London Here We Come

November 2nd- London

We had to get up at 5am to get the metro to train station. We got up early and made it out of the hotel in time, actually early. We had to get the porter to let us out of the door it was so early. We told him we had to catch the train to London and he got anxious and wanted us to check out first. We told him we were coming back but he was so confused. He thought we were completely crazy to go to London for just one day. He was shaking his head as we stepped out into the morning. It’s been brisk like Colorado on a winter morning in Paris. Everyone is wearing jackets and scarves.
We stopped at the local Pattisserie and grabbed some pastries, cafes, and water for our trip. The owner was very nice and excited. He tried to tell us something as we left but neither of us could figure out how to communicate what he wanted. The metro station was across the street and we were one of the first ones to travel that day. We made it to the train station and began the check in process. We had to go through customs and for some reason they were really backed up. We were directed to the business class line. When we got to customs they wanted to know the reason for our visit. We just said sight seeing. They wanted to see our return ticket, they wanted to know why we were going and I told them we were so close we just wanted to go see if. They also thought we were crazy but stamped our passports and let us through. We got to our coach which was one of the first ones. We found our seats but they were taken already. A couple of people wanted to sit by their friends and had taken our seats. They didn’t tell us where their tickets were for and thought we were ridiculous to

make them move. The other travelers that they had taken seats from were with us and also made them move. On the way to London we did not pay to upgrade, however on the return we will be sitting in premier second class. As we traveled toward the coast the sun rose and we were able to see the foggy countryside not far from the train. The tunnel was dark under the channel. The ride takes two hours and there is an hour time difference so we arrived one hour later in London. In the train station it was like a mall and we stopped for breakfast before our big day. We asked the waiter what he liked best and he recommened the eggs and salmon (which mom ordered) and the croissant. I had a petit dejuene and they brought me a basket of bread with spread, the croissant, orange juice and coffee. Not so petite. It was wonderful. Mom didn’t like the lox but it was the best I ever had. She thought the salmon would be in the scramble and therefore be cooked. Oh well. We ate well. It was probably the first sit down meal of the trip. Next we had to find the bathroom then the Big Bus tour. On the way around the station we saw that they had great shopping and we planned to shop on the way home. Just outside the doors we found the Big Bus tours. The guy sold us tickets to Tower monument and did some flirting with mom. He said we looked like twins. : ) Very cute. The first stop was St Paul’s Cathedral and we decided at the last minute to get off. And as luck would have it there was a sports store right on the corner. We shopped a bit, then to St. Pauls. It was really incredible inside. The churches are so old and have such treasures/riches it is impressive. Unlike France however there are no pictures inside because it is disrespectful. In France you can’t have a camera in the praying area but could have it as you walked around the sanctuary. We had to find the bathrooms and in the process found the gift store. We wandered the crypt for a while and then made our rounds through the sanctuary. Back to the bus. We rode the live commentary bus this time. Completely hilarious. There is construction everywhere. It’s amazing how you can have something centuries old next to a modern building. We passed many pubs and the financial district on the way to the tower monument. We went over tower bridge. At the monument there were guided tours where a Yeoman gives the English history of beheadings and invasions at the castle. I guess the tour guides also live on the streets within the tower walls and the Queen has a residence there.
We escaped the tour to see the crown jewels which are kept there from the coronations. We happened to come while they were celebrating the 100yrs of the end of WWI while we were there. There were red poppies on everyone’s lapels. We got ours too. The river tour was just outside the towers and we made our way outside the towers by the street next to the traitors gate. We checked in for our cruise but thought we would make it to get a hot drink before we left. Luckily there was a Starbucks and we were set. It was a foggy morning. On the river cruise we saw all the monuments. Kinda funny; they call the building from “A Good Year” the gerkin, another sky scraper "the grater" and the other government building something like a weeble wobble. We also saw the Parliament building, the Chard which is a shopping like area with pubs, the actual London bridge which was unimpressive really and the London eye, which is a big Ferris wheel. We saw other things as well and I am sure we have a picture for it. We shopped for our souvenirs. We headed on a walking tour from the guide book and found a book store. Then we got back on the bus. We rode the bus for a while by St. Thomas hospital which was named after a guy that was accidentally be headed. He was given a hospital and was sainted to make up for getting killed, not sure it was enough really. We made it around to Buckingham palace and just had to get off. After taking the requisite pictures we returned to the tour. In an attempt to take a short cut for our return to the station, we ended up walking quite a ways past a couple of high end car showrooms and hotels. We made it back to the tour and headed to the Green line which was to take us to the station. We drove down London’s Rodeo drive and made it to our stop. We had to wait and got to watch all the business people getting off work. It is no wonder that they grab a beer at the pub. They are all over and on the way to the metro or public transport.
We got the bus and made it back with time to shop and eat before the train. We ate dinner at the same restaurant and did some glorious quick shopping. We went through customs on the way back much easier and go another stamp for our passport. In our coach this time we could charge our phones and got a meal. We had the cheese plate which was very good. We enjoyed our luxurious surroundings and rested our tired dogs. We both got blisters from all the walking and standing but it was a small price to pay for such a wonderful time. During the morning they had an accident in the tunnel just behind us and there were many people waiting around but we traveled just fine and made it all the way back to Paris at 11:17pm just in time to hit the bed. Another unbelievable day.