Loads of London

The days following Fallas felt strange. You are so relieved that you can once again walk freely through the streets with no fireworks exploding at your side, but it is a bittersweet feeling because you somehow miss the craziness that had surrounded you for a week. Well, really three weeks. Everything is back to normal, but it's been so long since normal existed that normal now seems strange. So, it's a little sad but not sad to the point that you want it to happen again anytime soon...or maybe ever again.

Needless to say, I slept and slept for the next few days. Went to work, came home, and slept. Oh yes, and spent most nights blogging before my next adventure, which began the Thursday after Fallas ended on Saturday (barely enough time to pull my life back together.)

Thursday morning I left for London to stay with Sarah Jones! (good friend from camp/Mississippi). I was a little anxious since this would be my first solo gig. Not only did I have to pack and get all my travel info in order for London, I also had to get ready for Barcelona and Amsterdam. My next week looked like this:

Thur - Mon : London
Mon - Thur : Barcelona
Thur - Sat : Amsterdam

And since I wasn't 100% sure if my Spanish cell phone would work in London, I had to get exact directions to meet Sarah at her work place. But the good news is, they speak English in London! You have no idea what a relief it is. Every time I've landed in another country I've had a slightly panicked thought of, "Wow, they don't speak English here and I don't speak (French/Italian.)" ...Even though it shouldn't be that terrifying because SOMEONE (in fact several someones) spoke English in those countries. But still, I knew for a fact that anyone I turned to for help or directions in London..I knew I would be able to understand them COMPLETELY...well...mostly.

On the morning I left, Valencia was lookin' nasty. I flew Ryanair, which is the main airline we all use because it is incredibly cheap. The only thing is they charge you for every little extra thing they can. So no complementary drink. Wanna check a bag? Fee. If you're carry-on doesn't fit into their little bag measuring device...Fee. As Catalina said at the beginning of the semester, they'd charge you to go to the bathroom if they could. Now I believe it. But you can sit wherever you like on the plane, and they load from the front and the back, so that's nice.

The Ryanair flights I've taken out of Valencia have been really loud. As in the people have been loud. When flying to Rome, I thought maybe the volume was due to a large number Italians flying back to their mother country...but no. After this flight to London I realized the blame is mostly with the Spanish. Granted, this flight also had a large group of high school Spanish kids.

Either way, I have never been on a plane where the flight attendants had to shhh us in order to go through their beginning of the flight shpeel. First, the guy starts talking on the microphone about seat belts. Then, the lady flight attendant comes through the aisle asking everyone to pay attention. That doesn't work. The guy has to pause his announcements and ask us all to be quiet over the microphone. "If you don't pay attention to the emergency procedures, the plane cannot take off." Dang.

These were the girls sitting next to me. They were very excited. So they were constantly leaning over me to take pictures outside the window.



Mountains



Getting ready to land in London. Every time the plane made a move that caught your stomach, everyone on the plane went "Wwwoooooaah" or "ahhhhhhhhh."


And of course they all cheered when we landed. Ryanair also plays the "daa daa daaa da da da da da da da dah da dah" (like the tune they play at the beginning of horse races... or whatever tune it is that you say CHARGE after) ...they play that every time they land.
Basically, Ryanair is a circus.

London was the first time I had to go through customs. You don't have to go through customs if you're traveling in the European Union. But the UK is different. So I don't have a France or Italy stamp in my passport...but I do got England now!

After landing, I had to take a 45 minute train into London. Felt really bad for this one chick who had gotten on the wrong train. Her English wasn't very good. I wanted to tell her that I'd been there before. But instead I just smiled sympathetically.

London Liverpool St. Station




My first tube ticket. At this point, I am very proud of myself for getting from plane to train to a tube ticket.


Headed down to the tube


Me saying "tube" in the tube.


Really, I shouldn't be all that proud. The London tube (which I don't understand why they had to call it the tube...everywhere else is just fine using the term 'metro') is very easy to navigate. It's almost impossible to get on the wrong line. There's a nice voice that tells you everything you need to know. Not only does it tell you what stop is next, but also what other lines you can catch at that stop. Quite helpful.

