Day 2 – London
(Written at the time) About Thursday 5/16/13 in Paddington, London, UK.
It was tough to get out of bed this morning… didn’t wake up till after 1 PM. The cleaning lady made such a racket! I couldn’t fall back asleep. Serves me right I guess.
Did quite a bit today. Figured I’d walk and save some money over using the tube. Visited the British Museum and finally saw the Elgin Marbles (wikipedia link). Not as impressive as I had hoped but still something to see.
It’s a damn shame people destroyed so much of the Parthenon. Make me think of how many other temples and buildings have been destroyed due to stupid wars and religious change. Also saw the Rosetta Stone which was pretty cool.
Then headed to Leicester Square hoping to get cheap tickets to a show, but they were all out of my price range or shows I didn’t want to see. Onward to the National Portrait Gallery, then Trafalgar Square, followed by Chinatown, St. James Park, and Buckingham Palace. The guards must get cold standing out there all day, but I wasn’t going to ask them. Each carried a semi-automatic rifle that they ceremoniously switched from their right to left hand every two minutes.
It was almost 9 PM by then but the sky was still bright. Which reminds me… I saw streaks of sunshine at 4:30 this morning. I’m guessing London gets a lot of sun in the summer. Then I headed north up Constitution Hill when I passed a small columned structure with some bronze statues.
Apparently the Queen dedicated this memorial in 2012 to those who lost their lives from bombings during the Second World War. On the wall was a quote from Churchill to the effect of “Soldiers give us salvation, but Bombers bring us victory”. A little disturbing, but it was FDR who said “I have seen war… I hate war”.
Following Serpentine Rd. through Hyde Park took me past Serpentine Lake. Filled with swans “diving” for their dinner, the lake was a pretty sight under the setting sun. Ended up getting a little lost (and making a bathroom break in the Queens park), but nothing too bad and I was back to the Hostel again.
This sounds stupid, but even when I travel by myself, I feel like people are watching me and judging my actions. It’s like getting off the elevator on the wrong floor, but pretending that’s where you’re headed just so you don’t have to get back on. Only my feeling is 100x worse. That feeling is something I hope to get over. Even if I get lost or have to back step or go slower than everyone else, I have to get comfortable with not knowing things or feeling shameful to read large public maps or ask questions. Just gotta take it slow.
“It’s like getting off the elevator on the wrong floor, but pretending that’s where you’re headed just so you don’t have to get back on.” Fake it ’til you make it? There are practical safety reasons to pretend like you know what you’re doing (see also: lost children make better pickpocket/rape victims, not to get morbid but hey, things you have to consider when traveling solo!), but I think being more comfortable with the asking of the questions and the looking the maps is a skill. We’re taught to be all self-sufficient and knowledgeable that being vulnerable again has to be a conscious thing.
Also, how the heck did you cover so much in one day?? You realize you’ve basically won the Million Step Challenge in like a day, right?
P.S. Those swans look funny.
You hit the nail on the head about self-suffciency. I think you’re right in faking it a bit, otherwise you just make yourself an open target. I think we would both agree that you have to balance. I think as I start traveling more, Ill find a good balance between pretending and knowing :)
Being cheap and saving money means a lot of walking! I think I walked for 9 hours that day. I need all the exercise I can get in preparation for the Camino de Santiago!
The swans are awesome! And they all officially belong to the Queen.
Krishna! Glad to see such a comprehensive update. Only thing missing is the FOOD! What are you eating?
As for the people watching you thing, there is a lot of psychology on the subject, but what I like to remember is they might be looking, but it is almost never for the reason you think it is. So make up the reason they are looking. It’s not because you are lost, its because you remind them of someone. Or, if you would prefer to not be noticed, the best way is to appear unhurried, but traveling with purpose, such as an errand. These people tend to fade into the background more than those running, or rushed, or standing still.
I’m only a few months late on this, but hey…
So if I answered this question two months ago, I’d tell you that I was eating like a king. The farm I was working on was also a temple of my faith, so that means the food I got was all vegetarian, delicious, and free. I actually gained weight despite the farm work. Then came one month in Spain. I ate cheese sandwiches everyday for almost three weeks. A mixed salad? Vegetarians best friend? I ordered one, excited to get some veggies in my system. It was lettuce and tomatoes covered in tuna, eggs, and corn. Yea.
I started eating a lot of cookies, cheese, bars of chocolate, and snacks. Occasionally found a place that served vegetarian paella (spanish rice) and pigged out. Gotta eat when you can haha. After a while, I got wise and started cooking. Since then, I carry hot sauce, chillies, parsley, and curry powder with me. Kitchens at hostels are unpredictable, so I make sure I have the basics. As a rule now, I book hostels with kitchens and cook as much as possible. It’s just cheaper, potentially healthier (if I avoid always making pasta), and a great way to meet people.
When I arrived in Morocco, I was thrilled at the thought of falafel, hummus, chick peas, and all the other mediterranean possibilities. I clearly didn’t look at a map. Morocco is literally the farthest away you can get from the Med. while being in North Africa. The typical meal here is just grilled meat and bread. Back to cookies. I had vegetable tangine which was basically just veggies cooked in a clay pot with spices. It was alright, but expensive. So the mainstay has been bread. Lots of bread and for dinner, pizza. I tried a local veggie sandwich and had a tummy ache all night. It’s best to eat hot, thoroughly cooked foods. Hence pizza.
All this haphazard eating and the 500 mile walk have taken its toll and I have lost just shy of 20 pounds. I’ll send you some pictures. haha.
Anyways, I’m headed back to the farm now. All will be well again :)