So I know it has been awhile since I’ve done any posts, but that’s because I’ve been so busy travelling and ACTUALLY doing work throughout the weeks to the point that I haven’t had time to write. Since I’m leaving on Wednesday for my Eurotrip, I decided that I’d better update everyone on what I’ve done these past few weeks, and all the exciting stories that have developed.
On the weekend of March 9-12th Mike and I went to London and then Bristol on the Monday to visit Chris Spencer who is on exchange there! After taking an overnight bus and getting 2 hours of sleep at the most, we arrived in London at 6:45am. We spent the day walking around the city seeing all the sights. We first saw Buckingham Palace at 7:30am, then walked through Green Park where we saw Canadian Geese and pelicans, saw the Wellington Arch, Piccadilly Circus, and then found the store that sells Tim Hortons hot drinks and donuts which we were VERY happy to see – of course we stopped and got coffee/hot chocolate. There’s nothing like a bit of home when you’re away from it for so long. We then went to Trafalgar Square, saw the Admiralty Arch, and then went back to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards. Next we walked to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Parliament Buildings and the London Eye. It was crazy how much walking we did.
Afterwards, we walked all the way past Buckingham Palace to our hilariously small hotel. The room was literally a tiny hallway, with a double bed at the end enclosed by walls on all 4 sides except for the where the hallway met it. The washroom was a tad bigger than an airport washroom, and that is only because there was a tiny shower in it. We then met up with a friend from Strathclyde at the British Museum (which we walked an hour to) and walked around it for a bit until we were way too tired to walk anymore. After stopping for some dinner and a chance to rest our tired and sore feet, we then came to the touristy area of Piccadilly Circus again. The whole area was buzzing with people everywhere and it definitely seemed like the place to be. We went in a few shops and then found the famous M&M World, which definitely lightened our spirits after an exhausting day!
On the Saturday we had the London Pass so we had to be as efficient as possible with our sight seeing. We started the day off with Westminster Abbey, which was one of my favourite parts of London. It was amazing seeing the inside of it where so many Royalties have been before (and are still there buried!). It was also amazing seeing the features in real life that I recognized from watching the Royal Wedding on television last year. We then took the underground to St. Paul’s cathedral where we spent the remainder of our morning. Once again, we were blown away by the architecture and how beautiful it was inside. Afterwards, we took the underground to the Tower of London where we walked around and saw the Queen’s Jewels and the White Tower exhibits inside. We then decided to take a break and get ice cream since it was SUCH a beautifully warm day out. We ate our ice cream between the Thames River and the Tower of London while seeing the Tower Bridge. Was definitely a nice break. Next, we went to the London Bridge Experience, which was definitely a let down. I don’t recommend it to anyone because there was glass and fencing on each side of it so you couldn’t take any good photos or see very well even. We then made our way to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre to finish the day off with our final tour. After a very busy day sightseeing we decided to take it easy and splurge by going to a Greek restaurant. Although it was still very cheap, it was a very nice change from the hectic 2 days we had just experienced. We then finished the night off by going to the Queen’s Bowl and Skate at London’s ONLY indoor skating rink. Mike was very excited since he missed skating very much, and I of course enjoyed it even though I only go skating like once a year anyways. It was a very fun way to end our day, and by the end of it, we were yet again ready to crash as soon as we got back.
On Sunday we started the day off early and went to King’s Cross’s Platform 9 ¾, Abbey Road, and Soho. We also went to the Museum of Natural History which I LOVED, and just sat in Hyde Park across from Royal Albert Hall. We then rented Bixi bikes and rode them for a bit, but then the ride transformed into the Amazing Race. After 45 minutes we were ready to dock the bikes but the problem was, was that we couldn’t find a docking station for them. Whenever we DID find a docking station they were all full. After riding all around the city trying desperately to find a place to dock them we finally did and rewarded ourselves with some pizza. We then walked back to Big Ben and the Parliament Buildings to take more pictures at night, and then decided to go home.
We went to bed early since we had to get up at 6am the next day to catch a 7:30am bus to Bristol, but we ended up having to go to bed later. When we went to bed we heard dripping sounds in the walls but we figured that it was from someone showering. Then at about 11:15pm Mike woke up to a drip of water landing on his arm. We turned on the light, looked up, and there was indeed a leak falling right where Mike was sleeping. Mike went and told the receptionist, who gave us a better and new room. Problem with this room was that they couldn’t unlock the washroom door. We then got moved AGAIN to a smaller room like before, which hadn’t been cleaned and didn’t have sheets. Then all of a sudden they said they got the washroom door open so we ended up staying back in the original new room. The washroom was not clean though but it was already 12am and we just wanted to get some sleep before waking up early to go to Bristol so we didn't care. We were not impressed.
Finally, we went to Bristol on the Monday and met up with Chris! It was nice catching up with him and sharing our stories that we all had experienced so far on exchange. He first showed us around the University of Bristol, and to a nearby park with a large tower on it, which we climbed up to see a view of the city. We then walked around the city until we came to a market and had some lunch. After having some lunch, we then walked around the city more and went back to his residence to hang out. We then left and led a blind man with his dog in the right direction, and then decided to go hang out in a pub for an hour before Mike and I had to leave for our plane home. All in all it was a very fun weekend, but it was definitely jam packed with things to see, to the point that it wore us out. There are still many sights that I want to see that we didn’t have time to see so I’d definitely go back.
