London: Part One
A chance to relax and do a blog post from Canadian soil. Thanks Canada House.
After finishing work on Tuesday, I hopped on the 19:30 train destined for St. Pancras Station, London. I had booked my hostel earlier in the day, the Smart Camden Inn in Camden Town. It was the cheapest one in the list, and I was soon to find out why. After alighting the train an hour and a half later I followed the signs to the Tube station at King's Cross (where the worst of the 7 July bombings occurred). I bought my one way ticket to Camden Town, a whopping £4.
Upon arriving I was informed that the room I booked for the second night was already full so I would have to be moved in the morning. I was none too impressed but it turned out to be a free upgrade, as the second room was an 8-bed dorm rather than the 14-bed dorm the first night. Before long I realised that this hostel was a far cry from the friendly comfortable spots that were the Stranger Hostels in Poland. But when in London, the cheaper the better.
I didn't venture too far the first night; just a quick exploratory stroll around Camden Town. To be honest it seemed like any British urban area. It didn't seem to have the character I was expecting.
The next morning I awoke around 8:00 and grabbed some free Continental breakfast in the TV room (because the kitchen was being renovated - a detail that was not mentioned in the web ad). I packed what I needed in my daypack and headed out on the town. The first snowfall of the season had occurred overnight, and the inch or so that fell wreaked havoc on the transport system. Nevertheless I bought my Underground day pass and descended into the Tube to begin my adventures.
I started at Oxford Circus and made my way southeast toward the Thames. The first point on the journey was Carnaby Street, the famed 60s fashion hub. From there I proceeded to The Living Room W1, the London counterpart to my place of employment in Nottingham. I checked the menu on the window to see how the prices differed. Some dishes were about £1 more than ours.
I headed down Regent Street to Picadilly Circus, where the giant LED advertising screen distracts drivers and tourists. Everything is so close together here. Despite how massive the city is, all of the squares and landmarks are actually pretty close to each other. Trafalgar Square was just a stone's throw from there. I decided to pop into Canada House, the Canadian High Commission's HQ in the UK. There I was informed that as a Canadian I was welcome to come in and use the internet, read the paper, relax, etc. I flipped through the fresh edition of the Globe and Mail, hours before most Canadians saw it.
From there I headed toward Big Ben, visible from the Square. I passed by the Queen's Horse Guard House, where the guards in their ridiculous red costumes sat sternly upon their horses. I managed to make it down to Big Ben to catch it tolling noon, a significant event seeing as it was a Wednesday. This means Prime Minister's Question time (PMQs), when the MPs on both sides of the house get to pelt Tony Blair with hard-hitting questions, only to get safe roundabout answers. I wandered around Parliament Square, past the armoured guards with machine guns, and the famed Blair protesters camped across from the entrance to the Houses of Parliament.
I walked across Westminster Bridge, and decided to pay the £14.50 to take a flight in the London Eye, the huge Ferris Wheel. The view was quite amazing. The 0nly landmarks that were not visible were the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, as the buildings in their environs were blocking them.
I continued down the waterfront and ended up at the Tate Modern, the highlight thus far. The environment is very welcoming. Admission is free and the little interactive electronic guide was only £1 (when I showed my (expired) student card). It is a place that, if I lived in London, I would visit regularly. I only managed to see about three quarters of one of the permanant exhibit floors. I believe I will return on Friday to see more.
I arranged to meet my friend Allan, whom I met at the One Red Paperclip housewarming party in Kipling, Saskatchewan this past summer. His website Are You My Wife has been gaining him some international attention. We met in Leicester Square and popped into a restaurant to grab some food and a beer. Our meeting was brief, as he is a very busy man, but it was nice to see a fellow Canadian and a familiar face. He was to be interviewed by Global the following morning.
From there I headed back to the hostel to dump my backpack off. I headed out later just to wander around in the West End, before finally returning to the hostel to sleep.
The next day would see another meeting with Canadian friends, and some more exploration.
