London: Day 6

Recapping my last day on my trip.  So much has happened in the meantime that it’s hard to believe that I flew out of London EXACTLY ONE MONTH AGO. 

I woke up in the morning at 7am to get my stuff ready.  My train to London would depart at 9am so I asked the concierge the day before what time should I get to Gare du Nord.  “Um, about 40 minutes you should be fine.”  I was skeptical if anything.  I remembered how chaotic the station was when I first encountered it coming into Paris.  Plus I would have to go through passport control; a line that I’ve seen over the years as nerve wrecking.  I wasn’t going to chance it.  I checked out at 7:45am and was directed to a metro station down the street that would take me to the Gare du Nord by the concierge.  I was waiting and waiting on the platform that felt like an eternity.  Technically it was about 10 minutes but my anxiety got the best of me.  I didn’t see my train approaching anytime soon and more and more people were starting to gather on the platform.  I asked around to see if my train would be coming to this platform but people had no idea.  They were going elsewhere.  I couldn’t take it anymore and ran out of there.  Once I got out I flagged the first cab I saw and off we went.

I got to the station in less than 10 minutes.  I have to say, Paris looked beautiful early in the morning.  Hardly any people were on the streets.  It was then when I realized I wished I could stay longer.

At the station I ran to get in line.  Sure enough, check-ins were long and then we still had to get through passport control.  I saw other people joining in with anxious looks on their faces.  I’m glad I avoided that feeling. 

I knocked out for a bit before I got to London.  I knew once I got there I had to find a hotel to book.  Most Europeans go through  Booking.com and that’s what I did.  I even found a cheaper rate than the one I originally had a few days earlier.  Maybe it was the timing…

I settled for the Best Western Victoria Palace near the Victoria Train Station which was a few stops away.  Once I got off, I got lost of course.  I am TERRIBLE WITH DIRECTIONS.  I knew I was nearby but there was construction going on which threw me off.  My suitcase now was heavier than before since I added my souvenirs.  I was exhausted.  After about an hour of going in circles, I finally asked a cab driver to take me, but he ended up giving me directions.  No wonder I couldn’t find this place!  The office to check-in was around a corner and then a bellman would walk you to your hotel which was 2 blocks away.  I would have never have found it on my own. 

I was so glad to see my room!  My hand was sore from pulling my heavy suitcase.  I dropped off my things and ran down the street to this restaurant I kept passing up.  St. George’s Tavern was running a brunch special, but of course I missed it from getting lost.  I settled on Gloucester Old Spot Sausages (aka bangers and mash) and devoured the whole plate!  I was starving, but at least I had a traditional English dish.

I went back to my room and dozed off.  I got up an hour later and knew I had to take advantage of London before I left the next day.  I went back to Parliament Square and saw a group gathering outside of Westminster Abbey.  I thought it was a tour group, so I waited in line as well.  At one point a priest came up to everyone in line and handed them a program.  I was confused.  “What is this?” I asked.  “It’s for tonight’s service.  It’s why you’re here.”  Oops!  I had no idea they were about to have Sunday mass.  I couldn’t turn this opportunity down.  I walked in along with the other surprised patrons.  We all took a seat inside.

I did not take any pictures but I have to say Westminster Abbey is definitely one of the most beautiful churches I’ve ever been to.  I even got emotional during mass.  I was extremely grateful to experience a church that has so much history in London.  Afterwards I headed back to my hotel but stopped at an Indian restaurant that was nearby.  I knew this might be my last time having some Indian cuisine, so I ordered chicken tikka masala and it was delish!  I was very pleased but knew I had one more thing to do to call it a night.  I wanted to go out before I headed back to my life.  I looked online to see if I could find a good club to go to, but was disappointed to see that not many clubs were open on a Sunday night.  I decided to checkout Café de Paris once more and headed to Leicester Square.  This time I rode the bus instead of taking the tube.

Well you can imagine my disappointment when I saw that it was closed.  Great.  Now what?  I walked around the square and saw a large group outside of a bar.  This was the only happening spot around there so I figured I’ll check it out. 

