We Are Kinda Twee
The Mob's camera ran out of batteries pretty rapidly. We determined that sharing a camera was the best option, and the best way to tell whose pictures were whose was to take a picture of the other person at the beginning and ending of a set. *sigh*
And that's why there are actually a bunch of pictures of me from London. *sigh* But then again, it also means there is a completely reasonable explanation for this photo montage of The Mob I'm going to spam with you now. Muahahaha.
And there, I've taken you through all our adventures in London. No need to bore you with a blog entry.
...yeah, we all know I'm just kidding. Writing these entries is my treat for finishing a certain amount of homework. I would not turn it down that fast. No way, no how!
Anyway, so, London.
We arrived on Megabus, and then attempted to figure out the Underground. That took a while, but then we were able to get to our hostel, which was in an EXCELLENT location. Even though our room didn't have a lock (it was being repaired, this was not a usual occurrence) I would definitely recommend Astor Hyde Park if you are looking for a youth hostel in London.
It was across the street from Hyde Park, which is above! How could you not love that?!
There was one particularly amusing moment when we were checking in and they said uncertainly, "uh, are you both over eighteen?"
Seriously?
"We're twenty," The Mob said, presenting passport-ly proof that it was true.
"Oh," the Astor Hyde Park Representative said, obviously embarrassed.
On that first day we went down to the V&A and had tea in one of their fancy tea rooms (and then, yes, I did drag The Mob around to see exhibits). I'm a major museum dork, so I was flailing about the way in which they chose to exhibit things. Mob was following politely, although there was a moment of excitement when we found the jewelry and we both had something to interest us. Mob was looking at the luster of certain precious stones. I was looking at the lighting set-up and the shape of display cases.
[So here's the thing, when you see this:
(source)
Or any variation on the word "nerdfighters" that means that we are huge, huge, huge dorks, okay?*]
So, Mob was looking at the luster of certain precious stones. I was looking at the lighting set-up and the shape of display cases.
(source)
After the V&A closed we bought groceries and returned to the hostel.
The next day was our epic sight-seeing day of awesome. We ended up walking through most of central London, which was both exhausting and fun. Also, I wrote the exact walking directions down, for once, so I can be sure I'm telling things in the right order. Woo!
Our first stop was Buckingham Palace, where we accidentally saw the changing of the guard.
Uh, oops?
I also was occasionally nostalgic about the last time I was there, way back in... 2007? That sounds like an impossibly long time ago.
But look, that's what I looked like last time I was there!
Anyone been around here long enough to remember this? We looked little back then.
Anyway, Buckingham Palace is actually kind of boring. You know what's not boring? The park right behind/down the street from it!
Where The Mob caught a picture of me attempting to smile. Compare this to the old picture of me up there... what a difference a few years, the removal of my braces, the addition of glasses, and some hair dye can do, right?
...I look basically the same as when I was 16, don't I. *sigh*
Anyway, after Buckingham Palace it was destination: Big Ben. Which I actually got to hear chime this time, which was really cool!
We also took an unexpected detour to Trafalgar Square.
The Mob took a picture of McDonalds and Big Ben.
I took a picture of the graffiti and sticker on this sign.
And The Mob took a picture of me.
We walked for a while to get to St. Paul's cathedral, where we sat on the steps and had snacky-lunch and observed pigeons hopping up and down stairs.
From there we were just one picture of a wrinkly dog away from getting to the Tower of London, where we bought Ben & Jerry's and nommed it while wandering around.
Ben & Jerry's is sort of becoming a symbol of home for me. I get really excited when I see it sold in stores around here. It's an ice cream in crazy flavors that I recognize! It's named in English! I know they don't oppress their cows! I've even been to their factory place thing!
The tower was cool too, but we were too cheap/poor to go in, so we did not get to see Moriarty.
(Source)
After that long walk, we only sorta looked at "London Bridge" (actually Tower Bridge) before going back to the hostel.
After that long day of sight seeing, what did we do?
