Day 2 in Paris, Le Louvre, 4/5/2013

I woke up early this morning, around 6:30am, this has been my habit since arriving in Europe almost a week ago.  I got dressed, went downstairs to the dining room for breakfast.  I had bread, with butter and various jams, French meals revolve around bread, breakfast included.  I had some hot Lipton tea with two cubes of sugar, a high carb way to start the day.

After breakfast, I went back to my room to get my jacket and things for my trip to the Louvre.  I went to the front desk at the hotel and asked the concierge how to get to the Louvre by bus.  I had the directions, I just needed to know where to catch the bus, the concierge told me where to go and I set out for the Louvre.

I caught bus #27 across from Les Gobelins Metro Station and confirmed with the driver it was going to the Louvre.  The driver told me the bus trip was 2 euro and handed me a transfer.  I found a place to stand and after a few stops got a seat near the front of the bus, I listened carefully to be sure I did not miss the stop for the Louvre.  We passed the Notre Dame Cathedral, I took note of its location so I would know how to find it later. We turned after Notre Dame and proceeded along a road next to the Seine River.

I knew we had arrived at the Louvre when I saw the pyramids marking the entrance to arguably the worlds most famous art museum.  I got out of the bus the wrong way, I went through the entrance at the front of the bus, I did not realize it was the wrong way until I ran into a woman boarding the bus, I said Pardon.  In the US you can exit at the front of the bus or use the rear exit, I did not realize it was different in France.

There were a lot of people outside the Louvre taking pictures, you could see the Eiffel Tower in the background.  I took a lot of pictures, asked people to take pictures of me and took a few pictures for others. I walked around the outside of the Louvre, some young people from Africa, I don't know which country, were selling Eiffel Tower souvenirs, the smallest were 1 Euro.

I walked to the other side of the Louvre and a Kenyan approached me with a "Free Zimbabwe" petition.  I told him I did not speak French, he said, I speak English and asked me where I was from.  I told him I was from the US and he told me he was from Kenya, land of Obama.  I signed the Kenyan's petition, I do not think my name was legible, he did not seem to care, I put my country and city, I listed Phoenix, Arizona.  I donated 1 Euro for the cause, hopefully it gets where it is supposed to go and is not a racket, I will never know.  Someday I may be standing in front of the Louvre with a petition asking people to support my cause, we'll see if that day comes.

I made my way back to the Louvre's main entrance, taking a few pictures along the way and a few pictures for other tourists.  I saw some French soldiers standing outside near the main entrance and asked to take a picture with them, they agreed and I posed for a picture with two of them, the third shot the picture for me.

I walked to the opposite end of the Louvre mainly to find an alternate entrance.  The guidebooks I have read recommended using the alternate entrances to the Louvre to avoid the lines at the front entrance with the pyramids, I did not find an alternate entrance until after I left the museum, the line at the main entrance was not too bad, I got to the museum relatively early this morning.

I entered the Louvre, went through the security check, and waited in another line to buy my 11 Euro ticket.  When I got in, I went immediately to the Mona Lisa, I took a few pictures along the way too.  There were several signs pointing the way to the Mona Lisa, it was not hard to find, I just had to read the signs and follow the crowd.  The Mona Lisa was smaller than I expected, I had seen it before on my junior high school trip, but I did not remember anything about it.  I got into the crowd in front of the Mona Lisa and slowly made my way to the front.  I took a few pictures and got someone to take a picture of me and the Mona Lisa.

After viewing the Mona Lisa I walked around the area and looked at some of the other paintings.  I then set out to find the Venus de Milo.  I asked a guide for directions, and headed in the direction he pointed me to.  It took me awhile to find my way to the Venus de Milo, I looked at the Greek and Roman sculptures on my way, and took more pictures.  There was a crowd at the Venus de Milo, no where near as many people as at the Mona Lisa but I still had to wait to get to the front to take a picture.  I am traveling alone, so again, I asked someone to take a picture of me and the Venus de Milo.

The Louvre is overwhelming, many floors, too much to see in one trip.  I decided to focus on looking at the Greek and Roman sculptures, the Egyptian Art and then the Islamic Art.  I spent about three hours walking around the Louvre, my camera's battery died when I was in the Islamic art section.  After I finished looking at the Islamic Art I was ready to leave the Louvre, I will come back again someday and see more of the museum.

