Have We No Wine Here? - London Part 3

I started the day by going to the Globe Theatre, a replica theatre of where Shakespeare wrote and staged some of his plays. But as I was walking there I came across a food market that seemed pretty freaking awesome, and  it was. I had half of a homemade brownie for breakfast as well as a beef empanada. The theatre itself was cool, I just wish I had a better knowledge of Shakespeare. On the spot New Year's Resolution: Re-read A Midsummer Night's Dream and read Othello or something.

Outside the Theatre

The inside

I walked back towards the London Bridge from the globe theatre. I was going to visit the London Bridge Experience/Dungeons but I just was NOT feeling it that day, plus the people behind me were soooooo annoying. I did walk across the bridge though while eating a salt beef hamburger with sweet red onion relish and sautéd onions that I got on a return trip to the food market. It's not an exciting bridge but was an exciting burger.

London Bridge

After basically wondering around on the tube doing nothing, changing my mind about where to go every stop, I ended up going to The Monument. It is a tall tower that commemorates the great Fire of London. But after that I had no need really to go on the London Eye, not that I intended to anyways. The view was amazing and I got there just around sunset, so even more beautiful with reds and purples in the sky. I also gained a real appreciation for people who walk up the CN Tower. I didn't even walk up  half the height of the CN Tower and I felt like keeling over when at the top. New Year's Resolution Numero Dos: Do some freaking exercise!

 Then I went back to my roots - shopping. Yea I went back to Oxford Street with the excuse of buying my mom a sweater...I ended up getting settling for some pyjama dress thing for her and a pair of pants for me, some jewelry and more socks. Then I headed over to H&M where I picked up another pair of jeans and a necklace and lastly to Top Shop where I bought my third pair of pants...I love pants??

I think this was New Year's Day but I really don't remember. I spent my New Years by myself in front of the TV because my aunt and cousin were asleep and my uncle went out. I did watch a part one of a good documentary about the British Music Invasion before I went to sleep. Happy New Years!

Side note: earlier that day, I went into a McDonald's and saw they sold 20 chicken nuggets in one box! They are promoted as a share-box and I did share them - between me, myself and I.

The Outside of the V&A

The next day I chilled a bit in the morning, had a sword fight with my 7 3/4 year old cousin and watched some children's TV before I went back to the V&A, this time with my aunt. We went to see the special Hollywood Costumes exhibit they had on. It was fascinating to see so many different costumes from famous movies like My Fair Lady, Spiderman, The Dark Night, Kill Bill, Gone With the Wind, the Wizard of Oz, and that movie where Marilyn Monroe wears that white dress that blows up when she stands over the grater. The amount of effort and detail that is put into these things is baffling but appreciated.

I spent the rest of the day hanging out with various family members and then my aunt bought me fish and chips when she learned I hadn't had any since being in London. How un-British of me. That night at my aunt's house my cousin and I watched the movie Anuvahood (trailer here) as he was trying to culture me in British film since his earlier attempts to show me Carry On...Screaming were unsuccessful. A cool side note, my cousin, who is a singer and designer, had a song in that movie. Pretty nifty, eh?

Natalie May: Sexy Sexy

 

I would write about my sad failed attempts to get back to Salamanca but it makes me angry thinking about it, so here it is in 20 words: wrong terminals in London and Madrid → missed bus → freaking out in bus station → hotel → bus (not express) → home at last.

And that was London.

A magnet I bought from the Globe Theatre

Towers and Gems - London Part 2

I have been without internet for the last few days so I am bringing you post courtesy of my school's wifi. Internet withdrawal isn't fun. Back to London - let me just start by saying the my dad bought me a London pass which basically gave me access to a bunch of tourist places and unlimited travel. I explained it London Part 1. Onto the touristy stuff:

Where I Went:

The first place official place I went was Buckingham Palace. It was a bit of a trek from the subway station to the palace and not very well marked, but I did what I normally do in situations like that,  follow the crowd. For those interested, I went to Hyde Park Corner (the subway stop) and walked from there. It was cold and I had forgotten my mittens :(

Harrod's: I bought a cinnamon bun. 

