Re: The score so far (Health & Fitness)
Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2018 12:42 am
Two days before I left out for Newark International Airport, I got a phone call from my sis informing me that the week before she'd sprained her ankle. "Are we still going?" "Yep!" so we packed up her ace bandage and icy smeary stuff for her ankle and spent the entire first day out (a good 12 hours) walking the city and seeing sights around Westminster.
FULL DAY 1
Westiminster
We started out in a café across from the hotel for food and then from Covent Garden we walked down through Leicester Square then down through Trafalgar Square into Westminster. Trafalgar Square has the National Gallery, huge fountains and I don't recall what all else. We walked through this area multiple times day and night. We skipped every museum in sight. Just not into it for a short trip.
Everywhere you go in the main areas, there are "you are here" maps on the corners so if you're in doubt, you can always check those. I had the map in my head for months beforehand and we managed to get everywhere we wanted to without problems.
First major stop was Westminster Abbey as per sis's wishes since it was tops on her list. We took an "audio tour" which I failed to appreciate. The building itself is impressive just from the outside however, I don't think you can truly feel the expanse of the building if not from the inside. It's all Gothic, has 600 graves inside as well as multiple memorials, one for FDR as I recall. Check this out in advance if it's important to you to see the grave of certain notables. We were happy milling through each area seeing what we saw, and did meander back to find particular graves such as Elizabeth the first and Mary Queen of Scots, various Henry's. I couldn't find Stephen Hawkings grave but figure that it's probably not finished yet. I sure didn't see him around Isaac Newton where he's supposed to be located. We stopped in the gift shop--very nice stuff--some very affordable and also what I think of as high end. Just browsed at that point.
Outside of the Abbey there was a street musician on violin. We're sitting there on an exterior rock wall and I blurt out "Is he playing the Star Spangled Banner?!?!" and darn if he wasn't. Virtually every other song was the SSB. When we left I dropped a US quarter in his violin case. I know, I'm evil like that. ;-)
Walking down towards the River Thames, we passed by 10 Downing Street the Prime Minister's residence and also Horse Guards. Various gorgeous and old-old buildings with architectural features that rival anything I've ever seen in the states.
London is unlike Manhattan. For comparison, no sky scrapers. It's all old-old buildings with a few modern renovations crammed in here and there. If you are looking at a map of London and think it's a grid map that resembles NYC, it is NOT. It's a grid with catty corner angled streets coming at you from every direction to the point where crossing the street is taking your life in your hands, so "Cross with the people."
So there we were on the North side of the River Thames facing Westminster Bridge and I am about to pull my hair out going where in the hell is Big Ben? It should be RIGHT. HERE. When my sister looks over my shoulder and up and says, "What's that?" I turn around and am standing right in front of it only it's blanketed in steel scaffolding for maintenance and restoration with only the clock face itself peering out of the huge mesh of steel!
Right there at Westminster Bridge is the launch dock for river cruises. We go down there to check out the prices and promise ourselves a "hop on/hop off" river cruise--but we never do it.
The river cruises are an awesome way to get down to Southwark and see the sights. You can get tickets for one way, round trip, hop on/hop off, and evening cruises. The hop on/hop off are the better deal at right around 18 pounds if memory serves.
Having walked all over hells half acre all day, we decide that since the sun is going down we need to head over to our first pub that I had picked out in advance based on reviews, The Sherlock Holmes on Northumberland street--write that down, you want this. So we wiggle ourselves up and over northward, checking the "you are here" signs just to be sure and sure enough there it is!
It was gorgeous! An old pub originating in the 1800's filled with Sherlock Holmes memorabilia (JB would have loved this) and DAMN. GOOD. FISH 'N CHIPS. Holy hell, people. We both thought we died and went to Pub heaven. Keep in mind this is two Jersey Girl's who were raised on the coast having eaten fish and chips all our lives. This was different. I don't care if you've had "English Fish n' Chips" in your stateside restaurants, I don't think you've had this. HUGE piece of cod, batter fried, side of "mushy peas", and a paper bag pocket of fried chips--french fries. Oh. my. GOD. The fish was divine! Peas are fresh and smashed-very tasty, and chips were heaven. Put this pub on your list, you'll never regret it!
We were fascinated by the social scene regarding pubs. They're on virtually every street and once the sun is going down, folks are stopping there from work. Milling outside with their glasses of ale (I wanted SO much to taste it but I refrained!) smoking their cigs, visiting with each other in their business clothes and what have you, and leaving their empty glasses outside on the tables--very much akin to the gasthauses in Germany--and this is something we are totally missing in the US--a sense of community gathering. No, over here we're more likely to see sloppy drunks in our bars. Over there, it was a total sense of community, folks unwinding after the work day chattering away and enjoying each other. I guarantee you if someone walked out of a bar in the US with a glass, the owner would have your ass for dinner.
