Wrapping up Destination #1

At this point Hunter and I departed. I had offered to come along with him, but he refused saying that I would just be sitting around there was nothing I could do to help anyways. He assured me that it wasn't especially urgent but that he wanted to get it looked at in an English speaking country. With that I went to the Museum of London which traces London’s history. It was interesting to hear of their native people and also of their occupation by Rome at the height of the Roman Empire. I would highly recommend it. By the time I left, it was around 5 and I didn’t have time for the imperial war museum, so I decided to stroll through London. At one point I got a banana at a market stand and it was not until I was done and holding onto the peal for upwards of 30 minutes that I realized that there are very few trash cans in London and yet they keep it surprisingly clean. On my trek I was able to see vastly different parts of London, from Jubilee market, a fun square filled with merchants to Leicester Square which basically mimicked Times Square, complete with billboards for shows and people badgering you a bout buying comedy tickets. Passing through a touristy part of town, Covent Garden, I noticed many I heart London shirts. Really London, Had to copy NYC? You could have done better.

When I made it back to the hostel, I eventually met up with hunter who had already eaten dinner. He also told me that the doctor told him he needed to get checked out by a specialist so it looks like his trip is going to be cut short. Luckily I heard from Kristine this morning that she’ll be meeting up with me in Rome, so I wont have to spend any time alone and she can take over Hunter’s hotel reservation. I feel awful for Hunter and hope we can make the best of our last stop together in paris. I also feel terrible about the extra money that was wasted on plane tickets to Rome and to Frankfurt where he was departing from as well as on cancellation fees. Nevertheless he came out with me to grab a quick bite at a nice little restaurant. Along the way we noticed various pubs with signs showing them to be “sport free zones” and telling patrons they could not wear their (team) colors. From watching Green street hooligans, one of my favorite movies, I assumed that this meant that they would not play soccer games to keep from having any trouble starting. The Brits sure do love their futbol. As we walked up to our room, Hunter joked about asking a few girls if they wanted to come up to the room right about the Generator Bar because it was almost just as loud. Good thing we brought earplugs!

Now that our stay in London comes to a close, my only regret is never going to Stonehenge. There were some (relatively) cheap tours for around 30 pounds, but there just wasn’t time. I may have gone to bath as well since there were many day trips to Stonehenge and Bath. I guess that leaves me a reason to come back. On a return trip, I also might visit St. Pauls cathedral, with the second largest dome in the world, (second only to St. Peters Basilica in Rome). However, I am proud to say that I never patronized a chain restaurant or any of the hundreds of fast food, American or Italian restaurants. It was fun to keep it authentic. On a final note, London is a very pricey city. I spent about $300 in 72 hours, not including the 72 pounds (about 120 spent on the hostel). We certainly ate and slept inexpensively, but many of the attractions were pretty expensive. Overall, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. IT was an absolutely incredible experience. I was sad to be leaving but once Hunter and I started planning for Paris before we went to bed, I became excited for the next adventure that lies ahead.