We spent two full days in London and were able to see many of the typical tourist sites.
But before I get to that, I'll mention we finally had a bad hostel experience. The folks that are reading this know that I camp, hike, travel for work often, etc. and you all generally know I can rough it many conditions. I can sleep on moving vehicles, dirt terrain, a floor, pretty much anything. The hostel that we stayed at, Publove on the Isle of Dogs, challenged my sleeping abilities and hygiene tolerances worse than my freshman year in the college dorms at Drexel. This hostel must have been cleaned at least once in the past 5 years--maybe. It's difficult to say with the retched smell of feet and what must've been some sort of animal dying in the walls. And the 3 story bunk "beds" (that's a generous word to describe them) had what could only be described as a piece of cloth over poorly spaced springs. And the bed spread? Basically full of holes from what I presume to be mice feasts. Needless to say, the tenants in this hostel weren't your typical travelers, either. Sadly, I think we were staying in a makeshift poverty home. And if you're thinking, well why didn't you read the reviews before booking? The answer is we did and it got a 7.3/10. Josh and I are dumbfounded how this place isn't being condemned. Anyway, we got out of there the next morning and went to a modified hotel in the Russel Square area of London. It felt like the Ritz relative to our accommodations the night before.
But traveling isn't about your stays in hostels (it does need to have a minimum level of hygiene, though).
The second night in London we were able to catch up with our college buddy, Trevor. He's been working in London for about 1.5 years and we got drinks in the the financial district near the Bank of England at a pub called Phoenix.
The next day we caught a break from the London rain and were able to do a bunch of the tourist stuff during our stay.
Buckingham Palace (we weren't allowed to take photos inside)
King's guard
This alley way was used as the model for Nocturn Alley in Harry Potter.
Big John from Minnesota talking to us about Trafalger Square.
A monument to British admiralty.
The original and official British Royal residence.
Big Ben, Westminster Cathedral(?), Parliament, The Eye, selfies for the fans
I could get used to all the motorcycling in Europe. Exclusive parking all over the place and it's a widely used means of transport.
Josh and I are now onto Amsterdam which is the first stop kicking off our mini tour through central Western Europe. It's going to be a flurry of activity with little downtime. I'll try to post when I can, but it will be difficult to keep up. Apologies in advance!
