Well here we are the first day of my journey & it’s time to hit London! I was quite surprised that I didn’t feel any jet lag effects, but as I had kept UK time sleeping habits for so long might have contributed to that. None the less, it was still a little hard to not want to stay horizontal after such a long flight.

Today’s trip into London was via the “Tube” (otherwise known as the “Underground”). If you have ever been on a rollercoaster, you will find this similar. It’s a tad archaic in appearance, looking quite possibly like it hadn’t changed over the years it had been in existance. It rocked back & forwards & swung around corners making one feel like they were on an amusement ride.

Seats were limited, as patrons didn’t seem too perterbed that their luggage & handbags take up seats meant for passengers. In fact they would look at you as if nothing were wrong if you seemed rather annoyed that someones sports bag took up a seat rather than you spend the next 30 mins standing. But like their driving, they seem to have this arogance of right of passage.

Don’t get me wrong here, for the most part it was the multi cultural element that seemed to presume this. There seemed to be a throng of nationalities that have taken over as the owners of all that is & will be England. I don’t think I spoke to a anglosaxon Brit until way later in the day.

When the train finally pulled up at it’s destination, you might say that I was more than eager to make my exit from the station! Paul had to actually pull me in the right direction, because my eyes saw one entry sign & wanted to take it out of there! It didn’t occur to me in my moment of haste to get out of there, that the ‘exit’ sign should have been in my sights!

We disembarked at Hyde Park Station which was a stones throw from Buckingham Palace. My knees were still shaking from standing all the way on the tube, so we had to take it a little slower to start with. Arising from the station tunnel into daylight, I looked around & took in what was my first introduction to England. I was NOT disappointed.

The day was overcast & dreary and looked like it threatened to rain, but it made for what was a preconcieved picture of London. I had never thought of it as a sunny metropolous, so it fell within my expectations. What I didn’t expect was the feeling of awe of my surroundings. These were buildings that had stood the test of time. The archecture & construction should be the envy of all living archectects & builders. London had definitely stood the test of time.

We were lucky that the rain held off until later, which enabled us to grab a loverly lunch & sit in Green Park opposite Buckingham Palace before we started our walk. Today I left ‘Junior’ (my eeePC) behind, opting to be more the tourist. The sad point was that I didn’t take my camera as I was a little unsure of what the days activities would unfold. I was, however, ready at hand with my Blackberry to take photos & video.

After a leisurely lunch enjoying the surroundings of Green Park, we ventured over to Buckingham Palace. While indeed impressive, it didn’t captivate me as much as other structures around London. The gold painted gates & titbits looked rather tacky & should be stripped off in my opinion to expose the true workmanship in those big iron gates. For the most part I thought the painted on gold showed that the monarchy were showing their use by date & should progress into the future of what is ‘now’. I would much rather have seen what was a tastefully restored Palace than the tacky & worn Palace as it stands. The gardens were much nicer to visit, so off we made for a walk around St James Park.

I did, however, have a little bit of a chuckle over Princess Diana’s Walk, symbolized by paving stones in the path. I’m not sure I would like the be memorialized by something people could walk over. Tourists seemed to find it cool though, which in the end is what brings the bucks in I suppose.

I was much more enamoured by the gardens, even though I am not such an avid horticulturalist, but more an appreciator of beauty. Due to the rain we had to make do with creating a path along the treeline to reduce getting too wet. Scattered all over the gardens were people huddled under trees doing the same. Now “this” was the London I expected! It was all tying in like a B Grade movie, and I was loving it!

After being continually rained on, we decided we may as well continue our walk & hope for the best. The one thing that did surprise me was that with all the rain this area has, that it has very limited shelter. Buildings didn’t have overhangs, there were very limited covered areas. So for the most part people tended to just plough through the rain. So I thought I may as well do the same.

I was surprised that London wasn’t as busy as I thought it would be. Admittedly it was a Monday, but I had expected it to be much more crowded and way more polluted. From what I am told the pollution was reduced by the rain, and because it was a Monday it was rather quite. However, coming from a small city like Perth I was expecting something a LOT busier considering the population.

The one thing I did notice was the consistent sound of sirens. I was never sure if it were ambulance or police, but they seemed to whine in the air continually. When I was in Rome in 2001 I remember thinking the same thing there.

To say I was impressed by Big Ben & Parliament is an understatement. They have to be 2 of the most impressive structures I have ever seen. What workmanship must have gone into those when you consider when they were built. It is worth a trip to London just to see those alone.

While you always hear about the pollution of the Thames, one can not be prepared for the smell that arises from the sewers surrounding it. The smell whiffs up the vents in the sidewalks & smell putrid to say the least!

By the way, did I happen to mention it was still raining? It was. By this time I was well & truly soaked to the bone. We were meant to be meeting up with my friend Kitty at Piccadilly Circus at 7.30pm, but as she were going to be rushed (she was on her way to Spain) & we were pretty much drowned rats, we decided to pass on it & make our way via the tube back to the Jury’s Inn where we were staying. A hot shower, a change of clothes, and a nice meal & a few drinks sounded inviting!! However, there was still the ride on the tube to get through!

If I thought the morning trip was an adventure, that was nothing compared tot he hussle & bussel of the evening herd of cummuters. Some looked resolved to what was a daily chore, while others seemed annoyed that others were seated & they weren’t. Like it or not, the race card still comes into play at times like this. However, I had one thing in my favour this time…. I at least got a seat & didn’t have to hold on as tight!

Tonight we had a loverly dinner at Jury’s Inn. They make a good chicken caeser salad. Then it was back to the room to get organized for the first step in our camping trip. Not as easy task as one would think, considering that we were both already packed. Because I had to pack so carefully I had things shoved in everywhere, so it was a case of unpacking & then repacking, but finally knowing where eveyrthing was! Until this point I was tearing apart each bag wondering where the hell I had put everything!

One of the most the most disconcerting things I can think of that night, was watching the planes descend through the window behind Paul as we were talking until all hours. They were coming in at our line of site from the top floor, but because of the double glazing of the windows you couldn’t hear them. One after another, in probably 30 minute intervals many various airlines made their descent into Heathrow. (Just a tip… some of these airlines seriously need slicker rebranding, they are looking somewhat dated!)

So it’s goodnight for now, & looking forward to tomorrow

London Photos on Flickr

London Videos on YouTube