Day Two: Exploring London with a friend

Bet you'll never guess what this is...
Alarm set for: 8:00 am
Wake-up time: 8:30 am

They have a breakfast of champions at St. Christopher’s Village: toast with orange marmalade, cereal such as square wheat things, corn flakes, watered down juice, tea and instant coffee... but hey it’s free. So if you’re on a budget like me you’ll wake up before 10:30 am and stock up on corn flakes.

It wasn’t until 11 am that my tour guide Jeremey, a fellow Canadian living just outside of London, showed up in front of my hostel with a curled moustache and a City of London guidebook, marked with sights to see. I was planning on exploring London entirely on my own, so when my dad emailed me Jeremey’s contact details I hesitated... did I really want to spend the day with someone I’ve never met? But Jeremey was nice enough to come along for the adventure, we got along smashingly, and I would not have had such great time alone (even if he had to refer to the guidebook every ten seconds... kidding Jeremey!)

Tip for solo travellers: Do some exploring on your own, but don’t forget to make an effort to meet new people. They make great travel buddies and may show you something you wouldn't have thought to explore on your own.



We decided to go on our own walking tour with recommendations from the guidebook and Jeremey’s superiour knowledge of the city. Our starting point was Southwark Cathedral located on the southern bank of River Thames. We entered Shakespeare’s Globe curious to see how much we could see without paying for a tour... not much. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘As You Like It’ were the performances playing at the time. I really wanted to see ‘Romeo and Juliet’ but it was sold out for the week. Jeremey and I were surprised because there are 700 standing seats (£ 5 each) per performance. That’s a lot of sold out tickets!

First pint of the day: Noon at the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (re-built in 1667) we stumbled upon it by accident. I was drawn to the dark alleyway, round medieval sign and the word Cheese in the name. Its a dingy yet cozy bar with just a few drunks getting an early start to the day. Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Bitter (English Ale 4.0% abv) is the BEST pint I’ve ever had. It was smooth, delicious, and went down like a vanilla sundae.



We started to hit up the major attractions heading across the Millennium Bridge to St. Paul’s Cathedral which was re-built in 1080, after the London fire and fact number two: it sits on the highest point in London (which is not very high at all). We stepped in for a gander but again, refused to pay admission. We only got a few feet into the main entrance, although we were tempted to just hop over the guard rail while no one was looking.

Bridge crossing is a popular sport in London, there are about seven that cross over the River Thames. So we crossed another one back to the South side. I recommend crossing bridges often, the views are amazing and zig-zagging about will give you lots of exercise.

Be bold and hop on the London Eye for £13.00 to see spectacular views of the city including Windsor Castle from the top on a crystal clear day. However, if you’re on a budget like me you will settle for the views of London on the ground. The London Eye kept popping up at different points in the city, from every angle the view of the structure is incredible. At times I could see more than one historical structure towering over the urban jungle of trees and buildings.

Tip: Don’t forget to take in the view in front of you but every once in awhile look back. The view could be even better.

There were a number of entertaining buskers near the London Eye. My favourite was Captain Jack Sparrow who thought I was taking a photo and posed for me for a good ten seconds. Then there was the cat man whose head was stuck in a cage dancing to some techno. Check out the videos below.

Across Westminster Bridge, we stopped to admire the towering Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Jeremey then went on a rant about the politicians robbing tax payers to build absolute musts such as a private moat within the parliament and fulfulling their sweet tooth by writing off Kit Kat bars. To learn more about such rip offs check out Jeremey’s rant below.

Behind the Houses of Parliament is Westminster Abby, a gem that is worth gawking over inside and out (of course for £15.00 I chose out). The Abby has been the coronation church since 1066, and 38 coronations have taken place within. Many famous people have been buried in the Abby such as Robert Burns, Charles Darwin, William Shakespeare, some of the Royal family including Mary Eleanor Bowes... that’s right a Bowes! (http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/people/mary-eleanor-bowes) For me the Abby is best known as the place of Princess Diana’s wedding and funeral. I remember sadly watching the funeral service on the tele when I was 10 years old. As I walked down the streets surrounding the Abby, I tried to imagine the thousands of people that lined up to commemorate Princess Diana’s life.

Next stop Buckingham Palace, where you can witness the changing of the guards if you’re willing to line up well before 11:30 am to get a decent view. If I had more time in London (and didn’t spend my mornings trying to cure my hangovers) I probably would’ve tried to attend the spectacle. Instead I had my photo taken with a policeman, equally amusing to all tourists who visit London.

We skipped along merrily through St. James Green Park.

Jeremey rant # 2: took place in St. James’s Green Park gawking at ducks in the pond (see video below).

After duck gawking we marched along Picadilly Circus, home of window shopping for the rags and designer central for riches (I’m surprised I didn’t run into my good ole friend Barb while I was there).

Leister Square is officially my favourite place in London. The square is surrounded by little shops for tourists, restaurants / pubs such as Wetherspoons, which we stopped at for a wee pint (or two) and dinner. cinemas, galleries (The Portrait Gallery is another favourite), half price theatre tickets at the TKTS booth and more. Not to mention the piano in the middle of the square that proclaims ‘Play me’ (a project I will tell you all about next blog entry).

J D Wetherspoons is a popular and affordable restaurant / pub in the UK with 732 locations to choose from (http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/pubs) and in some locations a pint will only cost you one pound! The food is fantastic for a pub meal. I decided to order good ole fish and chips, while Jeremey decided to be bold and chow down the Chicken Vindaloo, which according to the menu is their hottest curry ever – can you handle it? Watch the video below to witness Jeremey and his tongue of steel tackle the fiery dish.

After approximately 5 hours of walking, 2 hours of pub sitting and 3 pints later we reached our final destination, Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square. The statue stands on a column that is 151 feet tall, I struggled to climb just the base meanwhile Jeremey climbed it no problem (flashback to: grade six gym class – a weak little Ashley struggles to make it more than two feet up the rope). It turns out a few gents have actually climbed to the top of the column successfully. Johnny Dawes is a famous British climber who joined forces with Noel Craine, Jerry Moffat and Simon Nadin in 1995 to free climb Nelson’s column. It was a protest on behalf of Survival International to recognize the struggle of Canadian Inuit people.

We took an elaborate short cut back to St. Christopher’s Village, completing the loop around the River Thames. My feet ached and my thirst for more ale was growing, making it an amazing day! Walking around London can be tiring but I highly recommend it if you’re the same as me. You love to be spontaneous, go at your own pace and take many photos without ten other people standing beside you, taking the exact same photo (but its London so that happens anyway). I said my good-byes to the best tour guide in town and after a crazy day, I was ready for a crazy night. Which my friends I will tell you all about next blog entry (gotta keep you in suspense somehow...)

Outline of the route we took around the River Thames

Thanks for reading, stay tuned for my last two days in London and don’t forget to check out the photos and videos below.

Much love from London,

Ashley