"As cut-throat commerce helped shape London in the 17th and 18th centuries, the talented, vain and venal flocked to join in its growth. Explore the city's twists and turns on its way to becoming what Disraeli called a 'modern Babylon'."
-Bruce Robinson from BBC article 'London, A modern Babylon'
I didn't consider myself one of the talented, vain or venal flocking to London to join it's growth but, though I'd passed through London-Heathrow airport many times, I had yet to see the city and decided it was time to check the place out. Despite my usual desire to avoid large cities I still try check out the culture and amenities the larger metropolises of the world have on offer. Then, not long after visiting the key sites, I will scramble away from the crush of humanity to smaller, more peaceful towns, preferably those near the sea. In March, I was headed to Norfolk to attend the Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) course (training to work on seismic vessels conducting acoustic watches for marine mammals) and decided, since I was actually leaving the airport buildings of London this time, I should spend a few days visiting London.
I rode the London Underground...took the Piccadilly line in from London-Heathrow. So convenient and can be faster than driving!
London is an expensive place! Now that I've completed my studies and have a couple of years of work behind me I can usually afford to stay in hotels but the prices in London drove me to consider an option I felt I'd outgrown in recent years...the HOSTEL! And even at the hostel my stay in the four bed female dorm with shared toilets was still much steeper than for most places. Oh and how much I have realized I have outgrown staying in a large backpackers in a shared room...
The 200 year old courthouse converted to hostel, Clink 78
Firstly, I will say the hostel, Clink 78, was a pretty funky place to stay in; it is set in a 200 year old courthouse building and oozed the energy and vibrancy of the youth of post-high school, gap year travelers and holidaying undergraduate university students. Although my roomies were pleasant enough I had outgrown my interest in late nights of bar hopping, the constant pounding of the bass in the hostel bar down the hall, nasty, shared washrooms and the smell of stale beer mixed with burnt toast wafting around the hostel first thing in the morning!
Clink 78's hostel nightclub
Maybe I'm getting crotchety now that I'm in my 30s? Actually, up until just a couple years ago I loved a good night out dancing, I might even go as far as saying I was a bit of a bar star. I like to think this current disinterest in nightclubbing is not because I'm now in my 30's but that it's more a result of my the increased pain and difficulty I have dancing the night away! Point is...I have, and have always had, dodgy, dislocating kneecaps (13 dislocations now!) and have an intense fear of doing so ever again especially in a nightclub (and it has happened...ouch!). So, I now prefer mellower nights sipping martinis at swanky lounges with chilled trip hop music playing in the background :)
Hmm...maybe I should check this out?
Fortunately for me, I established contact with my friend, Sally, who I'd worked on a volunteer project in Kenya with GVI Kenya in 2006 and 2007 and she invited me to stay at her flat with her and her roomates. I couldn't have packed my bags and departed the hostel for their beautiful, calm and clean flat on the River Thames any faster! They were incredibly hospitable and that night Sally and I enjoyed a fabulous dinner at a cool Italian restaurant called the Buona Sera with funky up and down seasting; we climbed a ladder to get up to our table for dinner and enjoyed delicious pizza!
The funky seating at Buona Sera Italian restaurant
During my stay in London I slipped into role of the tourist and checked out the London sites via the Hop On, Hop Off bus tour. As much as I avoid being 'touristy' I love these bus tours and they're a great way to get the layout of a new city and for getting around the various sites of the city. Over my 24 hours of touring via 'hop on, hop off' I visited the Tower of London and the Natural History Museum of London. At the Tower I participated in an entertaining and informative tour of the Tower given by one of the Tower's Yeoman Warders (or 'Beefeaters') and then at the Natural History Museum I spent most of a day taking in the vast displays of the museum. There is so much at the museum you definitely need to visit it multiple times to truly take in all it has to offer!
Finally, and one of the most spine tingling experiences of my stay in London was going to see the The Phantom of The Opera at Her Majesty's theatre. It was an amazing show and I have to admit that I was nearly brought to tears. I would definitely recommend it next time you're in London!
Following are some of my photos from my vistits to the Tower of London, scenes from around London and the Natural History Museum of London:
Views around the Tower of London
The famous ravens of the Tower of London
The changing of the guard
More shots of those ravens :)
Views around London via the hop on, hop off bus
Inside London's Natural History Museum...very cool!
Some theories on why the dinosaurs went extinct...love the illustrations!
Oh and of course a 'whale nerd' like myself had to check out the marine mammal exhibit!
Skeleton of the extinct Steller Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas)