Egyptian Themed interior

Next I headed to the Albert Memorial. It is a big giant statue dedicated to King/Prince Albert I assume. Across the street was Royal Albert Hall, which was my real destination. But by time I got there and found the door, the last tour had already left, unfortunately. Although I did walk around the whole building (unintentionally) and I can say that it is lovely.

Royal Albert Hall

The Albert Memorial

After that I made my way to the well-known Natural History Museum. I LOVE this museum. I didn't even go to the most famous part with the animal skeletons but I loved the parts I did go to. I saw the exhibitions on volcanoes and earthquakes and stood in a earthquake simulator. I went to another section I don't remember then headed to the minerals exhibit. I t is really astonishing what Mother Nature is able to produce; the beauty of her creations. I probably spent about 40 mins to 1 hour walking through, admiring everything. That is why I really enjoy going to museums by myself, so I can be as slow as I like.

Once the museum closed, I took the tube to the Tower Hill to see where the Tower of London was because I planned to go there the next day and I wasn't quite ready to go home yet. I also did my Tower souvenir shopping before hand so I wouldn’t waste time the next day. I left the store with a post card of Henry the Eighth's wives and a blackberry and apple candy cane (which was delicious).

At night

The Shard

Tower Bridge

THE NEXT DAY!!!

The Tower is lovely. I always imagined it to be a giant vertical structure, but it really is more like a fort/castle. It was very busy but manageable. I also saw the Crown Jewels Exhibition which is housed on the grounds. They really are something, so sparkly and shiny. Although you really can't stop and look at the most famous and current pieces. There is one of those moving sidewalk things like in airports on either side going in one direction so you are moving involuntarily as you pass by. Security reasons I guess.

After the Tower I walked over to Tower Bridge, the most recognizable bridge in London. First off, it's blue! I did not know this until I got there. I walked allllll the way up one of the towers and looked at the two exhibitions at the top: one about the Olympics and the other about famous bridges around the world - it turns out that I have been to about 5 of those bridges which is pretty cool. I also saw/briefly chatted with a guy who is in my grammar class here in Salamanca….so random…. After that, I walked back across the bridge to the old engine rooms from when the bridge was first built. I then walked along the Thames, passed the HMS Belfast and walked by the Shard and City Hall to London Bridge Station.

From there I headed to Westminster Abbey. When I left the station, I walked towards what I thought was the Abbey, all the while thinking, since when did Westminster have a giant clock tower??? Turns out it was Big Ben and I didn't realize until about 10  mins later that what I thought was the church was actually Parliament...whoops. But I found the abbey and headed inside. Audio guides are the greatest and this one was very informative and detailed. I quite enjoyed it. It is a beautiful church. In the gift shop I bought a Christmas tree ornament for my mom and another postcard for moi (shocker).

Westminster Abbey

When I left the church it was already dark and I didn't have very long until the Churchill War Rooms, my next stop, would close. After finally figuring out how to cross the street without getting hit by a bus, I went and saw the rooms where Churchill and his War Cabinet stayed and led the country during the Second World War. It is a fantastic place to visit and the museum portion, which a lot of multimedia and a good insight into Churchill as a person, is great. I only wish I had more time there.

The Map Room

Lastly I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum (a.k.a. the V&A). On Fridays it's open late although as I later discovered, a lot of the exhibits close because they don't have enough staff to cover them. But that didn't really affect me because I spent an hour there in only two galleries really and went home because I had had an exhausting day. Unfortunately I didn't get back in time to watch some soaps :( But That's okay. It was a great day :)

Inside the V&A

Bon Nadal Barcelona (Merry Christmas Barcelona!)

BARCELONA = AWESOME

The past 3 days (think 2 days and 2 halves) Vi and I have spent in this marvelous Catalan city, soaking in as much as we could.

