London Calling (June 12 – June 16, 2011)

We never intended to begin our trip in London, but a free trans-Atlantic flight helped change our minds. Even after booking the London tickets using frequent flyer miles, we considered booking immediate onward flights to a less expensive destination.  Eventually we decided to spend four days in the city before moving on because Patrick had never been and London had special significance to Nora: it was where she kicked off her first backpacking trip—three months in Europe—exactly 10 years earlier. In the end, we both agree London was a great place to begin our adventure. The common language and the ease of moving around and exploring the city made it a good place to transition into life on the road.

Our days in London started with an early breakfast at our hostel (the advertised “free breakfast” that consisted of corn flakes, toast, and Nescafe – yum) before venturing out. While it rained the day we arrived and the day we left, the three days in between were pleasant (one was even sunny and warm!) and allowed us to see much of the city on foot. We didn’t venture far off the tourist path: Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, Buckingham Palace, Westminster, Parliament, Big Ben, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, Soho, Covent Gardens, Notting Hill, and a lot of walking along the Thames. We also explored the National Gallery (seeing  works of Van Gogh, Gaughin, Monet, and Renoir among others) and the British Museum (where, curiously, there is never a mention of how the museum came to possess the Rosetta Stone, sculptures from the Parthenon, Egyptian tombs, or most of its 7 million artifacts).We stopped for fish and chips twice and, of course, at a pub or two. One, “Ye Old Cheshire Cheese,” was rebuilt after the fires of 1666, but had roots much older (more recently, Dickens was a regular). It was dark and a little dank, just the way it should be, but pints were cheap and we liked the idea that this pub had been serving pints to people in this location since the earliest American colonies were founded. We stuck to lagers because even on a cold, rainy London day a pint of bitter (served warmish and flat) isn’t particularly appealing.

We also had the pleasure of meeting up with three old friends (Nora’s friend Matt from her trip to Australia; Patrick’s friend Pete from Arizona; and our friend Theo from San Francisco). Thanks to all of them for making the effort to meet up with us and share in our London experience.

Click the photo below to see our photo album for London.