After I left the Louvre I looked for my bus stop, I saw the bus coming from the direction I had arrived, I needed to find the bus going back towards my hotel. I checked near the Louvre, I figured the bus stop for the bus headed in the direction of my hotel would be on the opposite side of where the bus dropped me off, I was wrong.  I walked out of the Louvre area, across a bridge over the Seine river, down the street a little, I could not find a bus stop with bus #27.

I walked back towards the Louvre and walked in the opposite direction, away from the Louvre.  By that time it was after 1pm and I was getting hungry.  I decided to find the bus stop and then buy lunch to take back to the hotel with me.  I kept walking and finally found a bus stop for bus #27.  I went back to a take out cafe and bought a sandwich and raisin bread pastry. After I bought my lunch I went back to the bus stop, I almost got on the wrong bus, #69, I asked the bus driver and he told me I had the wrong bus.

My bus finally came and I was headed back to my hotel, we passed the Notre Dame Cathedral again.  I would have stopped but I wanted to charge my camera batteries first. We continued along Avenue de Goblins, I listened closely for each stop, I wanted to be sure I did not miss mine.  The bus stops are displayed electronically on the bus too, I did not have to rely on the announcement in heavily accented French.  Reading the names of the stops and listening to the French, I realized it was unlikely I would recognize my stop just waiting to hear the name read in French.

After several stops we arrived at my bus stop, I saw the name Les Gobelins come across the electronic sign before the stop was announced in French.  I pressed the stop button and said pardon a few times and exited the bus.  Riding public transportation in a foreign country where English is not spoken can be intimidating, but I did it in Japan where I could not read the language when I arrived, not nearly as difficult in French, a language that uses Roman letters like English.

In the afternoon I went shopping for new luggage at a mall up the street from my hotel.  I asked the concierge if there was anywhere I could by luggage and he pointed me in the direction and told me to walk up the street. I found the big shopping mall and looked for luggage, there was no department store like in the US, instead I found a small luggage shop.  I looked at the convertible backpacks and priced them, they were in the 120 to 160 Euro range, more than I wanted to pay, so I walked around the mall looking for another store, I did not find one.  I went back to the original luggage store, looked around some more and found an Airtex Paris convertible back pack for 79 Euros, perfect.  The Airtex back pack was probably cheaper because it was made in France, the more expensive bags were Eastpack and Quicksilver, both American brands.

 After I got my bag, I went to look for a place to add minutes to my cell phone.  I ended up buying a new SIM card for my phone, they told me ten minutes were included but when I tried to do a test call it did not work.  It's possible international cards are not included with the ten minutes that came with the SIM card, I'll check on it tomorrow. I did not do much this evening, I went to a French fast food restaurant for dinner and had an uneventful evening.

First Day in Paris, 4/4/2013

I woke up around 3 this morning to get ready to catch my 5:40 am  Eurostar train to Paris.  I bought my ticket yesterday, got a Eurail discount.  Eurostar requires you check in 30 minutes before the train departs and the Eurostar representative recommended giving myself about 15 minutes to retrieve my ticket at St. Pancras station in London for the train to Paris.   To be sure I had enough time, I caught the 4:18 am overnight bus from Edgware Station, down the street from my hostel, the Green Man.

The bus arrived at St. Pancras International about ten minutes before 5 am, I walked to the station, got my Eurostar ticket and waited for boarding time.  I took a few pictures before boarding the train.

From From London to Paris April 4, 2013

I had a second class seat for the train ride to Paris, was nice enough, comparable to Amtrak in the US, except there were no plugs for charging computers, cell phones, etc. like you find on Amtrak.  The train was full, a mother and her baby were in the seat next to me, I had the window seat.  The ride under the English Channel was quick and before I knew it, we were riding through the French countryside.  I looked out the window occasionally  but played Fire Emblem Awakening on my Nintendo 3DS for most of the trip to Paris.  I read about Paris in my guidebooks on my Kindle too.

We arrived in Paris around 9:30 am, I got my backpack and made my way to the Taxi stand. I considered take the Paris Metro to the hotel, but decided against it, I had too much luggage, it was rush hour, easier to take a taxi.  I dropped my luggage off at the hotel and the concierge gave me an English handout entitled, "Strolling Through Our Neighborhood." I decided to check out the neighborhood today and save the big sites for tomorrow and Saturday.

