London Pictures, Round 1

I'm trying to keep these in some kind of order.

The day I landed in London, I found my way to my house share and proceeded to wander around Islington. This is a terrifically cool neighbourhood and yes, the main reason I stayed there was that Arthur Dent is from there. I'm a geek and I'm proud of it.

My first full day in London, I took the tube in to London proper. London is made up of 33 boroughs, each one a city in and of itself. What we think of as "London" is actually the City of London and the City of Westminster. They're all connected by tube, overland and other various transit systems, as well as many roads in and out. It's difficult to navigate if you have no idea about anything, like I did. I did use Google maps, which was helpful until it tells you "Go west on Lower Sloane Street"and you really have no idea which way west is or indeed, where Lower Sloane Street is.

I digress. Once in London (Westminster), I found my way to Buckingham Palace. You enter in through a square, home of the Victoria Memorial. Queen Victoria thought very highly of herself and erected a very large monument in her honour. I did not get any good pictures today, so I will post them in the proper order.

Around the square are pillars with the names of the countries of the Commonwealth. I searched and searched for Canada. Why don't we have a pillar? This didn't seem fair. Even New Zealand had its own pillar.

We have a gate. The gate leads in to Green Park, a beautiful space. Green Park is one of the Royal Parks. These were lands owned by the Royal Family - Green Park was used primarily for hunting and duels. In total there are five parks throughout London and Westminster that are Royal Parks.

Gates of Buckingham Palace.

This is as close as I could get. In August and September, tours are available. Some people say that £33.50 is too much to pay for what amounts to ten rooms, some portraits, some hallways and the garden. I think those people forget they're in a palace. Where the Queen lives. Yeah, you're not going to walk in on HRM Queen Elizabeth II on the loo, but you're still in a palace. I'd pay that.

Sometimes I take good pictures.

This nice gentleman was keeping all the riff raff away. Well, at least on the other side of the gate.

There was no Changing of the Guard this day.  That will come in a Round Two post.

St. James Walk, between Buckingham Palace (on the left) and Green Park.

James and I walked. We walked a lot. We ended up at Harrods, half intentionally.

 

James made some new friends. This is Chester, Harrods' Christmas Bear. Many people were amused by this set up and took their own pictures.

Harrods has bears through their store to show iconic British images. As an example, the Royal Guardsmen.

 

Bobbies!

 Dudes in kilts!

Harrods Doormen!

*not a duplicate.

This gentleman is Paul. He was asking many questions about James and his travels (and the "on fire C" on James' hoodie). He then declared James to be his best friend and insisted on a picture.

Next up: Changing of the Guard.

Made it

A toast in the direction of Calgary.

Shortly after this I discovered I'm not fond of the taste of champagne.

Things I am learning

The time to break in a new pair of shoes is not on an international, intercontinental trip. My blisters have blisters. I have bandaids on them and I am powering through but god damn ow.
The shoes aren't technically new. They're second hand so you'd think there would be an already broken in element to them. Oh no. There is not.

I bought a hop on hop off bus ticket today. It's good for two days and I think I will get more use out of it tomorrow because all I wanted to do today was find some place to eat.
It is not irrational for me to be nervous about going in to a restaurant. I cannot order in french. I can read things in french, enough to know what I would be eating, but I can't order in french or understand when someone speaks it to me.
I did, however, figure something out. All the restaurants here post their menus outside. If they have an english menu, someone speaks english. Amazing. Helpful. I ended up having a delicious Italian meal a couple doors down from my hotel.

I think the only thing the men here know how to say in english is "you are very beautiful." It sounds like I'm bragging, but three men said this to me today. I simply smiled, nodded and turned away from the conversation so they would go away.

I did a lot of reading before I came here. There is a lot of theft from tourists here. It's mostly a safe city but you still have to watch out. I'm doing small but smart things, like wearing my purse under my jacket and only carrying small notes. One person bumped into the area near my purse today and I elbowed them so hard. It was probably an accident on their part but if purse snatchers/pick pockets saw that they know I mean business.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I plan on spending it wandering around, getting off at every stop on the bus tour, going to the top of the Eiffel Tower and having champagne, and finding some RAOK to do. I also plan on going to a patisserie and getting a cupcake.
What can you all do for my birthday? Do a RAOK. Do something nice for someone else and expect nothing in return. I have stuff. I have all I need. Go be nice to people. Don't just do it for my birthday, do it every day.
I also plan on finding some french candy and eating the hell out of it. Have some candy too, for me.

Pictures, part 1

When I get less lazy, I'll resize some more interesting pictures. For now, you get these.

 James in YYT. He is proud of his poppy!

James in YUL. He also likes Trudeau.

