DAY ONE OUT OF 11 OF BACKPACKING took me to London!!
London was one of the best cities in Europe, it was very easy to use the public transportation, the food was good, and I didn't have horrible sickness like some other cities (:
I stayed in a hostel (that I learned after staying in a few more after) that was mildly horrible. I was in a all female room with nine bunkbeds, I happened to be the middle bunk in the stack of three. It's quite hard to get into the second bunk, between using the ladder but not all the way and swinging yourself in. My hostel was above a pub, and almost 30 people shared bathrooms, which was not the best. But it was a 15-minute walk from Westminister Abbey. This was a plus for me, and while it was the second-worst hostel I stayed in, it was only $19 a night. I did have to share the bathroom (3 showers 2 toilets) with men and women which led to some awkward moments. The key to getting to shower in hostels is to do it when people are at dinner!
After my one hour flight to london and setting up the hostel I went out for dinner neat the Thames and walked through a market. Then I got mildly lost and walked back and forth across bridges and looked at the city lights, Big Ben, and the London Eye. Each night I retired early since I was solo traveling and being outside at night was scary to me. I took red double-decker buses and always rode on the top. My first bus experience had some hiccups. I was getting ready to leave the top floor when the bus stopped. I lost my balance and fell down the 7 stairs to hit the bus wall. It was a loud bang, and I ran off the bus in embarrassment. I was not hurt except for my ego.
Day 2
Getting up I got breakfast and had a very traditional breakfast of baked beans, hashbrowns and not so baconlike bacon. This being said beans on toast were not bad, but it was too much after about 10 bites. This fueled me for a busy day! I walked to the tower bridge and took lots of pictures, even asking someone to take one of me! I ended up walking across the bridge to see the tower of London from the outside. I continued to walk until i made it to Garden on 120 a free viewing platform in a skyskraper. I stayed up there and looked at the city from above. The next stop on my now designated walking tour was St Dunstown of the East, an old burned-down church now garden! It was so quiet here that I ate a snack and relaxed my hurting feet.
I forgot to mention that I had a HORRIBLE blister issue starting during the backpacking portion of my journey. It wasn't as bad in London, but it got worse and worse during my time in Europe. So I needed rest and comfy shoes.
This day was so full I did almost everything I wanted all at once!
Next I traveled to a FLOATING BOOKSTORE, its a boat full of books all organized and amazing and I even bought one because why not? Since I still had time in my day, I guess thats what happens when you wake up at 8 am I went to Camden Market. This is very touristy and has lots of shops, and I bought souvenirs there. I was close enough to Soho and Chinatown that I had a nice evening walk and dinner with a beautiful sunset. Since I was only 30 minutes from my hostel, I walked back through the city and saw Buckingham Palace at night. No one really guarded it, but there were a few tourists. Since I dont care at all about British royalty, the best I could do was look and walk by at night.
One thing I learned by traveling to London alone is how to eat alone and be comfortable. I ate in a restaurant at least once a day and at markets other times. It is awkward to have no one to speak to for an entire meal, but this is not something to be sad about. I needed fuel to keep going on my daily journeys. No one gave me crap for eating alone, and I chose more quiet restaurants where the servers were always super nice!
Day 3
Waking up early again I ate breakfast at Westmisnister abbey and then proceeded to step on the dead bodies of many buried there. I thought the architecture was beautiful, but I knew nothing of Westminister and found it to be basically a morgue. After my tour, I went to the Borough Market, ate amazing food, and got fresh juice and spices for souvenirs. I loved the market and spent a great deal of time here. To wrap up my last day, I had a solo high tea with mini sandwiches, clotted cream scones, and mini desserts. It was AMAZING! I walked through Notting Hill on a quiet afternoon. The only shoes that I brought on my backpacking trip decided to break, and I ended up buying some Chuck Taylors with stars on them. Liking the design, I left those sad boots in Europe for my new kicks. The blister issues WAS NOT HELPED by these shoes until i finally broke them in in a few days. Also, the shoes were white, and I did a great deal of hiking in them, so it's not ideal.
My night ended VERY EARLY because I had to get on a train to the airport at 3 am and get an Uber for the first time in my life.
I got to the airport and took the first flight to Munich, Germany, to meet Verena for my next part of backpacking!
Next up, touring Germany and its castels with Verena, my bestie from study in Korea!!
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