London - Like returning to a place you've never been before

My overwhelming impression of London was that familiarity. I was surprised at how familiar you can find a city you've never set foot in. I think it has to do with the American upbringing. I was brought up on British culture like Mary Poppins, Fawlty Towers, Paddington Bear and the Spice Girls. (Only half joking about that last one.) So walking in Hyde Park towards Buckingham Palace I thought, "Reading took me to all these places." (Oh my gosh: Reading rainbow moment!)

But here are some of the places I actually went to:

Burrough St. Market - the British version of a farmers market...but soo soo good.

Big Ben - where Peter pan flew by with Wendy & the Kids.
Westminster Abbey - just a quick walk by

Hyde Park - where I imagine that scene in Mary Poppins to have taken place

Buckingham Palace - Changing of the Guard: It was so crowded I climbed up on a lamp post to watch most of it!

Harrod's - I loved it, but they're so snooty. They don't let you wear backpacks. You have to carry your backpack like a handbag. HELLO~ it's freakin heavy!


Covent Garden - cute place to be/shop around.

Oxford Circus - Soho - Picadilly Circus: funky cool places to hang around a shop! I definitely could have spent more time here.


I did a lot of walking along this walkway. It takes you along the Thames River to a bunch of the following sights.

Tower of London - Tower Bridge

CityHall - they have outdoor plays in the evening.

St. Paul's Cathedral - Sunday mass is pretty neat to sit in on.


I continued my walk crossing the Millennium Bridge to the Tate.

Tate Modern (Art Museum) - This came highly recommended to me. I liked it because it had better background information of the artworks than SF's MoMa or DeYoung. So you're not as lost staring at the blob of blue on canvas. ^^

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre - it's an awesome experience to actually see Shakespeare the way it was meant to be enjoyed ... performed! I watched an early comedy called "Love's Labours Lost" and actually understood the humor. For better or for worse, I was cheap and got standing tickets in the yard. You're up close to the action, but your legs kill you at the end of 3 hours. How do we stay on our feet in the hospitals??

Being there for only 2 days meant that I rushed through a good many things. All in all I am happy I went though. In addition, I can finally say that I had the hostel experience: while it was humble accommodation...the people were all friendly. And when you're on your own, you can't ask for more than friendliness.