The London Eye

On the Underground- Bayswater bound.
see all photos »

The Journey

Fortunately, the trip to London was flawless...despite our inability to catch any  z zzs. We flew Air Canada on the Boeing  777, the only  jet of its kind in the entire fleet complete with movies on demand and two meals in 6 hours. Even though we weren't hungry, we scarfed it down not knowing when would be the next time we'd get a bite. With no delay, and bags arriving on time and intact, we hopped the underground for our thirty minute ride to The Royal Bayswater Hostel in Bayswater, adjacent to the lush and expansive Hyde Park. Our journey was just beginning.

Leaving North Canton
see all photos »

The Hostel

The Royal Bayswater turned out to be not quite so royal. First impression: The main key card entry to the first floor doesn't work, but it does present the illusion of safety. Then it's up the stairs to room 105, a 12 person room with a private bathroom,  built in pool, sauna and ping pong table. Ok. By pool I mean the massive puddle that forms in the bathroom after taking shower, sauna- there's no air conditioning, and ping pong-the constant banter among the rooms many multi-national guests.

Despite the lacking amenities, the transient environment of hostel dwelling is constantly interesting and opens doors to temporary friendships with travelers from all over the globe. Once you get to know someone slightly, it's time for them to pack up and leave to their next destination. Often, we don't know anyone's name. It's "the guy from Toronto who fell in love with a Thai prostitute in Amsterdam" or "the choral student from PA who loves to sing drunk". However brief, the conversations prove interesting. Last night from a Danish scholar we learned the metric system was created when France measured it's country from one end to the other and titled the distance inbetween "meters".

Sightseeing Rundown

So, we arrived in London Wednesday morning on no sleep.  After visiting the hole in the wall, atm, and throwing our bags in our room we headed across the street from the hostel into Hyde  Park.  It is massive, sprinkled with monuments, picnickers, ducks, squirrels, swan, pigeons, pot smokers, and just about everything  else you could imagine... in a park in the middle of London.  From there it was a lot of walking.  We didn't really have a plan, just a map and no sense of distance.  We  ended up a Buckingham palace and decided we would go back on thursday to  witness the  official changing  of the guard.

To save time this is London, for us anyways...

• Lots of walking,  more than you can imagine
• Big Ben
• London eye, big ferris wheel, didn't ride- too much money
• Old House of Parliament
• Westminster Abbey, burial ground to Florence Nightingale,  Isaac Newton, tons of others
• Trafalgar Square, London's center , named after battle with Napoleon won by  Briton
• National Portrait Gallery
• National Theater, saw "A matter of life or death"- intimate round theater
• Portebello open market in Notting  Hill
• National Science Museum
• Victoria and Albert museum
• The swan pub  for a pint of english beer
• Cappucinno and picnics in Hyde Park

Food for Thought

Interesting Facts

1. Rev. Jon Newton wrote "Amazing Grace". This was the same man who 34-years prior to repenting and becoming a reverend perpetrated violence on the MIddle Passage-including the rape of women. The song was later song by slaves while they worked on the plantations.- National Portrait Gallery

2. The Princess Diana Memorial is interactive- a cement circle lying on the ground with water running perpetually around it. Visitors are encouraged to splash around and play, celebrating the life of the much loved princess. -Hyde Park

Popular London Phrases

Lift= Elevator

Mind the Gap= Watch for the space between the platform and the train\

Underground= subway

Loo/wc= bathroom

For F**** sake=  phrase yelled by cyclist when we crossed in front of her

We'll e-mail all of you a link to our pictures! Tomorrow we're off to Amsterdam via EuroStar. Love you!