Time for Some London History - Day 3

It is amazing how much we saw in just two days in London and we still had another whole day of sightseeing around London. We had seen many of the touristy locations except for the Tower of London and Abbey Road. I was excited for Abbey Road and to take a Beatles picture but not as excited for the Tower of London, mainly because I did not know much about it.

We started our day at Abbey Road, which if you had never seen the famous Beatles album then you would not recognize this road or you would think it was literally just a road. It is nothing special except that the Beatles choose to use this road as the picture for the cover of their album, "Abbey Road." When you get off the tube stop for Abbey Road you see tons of Beatles merchandise and once you actually find Abbey Road you see a lot of tourists all trying to be like the Beatles by taking their picture in the middle of the road. When you think about it, it is a little dangerous because cars are indeed driving by and to get the picture just right the photographer has to be standing directly in the middle of the road as the pedestrians walk across. Let's just say it was not an easy task and it took us quite some time to get the picture just right. Not only do you have to be crossing the street but you have to be crossing the street on the opposite side as the one you walk on from the tube stop. Therefore, you cross the street, then your photographer checks for cars and gets in the middle of the road, and then you cross the street again, praying for a good picture. Luckily for us, we had our photographer Danny with us so at least we had four people in the picture. One guy on Abbey Road must have crossed the street at least a dozen times while his wife or girlfriend took his picture.

Michelle, Me, Christine, and Liz crossing Abbey Road.

Abbey Road sign.

After we were done channeling our inner Beatle we headed for London Bridge. Almost every child remembers singing the famous song, "London Bridge" as a child and now that I have actually seen this famous bridge I almost wish that it would fall down. The bridge was not pretty like you would imagine but rather dull looking. Overall, London Bridge was a great disappointment. After seeing the bridge we headed to the Tower of London and to get there we had to cross over another bridge called the Tower Bridge. This bridge was gorgeous and quite the site to see. It was built magnificently with two giant towers in the middle of the bridge with two walking bridges connecting the two towers. Once we crossed Tower Bridge we were finally at the Tower of London.

The "great" London Bridge.

The girls in front of The London Bridge.

The Tower Bridge.

The Biddies in front of the Tower Bridge.

When we got there, I ended up getting pretty excited for the tour and to experience some of the history surrounding London. We bought our tickets (and paid a small fortune) and then waited inside for our beefeater tour guide. The beefeaters are the guards at the Tower of London and one comes to give you some background on the Tower of London once you walk in. They are not with you for the entire time you are at the Tower of London but they do give you some history. The Tower of London was founded at the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. William the Conqueror built The White Tower in 1078 as a resented symbol of oppression inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The Tower of London gets its name from The White Tower. The Tower of London was initially used as a royal residence but since at least 1100 it has been used as a prison. The Tower of London is made of several buildings (towers) within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. In the 16th century, the Tower of London received its reputation as a grim prison because it started to house many prisoners especially religious and political people who went against the monarchy. Between 1540 and 1640 there fore 48 recorded cases of the use of torture. Many people were held and execute at the Tower of London but one of the most famous is Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife. She gave Henry VIII a daughter, Elizabeth I of England, but failed to produce a mail heir which angered Henry VIII. Anne Boleyn had three miscarriages and this was the final straw for Henry VIII so he investigated Anne Boleyn for high treason. She was arrested in 1536 and sent to the Tower of London where she was found guilty of high treason in front of a jury of peers. She was beheaded four days later on Tower Green (a lawn). The charges against her were incest and adultery. Once Elizabeth I of England became queen, Anne became a martyr and a heroine of the English Reformation. The Tower of London ended up being really interesting and one of the highlights of my trip, but then again almost everything was a highlight. We saw the monarchy jewels, the torture devices, the various towers, the different kings' armor, and where Anne Boleyn was beheaded.

The Biddies with a beefeater.

The Tower Green where Anne Boleyn was beheaded.

I finally got my picture with a guard.

