Not a real update

Just letting you know that I'm rearranging my photos. In the corner of the blog you'll find my abridged version of my trip. If you go to my account (http://picasaweb.google.com/kiyuchan/BrittripperAbridged) , you'll find the rest of them, all organized nicely into separate folders, as I upload them.

I might also add a few videos to the same place!

The Globe has the best special effects!

So, as you might have noticed, I uploaded my first batch of pictures this morning. I should have more uploaded tomorrow. Saturday at the latest! This batch, I have tons of St. Paul's Cathedral, a few of the Globe, and a few from the British Museum.

After I got done uploading my photos, I went to St. Paul's. It didn't take me long to get there, and I ended up starting in the Crypt. The Crypt was far from creepy, unless you don't like being near dead bodies. Of course, these bodies are well covered in stone statues, tombs, and flooring. That was a bit weird for me. All across the Crypt floor were these large plates and stones with inscriptions. It took me a while to realize that these were essentially headstones, not plaques of honor.

Next, I went up to the ground level of the cathedral. It's truly gorgeous, although quite ostentatious. Most of the ceiling decoration is trimmed in gold leaf, and there are huge, marble statues dedicated to lots of important historical figures, especially the military. There was a really nice memorial in the East Chapel dedicated to the American soldiers who died in WWII, paid entirely by the British public.

It's neat being in a place that has so much history to it. We just have almost nothing like it in the U.S. While the current version of St. Paul's has only been around since the 1700's, the old St. Paul's was there centuries before that.

After that, I crossed the Millennium Bridge, opened in 2000 for a weekend, before it was closed down for 18 months due to it's being wobbly. That's really bad for a foot bridge as most cities don't like their pedestrians falling into rivers. Right across from the bridge is the Tate Modern. I was going to go, but I wanted to go to the Globe more.

I went ahead to the Globe and bought my ticket. I had a pretty good seat, despite its being a "restricted vision" seat. I just leaned over when they were standing behind the support pole. I rented a cushion so my bum wouldn't get too sore after 3 hours! It was a great performance for a play I had never seen or read before. I'm not sure I really get what the point was, but they were good. One of the best parts was actually helped along by some really well-timed weather. Just as King Leer leaves his life behind and goes to the wilderness in a storm, it starts to rain, hard. After the scene was over, the rain stopped. Perfect. Not so perfect for the groundlings, but perfect for the play.

Oh, and the guy who played Edgar was (skip this part Daddy), seriously hot. That was good considering he spent a good portion of the play partially naked. Well, he had shorts on. But they were shorts and he was wet. (Okay, you can read again, Daddy).

So, after the play was over, I decided to head over to the British Museum and check out some of the galleries since they were open late on Thursdays(and Fridays). I didn't see much, because I was pretty tired by this point and didn't want to trudge up the stairs, but I did see the sculpture portion of Egypt, Assyria, and Greece/Rome. Unfortunately, the Alexander the Great gallery was closed, so I'll have to check it out tomorrow!

It was still pretty early by the time I decided to leave, so I thought I'd head over to see if I could get a last minute seat before Avenue Q started. Alas, I got there in plenty of time(well, 15 minutes), but then I got a little turned around and ended up near Charring Cross instead of on St. Martin's Lane, which was right behind the Leicester Sq. Station exit. Argh! So, instead I bought a discount ticket for tonight's show, and now I know where the theatre is.

It being barely after 8, I didn't want to go back to the hostel quite yet. So, I saw Iron Man a day early! No plot points, but it was better than I was expecting. Still predictable, just better than it looked. Also, I like U.S. cinemas better. Well, at least better than this one. No stadium seating, seats were assigned(which was bizarre), and the seats were small.

So, then I braved my way back, considering the Victoria Line stopped running at 10, and it was 11. So, I took a roundabout route via the Tube to Victoria Station and walked from there. It's further than Pimlico, but still not bad.