Cheers.
After finishing work on Tuesday, I hopped on the 19:30 train destined for St. Pancras Station, London. I had booked my hostel earlier in the day, the Smart Camden Inn in Camden Town. It was the cheapest one in the list, and I was soon to find out why. After alighting the train an hour and a half later I followed the signs to the Tube station at King's Cross (where the worst of the 7 July bombings occurred). I bought my one way ticket to Camden Town, a whopping £4.
Upon arriving I was informed that the room I booked for the second night was already full so I would have to be moved in the morning. I was none too impressed but it turned out to be a free upgrade, as the second room was an 8-bed dorm rather than the 14-bed dorm the first night. Before long I realised that this hostel was a far cry from the friendly comfortable spots that were the Stranger Hostels in Poland. But when in London, the cheaper the better.
I didn't venture too far the first night; just a quick exploratory stroll around Camden Town. To be honest it seemed like any British urban area. It didn't seem to have the character I was expecting.
The next morning I awoke around 8:00 and grabbed some free Continental breakfast in the TV room (because the kitchen was being renovated - a detail that was not mentioned in the web ad). I packed what I needed in my daypack and headed out on the town. The first snowfall of the season had occurred overnight, and the inch or so that fell wreaked havoc on the transport system. Nevertheless I bought my Underground day pass and descended into the Tube to begin my adventures.
I started at Oxford Circus and made my way southeast toward the Thames. The first point on the journey was Carnaby Street, the famed 60s fashion hub. From there I proceeded to The Living Room W1, the London counterpart to my place of employment in Nottingham. I checked the menu on the window to see how the prices differed. Some dishes were about £1 more than ours.
I headed down Regent Street to Picadilly Circus, where the giant LED advertising screen distracts drivers and tourists. Everything is so close together here. Despite how massive the city is, all of the squares and landmarks are actually pretty close to each other. Trafalgar Square was just a stone's throw from there. I decided to pop into Canada House, the Canadian High Commission's HQ in the UK. There I was informed that as a Canadian I was welcome to come in and use the internet, read the paper, relax, etc. I flipped through the fresh edition of the Globe and Mail, hours before most Canadians saw it.
From there I headed toward Big Ben, visible from the Square. I passed by the Queen's Horse Guard House, where the guards in their ridiculous red costumes sat sternly upon their horses. I managed to make it down to Big Ben to catch it tolling noon, a significant event seeing as it was a Wednesday. This means Prime Minister's Question time (PMQs), when the MPs on both sides of the house get to pelt Tony Blair with hard-hitting questions, only to get safe roundabout answers. I wandered around Parliament Square, past the armoured guards with machine guns, and the famed Blair protesters camped across from the entrance to the Houses of Parliament.
I walked across Westminster Bridge, and decided to pay the £14.50 to take a flight in the London Eye, the huge Ferris Wheel. The view was quite amazing. The 0nly landmarks that were not visible were the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, as the buildings in their environs were blocking them.
I continued down the waterfront and ended up at the Tate Modern, the highlight thus far. The environment is very welcoming. Admission is free and the little interactive electronic guide was only £1 (when I showed my (expired) student card). It is a place that, if I lived in London, I would visit regularly. I only managed to see about three quarters of one of the permanant exhibit floors. I believe I will return on Friday to see more.
I arranged to meet my friend Allan, whom I met at the One Red Paperclip housewarming party in Kipling, Saskatchewan this past summer. His website Are You My Wife has been gaining him some international attention. We met in Leicester Square and popped into a restaurant to grab some food and a beer. Our meeting was brief, as he is a very busy man, but it was nice to see a fellow Canadian and a familiar face. He was to be interviewed by Global the following morning.
From there I headed back to the hostel to dump my backpack off. I headed out later just to wander around in the West End, before finally returning to the hostel to sleep.
The next day would see another meeting with Canadian friends, and some more exploration.
Cheers.
posted by Mark Bauche at 12:05 PM
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