London: Day One, Part Two

Big Ben is visible from quite a far way away. 

The sign is pointing towards the Cabinet War Rooms of Winston Churchill, from WWII.

The English flag is on pretty much every building - it is all over the city.

I passed what I'm pretty sure are some of the government buildings on my way over there.

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, and often extended to refer to the clock and the clock tower. The tower is now officially called the Elizabeth Tower, after being renamed in 2012 (from "Clock Tower") to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The tower holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and is the third-tallest free-standing clock tower. The tower was completed in 1858 and had its 150th anniversary on 31 May 2009.

There was a statue of Abraham Lincoln there. I don't know why.

Then, Westminster Abby! I did spend several minutes having a huge geek out. We did a whole bit on architecture in my Christianity class in uni, and we talked about Westminster Abby in that, so I was definitely having a major moment with the gothic architecture. I decided not to go inside that day because I was so tired, which in retrospect was a bad move, as it closed very early today and is not open tomorrow. I will have to go when I am down in April for the London International Book Fair. 

Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, is a large, mainly Gothic, church in the City of Westminster, London, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the most notable religious buildings in the United Kingdom and is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and, later, British monarchs.

Some interesting dead people buried there: Geoffrey Chaucer, Isaac Newton, and Charles Darwin.

Until George II died in 1760, most kings and queens were buried in the abby, with some notable exceptions, including Edward IV, Henry VIII, and Charles I. Most monarchs and royals who died after 1760 are buried either in St George's Chapel or at Frogmore to the east of Windsor Castle. 

There are a lot of statues in the park just across from the Abby, the majority of which I did not know. However, there is a statue of Nelson Mandela, which is currently operating as a memorial, and was quite emotional to see. 

After that, I headed across the Thames, where I saw the London Eye, which I decided was ridiculously expensive, and thus ignored as I continued to walk up the south bank of the Thames. 

The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames. The entire structure is 135 metres (443 ft) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres (394 ft). It is currently Europe's tallest Ferris wheel and is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over 3.5 million visitors annually. 

These were pretty much my favourite - they decorate all the lamp posts on the walk along the South Bank of the Thames, and are just awesome.

Walking along the Thames, I passed the Southbank Skatepark and a large street market.

I was headed up the south bank to where the Globe Theatre once sat. Because I am that big of a nerd. 

I literally whispered "books" under my breath when I saw this. I have a problem. 

Also, that guy has the same bag as me.

This bridge, which I think is just for pedestrians, is apparently the longest solar bridge in the world, and provides 50% of the power for the Blackfriars train station.

Tate Modern (more on this next post) - it was an old factory that was converted into an art museum.

Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames that was originally built in 1599, destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt in 1614, and then demolished in 1644. The modern reconstruction is an academic approximation based on available evidence of the 1599 and 1614 buildings. It was founded by the actor and director Sam Wanamaker and built about 230 metres (750 ft) from the site of the original theatre and opened to the public in 1997. 

I was right by the Tate Modern, which was on my to-do list, but decided I was too tired to keep going, and headed back to the hostel. It was past three, so I was able to check in and head up to my room. 

This is St. Paul's Cathedral, which is hard to get in one frame.

St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and mother church of the Diocese of London. It sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London.

The cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognisable sights of London, with its dome, framed by the spires of Wren's City churches, dominating the skyline for 300 years. At 365 feet (111 m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1962, and its dome is also among the highest in the world. In terms of area, St Paul's is the second largest church building in the United Kingdom after Liverpool Cathedral.

St Paul's Cathedral occupies a significant place in the national identity of the English population. It is the central subject of much promotional material, as well as postcard images of the dome standing tall, surrounded by the smoke and fire of the Blitz. Important services held at St Paul's have included the funerals of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Sir Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher; Jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria; peace services marking the end of the First and Second World Wars; the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer, the launch of the Festival of Britain and the thanksgiving services for the Golden Jubilee, the 80th Birthday and the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. St Paul's Cathedral is a busy working church, with hourly prayer and daily services.

Cozy, no? 

Its cramped, but totally doable. And is £14 a night, which is kind of hard to beat. Mixed dorms, which is less awkward than I thought it might be. I was just going to hang out there for a bit until it was closer to dinner time. However, I was sitting with my head resting on my chin looking at my phone, and then I was abruptly jerking awake an inch awake from the wall. So I decided that a nap was probably in order before I killed myself falling asleep in the wrong place. One hour turned into two, and at seven I finally stumbled out of my room, disoriented and starving. I was going to go to a proper restaurant, but then saw Subway across the street…

Yum. Hung out there for a bit reading (my nice, light vacation reading) before deciding to head over to the movie theatre to see Hunger Games: Catching Fire (for the second time whoops). I think it was the first time I've been to a movie by myself. The theatre was also relatively empty, which was cool. 

Finally got back to the hostel for the night around 1am, and promptly passed out again.