The listing that caught my eye on the "Strolling Through Our Neighborhood" handout was The Famous Sante Prison, I decided to go out and find it.  I initially got lost on my way to La Sante prison, I was going to abort my plan and visit the Church of St. Medard on Avenue des Gobelins, the street I ended up on, but I could not find the Church and returned to the hotel.  The concierge pointed me in the direction of La Sante Prison and I walked up Boulevard Arago in search of it.  I had found Boulevard Arago and set out to find the Prison before returning to the hotel for directions, I had walked for several minutes without any sign of a prison and went back to the hotel for directions, the concierge told me it was about ten minutes up Boulevard Arago.

I eventually found a building that looked like what I imagined a historical prison would look like, I began to look around for tourist signs, for La Sante Prison.  I walked around the prison and saw two prison guards and signs saying no cell phones, I began to wonder if Sante Prison was still operational.  Looking at the hotel's "Strolling Through Our Neighborhood" handout, I assumed Sante Prison was a historical landmark, I did not realize it was an operational prison.  I walked around the entire prison, took a picture of a memorial dedicated to anti-fascists executed there and continued walking up Boulevard Arago.  I was not sure if the building I found was La Sante Prison and I decided to keep exploring.

When I reached the top of Boulevard Arago I saw a long crowd circling a park, I thought this may be Sante Prison or some other tourist sight I might be interested in seeing. I went to the front of the line and saw a sign for the Paris Catacombs, another destination on the "Strolling Through Our Neighborhood  hand out I had planned to go. I decided to wait in line for the Catacombs tour, I figured I was already there, I might as well see it today, I could save other sites for the next few days I am in Paris.

From From London to Paris April 4, 2013

Two hours later I bought my ticket to enter the Paris Catacombs, I hoped it would be worth the wait.  I had my first run in with rude Paris when buying my ticket to the Catacombs, the cashier made a scene about my 5 Euros bill being torn, she even got tape out to repair it, after lecturing me in French on the condition of my 5 Euros bill. I just looked at the woman, I do not speak French, I could have responded in English but decided not to, I got my ticket and began my journey into the Catacombs.

Initially I thought I had wasted my time and money on the Catacombs.  I took the long walk down to the depths of Paris and the exhibits talked about the condition of the Catacombs, the mineral content, etc. nothing I was very interested in learning about.  I skimmed the different descriptions of the Catacombs and started walking through the tunnels, they were dark, dank, and I was walking through them alone.  There was no tour guide to direct us, I am traveling alone, did not have a group to explore the Paris Catacombs with, was eery being down there in the tunnels of the Catacombs alone. I ran across a couple of people here and there, when I did I sometimes asked them to take a picture for me.

I realized my money was well spent on the Paris Catacombs when I reached the entrance to the tombs.      I asked the Catacombs worker to take a picture of me, he was nice, spoke English, a completely different experience from the woman who yelled at me about my torn 5 Euros bill at the Catacombs entrance.  The Catacombs worker took a few pictures for me, then told me I could take pictures inside the tombs but not to use the flash, it is not good for the bones.

From From London to Paris April 4, 2013

I walked through the Paris Catacombs, mostly exploring them alone, sometimes running into people.  There were skulls and bones stacked along the walls of the Catacombs, according to the website for the Catacombs Museum, the remains of six million Parisians are buried in the Catacombs.  The tunnels in the Catacombs were sometimes wet, water dripping from overhead, it was an interesting sight.  I finally reached the end of the Catacombs and climbed the long, steep stairs back outside.  A man outside asked me if that counted as a workout, I told him I am counting it as one and we laughed.

I left the Catacombs exhausted and ready to return to my hotel for check in.  I stopped in a clothing store and asked for directions back to Boulevard Arago, I had initially set out in the wrong direction, glad I checked with the woman in the clothing store.  I asked the woman if she spoke English, she said a little and gave me directions in French.  I understood where to go based on her gestures and I confirmed in English what she had said, she started speaking French again and pointed me in the right direction. I said Thank you, Merci, and she said no problem.

I passed the Famous Sante Prison again on my way back to the hotel, this time I took more pictures from across the street, I was pretty confident I had found the prison. I later confirmed I had found the Sante Prison after I checked into hotel and Googled it.

From From London to Paris April 4, 2013

I continued down Boulevard Arago towards my hotel, I stopped in a couple of cafes/bakeries looking for a baguette sandwich. After a few stops, I finally found one that looked good and bought it.  I checked into my hotel around 2:30 pm, although it felt like it was after 7 pm because I had been out all day. I got on my computer, then took a long nap until around 9:30 pm.  I stayed in the rest of the evening, tomorrow I will head for some of the big sights in Paris, maybe the Louvre during the day and the Eiffel tower at night. I have a lot of Paris to see over the next few days.  I only wish I spoke French, even conversational French would make exploring the city easier and I am sure more fun, I'd be able to speak with the locals.