Why are we Americans so uptight? What would it be like if we adopted that attitude of community where we actually know each other and get together instead of getting all up in each other's business over stupid crap that doesn't matter?
So following that we made our way back up to Covent Garden to the hotel around midnight and called it a night!
FULL DAY 1
Westiminster
We started out in a café across from the hotel for food and then from Covent Garden we walked down through Leicester Square then down through Trafalgar Square into Westminster. Trafalgar Square has the National Gallery, huge fountains and I don't recall what all else. We walked through this area multiple times day and night. We skipped every museum in sight. Just not into it for a short trip.
Everywhere you go in the main areas, there are "you are here" maps on the corners so if you're in doubt, you can always check those. I had the map in my head for months beforehand and we managed to get everywhere we wanted to without problems.
First major stop was Westminster Abbey as per sis's wishes since it was tops on her list. We took an "audio tour" which I failed to appreciate. The building itself is impressive just from the outside however, I don't think you can truly feel the expanse of the building if not from the inside. It's all Gothic, has 600 graves inside as well as multiple memorials, one for FDR as I recall. Check this out in advance if it's important to you to see the grave of certain notables. We were happy milling through each area seeing what we saw, and did meander back to find particular graves such as Elizabeth the first and Mary Queen of Scots, various Henry's. I couldn't find Stephen Hawkings grave but figure that it's probably not finished yet. I sure didn't see him around Isaac Newton where he's supposed to be located. We stopped in the gift shop--very nice stuff--some very affordable and also what I think of as high end. Just browsed at that point.
Outside of the Abbey there was a street musician on violin. We're sitting there on an exterior rock wall and I blurt out "Is he playing the Star Spangled Banner?!?!" and darn if he wasn't. Virtually every other song was the SSB. When we left I dropped a US quarter in his violin case. I know, I'm evil like that. ;-)
Walking down towards the River Thames, we passed by 10 Downing Street the Prime Minister's residence and also Horse Guards. Various gorgeous and old-old buildings with architectural features that rival anything I've ever seen in the states.
London is unlike Manhattan. For comparison, no sky scrapers. It's all old-old buildings with a few modern renovations crammed in here and there. If you are looking at a map of London and think it's a grid map that resembles NYC, it is NOT. It's a grid with catty corner angled streets coming at you from every direction to the point where crossing the street is taking your life in your hands, so "Cross with the people."
So there we were on the North side of the River Thames facing Westminster Bridge and I am about to pull my hair out going where in the hell is Big Ben? It should be RIGHT. HERE. When my sister looks over my shoulder and up and says, "What's that?" I turn around and am standing right in front of it only it's blanketed in steel scaffolding for maintenance and restoration with only the clock face itself peering out of the huge mesh of steel!
Right there at Westminster Bridge is the launch dock for river cruises. We go down there to check out the prices and promise ourselves a "hop on/hop off" river cruise--but we never do it.
The river cruises are an awesome way to get down to Southwark and see the sights. You can get tickets for one way, round trip, hop on/hop off, and evening cruises. The hop on/hop off are the better deal at right around 18 pounds if memory serves.
Having walked all over hells half acre all day, we decide that since the sun is going down we need to head over to our first pub that I had picked out in advance based on reviews, The Sherlock Holmes on Northumberland street--write that down, you want this. So we wiggle ourselves up and over northward, checking the "you are here" signs just to be sure and sure enough there it is!
It was gorgeous! An old pub originating in the 1800's filled with Sherlock Holmes memorabilia (JB would have loved this) and DAMN. GOOD. FISH 'N CHIPS. Holy hell, people. We both thought we died and went to Pub heaven. Keep in mind this is two Jersey Girl's who were raised on the coast having eaten fish and chips all our lives. This was different. I don't care if you've had "English Fish n' Chips" in your stateside restaurants, I don't think you've had this. HUGE piece of cod, batter fried, side of "mushy peas", and a paper bag pocket of fried chips--french fries. Oh. my. GOD. The fish was divine! Peas are fresh and smashed-very tasty, and chips were heaven. Put this pub on your list, you'll never regret it!
We were fascinated by the social scene regarding pubs. They're on virtually every street and once the sun is going down, folks are stopping there from work. Milling outside with their glasses of ale (I wanted SO much to taste it but I refrained!) smoking their cigs, visiting with each other in their business clothes and what have you, and leaving their empty glasses outside on the tables--very much akin to the gasthauses in Germany--and this is something we are totally missing in the US--a sense of community gathering. No, over here we're more likely to see sloppy drunks in our bars. Over there, it was a total sense of community, folks unwinding after the work day chattering away and enjoying each other. I guarantee you if someone walked out of a bar in the US with a glass, the owner would have your ass for dinner.
Why are we Americans so uptight? What would it be like if we adopted that attitude of community where we actually know each other and get together instead of getting all up in each other's business over stupid crap that doesn't matter?
So following that we made our way back up to Covent Garden to the hotel around midnight and called it a night!