5 Days in London

It had been a while that visiting London had been rattling around in my head, so, taking advantage of all these low-cost flights, we left on the last Saturday of February. Like many, we chose a RyanAir flight and landed at Stansted airport, about sixty kilometers from London. After completing the various formalities and collecting our luggage, we immediately headed off to catch the train (Stansted Express), whose tickets we had already purchased directly on the plane, thus getting a first taste of just how "cheap" London was when it came to transport. For about 45 minutes of train, more or less, the round-trip ticket cost a good £21 per person. We managed to find two little seats but plenty of people traveled standing.

Once we arrived at Liverpool Station, we immediately headed to the counters of the information office to buy our 'travelcard' that would let us get on and off as we pleased on all public transport (buses, trains and the underground) for a full 7 days. Actually, we're only staying 5 days, but doing the math, the weekly card works out better for us, which anyway costs £17 per person for zone 1 and doesn't require a photo like the guidebooks say instead. The guidebooks also recommend buying this card in your home country because, according to them, in England it wouldn't have been possible to buy this travelcard. Huh?!? And so off we went too through the underground corridors looking for our train and in no time we were at Victoria Station, where we would finally see the sunlight (if there was any), because up until now we had only seen the underground of London.

After leaving the station we had lunch at a fast-food place and then headed to our hotel, Stanley House Hotel on Belgrave Road, to take possession of our room booked via the Internet. At the reception they couldn't find our reservation but I had printed out everything, so we quickly sorted out this hiccup. Once we got the room, we took just enough time to park the trolley and take a quick look at the room, and we were back out on the street to begin our discovery of London. We're still a bit dazed from the trip that in no time took us from the tranquility of our world into the middle of this metropolis. On foot we headed toward the Westminster area. The first stop is Buckingham Palace, the home of the royals. The building is truly imposing and the gate is impressive, all gleaming with gold. The next changing of the guard, a notice warned, would be the following day at 11:30.

I read on the internet that in winter, until March, it takes place on alternate days. After the usual souvenir photos of the building and the Queen Victoria Memorial (and thank goodness we took them today, because when we came back two days later, the Queen Victoria Memorial was all wrapped up ready to be renovated), we headed toward St James's Park. People had told me about the beauty and uniqueness of these parks, but thinking of finding so many gray squirrels and waterfowl and other birds in the middle of a metropolis left me speechless. The place is very quiet and in the distance you can hear the noises of the city. Still walking, we passed the Horse Guards building to finally arrive in the area of Big Ben, the House of Parliament and Westminster Abbey; in the distance you can see the British Airways Ferris wheel.

We quickly looked around because it almost immediately started raining and we had forgotten our umbrella in the room! After a light dinner and a short walk, which allowed us to find the stop for bus 24 that we'll use tomorrow, we went to sleep. I have occasion to notice, but I'll notice it even better in the days to come, that perhaps London women don't feel the cold the way I do, all bundled up like the Michelin man. I notice that more than one girl is wearing summer sandals without socks with short skirts, not to mention the light jackets they wear. Huh... don't they feel cold?

And here we are, after a nice breakfast, at the stop for the 24 waiting for our bus. Our plan initially involves going to see the inside of Westminster Abbey. After a short wait our bus arrives and so for the first time we too take one of these characteristic red double-decker buses. Most of the new buses have kept the same typical features of the old vehicles, in practice they've modernized the look of the old bus model while keeping the double-decker style, the appearance and the red color unchanged, just like the taxis and the phone booths. Losing these vehicles, which characterize the city unmistakably, would have been like losing a little piece of London.

It's Sunday and it's still early, in fact there are few people around and the entire Westminster area appears deserted compared to the confusion there was the day before; even those protesting against the war in front of parliament haven't arrived yet, the signs and posters are along the square waiting to be brought to life. Since it's not possible to visit the abbey on Sunday morning, we move to Trafalgar Square. We wander around the square a bit and immediately notice the falconer with his beautiful eagle, whose presence in the square serves to keep the pigeons away. It must be said that the pigeons, as long as it stays perched on its falconer's hand, aren't really all that afraid. When, instead, it takes flight, the pigeons just move in the opposite direction. In any case the square is very clean.

This is something that struck us about London: it's a big city but it's very well kept, cared for and above all clean. We decide not to wait for the opening time of the National Portrait Gallery (10 o'clock, like all the other museums) but to go see the British Museum instead, which seems more interesting to us; if we have time left we'll come back to see the precious paintings of this gallery too. We move by bus and in no time at all we arrive at our destination and find ourselves wandering in the atrium of the British Museum waiting for the rooms to open for visits. It's enormous and extremely bright and we immediately ask ourselves how on earth, in this maze of rooms, we're going to find the Rosetta Stone. We have a map that shows the rooms but doesn't indicate the exact location of the Stone. We begin our search in the rooms dedicated to Egypt where we also find the Stone.