First Day in Paris Photo Album

Day 4 in London, the London Eye and Parliament Square

I woke up later than usual this morning, after 6am versus waking up at 5am daily since arriving in London.  I usually stay  in bed when I get up early, I decided to get started early today.  I wanted to get on the London Eye, London's huge ferris wheel built for the milineum on the Thames River in Westminster.  On the Original Bus Tour yesterday, we learned the London Eye was scheduled to close in 2005.  London Eye was granted an extension to remain open for another 24 years.

I went to Pret A Manger for breakfast, I got there earlier than usual, I had a tomato mozerella croisant and Pret's superfruit bowl.  I went around the corner to Marble Arch Tube station at 9am and to the Jubilee line to Westminster Station for the London Eye.  There was already a crowd waiting inside a heated area when I arrived at the London Eye, I joined the crowd inside to wait for the ticket windows to open.

A French woman asked me if we were in the right area for the London Eye tickets, she said a crowd had lined up outside.  I told her the area we were in opened intot the ticket area, but I did not know if we were supposed to line up outside. I went outside to check, I asked a few people and found out, people were instructed to line up outside.  One line for people who had a ticket voucher and another for those who had not bought a ticket.  I went back and told the French woman the line was outside, she decided to stay in the warm indoors area.  I went outside and got in the London Eye ticket voucher line.

I was determined to get on the London Eye today and I arrived early to avoid the huge crowds I encountered the previous two days.  I could tolerate waiting in the cold for half an hour to get on the London Eye immediately when it opened.  It wasn't long before they openend the doors and let us inside to redeem our vouchers for tickets.  I got my ticket and 4D glasses for the pre London Eye 4D movie, I skipped the movie and went straight for the London Eye, there was a short line and I got on the ride quickly.

I was on the London Eye with a group of Germans, I talked to a mother and her daughter, they were eager to speak English with me. They complimented my English and asked where I was from, I said the US, they were surpised and said I sounded English.  I think the Germans could not hear the difference between American and British English, every Brit in London knows I am American the minute I open my mouth, they never mistake me for British.

Lynnae on the London Eye

I told the Germans I plan to visit Germany during my Europe tour, right now I plan to go to Berlin and Munich, my plans can and likely will change. The Germans were from Nuremberg, I know nothing about Nuremberg except the Nuremberg trials, which were the first thing to pop into my mind.  The German mother asked me about US high schools and whether they teach German.  I told her I did not think German was taught at my high school, but I cannot remember.  I told her German is taught at University.  She told me her 23 year old nephew would be studying in the US next year, she could not remember where/what state.

Lynnae on the London Eye, Big Ben and Parliament in Background

Our ride on the London Eye was a little over half an hour, we got some great views of London, I hear the view is amazing at night.  After my ride on the London Eye, I walked across Westminster bridge to Parliament square, I took a picture in front of the Winston Churchill statue.  I wanted to get a picture with the Abraham Lincoln statue across the street but my camera died as a passerby was taking the picture for me.  I considered walking to Traflagar Square, but it was cold, I had things to do, decided to save it for my return trip to London, when the weather will be warmer.

Parliament and Big Ben from the London Eye

Me & Winston Churchill Statue

I stopped by a London store called M&S to look for thermal underwear, the weather in Paris is just as cold as in London.  The M&S near my hostel had sold out of thermals, the sales woman recommended I go to their much larger store on Oxford street.  I briefly returned to the hostel and then walked to Oxford street to search for thermals.  Oxford street is London's shopping district, I found M&S and bought the thermals, there was a small crowd at M&S looking for thermals like me.  M&S was sold out of medium thermal leggings, I bought the large, there was only one long sleeve thermal shirt in size 8, I bought that too.  I will wear my thermals on my way to Paris, hopefully they make the unseasonably cold European April more tolerable.

