08:25 flight
to catch in the morning so I decided to head back to Greenwich. I tried
to make the walk and train ride last as long as possible. Now was
the time to say good-bye to London because the next morning I'd be too
tired and in too much of a rush to do so properly. I can't wait to go back.
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| The Broadwalk in Regent's Park |
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| Regent's Canal |
Thus ended my time in London. I hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed writing about it -- it's basically all I've been doing in my free time since I got back to Oslo on Saturday. I'll have more to post concerning classes and my week back at school later this week. Stay tuned. - NLD
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| Primrose Hill -- Let not the world's haze mar your perfect view |
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