I didn't have too much trouble getting up this morning. I suppose it was all the sleep I'd gotten the night before. We took our time showering and getting ready. Unfortunately, today the weather wasn't quite as nice as it was yesterday. The sun was out off and on, but it was very very windy. Anthony walked down the street to a pastry shop to pick up breakfast. This place was amazing! Merengues shaped like roses and sprinkled with red sugar, so beautiful. Pan au chocolat, almond croissants, carrot cake, cheese cakes, tarts-everything looked so beautiful.
We were expecting a visit from one of Gianluca's Italian friends. She would be staying the night with us and we were all anticipating a very crowded house. She arrived around noon and we headed out for some sight-seeing. On the bus, Anthony made a point to ask us very loudly where in Mexico we'd transferred planes before heading to the UK. He thinks it's hilarious, Londoners do not. We got lots of worried looks, this swine flu thing has people very wary of foreigners, especially Mexicans.
We stopped in at a deli type place for some lunch. Then we headed to Soho. The place was so busy. There are so many theatres. There's a big advertisement for Michael Jackson's upcoming tour, Anthony's going and I'm totally jealous. We then walked towards Big Ben (that's the name of the actual bell, not the tower itself), walked past the Prime Minister's home where we stopped to pose with a guard, then checked out West Minster Abbey. It's very beautiful from the outside, decorated in the gothic architectural style. It cost 12 pounds to go inside, so we chose not to. Then we walked across the Waterloo bridge to head towards the London Eye. This was one of the most spectacular views of London! The bridge crosses over the Thames. And you get a wonderful view of the London Eye from here. I took tons of pictures. We walked along Waterloo Pier which is right near the Eye. There were all kinds of things going on there. There were a few really cool Dali' sculptures outside that I got some photos of. There were street performers, cement painters, even a really neat looking merry-go-round.
Walking past the London Eye we came upon the Globe Theatre, it's a replica of the theatre where Shakespeare put on a lot of his plays. We didn't get to go inside because they only do performances in the summer as well. We also passed by a skate park that was heavily graffitied. It made for some good photos. Then we walked by the Tate Museum. We planned on going there the next day (but didn't make it). Then we made our way to the Millennium Bridge. I wish I'd taken more pictures of it. It's such a cool structure. From the end that opens on Waterloo Pier, you walk towards St. Paul's Cathedral. It's a very cool view. The view from the Bell Tower at St. Paul's is supposed to rival the view from the London Eye, only you have to trek up 500 or so steps to get it. It was too late for us to take the tour today, so we headed back to the apartment to change up before heading out to dinner.
I was looking forward to a good Indian dinner, since I'd heard so much about Indian food in London. A cab picked us up and Anthony again mentioned that we were Mexicans to the driver. He freaked out and asked if we had the swine flu. After assuring him that we did not, he eased up. Our destination was Brick Lane. Indian restaurants are lined up here, and the custom is to walk up and down the street looking for the best bargain. Door guys will try to get you to come in by offering up a round of drinks (beer and wine included) and a percentage discount. We settled on a place called Sheba where we got our first round of drinks free and a 30% discount. Score! I wanted to order the Chicken Vindaloo but the menu said it wasn't spicy, and I wanted heat. So I settled for the Chicken Ceylon, which the menu said was 'fairly' spicy. Well, fairly spicy to them nearly burned my tastebuds off. I was sweating the food was so hot! I couldn't handle it so I had to pick at my friend's dishes instead.
The next day was a working holiday in London so the natives were out in full force ready to party. Brick Lane was really rowdy and we headed to a bar for some drinks. The had caipirinhas for cheap, so I bought a round for the gang. We only stayed there for one drink, though, 'cause Maria and I were in the mood for some dancing. We headed out and ended up walking for a good thirty minutes before making it to our destination! It was cold and our feet were tired, so Maria ordered tequila shots for the gang! The bar was kinda boring, but we made the best of it before heading back home. Another crazy night in Londontown. I'm surprised how well I held up today considering Saturday night's illness.
No comments:
Post a Comment