We went to a socialist bookstore called Bookmarks. If you are ever in London, check it out. It was really interesting, and I got to read my new favorite socialist children's book. An excerpt: "Farmer John had a problem. He had cows which could type. All day he heard, clack clack moo! Clackity-clack moo! Clackity-clackity-clackity-clackity moooo!" and then, later, "...because Duck was a neutral third party..."
I should have bought this book, it was fantastic.
Afterwards, we went to chinatown, where we had an unexpectedly expensive lunch. From there we walked through parks to get back to our hostel for dinner. The parks were... the most gorgeous ever.
The parks also had another benefit: water fowl!
While I may have actually fallen over in attempts to get pictures of duckies, The Mob definitely got more pictures of birds than I did.
Like, for example, this woman being chased by pigeons.
Or this small dog having a staring contest with a swan.
I did get this pretty hilarious picture of over-protective parent duck, though.
"What are you doing photographing my Junior for?! Quack!"
This was also where we began our interactions with the squirrel community of London.
Do not be fooled by his innocent look, he thirsts for your blood.
See also: photogenic pigeons.
*ahem* Aaaaaaanyway.
That night we went to see Billy Elliot in this really pretty theater. We were way up in the cheapest seats ever, but it was still kind of the most fantastic thing ever. If you ever get the chance to see this show, go.
This picture has nothing to do with the narrative, it just makes me happy.
The next day we got up early to go to the Natural History Museum, which we were both really looking forward to (though I think The Mob was more excited than me).
I mean, I found the architecture very nice.
And they had this really cool instillation of skeletons.
And there were plenty of weird signs to photograph.
But they also have a whole room devoted to geology. Geology room montage!
Okay, in fairness, that last face was caused by the Darwin Centre, not by geology.
Outside, we explored the little garden there, which was glorious and warm and sunny and lovely.
The Mob had the camera most of that time. I was busy... spinning around in the sunlight, or something. I don't even know why. Just because we were outside.
And then we went in search of Falafel King! Supposedly this store would be the location of the best falafel in London.
And, oh darn, they just had to be located near a glorious open air market where we could try on hats and be silly.
Not that we might do anything of the like.
Anyway, we got our falafel made with MAGIC CHICKPEAS, and it was pretty darn good. We were both starving by the time we ate it, and it was such a nice day, it was the perfect time for sitting outside and eating the best vegan street food in existence.
I believe that after that we caught a train over to this pretty park, which was just in general gorgeous.
And I took artsy photos, because that's what I'm good for.
And then we interacted with the squirrel community again. We had some kind of nuts as our post-lunch snack thingy, and we gave one to this squirrel.
Then it tried to climb The Mob.
Twice.
Do not trust the cute rodent face. Squirrels are evil.
Anyway, after exploring another lovely green space, we decided to head to Camden Town to look for what is known as "The Little Venice" of London. Since we were going to Venice, Italy later in the week, it seemed like a good plan.
So there we were, just walking around, going "I think we took a wrong turn?" when...
Oh.
Oh.
Really, though, the best pictures were taken by The Mob, who had the camera for most of the time we explored the market.
We found all sorts of strange things there.
Some were silly.
Some were insane.
And some gave me the impression that this was the kind of place I wanted to hang out in when I was being teenage and rebellious. I actually feel kind of sad that I never found a community like this, because these stompy boots and tight laced corsets and excellent dresses are the sort of thing I wished I had the confidence to wear in High School, but I didn't have the friends group to support that kind of fashion choice.
Wouldn't expect it looking at that face, would you?
And now, of course, I indulge myself a little, but I'm also, y'know, an adult-ish.
An adult-ish who dresses like this.
Anyway, the camera ran out of space on it after so many pictures of the market, so the rest is not documented. But we decided to go to a pub, since we were in London and we hadn't been to one yet, and we were going to be 21 fairly soon.
So The Mob and I found a place that wasn't too crowded and took a seat at a little table. Almost immediately we were approached by someone.
"You know, you have to be eighteen to be here."
Seriously?
"We're twenty," we both said.