 I had to read this three or four times to make sure I didn't get it backwards. This is the instructions on the exit row on an Air Canada flight. Says a lot, doesn't it?

YEG. That's right, Flames rule!

 Pilgrims in an unholy land.

 

Seriously with this, Air Canada?

YYC, the last Canadian airport of the day. Sitting in a phone booth because it's the only place with a power outlet.

Heathrow! They let us in!

Paris

I have been in Paris for about an hour.

My shitty cereal box french saved me from getting ripped off in the cab. I told him I would pay the meter rate and not the three times higher rate he wanted. He saw the Canadian flag on my backpack and thought he could take advantage of me. Nice try, buddy.

Driving through England and France is a lot like driving through Southern Alberta toward Saskatchewan. It's not all that interesting. I didn't get a window seat because I nearly missed the bus. The coach line's website said they take off from Stops 10-15 at Victoria Coach Station. The do not - they take off from <i>Gates</i> 10-20 <i>inside</i> the actual coach station, and not at the stops outside. I am glad I left some getting lost time, at any rate.
We took a ferry over from Dover where there really are white cliffs. No bluebirds, however. The ferry ride was not like any other ferry I've been on - there were eight decks, three bars and a food court. I had something called mushy peas with my lunch. The English have found a way to make peas into a starch. It's really delicious. I could have eaten a whole plate of them! I think I'm going to need to learn how to make them. I know there are boxes in the grocery store at home, but it doesn't seem any more difficult than "put peas in blender till mush forms".

Later on there will be pictures. I am staying in because I'd rather be indoors in a country where I don't speak the language while it's dark and I have a habit of getting lost.

I am mere blocks from the Eiffel Tower. It is all glittery. I will investigate this tomorrow.

In order to get from the outskirts of Paris to the hotel, we had to go through three tunnels, including the Pont de l'Alma tunnel. That'll impress Mom if no one else.

I need new shoes

I will post pictures later. Honest.

James and I had an excellent adventure today. We went to Buckingham Palace (they did not even open the gates for us, how rude!), Harrods and two different museums. And then we got lost.

I'm learning here that people are very different. This is my first experience in a "foreign" country (America is foreign in that it's another country, but they're very similar to Canadians), so I knew some differences would come up.
In Canada, we smile at people. All the time. For no reason. If a car stops for us at a crosswalk, even though it's the law for them to stop, we wave our thanks. We hold doors for other people, thank them for doing the same for us and apologize when we bump into someone else on the street, even if it's not our fault.
Here, they don't smile at you on the street. They look at you like you're strange if you do. They don't wave at the cars, they don't hold doors unless they're getting paid to. It's not that the people are rude - they're just not open and boisterous with their friendliness like we are.

It's hard knowing where the crosswalks are. They're not very clearly marked and it's not like red lights actually stop cars. The cars really do drive on the wrong side of the road here, but I'm willing to contest I may have been walking on the wrong side of the sidewalk. There's no trucks or SUVs or giant American cars, either. Everything seems nice and compact. People drive Minis unironically.

James and I went on a double decker bus today, or as they call it here: "the bus". It was part of our getting lost experience. I took a wrong turn out of the science museum (like I couldn't go in, especially when it was free) when we left and it was dark out. We ended up in Chelsea or somewhere and were very poorly lead by Google Maps. Rather, we were very excellently lead by Google Maps into the exact opposite direction of where we wanted to go. It was getting late and I was starving (James was getting growly too, being a bear and all, and I didn't want to make the papers with him eating a person !) and I wasn't willing to settle for McDonalds. We got on a bus labeled Picadilly Circus in the hopes that it would get us there - I know there's a tube stop there that gets me back to my accommodations.
Along the way, there was a Hard Rock Cafe. Yup, that's some good dinner. I could have kissed the waitress who brought me that greasy ass burger.

I have come to the conclusion that it's impossible to get lost when you don't really have a destination. I intended to see the Victoria Memorial, Buckingham Palace and Harrod's today and I accomplished all of that. Anything more was icing on the cake. I know I can get on the tube at any point and eventually get back to where I'm staying or I can get in a cab. I do plan on an earlier start tomorrow because I want to see the Changing of the Guard.

Tomorrow shall have pictures. I'm simply too lazy to resize them.

YYC

Part of the reason I chose this god awful route was the chance to see my mom.
I miss her a lot.
That's all I can say about that right now. We had a good visit. We went to see the crosses o  Memorial Drive and to see my Gramma's grave.

What was not good was the flight from Edmonton. It was ln a dual prop Dash 8 POS. With a screaming infant child. I was, of course, sat next to the lady marinated in something god awful.

