Too Much Walking!
Posted by Jackie , 19 September 2010 4:18 PM
My feet have had enough from the past few days, and I’m glad that everything is closed on Sunday evening so I am forced to stay in and give them a little rest.
The torture for my feet began on Friday night, when I went out with my roommate and a few other IFSA-Butler UCL students. We went to a club called Fabric with an outrageous cover fee and overpriced drinks. It was an experience though, to be sure, to be in a three-story club with multiple dance floors…a little overwhelming at times. The initial damage was done to my feet here when, instead of being sensible, I wore heels. A few blisters later, I was happy to pass out in bed after a long night.
On Saturday I met ELISSA for a fabulous day of touring and sightseeing throughout London. We met in Leicester Square to buy discounted theater tickets for that evening. There is a booth there called “Tkts” that sells all the unsold tickets at half price (or even greater discounts) and we were lucky enough to get seats in the middle of Row M seats to Avenue Q. I couldn’t believe our luck! After that, we did a tour from Trafalgar Square down to Westminster and through St. James Park before stopping for lunch in the crypt of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Renovated, thankfully, it was still neat to eat there with the vaulted ceilings and tomb covers inlaid into the floor. After touring the church briefly, we continued on to the National Portrait Gallery. This contains portraits of important British figures from the time of Queen Elizabeth I through the modern era arranged by year. It was fun to see some of the famous works I knew in person, rather than reproduced in a textbook. Elissa and I got dinner in Chinatown, choosing a restaurant at random (with decent prices, of course). The fried rice was amazing, and thankfully the portions were large enough that I brought my leftovers home for an entire second meal! I had a great time walking through Chinatown; it is elaborately decorated and the smells all mingled together to nearly overwhelm the senses. After a “quick” detour to Elissa’s flat to drop off our food, we went to Avenue Q. It was utterly hilarious, enjoyably raunchy, and very touching when it wanted to be. I loved the use of puppets; I’m not sure I can pinpoint why, but I thought the ingenuity behind it was so clever. When Elissa and I returned to her flat, we had quite a job of figuring out how to get me home. Not only does the city close some tube lines over the weekend for construction repairs, but with the Pope in town it seemed that half the city was closed! We figured it out though, and I got back safe and sound. Not to disregard the foot theme, my feet were definitely sore by the end, though thankfully no new blisters had formed. I wore bandaids and socks, which saved me from any more strife.
Today I visited Windsor Castle, the oldest castle to be continuously used (since William the Conqueror took over England in 1066). I took a train about 45 minutes southwest of London straight into town and, lo and behold, straight up to the castle. I had no idea it would be so close, but I literally walked out of the train station, down a short block of shops, and found myself face to face with a very imposing castle wall. I was glad I didn’t have to walk far to get to the castle, my feet were already tired and wearing new-ish flats was shaping up to be a bad idea. Once inside the castle grounds, I picked up an audio tour guide. Its messages corresponded to points around the grounds as well as in the rooms on display. Outdoors was beautiful, and I loved examining the architecture. Only a portion of the castle is open to the public, including the state apartments, Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, and a collection of art from the royal collection (in particular a selection of Da Vinci’s sketches!). The whole interior tour was actually a bit overwhelming; after viewing five or six of the ornately decorated rooms I became rather desensitized to the beauty of the rest. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to go back and see it again! My only regret about going today is that St. George Chapel was closed. On Sundays, they need time to prepare for multiple services and are closed to sightseers. Since then, I’ve been recouping and straightening up my room after a few hectic days of throwing things wherever I had room.
I start UCL orientation on Tuesday, which gives me another day to explore tomorrow. I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I know my roommates want to do some more tourist activities in London and check out a breakfast place that serves traditional British fare. Keep your fingers crossed that I’ll enjoy it if I do eat there!