Me in the tower where they kept prisoners.

Liz, me, and Michelle in front of the Tower of London.

After the Tower of London, we searched for a red telephone box, because when in England you have to go inside one of these. Luckily for us, one was easy to find. We each took turns going inside and taking pictures and pretending to call people. After the telephone box we went to get dinner. After dinner it was time for the Jack the Ripper tour. We knew very little about him except that he was an unidentified serial killer in London in 1888. The name was given after a letter was given to the media calling himself "Jack the Ripper." The murderer was also called "The Whitechapel Murderer" and "Leather Apron." The murderer usually attacked female prostitutes from the slums. When he attacked them he cut their throats and then cut their abdominal regions, mutilating them. He even removed the internal organs of at least three of his victims. The letter that was sent, that gave him his nickname, was mailed with half of a preserved human kidney from one of his victims. Five victims are linked as being killed by Jack the Ripper and these five women are Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly. They have become known as the Canonical five. The tour we went on followed the murders of these five women around the streets of London. The tour was pretty good except it left us with many questions about the deaths and the serial killer himself. There were also other Whitechapel murders and some that do not fall into the Canonical five or the Whitechapel murders. Jack the Ripper is said to have done eleven Whitechapel murders along with various other killings. The eleven murders are known as the Whitechapel murders because they were all done in and around the Whitechapel district of London. Jack the Ripper was never found. The tour was interesting but I wish they had explained more on the tour.

Me in a red telephone box.

Our Jack the Ripper tour guide.

Touring London - Day 2

We woke up early on our second day in London and got breakfast. After breakfast we went to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards. It was AMAZING. I absolutely loved it and took way too many pictures of the guards. Unfortunately, the Queen was not in London which was kind of upsetting. I did not know what to expect from the changing of the guards but it was definitely something to see. It was also amazing to see how many people were there to see the changing of the guards. After we spent a significant amount of time watching the changing of the guards we headed to a park to go on a tour of London.

Buckingham Palace.

The new love of my life...a Buckingham Palace Guard.

The changing of the guards.

Danny, Michelle, Me, Liz, and Christine outside of Buckingham Palace.

Just protecting Buckingham Palace. Nbd.

The tour company is called NewEurope Tours and it is a free tour company. It is run by people our age and costs us nothing to go on. They run completely on tips so the tour guides are really good because they want to make some money. The tour took us all around London, we saw Buckingham Palace again, Horse Guards Parade, St. James's Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, among other things. The Horse Guards Parade is where the 2012 Beach Volleyball Olympics will be held. We were standing where they are going to be playing volleyball in a year or so. It was so cool. Our tour guide also told us that they are going to put sand where all the rocks are now to prepare for the beach volleyball games. When we saw Buckingham Palace again we got to take more pictures in front of it. St. James's Palace is the Queen's official royal residence. If you ever want to write to her, you send it to that address even though she does not live there ever. Since the Queen was not in London, there were no guards at St. James's Palace which was upsetting because if she had been in London I could have gotten my picture taken with one of the guards. However, since she was not there and there were no guards we got to go into where the guards stand when they are there and pretend to be guards. Westminster Abbey was awesome to see since Prince William and Catherine Middleton will be getting married there in a little over a month. London was already buzzing with excitement for the wedding which is definitely going to be something to see. Our tour guide told us an interesting story about protestors who protest just about anything and are camped outside near Westminster Abbey. One of the protestors has been there since 9/11 happened and this year would have meant that he had been living on the street for 10 years. However, with the upcoming nuptials all of the protestors are being forced to clear the streets meaning that the protestor will not get his record of being on the street for 10 years.

St. James's Palace.

Practicing to protect The Queen.

Horse Guards Parade.

Christine, Me, and Liz in front of Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey.

Me, Liz, and Christine in front of Big Ben.

William and Kate Forever...a sign from the protestors.

Me in front of Big Ben.