Zoo Bar caters to a younger crowd.  Maybe too young for me because everyone in there looked like they had been drinking for 6 hours straight.  Considering it was barely midnight, people was either slobbering all over each other or taking shots at the bar.  I tried to ride it out as much as I could but decided to leave once this drunken guy kept trying to talk to me.  The scene from the outside was just as chaotic.  People were staggering and I heard ambulance sirens non-stop.  I think I got more than I bargained for and couldn’t wait to get back to my room.  In the morning I checked out and had one more brunch back at St. George’s Tavern before I took off.  I had the eggs royale which was a perfect way to end my stay in London.

Final Concert Series of the Summer!

You would think by now I could have rested after being here in Italy for a couple of days, but NOOOO.  We won't stop yet!  We had to agree to meet up with a friend who wanted to join us for a day at the beach.  I was glad because rain was in the forecast the next couple of days.  You wouldn't believe it with the blue skies we had today.  So once again, we woke up early and picked up our friend and off we went! 
In Italy, especially in small towns, it's common for people to get up early on the weekends and head off to the beach in the summertime.  Since word spread about the sudden weather change that was going to happen, my friends felt there was more traffic than usual as we made our way up to Peschici.  Of course since we drove out of town pretty late (around 10am) we finally got there about 11:30am.  An hour and half of going up and down a mountain side.  Me and my friends joked about the dizziness at first, but this drive is not for the faint of heart.  Actually, most roads in Italy are very narrow, and everyone drives around in an itty bitty car.  No large trunk spaces around here.  Not to mention, I understand why most cars are stick-shift.  It's impossible to go up these steep hills!  I did notice charter buses going from town to town.  So you can get around using that.  I would suggest to plan accordingly since most of these drives were averaging almost 2 hours.  I knew off handed I was getting around places with the help of my friend who knew her way around.  I wouldn't have been able to pull this off unless I used the EuroRail and those usually get you to the major cities. 
We found parking near the local restaurant of the beach and figured we'll place a reservation so we can eat since we got hungry from the drive.  Again, one hour of sun and then it's chow time!  This time we did notice some vendors selling interesting beads and beachwear.  I bought some cute sundresses for 5 euros!  We also noticed a campground located on the beach.  It seems to be pretty popular with Germans and since the owners of the restaurant were part German as well, it was nice to see other cultures venturing out to this beautiful beach.  Supposedly people camp out at the beach all summer!  NICE!
The Trabucco da Mimi was located right off the seashore and had a gorgeous view overlooking the beach and village.  A "trabucco" is a special Italian fishing structure made of wood and usually perched on a cliff.  We ordered some wine and decided to venture out around the restaurant for a bit for some picture taking.  This was the life!  I can get use to drinking wine everyday with a view like this!  I can honestly say looking back I had a great time with my friends and listening to their views of the world and the Italian life.  It does make you appreciate what you do and do not have everyday back in the states.  Of course, being an American has its perks too.  You have to remember, most Europeans aren't fond of tourists in general, and change for that matter.  They take pride in their past and history, but sometimes have problems accepting new ideas and customs.  I can imagine how frustrating it can be.  My friend showed us an area overlooking the mountain side where a huge fire had taken place.  Apparently, there was going to be new development to be constructed and a fellow villager started the fire to delay the process (or not have it built at all).  Talk about extreme!
We went back down and laid out some more, but we then realized we did not want to ride back in the dark, especially down that mountain side!  We headed back to town and dropped off our friend.  She had to get up early in the morning anyway.  We also had to get ready (again) because tonight was the final night of the summer concert series in town.  Since a popular singer was performing, and the Italian press was going to be there, I decided to wear a silk one shoulder dress that I had won off ebay.  I couldn't figure out where to wear this dress, and this concert was the perfect solution.  Topped it off with my espadrilles, I ended up dancing the night away.  I had so much fun!  It was pretty exhausting but completely worth it...