The European Finale: London

Today is the last day of the summer, and with it comes a post about my last stop in the expensive, crowded and neat continent that is Europe. London was originally a stopover for going back to Macau, but I decided to spend a day and a half to see a few things and spend even MORE money. London is like Toronto, in that it is a big city filled to the BRIM with things that need to be seen. Also like Toronto, things that are neat cost a pretty penny (or pound, in this case). While things in the U.K. tend to be pricey, things in London tend to be refinance-your-entire-estate-if-you-want-to-go-out-for-dinner expensive. I spent two nights and a full day in London, and it cost me as much money as my entire week in Ireland. YIKES. 

The Imperial War museum, known for having wars that the Empire fought and things from the wars stuffed inside. It was a pretty great museum, AND it was free. HOW GREAT IS THAT?!
(At this point in the trip, I put the camera away and just enjoyed the exhibits. It's a lot nicer when you aren't jostling for position for photos that won't turn out well anyways)

Notice the tank and the big guns. They're from a battleship (well, not the tank, that's from the U.S.S.R), and they are bloody massive. Britain's downsizing of it's military after WWII has sure left some neat trinkets just lying around the city. 

Not to mention neat buildings... At first, Westminster Palace wasn't that big of a deal to me, but realizing that this was the home of the ruling people of the biggest Empire the world has ever seen... well, that's worth a 'NEAT'. 

The tube is a bit smaller that I expected. Smaller than the TTC subway, smaller than the subways in Hong Kong or any other city I've been in. It's definitely got an English feel to it with it's homey-ish interior (I'm not kidding about that, there's something to it...) Buckingham Palace is on the right, but I couldn't be bothered to get any closer for a decent pic, because I wanted LUNCH. 

On my way to lunch, I accidentally stumbled onto Saville Row. Friends of mine who are hip and sleek chic know all about it, but for those of you who don't, here's the birds and the bees: When a man and a woman love design very very much, they go to Saville row and open up a studio. Usually, after nine months or so, fancy suits, hats, dresses, ties, shoes, shirts, pants and jewelry start to pop out of the shop. Eventually, lots of studios start to move together, and then a whole neat neighbourhood is born. It should also be mentioned that London as a whole is very fashion oriented (I mean outside of hipsters wanting to wear dirty pants and sad droopy hats), so there's a lot of support for the neat and fancy clothes on sale.
To the right is the place I got some lunch. It was an underground public toilet until recent times (a Victorian toilet, with porcelain facilities, mosaic floors and brass fixtures). Had myself some tasty lunch and WELP'd right out of there for a quick nap before the show. 

I was lucky enough to remember my parent's credit card information (thanks Mom & Dad) and book myself a ticket to see The Mousetrap, the longest running play in human history. It's a classic murder mystery, written by none other than Agatha Christie herself. The theatre and play also had a heavy dollop of antiquated Britain mixed into the atmosphere: The smell of old the curtains, the feel of the thickly-carpeted stairs under your shoes, and the sound of the sturdy-but-dated seats creaking and grumbling just before the lights dimmed. I can say I was a fan of the whole thing. I dressed myself up for the evening, because I was told that was a thing to do when going to a show, and it immersed me in an evening exactly what you'd expect if it was 1962. I see the appeal of London and I am behind it 100%. My wallet however is not, and will not be until it is fully rehydrated. You really do have to watch your spending in a city like this, it's like a wonderland in many ways. 

All said, done, seen and eaten, I had some anxieties during my trip. There were times where I realized I was travelling alone, without friends, and often without a direction of what I wanted to do next. There were times when I thought I didn't do or see enough and wasted my travel time, or that loneliness was waiting for me around the corner because I had nobody to talk/drink/share my time with. After facing these feelings (as well as challenges of ditched cars, money shortages, illness, etc), I realized that you alone have the power to make or break a trip: Be happy and have fun, or be sad and eat a cold panini in an alleyway while playing sad Charlie Brown music through your phone. The choice is yours, so make it a GOOD ONE. 

I was thinking of putting up a similar stats chart like the one in the first trip post I did last month, but I think it would be better to sum up the entire experience in another way. I think, after everything, I gained some really valuable things from this trip, and these things sum up why I love travelling so much.
 - Meeting & getting to know neat people who will actually like spending time with you, because they like making friends too [THESE PEOPLE ARE REAL PEOPLE THAT YOU SHARE THE PLANET WITH EVERY DAY]
 - Exploring places that actually exist and are neat even though they are far away and we imagine they're not that neat [THERE ARE ALSO REALLY NICE THINGS TO EAT]
 - Challenging your comfort zone and understanding the difference between doing things alone and being lonely [YOU CAN DO THINGS BY MYSELF AND I DON'T HAVE TO BE MOPEY]

Thanks for checking in, I'll have more for you later, but right now I'm going to rest.