So, now it's almost 1, and I'm going to bid everyone adieu until morning!

Good night.

Being tired won't stop me!

It's been an exciting and exhausting day. The plane trip was actually not too bad. The flight from Orlando to Atlanta was worse than the one from Atlanta to London-Gatwick. I was actually really lucky on the second half of my trip: I had a window seat with one other seat next to me. And that seat was empty the whole flight. Totally awesome. However, that does not mean that I got any sleep, as I had planned to. I'd drift off for a few minutes every so often, and I had a mask on my eyes most of the trip, but I was just unable to sleep.

So, all day today, I've put off my tiredness, with pretty good effect. It helps to be in London. Well, so I got off my plane and went through customs and everything. I go to buy my train ticket for the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station. No prob. Takes a couple of minutes at best.

Then I go to take cash out of a machine. Not so easy. Turns out, I forgot to call WaMu before I left and their fraud protection put a temporary lock on my account. So, here I am, luckily with my ticket to London from the airport, and £15 to my name, 10 of which I use to buy a phone card. I figured I'd use it to call my bank and straighten things out. Except then I have problems with the payphone. So, I decided to just go to my hostel. I finally get there, easy to find from the station, and they have a simple phone. Yay! So, finally, I call WaMu and straighten everything out. I can now pay for my hostel and take cash out. Woohoo!

So, by now it's about 11am, local time, and check-in doesn't start until 2. They let me stow my big bag here until then, and then I'm off for the great unknown. Okay, I was actually off for the London Eye. I take a nice, long, rainy walk down Millway, along the Thames. Yes, big surprise, it's raining in London! The London Eye is pretty cool looking. It's right next to the County Hall and across the river from Parliament and St. Stephen's Tower(a.k.a. Big Ben).

I go ahead and book a River Cruise first. It's pleasant, and I'm tired. The guide is cute and funny, and not originally from around here, her accent tells me, but it was easy enough to understand. The boat was pretty empty, due to both the weather and the season I'd wager. After that, I finally get on the eye. It takes about a half-hour to complete the circle, and it was worth the money. It was a beautiful view of almost everything, despite the clouds and rain.

Right after that, I decide to check out the "Movieum". It's cute and I buy my first real souvenir, a picture of my with R2-D2 and C-3PO. Yes, that's right, Star Wars in London. The exhibit was to showcase and celebrate Britain's film industry, and its contributions. For instance, Star Wars was filmed at Elstree Studios in London, etc. It was cute and diverting, but I'm glad I got the 'concessionary'/student price. I did like seeing the Daleks from the "Dr. Who and the Daleks" movie, starring Peter Cushing. It's not Doctor Who canon, but it was neat to see some of the props. I'll see a lot more on Saturday when I go to the Doctor Who Exhibition at Earl's Court.

By this time, I'm dead on my feet. So, I go ahead and use the tube to get back to the hostel. I get back, check in, and pick a bed. The room is on the main floor, which is great, but my bed is on the top, which isn't as good, considering what a fidgety person I am when I'm trying to sleep. I sort through my stuff, rearranging what's in my daypack and my main pack, since it's not being decided by airport security anymore. Then I get my UK mobile number up and working and go for dinner. I decide on Pimlico Tandoori, down the road. I'd wanted to try British Indian food. It was good, if slightly too spicy for me. And, London is like NYC in that neither has many free refills at their restaurants. :(

So, now I'm here, making plans for the next few days. I'll probably head to bed soon, once it's actually dark outside. Tomorrow, I'll upload photos before I go do more exploring.

Today is the day!

Today I set forth for England! Woohoo!