Barcelona Christmas Market

Vi and I decided a while ago that we wanted to go to Barcelona for this puente in December. (I'm not sure if I already explained this, but puente means bridge and in this case is referring to a holiday that is on a Thursday and you take the Friday off too). Basically the internet/bus companies seemed to be conspiring against us when we first tried to book tickets, but through perseverance and luck we were able to book a flight. We flew on Wednesday from Valladolid, a town an hour and half away from Salamanca to beautiful Barcelona. I just want to state that the Valladolid airport is THE SMALLEST airport I have ever been to. It was a bit surreal when I'm used to the craziness that is Pearson International. We flew Ryanair to El Prat. I don't find Ryanair all that bad. I mean I wish they would stop trying to sell me products (smokeless cigarettes? honestly, it's like an hour flight...), but if you have a book and some music you're good to go.

He has a musical?????

At first, I don't think we were too sure about about our hostel. Compared to the really nice, really new hostel we stayed at in Madrid, this one was a lot older. But it turns out that it was actually really awesome, but more on that later.

The first day we got there, we just went to the hostel, chilled out for a bit and relaxed. We had only slept about 3-4 hours each the night before. Later we decided to have a bit of a walk around, eat (kebabs!) and see some of Barcelona. The hostel was only about 10 minutes away from La Rambla, the famous street. It was very pretty Christmas lights in the streets and on the trees. I enjoyed being in a big, bustling city again - reminds me of the hectic-ness that is Toronto.

Later we bought bocadillos (baguette sandwiches) and went back to the hostel to eat. While we were eating and playing Battleship and Connect Four (flashback to elementary school anyone?), we met a lovely Dutch girl knitting in the common room. And that was the start of this very different, but awesome trip.

The next morning we went on a free walking tour of the city, in the Gothic area. We were joined by said Dutch girl, whom I shall name Holly (if you haven't noticed, I tend not to use people's actual names). It was really good, informative and a great way to get an introduction to Barcelona. Our guide's name was Chris, from Australia. When it was done, we had lunch at the bar where the tour ended and had a good chat with Chris, Nat, a girl from Colombia, and Juan, a man from Ecuador.

Next, at around 4 or 5 in the afternoon, we decided to head up to Mont Juic, the mountain in Barcelona. At this point, my battery for my camera was more or less dead, as was Holly's. :( Sooo sad. But the view was marvelous. From the castle at the top you can see over all of Barcelona and over the Mediterranean. It was quite stunning.

Being tourists

Climbing up Mont Juic

The walk back was long but also very nice as we got to see different areas and learned a lot about Amsterdam and the Netherlands and the differences and similarities between Canadian, German, Irish and Dutch cultures. Back at the hostel, some of the other guests there wanted to have an apéritif, which basically turned into a big meal of pasta, baguettes, ham, cheese and of course wine. It was actually really awesome. There were people from all over the world and we had conversations in what ever language you could understand, mainly Spanish, French and English. There were people from Vancouver (yay Canadians!), Oregon, Mexico, China, Korea, France, Amsterdam, Germany, Argentina, Switzerland and more, coming and going. The girl from Vancouver and myself had to explain Canada's relation with the Queen - it was entertaining, seeing it from another perspective.

Day 3 started off with a 3 hour bike tour of the city. Vi, Holly and I met up with Nat from the day before and went on this tour with about 10 other people, from the US, China, Japan and England. Our tour guide this time was Duncan from Ireland. Honestly, I was TERRIFIED to go on this tour. I love to bike but I never do in big cities. It had been about 4 years since I rode I bike and that was in the hills of Quebec. But recently I've been doing this thing were I say yes to things I wouldn't normally do, trying to get out of my comfort zone. And it was worth it. The tour was a lot of fun and the bike lanes in the city are great. I felt really safe most of the time (some intersections are hard to cross).