I spent the afternoon napping, sleeping away the jet lag, and packing. My backpack is packed, I will throw in my remaning things when I get up at 3:30am for my 5:40am Eurostar train to Paris.  The Eurostar rep said they require you check in 30 minutes before the train departs and suggested I allow 15 minutes to retrieve my ticket.  I will take one of London's overnight buses to the train station, it runs  at 18 & 55 past each hour.  I need to take the 4:18 train to make it to Eurostar in time for my departure, means an early start tomorrow. I hope the alarm on my UK cell phone wakes me up and I make the train on time.  I'm sitting in the Pub blogging and eating pizza, going upstairs to get ready for bed in a few minutes.  My next blog entry will be from the city of light, Paris.

Day 3 in London, Buckingham Palace, Bus Tour Part 2 4/2/2013

I woke up early, as I have every day since I arrived in London.  I started my day by walking to Pret A Manger for breakfast, then I headed across the street to the Original Bus Tour stop in front of Hyde Park.  The beginning of the bus tour was a repeat, although each tour guide inserts new commentay, much of it interesting.

Buckingham Palace was one of the first stops on the tour, I knew I wanted to see the changing of the guard, and got off at that stop.  The tour guide told us we had plenty of time to get to Buckingham Palace for the chaning of the guard at 11:30am, we arrived at the stop around 9:45am.  The tour guide also told us to expect a crowd because of the nice, sunny weather. It was cold to me, but the sun did cut the chill, felt warmer than the day before.

I walked around the corner and down the street to the entrance of Buckingham Palace, a few people had already started to gather along the gates.  I found a spot near Buckingham Palace's entrance and took a few pictures, settlled in for the hour and a half wait for the changing of the guards.

From Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace & Tower of London April 2, 2013

I went to see the changing of the guards during my tour of Europe in Junior High School, I do not remember much of it, except there was a crowd and we were not close to the gates.  I had a much better spot this time, I happened to get there are the right time, I did not research the times for the changing of the guard or do any advance planning before leaving home.

I waited for the changing of the guards next to a group of Americans California and an Indian family on the opposite side of me.  I heard some Japanese and was happy to realize I could still understand Japanese, at least childrens level Japanese.  A mother was directing her child to sitdown (swarinasai) & then told the child to come here (oide), the Japanese family were not close enough for me to talk to, but it was nice to hear some Japanese, it has been awhile.  I read my Europe guidebooks on my Kindle to kill time while waiting for the changing of the guards to begin.  The crowd got bigger and bigger, there was a huge crowd when the changing of the guards ceremony began.

Finally, a little before 11:30 the guards in front of Buckingham Palace began marching, sometimes they shuffled backwards, they spun their guns around, etc. Then the guards outside the palace began arriving, at least one on horseback.  I stood up on the platform where the gate to the palace is to get a better view of the guards arriving.  The changing of the guards ceremony was about an hour and a half long.  There was a concert, a lot of marching, yelling of orders, the guards even came up to the gate and spoke to us.  Everyone was getting tired as the ceremony continued and the guards kept playing more songs.  The Americans next to me, said another one?  The music was good, but we had all been there for over 2 hours, it was cold too.

After the changing of the guards ceremony, I went back to wait for the tour bus, by that time I was freezing.  I went into the store at Buckingham Palace, looked at the "God Save the Queen" pillows and other merchandise.  I did not buy anything but I warmed up a little and got back on the tour bus. I got off at the London Eye stop, the crowds were huge, I decided to wait until the next day to try to get onto the Lodon Eye.  I got back on the tour bus and it was a repeat of what I had seen yesterday, some new facts from a different tour guide, but I had seen it all already.



I went back to my hostel after the tour, I stopped and got a Chicken Shish Kebab sandwich at a Middle Eastern restaurant on my way to the hostel.  I hung out in the pub below the hostel and then went upstairs for an afternoon nap, I ran into some new hostel mates from Italy, another woman from France arrived later in the evening.  For the first time since I arrived, the hostel room was full, 6 people. After my nap I went back to the Pub, watched the soccer game and did some more blogging. I went back to the room around midnight, everyone was getting ready for bed, there is not much space in the hostel room with six people, but everything worked out. I have not had an American hostel mate yet on this trip, maybe I won't, who knows. I did not come to Europe to hang out with Americans, I can do that at home.

Day 2 in London, The Orginal Bus Tour, Tower of London 4/1/2013

I started the day early, thanks to jet lag, I've been waking up around 5 in the morning.  Although I woke up early, I did not leave the hostel until around 8:30am.  I had to find my way around the hostel, where the showers were, how to use them, etc. I checked out the breakfast spread, did not see anything appetizing, white bread, jam and cereal.  I decided I would find food on my way to the bus tour.