"I need to see ID," the man said. We both produced ID. He was confused by my Danish Residence Permit, but my driver's license did the trick.
The Mob went up to the bar to get a beer, and I tried to decide what frilly cocktail I was going to try, since I still hadn't found alcohol I actually liked the taste of. The closest was the mead, or maybe some cider, but I didn't love either of those options, so I decided to experiment.
"Are you okay honey?" a woman asked me, coming up to the table. She worked for the pub, and I think she was trying to decide whether I was "of age" or not.
Seriously?
"I'm fine."
Up at the bar, The Mob had a little trouble acquiring that beer.
"Can I see some ID?"
"I'm twenty."
I eventually decided to get something called a "killer zombie." I don't know what's in it any more, but it was sweet and didn't taste too alcoholic (though that was a trick! It was much stronger than it tasted!) I went up to the bar and, yes, you guessed it, "I need to see your ID."
"I'm twenty!"
Finally we settled in to our table and had our drinks. The Mob doesn't actually like beer, but I liked my drink (err, and so did Mob). Combined we finished the frilly cocktail and half the pint of beer (I didn't contribute to that one, beer is nasty). I think it's fair to say that we are both lightweights, and we were both mildly intoxicated when we left the pub around 8 pm (oh yeah, we party hard!) I was definitely more drunk than The Mob.
We got to the metro, and I discovered I had lost my metro pass. So we bought me another ticket. Then I realized I left my scarf in the pub. So we went back to get it, then had to buy another metro ticket.
I would have left the scarf, but it was this pink one I got in Istanbul, and I wasn't about to lose that.
So, anyway, eventually we got back to the hostel and went to bed, which was good because the next day we were off to Paris!
So... I think that's a fairly good summary of our time in London. Mob, did I forget anything important? oh, right, we found the Sherlock Holmes museum! I'll leave y'all with a picture of me in front of it, to prove we were actually there, or something. But... I think that is all. Whoo.
P.S. Thank You Mob for all the photos which I stole for this entry, and for introducing me to the concept of nerdfighters, and for not forgetting to be awesome.
* Nerdfighters are people who, instead of being made of organs and bones are made of pure awesome.
And that's why there are actually a bunch of pictures of me from London. *sigh* But then again, it also means there is a completely reasonable explanation for this photo montage of The Mob I'm going to spam with you now. Muahahaha.
And there, I've taken you through all our adventures in London. No need to bore you with a blog entry.
...yeah, we all know I'm just kidding. Writing these entries is my treat for finishing a certain amount of homework. I would not turn it down that fast. No way, no how!
Anyway, so, London.
We arrived on Megabus, and then attempted to figure out the Underground. That took a while, but then we were able to get to our hostel, which was in an EXCELLENT location. Even though our room didn't have a lock (it was being repaired, this was not a usual occurrence) I would definitely recommend Astor Hyde Park if you are looking for a youth hostel in London.
It was across the street from Hyde Park, which is above! How could you not love that?!
There was one particularly amusing moment when we were checking in and they said uncertainly, "uh, are you both over eighteen?"
Seriously?
"We're twenty," The Mob said, presenting passport-ly proof that it was true.
"Oh," the Astor Hyde Park Representative said, obviously embarrassed.
On that first day we went down to the V&A and had tea in one of their fancy tea rooms (and then, yes, I did drag The Mob around to see exhibits). I'm a major museum dork, so I was flailing about the way in which they chose to exhibit things. Mob was following politely, although there was a moment of excitement when we found the jewelry and we both had something to interest us. Mob was looking at the luster of certain precious stones. I was looking at the lighting set-up and the shape of display cases.
[So here's the thing, when you see this:
(source)
Or any variation on the word "nerdfighters" that means that we are huge, huge, huge dorks, okay?*]
So, Mob was looking at the luster of certain precious stones. I was looking at the lighting set-up and the shape of display cases.
(source)
After the V&A closed we bought groceries and returned to the hostel.
The next day was our epic sight-seeing day of awesome. We ended up walking through most of central London, which was both exhausting and fun. Also, I wrote the exact walking directions down, for once, so I can be sure I'm telling things in the right order. Woo!