Once the museum visit is over (impossible to visit it all), we go look for a bus to take us toward Regent's Park. So right after lunch we treat ourselves to a quiet little walk in the sun in the Queen Mary's Gardens (these gardens are contained within Regent's Park). To reach them we also pass by the famous Sherlock Holmes house on Baker Street, where two couples of Asians are having a blast taking photos with pipe and hat. Who knows... if I come back to London in a few years maybe I'll even find a Privet Drive with Harry Potter's house!!! In the park there are many people who, like us, stroll and enjoy all the tranquility and beauty of these parks. It's Sunday and so the Londoners are enjoying their well-deserved rest in the tranquility of these green oases. The next destination is the Notting Hill neighborhood, which I find very cute, and the famous 'Portobello Road'.

I don't know why but it makes me think of all those movies in the 'Mary Poppins' style. The street and its stalls are unique; there's still plenty of flea-market junk, but it's nonetheless characteristic and satisfies my curiosity! On the way back we stop at Marble Arch. We see, in the adjacent park, quite a few people gathered and it occurs to me that it's Sunday and that's the Speakers' Corner of Hyde Park, so we head over. There are a few characters, standing on little stepladders giving speeches.. and some of them even have a rather substantial audience. Crazy stuff, I tell myself. Someone grabs a little stepladder and starts ranting and others stand there listening to him... hilarious. My friend had told me about it but hearing about it has one effect and seeing it has another.

Since it's rather cold, and it looks like it wants to rain again, we decide to make a quick stop at Harrod's, but unfortunately for us, on Sunday it's closed. No big deal, we go to the Victoria and Albert Museum, a bit of culture instead of shopping! The museum collects a ton of stuff, the most varied kinds, and maybe it's this variety that makes it interesting and never boring. Once the visit is over we notice that right in front of the museum the c1 bus passes, which takes us directly to Victoria station, couldn't be better!!! It's a small red single-decker bus, a shame.. no panoramic tour on the upper deck! In the evening we're really worn out, the day has been long and intense, we jumped here and there like grasshoppers across the city, getting on and off buses, capturing every corner, every moment of this city.

The 'travelcard' was really a spot-on purchase; getting around on foot, given the distances, would have been impossible.

We wake up and warm rays of winter sun come in through our window, so we decide that it's the right day to go see the famous Tower Bridge. Even though the distance is considerable we choose to take the bus and not the underground. We're in no hurry and besides it's pleasant to see the streets and the people along the way. So we take the usual 24 to Trafalgar Square but this time we manage to snag the front-row seats on the upper deck. A whole different view! From Trafalgar Square we take another bus that takes us directly to the area we want, passing in front of the Royal Courts of Justice and St. Paul's Cathedral, which unfortunately is all wrapped up for renovation.

It's really easy to get around by bus, even fun! Once we arrive at our destination, we take a scouting stroll around the Tower of London; there's a single ticket office that has just opened with a very long line, we don't much feel like standing in all that line and as soon as we spot the entrance price it completely puts us off (£23 per person); sure, the crown jewels with the biggest diamond in the world may be kept there, but that doesn't interest me all that much. So much so that we decide to go visit something else. It's not about being stingy but it seems a bit excessive as a demand. So we head toward the bridge (Tower Bridge), which we photograph from every angle, and then we take a little walk along the Thames as far as the cruiser Belfast, which is said to have been used in the Normandy landings too.

From this point you can see modern London, the one of skyscrapers and futuristic buildings, there towering over the city in contrast to the Victorian-style buildings that have dominated the city for centuries. A nice contrast, I like it, even though I don't particularly love the aesthetics of modern buildings. After having lunch near St. Paul's Cathedral (entrance £7.50), we wander a bit around the city, go look for Cleopatra's Needle along the Thames and then move to the covered market of Covent Garden, an area where the transport museum is also located (paid entry), where the interesting thing we find is a sporting goods store. Finally we move into the chaos of the Piccadilly Circus area. As the afternoon wears on and therefore the cold increases, we decide to go make the famous little stop at Harrod's. What a disappointment..

no offense to the shopping fanatics but this place is no longer a shopping center, it's an excess! The items for sale are displayed like the art pieces of a museum, everything in my opinion has the scent of unbridled luxury, the sales clerks are dressed 'for a party', indeed, those in the photography equipment department are dressed in dark suits, white shirts, ties and.... a carnation in their buttonhole, oh what an exaggeration! The interiors of the building are in pharaonic style. Beautiful certainly, unique, but excessive, far too much! We don't buy anything because the prices in my opinion are pharaonic too. I wanted to get some tea but I saw that the tea shop at Victoria Station costs much less and my teapot couldn't care less about the Harrod's brand.

I must say that when on television or in the newspapers I hear talk of consumerism, I who live in a nice provincial town, feel these arguments are distant, but in a place like this, where there are pharaonic shopping centers, where the streets of the center are a succession of shops, one realizes what consumerism is and how alive a city like this really is. Since the afternoon isn't over yet we hop on a bus and go see the National Gallery that we left behind. I'm not an art enthusiast and I don't understand much about it either, but it was a very pleasant visit. It was the first time I saw a real Van Gogh! One painting in particular struck me, I don't remember either the title or the author but I stood there for a long time admiring it. It depicts the execution, which took place in the Tower of London, of a young woman.