I don't think Air Canada knows anything about customer service. This isn't surprising. Flights were delayed out of Edmonton due to weather. Minor delays, no big deal. The big deal came when the ticket agent was not using the PA system to announce the departure of flights. She was bellowing it in to the arrival area. Because of this, one guy who was n the washroom missed his flight. The gate agent blamed him for not listening to the announcements. He rightfully pointed out that no announcement was made. The agent tried to say she made an announcement over the PA and everyone n the seating area said she didn't. She did not like this and snapped that he needed to buy a new ticket, the airline wasn't responsible for him missing his flight. I told him if he needed someone to back up his claim to email me. Several others did the same.

Now I sit in YYC international departures. There is no sound here, no airport chaos or TV. No shops. Its very strange. I will try to sleep ln this flight as it is almost 1030 p.m- for me.


More from London.

YEG

I am surrounded by Oilers and Eskimos stuff. I am a pilgrim in an unholy lamd.

Airport 3 of 5 today. This is not worth any money saved.

If I had a power bar I would be hailed as a hero. Why are there no plug ins at airport? this makes no sense to me. If I designed an airport, there would be free wireless and many placs to plug in various electronic devices - with tables or benches or some sort of flat surface to type on, if you're so inclined.

I get to see my mom soon! Yay!

Here is something I don't understand. If you're going on a flying tube of recirculated air, why would you wear, let alone marinate in, cologne or perfume? It is rude, inconsiderate and gross. It does nothing to endear you to your fellow passengers or the airline staff. It kind of makes you an asshole. Scratch that - there is no kind of. It does make you an asshole.
So if by some fluke you come across this and you're sitting at gate 49 in YEG and you took a bath in whatever that god awful stench you chose is, you are an asshole.

One of the passengers just said the flight is delayed half an hour. Oh joy and bliss.

Air Canada Sucks

or: things that are not news.

In Trudeau airport now. This is the second airport of four I will be in today.

Of many lessons learned so far today, Air Canada's website lies.
I have become accustomed to the creature comforts of flying WestJet, including set back tv that works with single pronged headphones - you know, the ones that fit in everything that requires headphones. Everything, that ia, except Air Canada planes. You need  two pronged headset for no particular reason at all, despite the website and their twitter assuring you that you don't.

This will be my last trip on Air Canada.

Security at YYT was a joke. The lady wasn't at her post outside the screening area so I waited, making eye contact with her. She didn't move for about two minutes, just kept up her conversation with her coworker. I stepped in and started loading my stuff on the table in front of her and she glared at me, huffing that I cannot enter the secure area without authorization from CATSA employees. I told her I'd been waiting to be waved in for two minutes, its a 24 hour airport and she wasn't t her post. Her coworker said that I had very valid points. I think someone will be eating lunch alone.  CATSA Lady glared some more and couldn't believe that all I have for liquids or gels was my lip balm and toothpaste. I told her she was welcome to check my bags but it might cut into her social time and that out suck.
This will be why I am singled out for secondary screening in Calgary.

Screaming kids on air plane. Currently being glared at by parents with an SUV stroller for sitting against the wall by the gate typing on my charging touchpad. Its the only spot with an outlet and no one has told me to move. Please take your passive aggressive glares elsewhere. I hope your child doesn't inherit your douchiness.

More from Edmonton.

I am going to Europe for my Not Crappy Birthday. I have no idea what I'm going to do once I'm there but I'm going.

As a testament to my Scottish upbringing, I am flying the most indirect flight possible for the least amount of money. Sure, I could have spent $500 more and had a more direct route, but that's a lot more money. It's a deal breaker. So instead I will be travelling for something like 31 hours including layovers. Instead of covering only 3744.4 km (2326.7 mi), I am instead covering half of Canada plus 3744.4 km (2326.7 mi). I am going YYT-YUL-YEG-YYC-LON. The positive is that I get to see my Mom for the first time in over two years on the six hour stop over in Calgary.

While in London, I'm staying with a total stranger. I've exchanged emails with this lady and I'm paying her money to stay there, but I've never met her and I have no way of knowing she's not a serial killer. I'm willing to take my chances, however. I am renting her room through AirBnB. If this is successful, I see myself using this system very frequently. If not, lesson learned.

What am I going to do in Europe? Whatever I want. I will be in England for <s>Guy Fawkes Day</s> Bonfire Night, for the Lord Mayor's Show (I have no idea what it is past what the website tells me) and for Remembrance day. I wish I could get to Vimy on Remembrance Day, but they don't do bus tours out there. One year I will go back when I can drive.

I'll be posting pictures and videos along the way. If I can get foursquare to work on my tablet again, I'll be checking in as well.

I should be napping but instead, I am doing this. Ho hum.