I stopped at a shop that sells The Orignal Bus Tour tickets and talked to the woman who was standing outside, I had talked to a man the day before about bus tickets.  I told the woman I would come back and buy my ticket after I ate breakfast.  I also needed to get money out of the ATM, there are free cash machines all over London, these machines do not charge a fee for withdrawing money from your bank at home. I got some money, went to Pret A Manger for breakfast, and had their bacon, cheese, tomato, ham crossaint for breakfast.

When I finished eating, I went back to buy my bus ticket.  The woman said she had talked to the man I met yesterday and he said he had promised me a deal, the ticket for 26 GBP, she asked me why I had not told her, I did not remember.  I cannot remember what price the woman quoted me before breakfast, based on other venders I spoke to 2 GBP was a deal, I bought the ticket.  I spoke to the man and he said he remembered me from the day before, explained the tour and told me where to catch the bus.

I walked to the Marble Arch bus stop, near Hyde Park, got my bus ticket validated and waited for the T1 bus, the live English tour. I started the tour sitting on the open air top deck of the bus which all the vendors recommended. I did not last long on the top deck due to London's bitter cold, I moved to the inside of the bus which was not much warmer.  The tour guide pointed out the sights as we rode along, on of the first was the Aston Martin dealership and she made a reference to James Bond. We continued along the route, saw Margaret Thatcher's house, JK Rowlings flat, and then we approached Buckingham Palace. Our tour guide informed us the Queen was not at Buckingham Palace based on the flag flying, the Union Jack. The Royal Standard flies above Buckingham Palace when the Queen is home.

I stayed on the tour bus until we reached the stop for the London Eye, by then I was freezing.  I walked towards the London Eye and stopped at an arcade along the way to warm up.  I did not play any games in the arcarde, they did have an impressive selection, a multilevel arcade, one of the largest I have seen.  After looking around the arcade and warming up, I started out for the London Eye.  When I arrived the line was long to get a ticket and there was a twenty minute wait to get on the London Eye.  I was cold, I decided to wait until the next day, hope it was warmer and less of a crowd.

I walked across Westminster Bridge to catch the Thames cruise to the Tower of London, the cruise was included with the Original bus tour ticket. I bought a ticket to the Tower of London in advance, this was an attraction I did not want to miss.  I have seen the London tower in movies and BBC television series, I wanted to see it up close, now I had the chance.

From The London Tower April 1st & 2nd 2013

 The cruise was narrated and like the bus tour, the guide pointed out the major landmarks, this time I got to see them from a new perspective, the Thames River.  I cannot remember all of the hightlights, they pointed out the Tower bridge and explained it is techinically a ship with a Captain and a crew and not a bridge. As we arrvied at the London Tower, the guide pointed out the sign on the wall only visible from the river, which reads "Entry to Traitor's Gate."

From The London Tower April 1st & 2nd 2013

After the boat docked, I headed for the London Tower.  I was still freezing, but I had my ticket and wanted to see the London Tower.  I went inside and briefly joined a guided tour, had it been warmer, I would have stayed with the guided tour.  Instead, I broke away from the tour and started to explore the castle on my own.  I stayed with the tour long enough to hear the guide say the London Tower is none for torture and execution, but in reality few executions took place there, the Londodn Tower was a castle and that was its main use.  On the Original Tour Bus I later learned there were 7 executions in the London Tower, 5 were women, 3 Queens.  Most prisoners at the Lonon Tower were publicly executed on Tower Hill, across from the London Tower.

I walked through two of the Towers at Lonon Tower on my self-guided, the most memorable was the Bloody Tower, where prisoners were tortured.  The exhibit in in the Bloody Tower showed the different methhods of torture used against prisoners.  After the Blooy Tower I went to the  Fusilier Museuem, there was an interesting exhibit on Major John Andre a British spy during the American Revolution.  Since this was a British Museum the exhibit reflected the British perspective, discussing the American Rebels and the American War of Independence. The exhibit called Major Andre a British hero, the British flag the Americans captured is still displayed at West Point according to the museuem's exhibit.

After touring the Tower of London, I got back on the Original Tour bus, I got on the first bus that arrived, mainly because I wanted to get out of the cold.  The tour bus was the line with recorded audio for non-Englsih speakers.  I later changed buses after I warmed up and continued the tour, learning more interesting facts about Lonon.  After the tour, I returned to my hostel, and took an afternoon nap. I went back out later to get dinner at a Turkish restaurant. There are many Middle Eastern restaurants along the street where my hostel is located, the food is cheap and good, I have eaten at one daily.