The painting almost seems alive, the folds of the dress, the details, the expressions on the face and the hands of the girl seem alive, even more than they could be in a photo, it gives you the feeling that they're about to come to life at any moment, that it's about to happen. And the feeling of fear and anguish that this painting manages to convey to you is impressive! Finally we return to the hotel to rest a moment while waiting for dinner. Tonight we've decided to go on a panoramic night tour of the city by bus. On the way back from our tour we make a stop to photograph Big Ben at night. Obviously the camera tripod is at home laughing at us so we have to make do with a giant flower planter.

This morning we have an appointment at Buckingham Palace: the changing of the guard.. heh heh heh... On Sunday we checked the gate to see if there was a doorbell to go say a little hello, you never know, they might then say around that we were in London without even stopping by to greet them, but we didn't find anything!?! Since this little show is scheduled for 11:30, we go pass our wait at St. James's Park. I intend to do a bit of socializing with the squirrels myself. So.. I find myself a corner and try to foist a piece of my biscuit on a squirrel. Marco, being the good naturalist he is, obviously doesn't approve too much of these attitudes, but the park is full of people with whole bags of peanuts and bread distributing left and right, so my measly little biscuit won't make a difference. For my neighbor it would be paradise in a place like this..

never mind the pigeons of our building, here she'd have birds to distribute her little bread crusts to all day long without any neighbor complaining (myself included)! Finally the hour of the changing of the guard arrives. There are many people, quite a few school groups on trips, including some fellow countrymen, and it's also quite cold. The show begins and proceeds slowly with its regal rituals. After a while, perhaps because of the cold, perhaps because of the crowd, we decide we've had enough and leave. After lunch we head to Kensington Park, not before making a stop for a nice souvenir photo at the Albert Memorial. We stroll along the artificial pond that's now frozen and teeming with swans and other waterfowl, where, according to my guidebook, turtles used to be bred for culinary purposes, and then we move to the adjacent Hyde Park.

Truly immense, you'd need a bicycle to go all the way around it. To conclude the afternoon we go visit the natural history museum (Natural History Museum). The museum is free and it's really very interesting, I only found the part about the human body a bit boring. The section dedicated to prehistoric animals is swarming with kids on school trips. There are some wearing the school uniform, short pants (but it's winter!!!), shirt, sweater, tie and light jacket. I'd really like to know who is that "mind" who devised these uniforms and has the courage to send these kids around dressed like this. The museum is anyway very interesting and we spend a lot of time there; the building that houses it is truly spectacular too. Outside the museum, in the courtyard, they're exhibiting an interesting photo exhibition with images depicting landscapes from all over the world.

After this journey into knowledge we return, with the usual c1 bus, to the area of our hotel.

We're woken up, by the Friends theme song, by our neighbors in the next room who at 7:30 in the morning thought it was a good idea to delight the whole floor with their television. As I was saying, we wake up in a sad, gray London that smells of imminent rain, perhaps it's sad because we have to leave. Our plane leaves at 19:00, so we have plenty of time to take one more little stroll. We have breakfast, calmly pack the suitcase and go pay the hotel. To our surprise the lady at the reception tells us that if we pay in cash they would give us a £15 discount on the total. No sooner said than done... we go out and go to the nearby ATM to withdraw the money. We dedicate the morning to visiting the science museum (science museum) adjacent to the natural history one.

Walking around with the trolley in tow isn't the height of convenience so we had left this museum behind, in order to visit it this morning. So at the museum, which is also free, we leave the suitcase in the cloakroom (£1.10) and can begin our very interesting visit without unnecessary weights on us. This museum is also swarming with kids but in general it's less crowded than the others, but maybe it's just because it's morning. I find the part about space, the first trip to the moon, the satellites, very interesting, a bit less the section on mechanics. Once we leave the museum it's almost lunchtime so we head along Brompton Road looking for a place we like for lunch; maybe it's because we're a stone's throw from Harrods but people with their Harrod's-branded plastic bag are popping up like mushrooms. Good for the owner that not everyone shares my philosophy..

ha ha ha ha Since the Stansted Express leaves from Liverpool station we move in that direction. Partly on foot and, when we get tired, by bus, we also pass through Oxford Street. I'm struck by the people crowding this street, the succession of shops, venues, the life swarming on this street. Once we reach the station, we go look for our train, put our travelcard, faithful companion of these days, back in the backpack and get our train tickets ready.

The train, this time, isn't very crowded and, swiftly crossing these melancholy winter countryside landscapes, takes us directly to the airport, couldn't be more convenient! The airport is big; when we arrived we hadn't had time to look around because we had immediately gone to look for the train; it may be a minor London hub but it's still very big! We check in without too much of a line but we immediately average out with the endless line for the hand luggage check. A torture. And so our little London vacation comes to an end. They were five very intense days full of emotions, things seen and done, and now all we have left are the photos and the memory. London is anyway one of the most beautiful cities we've seen, who knows.. maybe one day we'll go back...