I packed a couple of days ago after doing every stitch of my laundry at a laundromat. I wanted to be able to see exactly what I wanted to bring, all laid out in front of me. So, I ended up deciding on a pair of black pants, my black, stretchy pinstripes, and a pair of jeans. I also have several shirts and some undershirts, for layering. Last week I bought a light hoodie/jacket from Target. So, I'm set. I have my electronics, my journals(yes, plural), toiletries, first-aid kit, towel, undies, and plans. And I still feel like I forgot something. Hopefully, it's something I can buy when I get there. ;)

I'm nervous about the flight. It's long, but at least I have a window seat. Still, flying makes me uncomfortable on the best of flights, and this one has more time for something to go wrong! You'd think that for someone who is a perpetual passenger with some crazy drivers, I'd be better at flying. Well, I'm not bad, per say, just nervous. I don't toss up, or faint, or drink myself to oblivion. I just get hyper and try to distract myself. Luckily, I have my Kindle and my media player, for which I bought some nice, noise-canceling headphones for my trip.

Well, I best be getting back to work. I leave early today, as my plane leaves at 4. Wish me luck, and stay tuned for the pictures!

Supply List

Here is my (as of yet) incomplete list of supplies:

Packing/Travel
Convertible Carry-on Backpack
Packing Cube Set of 3
Civita Day Pack

Clothing
1 pair walking shoes
1 pair dress flats
1 pair compression socks

Comfort/Safety
Neck Rest
Silk Sleep Sack
FlexiLock
Silk Moneybelt

Cleaning/Hygiene
SS Micronet Towel (doubles as a blanket)
Travel Clothesline
Sink Stopper
Travel Detergent

Electronics
Kindle
Cowon PMP
Digital Camera
(all with applicable cords)
Electrical Adapter

Miscellaneous
World Travel Journal (mine looks a little different on the outside)
Picnic Set
Rick Steve's Great Britain Travel Guide
Map of London

The Journey Begins...In Two Months

So, in exactly two months, I will be stepping on a plane towards my first overseas trip. I will be going to England and Wales and will not be able to see even a tenth of what I wish I could. The saddest thing is that I will not be able to see Scotland at all this trip--there's just not enough time!

I have my itinerary pretty much set, and all of my hostels and hotels are booked. The plan is to leave Orlando on April 29th. I'll arrive in London's Gatwick Airport on April 30th. From there, I'll make way to London's city center via Victoria Station and then to my first hostel, the Astor Victoria.

I'm having high hopes for this place. It's close to a lot of the main attractions in London. I should be able to walk to Hyde Park, the British Museum, the London Eye, etc. That'll both give me the chance to see the sights more personally and save me some cash.

I'll be in London a full 4 days, including the day I arrive. That Sunday, I'll take a train and go to Bath for a half day taking pictures of ancient Roman architecture. I could spend a full day, but I wanted a chance to get to Cardiff before late, so that I could find and check into my next hostel. In Cardiff, I'll spend 1 1/2 days geeking out, visiting all of those places where Doctor Who and Torchwood film.

On the 6th of May I'll leave early in the morning for Caernarfon in northern Wales. There's supposed to be an cool castle there, plus it's just in a beautiful area. The next morning, I'll take a trek to Llanberis and Snowdon Mountain, where I'll go the summit of the tallest mountain in England and Wales by train.

From there, I'll leave for Blackpool, probably getting there in the early evening. I'll be staying in the Carlee Hotel, my one and only private room for my trip. It looks like a lovely place, so those two nights will be something to look forward to. While in Blackpool, I'll do one more geeky thing and visit the Doctor Who Mueseum. After that, I'll go have dorky fun at by going on rides, playing games, and seeing a drag show, Funny Girls.

After Blackpool, I'll head back south, stopping at Stratford-upon-Avon, because you can not visit England and not see the home of the Bard. I'll probably try to catch a play by the Royal Shakespeare Company, if I haven't already seen one in London. After I'm done with Stratford, I'll head back down to London for the evening. The next day I will visit Stonehenge and/or the henge at Avebury. Those won't take more than a morning, so I'll probably hop down to another locale near London for the last half of the day, the end of my trip, because the next morning I'll be off home to Orlando.