8.2.12 London

I got up around 8 for breakfast. It was pretty meager, toast, corn flakes, and some sort of juice that I can only describe as ‘juice.’

I had to get out of there by 10 so I left my bag (the people there were much better than yesterday) and went down to the Starbucks on Baker Street I used to go to for writing columns and planned out what I would do, getting a hazelnut latte, something I never had in the States before. While I was there, an elderly British man asked me to Google where an Italian restaurant was. He showed me the name and I said (in my American accent), “Oh, it’s across Marylebone by the Tube stop on the right side of the street.” It was probably the proudest moment of my life. I forgot how strange it was to have the accent and have this secret you are hiding from everyone. When I’m here, I wish I didn’t have it. I’ll still use my fake British accent when saying short answers. I’m not sure what makes me do this. Fitting in I suppose. And it sounds way, way cooler.

I decided to go to TKTS and see if I could get a deal on either ‘Backbeat’ or ‘The Madness of George III’ and that I would eat at The George Inn, dating from the 1600s and the last remaining coach inn in London. I briefly walked through it when I was here before, but didn’t spend more than a minute in it maybe.

I walked down Portland Place on a route I used to take to school and then past the Regent Street campus of Westminster and through Carnaby Street to Leister Square and got a ticket in the 10^th row to ‘Madness of George,’ which the guy recommended more than sitting in the front row and looking up at ‘Backbeat.’ So it worked out. My ticket was about half price, so I felt good. I’ve read a lot of good things about the play and it’s pretty much the most Britishy thing ever so hopefully I’ll enjoy it.

I then walked over to Bayswater and Notting Hill, quite further than I expected and not the prettiest walk. Unlike Central Park, Hyde Park is a big flat, mostly open park with very little interesting things going on other than the Serpentine. So walking along it wasn’t the greatest.

Today is much more London wintery than yesterday. The sky is all clouds, although with my added long underwear and less wind, I was pretty warn during the day. I wandered around and took Portobello Road over to Portobello Market. I was feeling pretty beat so I looked for a coffee shop to stop in and get something to eat and drink. I found Casa D'Or, a place near the end of Portobello Road and got a good pastry with a cherry in it and some Earl Grey.

I took the Tube over to London Bridge and went into The George Inn. I went upstairs and grabbed a table in the back. There were a number of other people eating there, I was the youngest. Mostly older British people, who are generally awesome. The waitress was one of those super jolly British ladies and called me, “love.” I ordered an Earl Grey and a roasted vegetable pie. It wasn’t the most flavorful meal I’ve had, but it was very British and I really like the crusts. So it was cool.

The place was quite interesting, the wooden beams around me looked all of the 400 years old they were. I read the Evening Standard and have a nice meal. I know The London Paper went out of business and I haven’t seen London Lite either. But the Daily Standard and Daily Mail have been free both days I’ve been here, which has been awesome. I’ve missed reading the soccer stuff. The big controversy here now is the Olympic tickets are being printed by an American company (Ticketmaster I believe). London politics are also always funny.

I walked over London Bridge again and went back through the City, past St. Paul’s (they had a tent city set up for Occupy London next to the Cathedral where they were protesting last time I was here too) and then down Fleet Street and the Strand. It was early enough that when I finished the walk in Trafalgar Square I had time to run through the National Gallery. I took a picture of a Vermeer and got yelled and they made me delete it. It wasn’t even that good of a painting.

I went down to the water and walked over the Embankment Bridge by the London Eye and over Westminster Bridge. I remember thinking if I looked to my right at that very moment, I’d see Big Ben. It’s a weird feeling.

I started to panic about not hearing from Luke since I’m like going there tomorrow and all and I was wondering if I was going to need to find a place to stay or what. So I went over to Piccadilly Circus and found a Starbucks where I could steal wifi on my phone. Luke had emailed me with his address and told me how to get from the airport to his place. He’s going to be there until noon and I land around 9:40, so I’m feeling a lot better.

Around 7 I went to the Apollo for “The Madness of George III.” My seat was great, on the aisle in the 10^th row. I had time to kill so I walked into the bar downstairs with all the old Brits. Nothing makes you feel more cultured than seeing a play about British royalty with a bunch of old fancy British people.

Since I had about a half hour to show time and the snacks down in the bar was super expensive, I left the theater an grabbed three candies for the show. I got Aero Bubbles, which were Aero bars but bite size, something called I think The Purple Bar, which had chocolate and hazelnut, my favorite for sure, and something called Revels which were various candies covered in chocolate.

The play was about George III, who was the king during the American Revolution, and him basically going crazy and his son trying to take over. I was vaguely familiar with the story, but it was a surprise that in the end (historical spoiler alert) he recovered after working with a doctor who specialized in mental diseases. The play was all in period costume and King George played by David Haig was excellent. I had a great time, even though I started to doze off for a second during the first half. It was a long play, a good two and a half hours.

Afterwards I walked back up Regent Street through my neighborhood and over to the hostel where I got my bag. I asked if I could hang out for a little and they said sure. So I set up my computer and Skyped mom and dad, which was good to see them. Apparently my mom read some of my blog to her class and they wanted to leave me a note from ‘your mom’s class in room 209 Beacon.’ It was pretty funny I thought. It sounded like they liked the pictures, so hopefully today’s are good too. Definitely make my mom bring in pineapple, it’s one of my favorites.

Afterwards I walked back up Regent Street through my neighborhood and over to the hostel where I got my bag. I asked if I could hang out for a little and they said sure. So I set up my computer and Skyped mom and dad, which was good to see them. Apparently my mom read some of my blog to her class and they wanted to leave me a note from ‘your mom’s class in room 209 Beacon.’ It was pretty funny I thought. It sounded like they liked the pictures, so hopefully today’s are good too. Definitely make my mom bring in pineapple, it’s one of my favorites.

Around one I went up and brushed my teeth and headed out, still sneaking around the hostel illegally. I was at the door thinking I was about to go outside in the cold from 1-3 a.m. carrying my heavy backpack with no place to go in particular. I’m not always great at making good decisions. I figured two extra hours in London would always be two extra hours I spent in London.

I decided to try to see Big Ben once more before I left so I took Marylebone High Street to Oxford down Regent. I was pretty much the only person on the street other than people waiting for buses. I made it down to where I could see Big Ben around 2 and decided to take a shortcut. Note to future traveling Scott. At 2 a.m. in February when you have to be somewhere in an hour on no sleep, don’t get creative. I ended up taking Pall Mall to Piccadilly over by St. James Palace. No idea how I did it. I know where I was geographically, just couldn’t get where I wanted. So I headed in the direction of Piccadilly Circus and figured it out. But there was about five minutes there that I thought I would probably either not make the bus or get Jack the Rippered.

I made it over to the bus about 20 minutes early somehow. So I went into the gas station across the street and got a carbonated strawberry flavored water and a Bounty bar, which is basically a Mounds bar.

There were only me and two other people on the bus. I fell asleep quickly. At some point I realized I had slept in one bed in the last 72 hours. Besides being sort of homeless, I guess that’s being adventurous to say the least.

It's still strange being here. It's like I never left and like I was never really here. I'm trying to figure out if I like London so much because it's like a real life time machine. I always think of it for its history and oldness, although the current city is pretty awesome too. And maybe I also want to revisit my own time being here which was mostly spent digging into the past. But I love it here. It's a good feeling knowing not much has changed and it'll still be here, but frustrating at the same time knowing London goes on without me.