After dinner I hung out in the Pub below our hostel and used my computer, I finally went to sleep around midnight.

First Day in London, Speakers Corner & Westminster at Night 3/31/2013

After I dropped off my luggage at my hostel, I got connected to the internet and started to plan my day.  I read about Speakers' Corner at Hyde Park in Rick Steves' Europe through the backdoor and thought that would be a great way to start my trip to London.  Speakers' Corner is held on Sundays at London's Hyde Park, people come out to speak their mind on various topics.

I looked up directions to Hyde Park on the Transport for London Website, the website returned a 1 hour itenerary via train and bus from my hostel.  I decided I would not go to Hyde Park for Speakers' Corner on this trip to London, the journey was much longer than I had anticipated. I went to speak to the hostel staff/bartender about Hyde Park and getting around London.  He told me Hyde Park was a short 15 to 20 minute walk down our street, was easy to get to, and showed me the location on the map.  I got my things together and set out for Hyde Park.

The hostel staffer was right, it was a quick walk to Hyde Park.  I stopped at a couple of cell phone shops along the way and asked about prices, about 20 minutes later I was at the entrance of Hyde Park.  It did not take me long to find Speakers' Corner, there were several small crowds gathered around people standing on step ladders, I did not see anyone standing on a soap box.

I went to see the speakers where the largest crowd was gathered, there was an older White woman speaking about Britain being for White people, and a Black man dressed as a police officer waving flags.  When I walked up the woman and man were arguing with a Muslim man, the Black man said, "shut up darkie!" I was surprised to hear a Black man calling a Muslim a darkie, darkie is a used as a dergatory term for Black people in the US.  I listened closely to the discussion to try to figure out what exactly they were arguing about.  The White woman began arguing with the Muslim, told him he was in their space and get his own crowd.  The Black man dressed as a cop called the Muslim darkie again.

From Speakers' Corner Hyde Park, London March 31, 2013

Based on what I heard from the White woman and Black man dressed as a cop and looking at their props, they were discussing racial profiling in the UK. The White woman was also discussing British immigration policies and every few seconds would break into, "Britain for the Whites, the Queen is White" etc. The Black man walked around waving flags, he dramatically pointed them at me several times.  A man standing next to me commented on the theatrics of the pair and laughed, he then told them their crowd was leaving.

From Speakers' Corner Hyde Park, London March 31, 2013

The Muslim man they called Darkie started to gather his own crowd in a separate location, he was debating people about Islam and Christianity.  The Muslim man said more people have memorized the Koran than any other religious work in the world, a man interjected, saying that did not mean anything.  There was a debate about whether Islam was the correct religion because more people have memorized the Koran than other religious works.  I listened to this debate for awhile, then moved to the third speaker who had amassed a sizeable crowd.

The third speaker was also Muslim and was debating a man about suicide bombers.  The Muslim was saying Islam is a peaceful religion and a man in the audience brought up suicide bombers, saying no other religion has used them to target people, not Christianity, Budhism, etc.  The Muslim speaker brought up Japanese Kamikaze during World War II, the man in the audience responded saying that was a military conflict, not equivalent to Muslim suicide bombers today. The debate continued, I had my fill, I was cold and ready to head back to my hostel to check in.  I was tempted to get on my own Soapbox, I have plenty to talk about, but I didn't, I decided to attend my first Hyde Park Speakers' Corner as an observer.  I may get on my own Soap box in Hyde Park on my return trip to London.

Speakers' Corner London's Hyde Park 3/31/2013

I walked back to my hostel, on my way back I bought a cell phone for 20 GBP, was the best deal I got after speaking to several dealers.  I checked in at the hostel and headed up to my room.  My room is on the top floor of the hostel, an all female room that sleeps six.  I had the bottom bunk, there are two 3 bed bunk beds in the room, being on the bottom, I am only a few inches off the floor, no room to sit up either  I realized why hostels work, after being out sight seeing, walking around, you are dead tired, the room does not have to be fancy, you have a place to sleep and it is enough.  The bed is comfortable and has a warm duvet.

Around 9pm I took the tube to Westminster station to see London's sights at night.  The view was amazing at night, I saw Big Ben and the houses of Parliament lit up, I also saw the London Eye, all these are along the Thames River.  Some French tourists took photos of me with Big Ben and the London Eye in the background.  I walked around a little, to Parliament square, along the Thames, until the cold becamse unbearable and I went back to Westminster station for the trip back to my hostel.