Our first stop was Buckingham Palace, where we accidentally saw the changing of the guard.
Uh, oops?
I also was occasionally nostalgic about the last time I was there, way back in... 2007? That sounds like an impossibly long time ago.
But look, that's what I looked like last time I was there!
Anyone been around here long enough to remember this? We looked little back then.
Anyway, Buckingham Palace is actually kind of boring. You know what's not boring? The park right behind/down the street from it!
Where The Mob caught a picture of me attempting to smile. Compare this to the old picture of me up there... what a difference a few years, the removal of my braces, the addition of glasses, and some hair dye can do, right?
...I look basically the same as when I was 16, don't I. *sigh*
Anyway, after Buckingham Palace it was destination: Big Ben. Which I actually got to hear chime this time, which was really cool!
We also took an unexpected detour to Trafalgar Square.
The Mob took a picture of McDonalds and Big Ben.
I took a picture of the graffiti and sticker on this sign.
And The Mob took a picture of me.
We walked for a while to get to St. Paul's cathedral, where we sat on the steps and had snacky-lunch and observed pigeons hopping up and down stairs.
From there we were just one picture of a wrinkly dog away from getting to the Tower of London, where we bought Ben & Jerry's and nommed it while wandering around.
Ben & Jerry's is sort of becoming a symbol of home for me. I get really excited when I see it sold in stores around here. It's an ice cream in crazy flavors that I recognize! It's named in English! I know they don't oppress their cows! I've even been to their factory place thing!
The tower was cool too, but we were too cheap/poor to go in, so we did not get to see Moriarty.
(Source)
After that long walk, we only sorta looked at "London Bridge" (actually Tower Bridge) before going back to the hostel.
After that long day of sight seeing, what did we do?
We went to a socialist bookstore called Bookmarks. If you are ever in London, check it out. It was really interesting, and I got to read my new favorite socialist children's book. An excerpt: "Farmer John had a problem. He had cows which could type. All day he heard, clack clack moo! Clackity-clack moo! Clackity-clackity-clackity-clackity moooo!" and then, later, "...because Duck was a neutral third party..."
I should have bought this book, it was fantastic.
Afterwards, we went to chinatown, where we had an unexpectedly expensive lunch. From there we walked through parks to get back to our hostel for dinner. The parks were... the most gorgeous ever.
The parks also had another benefit: water fowl!
While I may have actually fallen over in attempts to get pictures of duckies, The Mob definitely got more pictures of birds than I did.
Like, for example, this woman being chased by pigeons.
Or this small dog having a staring contest with a swan.
I did get this pretty hilarious picture of over-protective parent duck, though.
"What are you doing photographing my Junior for?! Quack!"
This was also where we began our interactions with the squirrel community of London.
Do not be fooled by his innocent look, he thirsts for your blood.
See also: photogenic pigeons.
*ahem* Aaaaaaanyway.
That night we went to see Billy Elliot in this really pretty theater. We were way up in the cheapest seats ever, but it was still kind of the most fantastic thing ever. If you ever get the chance to see this show, go.
This picture has nothing to do with the narrative, it just makes me happy.
The next day we got up early to go to the Natural History Museum, which we were both really looking forward to (though I think The Mob was more excited than me).
I mean, I found the architecture very nice.
And they had this really cool instillation of skeletons.
And there were plenty of weird signs to photograph.
But they also have a whole room devoted to geology. Geology room montage!
Okay, in fairness, that last face was caused by the Darwin Centre, not by geology.
Outside, we explored the little garden there, which was glorious and warm and sunny and lovely.
The Mob had the camera most of that time. I was busy... spinning around in the sunlight, or something. I don't even know why. Just because we were outside.
And then we went in search of Falafel King! Supposedly this store would be the location of the best falafel in London.
And, oh darn, they just had to be located near a glorious open air market where we could try on hats and be silly.
Not that we might do anything of the like.
