DayTrippin' for Dreamy Darcy

Hi Everyone,

Day 2 here in london. Adventures are great. Pictures will be loaded later b/c this internet cafe won't let me access my photos. Trust me, there are some great ones.

1) Stonehenge

Thought it would be more impressive and imposing, but a bit disappointed by the size of it. We had 45 minutes to see it, Another 15 minutes would be nicer. As a sucker tourist, I bought a magnet for my mom, only to remember that she freaking has one already. Bummer dudes!

2) Bath


This town has the largest Roman bath outside of Rome. At first, when I saw the public bath outside of it, I wasn't impressed again, but when I went through the museum and saw the insides and how large it was, I became impressed. Also, the town of Bath is really nice. All the buildings uses the bath stones on the outside so everything looks uniform. Apparently, it's really a posh place, sort of a resort town from London. Anyhow, I really like this place because it has great charm. Maybe because we had a good day and there was actually sunshine to illuminate this sold-out quaint little town. What I loved most is the lush green hills, the same color houses, and the flowers on the windows and the lightpost. Interestingly, for lunch, I had a stuffed baguette for L1.50. Later I had a cup of creme tea for the same price. Apparently, this place is known for its creme tea. I wasn't impressed. Oh yeah, the drive to Stonehenge was lush green, exactly what you'd expect of the English countryside. Jane Austen, creator of the great Mr. Darcy, also lived here.

3) Abbey Road.
This is the place where I wished I could show you the picture. Definitely highlight of the day. We got lost finding Abbey road. Of course I tried to imitate the Beatles. But it's just me walking across the street.



What's sinteresting is this other lady who tried to do the same photo op. She was loud, she was from LA and she literally stopped traffice and yelled at her kids, trying to pose them as the Fab Four. Man, she tried like 4-5 times, getting her kids to walk across, hold the pose mid-stride. All the while, the cars were coming to the crosswalk and honking at her. I felt bad for her two kids (son about 9 y/o, daughter about 7) I would have been traumatized.

4) Hyde Park
No pictures from this place. Alan and I are beginning to get sick of each other, mostly around 4-6 pm. So today, we decided to do our own thing for two hours before dinner. I decided to go for a jog in Hyde Park. It's one of the most relaxing and enjoyable jogs I've had. Saw some really cool sights. Of course I ran around this large lake in the park (The Serpentine) from one end to the other. There were a lot of people rollerblading or trying to rollerblade. THe place is nice because it's not like this manicured garden, a lot of lawn space. Also has a lot of random little monuments. I saw the Prince Albert statue (very imposing) and Royal Albert Music Hall (?) across from it. Totally reminded me of the Robin Williams bit.I know some of you know what I'm talking about and have a sweet little smirk going. Also had a Bridget Jones moment. Found the site of the imfamous girly fight scene between Hugh Grant and Mark I-Like-you-just-the-way-you-are Darcy in the second installment of the movies. Also saw this weird statue that honors physical energy. It was a guy on a horse. Not a very weird statue, but the name is just funky. Seemed so metaphysical... Also saw pick-up cricket games and rugby games too. Cool times!

5) Dinner in West End
Went to this place in West End called Bella Italia. Very happy with meal. A little wine always makes dinner go better.

6) Observations and final remarks.
a. I like London a lot. Honestly, I woudl be totally cool to live here.

b. I like the hostel I'm staying at. It's relatively clean, a lot of young people. Best of all, the location is great. If any of you are thinking of going to London, consider staying at the Picadilly Backpackers. Every important tourist sight is walking distance (with exception to Tower of London and Tower Bridge).

c. I am so glad to be away from the LA humdrum. First of all, the girls are beautiful and not in the sorta generic Pam Anderson/sorority girl sorta way. They have very cute features and have more character in physical appearance. Secondly. people dress way nicer. It's not flipflops and shorts for everyone. The guys are all metro-chic, which is a nice departure from trucker hats, billabong board shorts, and baggy pants in LA.

d. I see more Muslim women here. It feels definitely different to see groups of women in their burqas (? probably wrong, but I forgt the better term of it) shopping. You just dont see very many of them around in LA. Some of the burqas are plain black and cover everything except the eyes. Others are more ornate. Definitely eye-opening./

e. Second hand smoke sucks. This is one thing that I'm glad for in LA. I sat next to this table of chain-smokers and we were downwind of them. Breathing was a difficult task under these circumstances.

f. I saw the cutest dog today in the Tube station. Too bad I didnt have my camera. He was a darling.

Anyhow, those are the adventures of the day, Alan and I are doing Tower of London tomorrow morning. After lunch, I'm hoping to get some free time on my own to explore the city, perhaps at the Tate Modern and maybe some shopping done (so many sales, so little time). On Saturday, we're going to try an get matinee tickets to Phantom of the Opera (hopefully it's L20). All the other time would probably be spent exploring the British Museum and all its plunders.

Meanwhile, Ta-Ta!