Me at Big Ben & Parliament

Me with London Eye in the Background

I stopped and got Pakistani food, Chiken Tikka Kabob, on my way back to the hostel.  I got turned around briefly after eating dinner, I headed in the opposite direction of my hostel.  I realized I was going the wrong way when I passed things I did not recognize, an Islamic center, a Dominos Pizza, etc. I turned around and made it back to my hostel around midnight.  My two Hostel roommates were already sleep, lights were off.  I had to use the light from my computer to find my things and get ready for bed.   My hostel mates both moved to London to work, one from Southern France, the other Bern, Switzerland, they are not here to go sightseeing, staying in the hostel until their flats are ready.

Traveling to London

On March 30, 2013, I started my journey to London early in the morning.  I got up around 4 am after only a couple hours of sleep and made sure I had everything in my bags, ate breakfast and waited for my brother to pick me up for the drive to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.  We left my parents house around 5:30 am for my 7:00 am flight to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Me at Home Before Going to Airport

I had an hour layover in Dallas, then flew to Charlotte International Airport for a flight to London.  My layover in Charlotte was 3 hours, it passed quickly, our flight to London departed at around 7 pm EST. US Airways had a reception at gate for the London flight, the food looked good, I had just eaten and was not hungry, did not eat any.  I took a  couple of the sandwiches for the flight, but I ended up eating the in-flight meal and leaving the sandwiches and the lunch bag US Airways gave us on the airplane.

Lynnae at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix

The flight to from Charlotte to London was uneventful.  I changed seats about an hour into the flight, ended up with a great seat, lots of legroom.  I think the seat was empty because it was close to the restrooms, did not bother me, the extra legroom and open seat next to me made for a comfortable flight.  I did not sleep at all during the flight to London, instead I watched Argo and Skyfall.  I also read Rick Steves' Guide to Europe through the back door to get some ideas of what to do in London after I landed.

Lynnae at Charlotte International Airport Before Flight to London

Our plane arrived in London on March 31st at 7:30 am, at that point I was brain dead.  I had been up all night and had only slept a couple of hours the night before, it was my usual bedtime in Arizona when we landed in London.  I made my way to customs, the customs agent took an interest in my background and asked me several questions.  I haven't gone through customs in a long time, the last time I went abroad was to Iraq with the Defense Intelligence Agency.  I remember going through customs in Germany but I did not get many questions, except why was I traveling using my tourist visa.  I was staying in Germany either, maybe that is why I did not get many questions from the customs agent. I do not remember Japanese customs agents asking many questions either, but it has been several years since I was in Japan.

It was a different story in London, the customs agent noticed I had  written N/A employment section.  The customs agent asked me what was my occupation and I told her I was unemployed.  The customs agent asked me when was the last time I was employed, I told her 2009, although technically I left the Central Intelligence Agency in 2010.  The customs agent asked me where I worked before I became unemployed, I told her I worked at the CIA.  She asked me, "What is the CIA?" I told her the Central Intelligence Agency and she asked if I was involved in intelligence, I said yes.  The customs agent asked why I left the CIA and I told her it was a long story, she seemed satisfied with that answer and did not ask for details.

I cannot remember if the customs agent asked where I worked before the CIA or if I just offered up my pre-CIA employment.  I told the customs agent before the CIA I worked in defense/military intelligence, I did not specify I worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency.  After discussing my employment history, the customs agent asked how I supported myself and funded my travel after all these years of unemployment.  I told her I had savings, she asked me how much, was it lifetime savings, etc.  After all these questions, the customs agent asked me the standard questions, how long did I plan to stay in the UK, where else would I travel, did I have a return ticket, etc.  Finally, the customs agent was satisfied with my answers, stamped my passport and I headed to baggage claim, they call it baggage reclaim in Britain.

My baggage was waiting for me when I got to the baggage reclaim area, I strapped on my backpack and headed out.  I asked a couple of people for directions on how to get to London's trains to Paddington.  I took the Heathrow Connect to Paddington Station and then walked about 20 minutes to my hostel.  I dropped of my luggage at the hostel and had time to kill.  I decided to go to Speakers Corner at Hyde Park while I waited for check in time at the hotel.  I will blog about my Speakers Corner experience in my next post.