We left Boston on an evening flight. I knew we’d be landing at 4 am Dublin time and into London by 8 am, so to stave off jet lag, I made sure I slept as many hours as I could on the plane, even though I knew I would be extremely excited. I packed Advil PM as a just in case, but never had to use it. My travel partner, Ben, couldn’t sleep, so he worked during the flight.
Once we landed in Dublin, we weaved our way through the airport to immigration so I could get my passport stamped. I was bouncing with excitement and delighted when I confirmed that my very first passport stamp would be an Irish one. The immigration’s officer was not amused, though he did give me a smirk once I explained it was my first time. Ben was highly amused and gave a goofy grin at my excitement.
Then it was on to the connecting flight to London. With a couple hours to kill, I grabbed a coffee at one of the kiosks. I was very excited to be buying something in Euros for the first time, even if it was with a credit card. The poor attendant was a bit frazzled, as all the credit card machines in the terminal were suffering from a power outage, so he was glad when my card actually rang through without issue. So was I, as I hadn’t pulled any cash. I grabbed the coffee and went to add my usual half and half and sugar to it, when I realized that there was no cream in sight! What was this madness I thought to myself… there was milk, almond milk, and soy, but no cream. I made due with the milk and sugar; I wasn’t going to bother the poor attendant again.
Once boarded on the connecting flight, I hunkered down to sleep an hour before we landed in London. I knew if I was going to make it through the day, I’d need as much rest as possible.
When we landed at Heathrow, I was excited to be seeing one of the biggest airports in the world. It didn’t take any time for us to traverse the airport, and we quickly found the Underground entrance. After buying an Oyster card, Ben and I boarded the Underground train and headed to Earl’s Court to see the Blue Police Box and take some pics. While it’s chameleon circuit is broken, the TARDIS’ perception filter still seems intact, since lots of people walked by as if they didn’t even notice it. I think the Doctor would be pleased…
Right across from the police box is a shop selling all kinds of fandom memorabilia, Doctor Who of course being the draw. They also had Harry Potter, Marvel, DC… of course I had to buy souvenirs. It took the store workers a bit to figure out how to get their credit card machine working. Ben and I kept perusing as they sorted it.
Then it was time for breakfast at Costa. Not a franchise here in the states, though I think they are similar to Au Bon Pain. Their US competitor is listed as Starbucks. We had an awesome breakfast sandwich, though the coffee was just ok. I was learning quickly that half and half is a very American thing, so I had to make due with milk again. It was just what I needed to fuel the next leg of the journey.
Have you ever traveled in a new city and tried to get a feel for the place by watching the people, breathing in the crispness of the air, feeling the sun dance across your face in a new locale? That’s what it felt like arriving at Westminster Station, walking up to see Big Ben and Palace of Westminster. All my life I dreamed of seeing them in person, envious of anyone who was able to travel there, wondering how I would feel when I finally saw it with my own eyes.
We exited the station. I was a ball of emotions and anxiousness, trying to control my giddiness (and doing a piss poor job of it). The day was bright and sunny. Ben commented that it was unusual weather for London, especially at that time of year, and not to get used to it, but I was so thankful that it was such a nice day when we arrived.
I spied Elizabeth Tower (or Big Ben as most of the world knows it). I had learned before I left that the tower was in the process of being repaired and had been covered in scaffolding and tarp the previous August. I was pleasantly surprised when I could still at least see the face of the clock.
I had made the itinerary so that everything was within easy walking distance, but I was a bit surprised at how close everything I wanted to see in that area was. Big Ben, Palace of Westminster, Westminster Bridge, the London Eye, all within a few feet of each other. My geeky little heart was bursting with wonderment. Even though I had put the London Eye on my list of attractions, Ben asked me to choose between it and The Shard, noting that you can get the same view from both. Ben was very jet lagged, so he was not up for doing a whole lot at that point. I was slightly disappointed, but I opted for a picture of the eye, because The Shard was way more important to me.
We then crossed the street and walked across Westminster Bridge, trying our best to dodge all the tourists coming at us while listening to a street performer. We stopped so that I could take pictures of Big Ben and Palace of Westminster. We continued walking along, and I noted the Mary Seacole exhibit. We crossed the street to the other side of the bridge and headed back to the Underground.
By that time, I had received a message from our Airbnb host that we could check-in early. It was time to head to the accommodation, so we hopped back on the train and headed over to White Chapel. I had booked an apartment there for the week, making it an ideal location to get to most of the attractions I wanted to see.
If you are used to staying in 4 star hotels, White Chapel is definitely going to be a big disappointment and I wouldn’t recommend it. But having grown up in a big city and having spent most of my adult life in them, this wasn’t unusual to me. I’d compare it to South Boston in some ways. I knew to just stay aware of my surroundings.
After getting into the apartment, unpacking, and taking a much needed nap, we headed over to Hay’s Lane for a coffee, snapping pics of Tower Bridge on the way. I knew if I was going to stay up long enough to be able to sleep the whole night, I needed to refuel. After stopping at Starbucks, I snapped pics of The Navigator exhibit, a steampunk type ship that funnels water through it from the fountain it inhabits. We then took a walk around the area, watching the sun set over the Thames and its shorelines.
Then it was time for a late dinner, so we caught a cab over to the Brown Cow. I had always wanted to ride in a black cab as I had seen on tv growing up, and it as well worth the cost to have a first time ride.
I had read about the Brown Cow in an article. It’s an off the beaten path restaurant known for their food and drinks. It was just as good as the article had made it out to be, and though pricey, well worth the cost.
The only trouble with being out that far from the city was the lack of Uber and cabs going back. It took awhile to locate an Uber to pick us up, and it was very late by the time we got back to the apartment.
It was an amazing day and I went to bed with a huge smile on my face.
