It's my first time in Europe!
I arrived in London around dinner time on August 31st hoping to quickly get to my hostel, check-in, and find myself a good meal. Those hopes were almost dashed when I saw a long snaking lineup for customs which took about an hour to get through (not that bad compared to some of my other colleagues who flew to Heathrow as well). Anyhow, thanks to well-marked signs everywhere, I got an Oyster Card (for you Hong Kong-ers, it's like the Octopus card, but you can't pay for food with it) and boarded the Tube towards Holborn.
I got to my hostel for the next two nights, checked-in, threw down my bags, met my roomies for the night, and went off in search for Jamie's Italian. I think I was the only person in the restaurant dining by myself, but being a bit of a foodie I was pretty darn happy and I didn't care! I had some tasty antipasto and slurp-a-licous pasta.Yum! Not only that, I was loving the weather and being able to walk around without the gawking and staring (not to mention feeling pretty safe at night)!
The next day, blessed with blue skies, warm temps, and sunshine, I set out on a whirlwind tour of the city hitting all the main sights:
London is an amazingly easy city to get around in. There are signs and maps everywhere, transit running every which way, and if you can afford it, taxi cabs. I also have to mention that Londoners all look so fashionable ... at least a little if not head to toe. Didn't see too many people wearing jeans with runners (like I) and not a pair of Lulus in sight (see FB link to an article critiquing Vancouver's lack of fashion-sense).
My friend and fellow Capacity Support Officer, Paddye, was supposed to arrive in the evening, but got stuck in the customs line-up at Heathrow for over two hours. We were going to go for a late dinner, but after 9pm, I figured I better go eat before the restaurants close. I got back, there was still no sign of her so I got ready for bed. The next day, as I was up at 6am (and as was she) I heard her voice checking out while I was packing downstairs. I learned she didn't get in until really late and barely got a wink of sleep. We briefly said hello and she was off to the airport to fly into Shannon, Ireland, whereas I was going to take the scenic route through the UK to Holyhead via train to board a ferry to Dublin, then take another train to Limerick. We said our "see ya later" and started our journeys to find us some Leprechauns.
And here is a link to my favourite London photos.
I arrived in London around dinner time on August 31st hoping to quickly get to my hostel, check-in, and find myself a good meal. Those hopes were almost dashed when I saw a long snaking lineup for customs which took about an hour to get through (not that bad compared to some of my other colleagues who flew to Heathrow as well). Anyhow, thanks to well-marked signs everywhere, I got an Oyster Card (for you Hong Kong-ers, it's like the Octopus card, but you can't pay for food with it) and boarded the Tube towards Holborn.
I got to my hostel for the next two nights, checked-in, threw down my bags, met my roomies for the night, and went off in search for Jamie's Italian. I think I was the only person in the restaurant dining by myself, but being a bit of a foodie I was pretty darn happy and I didn't care! I had some tasty antipasto and slurp-a-licous pasta.Yum! Not only that, I was loving the weather and being able to walk around without the gawking and staring (not to mention feeling pretty safe at night)!The next day, blessed with blue skies, warm temps, and sunshine, I set out on a whirlwind tour of the city hitting all the main sights:
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| Buckingham Palace |
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| Westminster Abbey |
 |
| Big Ben |
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| Tower Bridge (it's up as a boat crosses through!) |
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| St. Paul's Cathedral |
London is an amazingly easy city to get around in. There are signs and maps everywhere, transit running every which way, and if you can afford it, taxi cabs. I also have to mention that Londoners all look so fashionable ... at least a little if not head to toe. Didn't see too many people wearing jeans with runners (like I) and not a pair of Lulus in sight (see FB link to an article critiquing Vancouver's lack of fashion-sense).
My friend and fellow Capacity Support Officer, Paddye, was supposed to arrive in the evening, but got stuck in the customs line-up at Heathrow for over two hours. We were going to go for a late dinner, but after 9pm, I figured I better go eat before the restaurants close. I got back, there was still no sign of her so I got ready for bed. The next day, as I was up at 6am (and as was she) I heard her voice checking out while I was packing downstairs. I learned she didn't get in until really late and barely got a wink of sleep. We briefly said hello and she was off to the airport to fly into Shannon, Ireland, whereas I was going to take the scenic route through the UK to Holyhead via train to board a ferry to Dublin, then take another train to Limerick. We said our "see ya later" and started our journeys to find us some Leprechauns.
And here is a link to my favourite London photos.
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