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.

London: Day 3

After a long night out I knew I still had a few places to check off my list.  I had another full day in London before I headed off to Paris.  I slowly packed some of my belongings so I wouldn’t get bombarded later on.  I wanted to checkout Leicester Square for London’s theater district.  I also knew I had to have some Indian cuisine. 

Leicester Square was quite a surprise!  It was a busy area filled with restaurants, casinos and theaters.  I found Shakespeare’s statue right away and made my way to McDonalds to check in with my friend.  I needed my 2^nd cup of coffee so I sat outside and people watched for a bit.

Out of nowhere I heard a large group chanting out loud and singing.  I got up to follow the commotion.  It looks like a rally had form filled with football fans.  Cologne fans were everywhere, but luckily, everything was in an orderly manner.  I’ve never seen anything like it!  People got a kick out of it.  

Because I was following the crowd for a bit, I found Chinatown right away.  It made me venture out further until I grew hungry for lunch.  I yelped for Indian cuisine in the area and settled for Dishoom at Covenant Gardens.  I lucked out because I got a chance to wait at the bar downstairs, but at one point, the lunch rush came in and the line was down the street!

My stomach had been acting up earlier, so I warned the waiter that I probably wasn’t going to eat a lot of food.  He insisted that I order his favorite dish chicken ruby.  It was delish!  The waiter was very attentive and would check up on me from time to time.  It was there when I suddenly felt overwhelmed.

For the most part, I hadn’t really stopped to think about how my trip was going.  I was surprised how wonderful everyone was with me.  I wasn’t ready to say goodbye just yet.

I knew I would be back one more day in London after my weekend in Paris, so I wanted to continue to venture out as much as I could.  After lunch I knew I had to find the London Tower Bridge.  This was an ordeal!  I got a little lost because I ended up around a hospital when I stepped out of the metro stop.  After asking around I accidentally found the Borough Market.  Lol.  I had read about it so I knew I wanted to check it out.  They had so many food vendors that I was saddened I had ate earlier.  Needless to say, people looked like they were enjoying their late lunch.

I found London Bridge, but I didn’t see the Tower Bridge until I looked across.  It looked like it was a mile away but I had to get closer.  Luckily I found the stairs and walked down the river walk where I found Hay’s Galleria and City Hall.  

I was completely taken aback by the beauty of this bridge.  So many people were around taking pictures.  I even saw a newly wedded couple with a professional photographer.  I kept wanting to get closer and closer.  By the time I got on the Tower Bridge, they stopped traffic.  A large boat was coming through.  We lucked out watching the bridge raise up.  It was pretty amazing.

I enjoyed my time at the bridge.  By this time I grew exhausted with all of the walking I had done.  I made my way back to the hotel so I could finish packing and to take a much needed nap. 

Since I had one more night in London, I wanted to experience another club.  I settled for Café de Paris back in Leicester Square since it wasn’t a long commute from my hotel.  Unfortunately, it was getting later and I knew other venues were much further away.

I got to the front of the club around 11pm.  I knew I should have left much earlier.  There was a huge line and it was not moving.  I decided to wait it out, but eventually found out through people waiting that this was no ordinary night.  Fashion designer Jeremy Scott’s after party was taking place and it was guest list only.  I forgot about it being London Fashion Week.

I ended up leaving and looking for more souvenirs.  When I got back to my hotel I tried charging my phone, but it wouldn’t take the charge.  Up to this point, my phone sometimes had problems charging but as long as I played with the chord, it would end up working eventually.  Now I was really screwed.  I must have played with my phone for over an hour.  It was less than 40 percent charged.  I messaged my friend on what was going on.  My anxiety kicked up in full gear.  How am I going to go to Paris tomorrow with no phone??