LIVE your LIFE: Lone Londoner! (August 13)

Today was my day alone in London! Who knew traveling alone could be so relaxing – literally everything happens on your watch. I’m hungry now? I’ll eat. I think this park is pretty? I’ll sit take it all in for a few minutes. I feel like walking across the Tower Bridge again? So be it. Starbucks break? Nothing’s stopping me. No rushing, no hurrying…it’s great. And getting around alone is very rewarding, because after a bus, 3 subway line switches, and a couple wrong turns later, turning up at the right place feels like a victory! Yes, yes, I know, we’re in the 21^st century and the iPhone can get you anywhere. WRONG! Not this girl…do you have any idea how expensive international data is? I go old fashioned, with a map and the ability to ask for help.

So anyway, after waking up when I felt like it and eating my free breakfast at the hostel, I decided to find my way to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards. I was advised to get there early, but – again, one of the advantages of travelling alone – I got a litttttle slowed down taking pictures along the way. :) See?

So needless to say, when I got there it was PACKED. And with my short stature, I had no idea what was going on. Score one for having a camera! How’d I figure it out? I simply held my camera up as high as I could, snapped a picture, then examined the picture. I finally found the area where the exciting stuff was happening and so began the process of squeezing my way up to the fence.

So in short, mission accomplished. I can’t say I like crowds – in fact, I get really annoyed and grossed out from all the close contact. But if it means I can get up to the fence, have a great view of what’s going on, and snap some good pictures? Then yes, I can stand being in a crowd. Good thing for me was, kids can’t. All the kids around me were complaining and complaining and saying how they couldn’t breathe and were starting to have little claustrophobic breakdowns, so they one by one exited the crowd with their families. And as I kept my whining and complaining and claustrophobic freak-outs in my head, I just kept scooting forward as they left. And ladies and gentlemen, I made it! And it was well worth it. I got to see plenty of the changing-of-the-guards process and left a happy girl.

All above photos: Changing of the Guards, Buckingham Palace

Now some people think that traveling alone would mean no pictures of yourself because you don’t have anybody to take them. Um, WRONG! Dude, huge opportunity to meet people. It’s not hard to ask for a picture, and half the time they’re wanting one of themselves or their family as well. At Buckingham Palace I met a nice family from Kentucky, who had also lived in Glasgow. The second I opened my mouth they recognized I was American as well and we had a great conversation, and I got my picture out of it. So yay.

Buckingham Palace

Then I slowly made my way through Green Park, bought a yummy sandwich, and sat down on the grass to enjoy it and relax for a little bit. It was SO NICE!!! I even whipped out the Kindle (thanks for letting me borrow it, Janie!!) and read a little bit of my book before moving on.

Green Park

Next stop: Tower of London, courtesy of the nice people I met at Austria house last night! I took the subway there, walked right up to the group ticket office as instructed, said my name and that there was a ticket waiting for me…and the girl looked confused. Bummer. Until she looked at the whiteboard on the wall with my name and a big arrow pointing down to…my tickets! Made my day! I practically skipped over to the entrance and went in, and immediately hopped on a free tour that was starting. I ditched the tour after a bit, went to look at a bunch of royal diamonds and crowns, took some pictures as I wandered, and soaked it all in!

Tower of London Tour Guide

All above photos: Tower of London

I then headed back to Green Park for a free walking tour I wanted to do. We walked all over and saw most of the main sites, but this time got to know all the background to everything. It was a great tour and I even ran into a girl I met on the pub crawl Saturday! Check out the places we visited:

Trafalgar Square

"Are you allowed to talk?"

"I'm not supposed to..."

Big Ben & Parliament (Flags are for the 2012 Olympics!)

Westminster Abbey

After the tour, we headed to Picadilly Circus and Leicester Square to get food and ran into the Expendables 2 UK premier. We perched up above it in Burger King, googled the people who were supposed to be there, and I used my super-zoom to see if we could find them – and we did see a few!

USA! Remember, the Olympics just ended...

It was getting late, so I holed up in the window of a Starbucks with my kindle and an apple crisp and watched the Londoners go by in the rain. Then once it was dark, I headed back to Big Ben and the London Eye to see them lit up at night! THEN I had to go back to Glasgow. :( But OH, how I LOVED London!! :) :) :)