It was on this tour that we saw the Gaudí buildings (Casa Mila and Casa Batllo) and the Sagrada Familia. We never went into any of them, but we did stop outside and look in awe while Duncan explained them. We had about 15 minutes at the Sagrada Familia, to walk around and see it all. It was stunning. It is actually quite baffling to try and consider how the architect Gaudí's mind worked. It was phenomenal. In about 20 years when it is finished, it will be even more stunning. You can click here to read more about it.

La Sagrada Familia

Casa Batllo

We also went along the Barcelona beach, which had been created for the 1992 Olympics. The sand is from Egypt and the palm trees from Hawaii I believe. I felt like I was in the tropics (sort of).  We saw the Arc de Triomf. It is smaller than the one in Paris, but I think it is a lot prettier. Plus it leads to a gorgeous park next to the Barcelona Zoo.

The Arc de Triomf and I

Once the tour was over, the four of us had some Vietnamese food and then headed to the Christmas market in front of the Cathedral. According to Vi, it was very different that the very famous German markets, but it was still pretty cool and festive. I've been missing the Christmas spirit lately and I definitely found it there. The only thing I bought was a Tió de Nadal (a Christmas log) or Caga Tió (pooping log). It is a Catalan Christmas tradition where children hit the log with sticks while singing a song and the log will poop out presents, small ones like candy and treats. Next to the Christmas Market there was a giant Tió de Nadal on a stage and there were parent and children waiting in line to hit the log.

Caga Tiós in the Christmas Market

My Caga Tió. Ain't he adorable!

Another thing we saw was the Caganer, which is "a figurine depicted in the act of defecation appearing in nativity scenes" (wikipedia). They were very popular, with all sorts like Barack Obama, Bart Simpson, The Queen, etc.

 

After the market, Vi, Nat and I headed up to Park Guell, Gaudí's famous park. But by time we got there, it was dark. Nat decided to head but, but Vi and I went on, into the unlit, sketchiest park of life. Where we entered was not the main entrance and we basically had to climb a steep hill, with stairs and escalators just to get to the park. We met two Chinese girls studying in Paris and we all thought it safer to wander around together. My camera was dying AGAIN so I wasn't able to get many photos. We managed to find our way to what I assume is the highest point in the park and we had a fantastic view of Barcelona at night. Then we ventured through the unlit paths until we made it to the main entrance, where all the famous pictures from the park are taken. From what we could tell by dying phone battery light, it was a beautiful place. Just the tile work on the benches was stunning and so detailed. It was great to get to go there, but I definitely DO NOT recommend going at night. You can barely see anything. But it was still and experience and we met some really nice girls.

What amazing signage

Once we eventually found our way back to the metro, (which was no where near the park btw), we headed back to the hostel for another communal dinner, our last one there. After, some of us went out to a local rumba themed bar for a beer or two (them, not me, because I still stand by the notion that beer is gross. Blehhh. Fanta Limon for me please.). A new member to the group was a guy from Brazil who was traveling around Europe while on break from school. It was fun :)

The next morning we said out goodbyes then headed (waaaaaaaaay too early) to the airport. The duty free shop had giant Toblerones on sale!!!! So naturally we bought them, with the intention of giving them to other people. Aahahaha how naive. Less than 24 hours later they were open and we were enjoying the chocolate, almond, nougaty goodness that those crazy Swiss created. This last day was basically a waiting game. We spent about 2 and a half hours waiting in Valladolid airport for the bus back to Salamanca. and then another 2 hours on the bus there. It was nice to finally be back home. But I miss Barcelona already!
There is so much we didn't get to see, yet so much we did. And perhaps the best part of all was getting to meet so many different people. I don't think either one of us expected it, but it's nice to know that despite the fact that people come from all sorts of backgrounds and walks of life, you can find things in common. It seems that traveling takes you to new places and into new cultures, but it can also serve as a reflection on yourself and what you consider normal. And you learn to appreciate the things that make life interesting, whether they be crazy churches, sketchy parks, the smell of Christmas, or a little wine and cheese with some new friends.  (I know, I know, I just got all John Green there.)

Bon Nadal Barcelona, until we meet again.