Got off the tube and had to walk to Sarah's work, Sotheby's. I realized as I was walking that I wasn't real sure how to pronounce this name, so I hoped I didn't have to ask anyone. I had also realized that I didn't have my cell phone. Ooops. Must've left it in my room. Luckily, I had very good directions and I found Sotheby's with no problem.

Yay I made it! Sarah took an hour for lunch!


The first meal I have in London is a "Mexican style baguette."
Yes, I know... I should be ordering fish and chips or something. But I had already decided that while trying some English food was important, I mainly just wanted NOT-Spanish food. So I ordered food that my stomach wanted.
Whatever, I love guacamole.

Then, Sarah sent me off on my own to the National Gallery. It was so much fun walking around alone. You can stop and take a picture of whatever you feel like and you don't have to wait on anyone or make anyone wait on you. I think I could get used to this...at least in English speaking countries.

Pictures on the way to National Gallery

London Taxis






At one point I went to a bathroom and this woman was standing there. I stood behind her, but then she turned and said, "Oh, no, I'm not queuing."
Um, excuse me, you're not doing what in the bathroom?


Superman? Are you in there?




A fight between Fish and Chips vs. Pizza Hut. Who would win?
Man I haven't seen a Pizza Hut in ages. If only I hadn't just eaten.


Flag... I think I kinda love this flag.


Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery

Went in the National Gallery. No photos allowed. I decided not to test the English and their camera rules. Saw Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rafael....you know, the usual.


Monet? Is that you?


Yes, I definitely love this flag.


Then it was time to meet Sarah getting off work. Pictures headed back to Sotheby's.
Tarted up



Confused street performer


Double deckers!



I got back to Sotheby's earlier than expected since I walked. So I meandered around the street, which was full of fancy people clothing stores. Enter Emily.
Walked past this one store near Sotheby's (The E.Z. store in photo below) and saw a table of drinks and snacks inside. Perfect.

I walk in to this fashionable men clothing store and was offered a champagne just as I had hoped. As I sipped my drink, I pretended to look at all the fancy clothes and accessories. Had to look slowly as this store wasn't too big. Put my empty drink down, prepared to leave, when the nice man offered more. Well, I don't mind if I do. More pretending.
And some sneaky photos.

It's not normal to take pictures of yourself in mirrors of clothing stores. Not exactly a tourist stop.

As I was leaving, the man who opened the door asked if I enjoyed my drink. Probably trying to insinuate that he was on to my scam. I smiled and said of course!
Met Sarah and told her about my day.
Told her that I had walked from National Gallery.
Sarah: "That is so good of you."
Me: "Wow, that is so British of you."

Then I discovered that Sarah says lots of "British things." She doesn't talk with an accent or anything...that would be silly. But she says these things:

Loads ... There are loads of people here
Meant ... We were meant to go to the party last weekend but we couldn't
Hectic ...Same way we use it, they just say it more.

Sotheby's (which I originally thought was a clothing store) is an art place. They have auctions and stuff and Sarah works in the impressionist department (well she worked there... now she got a new job).


Reception at Sotheby's...dang Sarah is fancy.



So as we were talking about the art I saw and have seen in Europe, and she informed me that the REAL Mona Lisa in the Louvre is actually locked away in a safe or something. They rotate 7 different ones into the display. That just adds to the overall disappointment of Mona.

Took my first double decker bus ride. We stopped at the store for dinner stuff then met her boyfriend Alex at a pub.

Alex and Sarah... not my picture. I didn't get a picture of Alex before he left for the weekend. So I took this from facebook. Cuties.


Pictures along the way.
Snog = Kiss and the name of this yogurt shop.

The Prince Albert pub


Me: "Sarah, isn't Prince Albert the name of...?"
Sarah: "No, Emily. Prince Albert is the name of a Prince."
Me: "But wait... isn't it the ... you know?"
Sarah: "No. Prince."
But she knows ;)


Bathrooms...excuse me, The Loos


Cider in a pub.



Walked to their flat and Alex made the most amazing curry dinner.


So food summary thus far in London: Mexicanish Sandwich and Indian dinner.


Sarah and Alex's flat
Kitchen (with washing machine there to the right of the stove)


Living room (dryer to the left)



hallway


Cannot tell you how happy I was to not be in a hostel. Thank you, thank you, thank you Sarah and Alex. Belly full of curry, I fell asleep on their couch to the sound of British accents on the tele. Good day.