Three Cheers for London

Our three days in London went by in a royal flash. On Saturday May 2^nd, we weren’t the only newcomers to arrive to London, a Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana made her arrival into the world as well.  As soon as we got off our flight from Bordeaux, Simone and I were inundated with royal updates; all TVs were tuned in to news reports about the royal baby and yet they weren’t saying anything at all. At this point, her name hadn’t been announced so the reporters spent the next 48 hours debating the pros and cons of naming this little bundle of British joy after William’s mother. Of course William wants to honor his mother, they said, but then again he has also spent much of his marriage with Kate trying to stay away from making parallels between his wife and his mother. The Duke of Cambridge really had some tough decisions to make.

Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana's birth announcement

Zoe climbs Trafalgar

While the news coverage of the royal birth was uninformative, it was really special to be in London on the day of the birth. After meeting up with Zoe at our hostel, we headed to Buckingham Palace and waited in line to see the official royal birth announcement, which was placed at the gates only for the next 24 hours. There were news crews everywhere, just as many police officers, and thousands of very proud British chaps waving the Union Jack in everyone’s faces. After our visit to Buckingham Palace, we walked around the city, hitting Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and the Strand before eating dinner at a pub in SoHo.

Sunday we were on the Tube bright and early to take us across town to Kings Cross Station. Avid Harry Potter fans, we took the obligatory picture at Platform 9¾. The biggest decision to be made that day was what house you wanted to represent. 10 points for Gryffindor! We then headed to the British Library. Along with housing some of The Beatles’ original works, there was a Magna Carta exhibit on display with two of the four original copies of the Magna Carta and Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the Declaration of Independence!

Kings Cross Station, didn't see Harry

We made our way back from the British Library on foot and on the Tube, walking through different London boroughs like Covent Garden and Neal’s Yard before making our way over to Westminster via Charring Cross Road. We found a couple of cool bookstores along Charring Cross and I picked up a copy of Jane Austen’s Emma for 1£.

London Calling

On Monday we set out for the Tower of London. We didn’t feel the need to take a tour but we took some pictures and chatted with a beefeater before heading on our way. He suggested we check out Camden Town and Camden Lock and we promised him we would. So we slowly made our way back from the Tower of London towards the center of the city, walking along the Tower Bridge, stopping by Borough Market, crossing over the Millennium Bridge, before taking the Tube to Camden Town.

Tower Bridge

Millennium Bridge

By golly the beefeater knew what he was talking about. Camden Lock is a very cool food market, with street vendors selling all types of foods and goods. There were food stands selling Indian naan, Vietnamese noodles, New York mac-n-cheese, and even cheesecakes. I settled for some very fresh fish and chips. On the other side of the market we found a very cool nitrogen ice cream parlor! Of course we had to try that too.

On our way home from Camden Lock we walked through the Victoria and Albert Museum. And, as I texted my dad while in the museum, the best part about it was that 1) it was free 2) it had wifi. I am not a museumgoer, and as we had already visited the Tate Modern that day, my appreciation for art and history had been exhausted by this point. Oh well. I did however, enjoy our walk through Hyde Park much more.

All in all, our quick trip to London was a success. But, as I sit here on this British Airways flight taking Zoe and I to Paris, I am happy to be leaving the land of the British Pound. The exchange rate is not a friend. Especially after British Airways told me my carry-on was too big for the flight and had to be checked, charging me 65£. Bollocks.

Hastings? As in UC Hastings?

Bennie and the jets

Minding the gap at all times whilst in London