Anyway, we got our falafel made with MAGIC CHICKPEAS, and it was pretty darn good. We were both starving by the time we ate it, and it was such a nice day, it was the perfect time for sitting outside and eating the best vegan street food in existence.
I believe that after that we caught a train over to this pretty park, which was just in general gorgeous.
And I took artsy photos, because that's what I'm good for.
And then we interacted with the squirrel community again. We had some kind of nuts as our post-lunch snack thingy, and we gave one to this squirrel.
Then it tried to climb The Mob.
Twice.
Do not trust the cute rodent face. Squirrels are evil.
Anyway, after exploring another lovely green space, we decided to head to Camden Town to look for what is known as "The Little Venice" of London. Since we were going to Venice, Italy later in the week, it seemed like a good plan.
So there we were, just walking around, going "I think we took a wrong turn?" when...
Oh.
Oh.
Really, though, the best pictures were taken by The Mob, who had the camera for most of the time we explored the market.
We found all sorts of strange things there.
Some were silly.
Some were insane.
And some gave me the impression that this was the kind of place I wanted to hang out in when I was being teenage and rebellious. I actually feel kind of sad that I never found a community like this, because these stompy boots and tight laced corsets and excellent dresses are the sort of thing I wished I had the confidence to wear in High School, but I didn't have the friends group to support that kind of fashion choice.
Wouldn't expect it looking at that face, would you?
And now, of course, I indulge myself a little, but I'm also, y'know, an adult-ish.
An adult-ish who dresses like this.
Anyway, the camera ran out of space on it after so many pictures of the market, so the rest is not documented. But we decided to go to a pub, since we were in London and we hadn't been to one yet, and we were going to be 21 fairly soon.
So The Mob and I found a place that wasn't too crowded and took a seat at a little table. Almost immediately we were approached by someone.
"You know, you have to be eighteen to be here."
Seriously?
"We're twenty," we both said.
"I need to see ID," the man said. We both produced ID. He was confused by my Danish Residence Permit, but my driver's license did the trick.
The Mob went up to the bar to get a beer, and I tried to decide what frilly cocktail I was going to try, since I still hadn't found alcohol I actually liked the taste of. The closest was the mead, or maybe some cider, but I didn't love either of those options, so I decided to experiment.
"Are you okay honey?" a woman asked me, coming up to the table. She worked for the pub, and I think she was trying to decide whether I was "of age" or not.
Seriously?
"I'm fine."
Up at the bar, The Mob had a little trouble acquiring that beer.
"Can I see some ID?"
"I'm twenty."
I eventually decided to get something called a "killer zombie." I don't know what's in it any more, but it was sweet and didn't taste too alcoholic (though that was a trick! It was much stronger than it tasted!) I went up to the bar and, yes, you guessed it, "I need to see your ID."
"I'm twenty!"
Finally we settled in to our table and had our drinks. The Mob doesn't actually like beer, but I liked my drink (err, and so did Mob). Combined we finished the frilly cocktail and half the pint of beer (I didn't contribute to that one, beer is nasty). I think it's fair to say that we are both lightweights, and we were both mildly intoxicated when we left the pub around 8 pm (oh yeah, we party hard!) I was definitely more drunk than The Mob.
We got to the metro, and I discovered I had lost my metro pass. So we bought me another ticket. Then I realized I left my scarf in the pub. So we went back to get it, then had to buy another metro ticket.
I would have left the scarf, but it was this pink one I got in Istanbul, and I wasn't about to lose that.
So, anyway, eventually we got back to the hostel and went to bed, which was good because the next day we were off to Paris!
So... I think that's a fairly good summary of our time in London. Mob, did I forget anything important? oh, right, we found the Sherlock Holmes museum! I'll leave y'all with a picture of me in front of it, to prove we were actually there, or something. But... I think that is all. Whoo.
P.S. Thank You Mob for all the photos which I stole for this entry, and for introducing me to the concept of nerdfighters, and for not forgetting to be awesome.
* Nerdfighters are people who, instead of being made of organs and bones are made of pure awesome.