The first unique opportunity I had the chance to take part in was going into the River Thames in downtown London on Sunday. We were visiting Cleoptra's Needle right on the river and I decided it would be a great photo opportunity to go down the steps down to the river. However the environment of algae covered stairs matched with my traction-less TOMS were conditions that were not so good together and I ended up skidding down the stairs and right into the river.
My khaki's were ruined and I was wet up to my waist. Since we were right by the festivities for St. Patrick's Day in Trafalgar Square I thought I might as well go with the group. However I realized it was time I headed back to the hotel and changed out of my wet clothes.
So after a nice shower and figuring out the washing machine, I headed back out into downtown London. When I headed out I went toward the Millennium Bridge and saw Shakespeare's Globe Theater while I was in the area. I ended the night by going to the Hard Rock Cafe which is a tradition within my family and a key item on my bucket list.
On Monday I did not do anything too far away from the group, mainly it was going to the London Eye with a few others within the group.
Tuesday I found myself away from the group when I headed over to Savile Row which a professor of mine had recommended checking out while I was in town. The main thing he mentioned about Savile Row was that it was a street dedicated to high-end tailored suits. Knowing this, I was expecting some expensive items, but I thought maybe I could find a cool top hat for a few pounds.
When I got there most of the stores were closed so I was a bit worried but I found one that was still open. After walking down the streets a couple of times I walked in and the attendants were two nice fellows. I'm sure they could tell I was a tourist but I went ahead and asked if they had any top hats. Unfortunately, and most likely mistakenly, they told me top hats were not really in style at the moment.
However, one of the gentlemen told me he would see what hats he could find. When he came back, he had a couple of hats with him and one of them did not look too bad. I picked it up and gave it a look over and then I quickly glanced at the price. The tag said £235. I nearly had a heart attack. I put it down and the gentlemen asked "Not quite your style? That's alright." I think he could tell I was way out of my league, but he was kind about it.
So off I went to see what else I could find and headed back to the apartments for the night.
I was with the group most of the time on Wednesday, except when Mary left me behind on the way to the community garden...
Then on Thursday was the main day I had by myself. In the beginning of the day we visited Kew Gardens and while we were there I walked around a bit and the main portion I did there was go on the tram tour. While it went around it was nice to see all the sites Kew had to offer, but it was a shame none of the flowers were really in bloom.
After I left Kew I headed out for the Harry Potter Experience. This was the main highlight of my week in London. It was neat to see the studio Harry Potter was filmed in and all the props they had around the area. However, I wish I would have taken the opportunity to ask others to take my picture at the different attractions, but I'll be sure to bring along a picture taking buddy the next time I go there.
I soaked it all up and took as many pictures as I could manage. Overall it was truly beautiful to see it all, but I'm definitely going to have to go back. I went to town in the gift shop, but it was neat to see all the things they had there and how it all tied back into the whole experience. I will definitely remember this moment for a while and I will be reminded of it every time I watch the Harry Potter films.
After the experience I stopped at a random tube stop on the way back to the apartments. While I was there I headed out and just walked the streets. I was starving by that point and there were so many unique places to eat. I think that when I go back to London I will certainly have to make a point to go out and simply walk the streets and see what I find. This time I went to too many touristy places, which is nice and comfortable, but I did not do enough general exploring.
On Friday I went to Buckingham Palace by myself after visiting Phoenix High School. The others had already been to Buckingham after my incident with the Thames so I had to go and see what I missed. Unfortunately there was not much to see because the guards had already changed for the day, but it was still an iconic site to see.
After Buckingham, I went to the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert museum. There were some cool and neat pieces overall but I did not have enough time to truly soak it all up. That is definitely something I will again have to do the next time I come to London.
On Saturday I started my day early to head over to Camden Market to meet one of my brothers in FarmHouse, Nick. It was neat to be hanging out with a fraternity brother in another country and we had a good time with it. While I was with Nick and some of his friends we mainly looked around the markets, but there was a lot to see.
Once we split up I went back into the market to buy a few things and the greatest purchase I made was buying a top hat. After walking around Camden for quite some time I headed out for Portobello Road. This is another market that more focuses on antiques.
So while I was at Portobello Road I looked for any neat cribbage boards I could find. The only ones I could find were well over £100, so clearly not quite in my budget. I was disappointed, but I was able to find a local photographer that had some beautiful pictures for sale. I picked up two pieces and headed out for my next destination.
To end out my adventures I went to Borough Market. Now Borough Market is all food, which was fitting because I was quite hungry. My first stop was getting a lamb sandwich which really hit the spot. I got some delicious desserts as well while I was there. The final stop after looking around was getting two jars of raw honey, which is always a favorite of mine.
I had plans to head to some more museums after the markets, but I was just too tired to do anything more. I headed back to the hotel to end my adventures that day.
Overall London was a good experience, but like I said, I saw a majority of the touristy places and did not do enough wandering. I will certainly have to go back to London to see Kew Gardens in full bloom, see and really soak in the museums, visit the Harry Potter Experience once again, and just walk around and see what I can find. Also I need to see some of the work by Banksy because I tried to ask somebody where I could find some of his work, but no one knew where they were.
Now you know how London looked like through the eyes of Vinz Karl. I had a great time with all of the school visits and such with the rest of the group, but I had my own adventures beyond it. I know more adventures await me in London and I can't wait to see what I can find in my next visit!
Great photos!
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