When we thought we had seen everything the tour had to offer we left the group and went to the see the London Eye. It was really expensive to go on and it was already very late in the day and I still had more I wanted to see so Liz, Christine and I decided to not go on the London Eye and instead head the Portobello Road to go to the market. E had told me that Portobello Road was a must-see in London and she was right. The stands were really cool and I even found bar towels for my dad at one of the stands and I had been searching for some for a long time. After we walked all the way down Portobello Road we headed back to the hotel and grabbed sandwiches on the way.

The London Eye.

Portobello Road.

Buildings on Portobello Road.

We then got ready and met back up with Michelle and Danny to go on a pub crawl offered by the same company as we did the tour with. It was called the NewEurope Pub Crawl and although we had to pay for it, it was cool because we got a free shot (if you can call it that) at each venue we went to and we did not have to pay the cover charges to get in anywhere which I am told by people who are studying abroad in London and by my friends who had already visited can add up quickly. Some places charge 15 pounds just to get in! We went to a couple of places on the pub crawl and had a great time. We also got discounted drinks and deals since we were on the pub crawl so in the end it was a great way to spend one of our nights in London. Luckily, the tube was even running when we finished the pub crawl so we were able to hop right on the tube and take it back to our hotel. Once again we had another early morning because we still had lots of sightseeing to do.

Me and Liz at the Pub Crawl.

Me and Christine at the Pub Crawl.

The Biddies do a Pub Crawl.

Me and Michelle at Bar Number 1.

Me and Danny at Bar Number 1.

Just living it up like we always do.

LONDON BABY!! - Day 1

I woke up bright and early to meet Christine, Liz and Michelle at Dublin airport so that we could catch our flight to LONDON!! This was my first trip outside of Ireland and I was really excited. I got to the airport first and checked into RyanAir and waited for the rest of them to get to the airport. Once they arrived we went through security and then got something to eat. We then went to our gate and waited to board the plane. Since this was my first time flying RyanAir I was not sure what to expect and boy was it an experience. There are no assigned seats on RyanAir and once it gets near to your departure time everyone lines up by the door. It is a mad rush to wait in line and sometimes you are standing, waiting in line for awhile. Once you get through the line you walk outside and up stairs onto the plane. Once you are on the plane you just pick any seat you want and put your bags in the overhead compartment. Everyone waits in line even though you do not have to because if you are one of the first on the plane you get your choice of seats and you have a place to put your luggage (both of which are worth waiting in line for). We all got on the plane and found seats near each other. We were about to take off when Michelle touches my shoulder and asks me if I just saw what happened. I of course am oblivious and missed everything but apparently one of the girls on our plane partied a little too hard on St. Patrick's Day and was very hungover. She walked up to go to the bathroom to throw up and threw up in her hands but caught it. She then threw up again causing the throw up to explode out of her hands and land on a guy in the middle seat, four rows, and on the other side of the plane from her. The guy had vomit all over him and the guy on the aisle had some in his hair. It was disgusting and I felt awful for the guys. The girl went to the bathroom and stayed there for awhile as people came onto the plane to clean up the throw up that was all over the floor. This of course delayed our take off and RyanAir didn't even kick the girl off the plane. She eventually walked past everyone and never even apologized to the men she threw up. It was so rude and embarrassing for her. We eventually took off and landed in London safely.

Michelle getting on the plane.

Once we landed in London we had to figure out how to get to our hotel. We had to take a train and then the tube to get to our hotel. It took us a long time trying to figure out how everything worked and we got to our hotel later than we expected. We were meeting Michelle's boyfriend in London and we were staying at a hotel (instead of a hostel). Since it took us so long, Danny had been waiting a long time for us to arrive. We checked into the hotel and put our bags in the storage room and decided to start sightseeing. We started by taking the tube to King's Cross so that we could try to go to Hogwarts. At the King's Cross tube stop is where Harry Potter was filmed and they have the luggage cart sticking out of the wall and it even says platform 9 3/4. It took us a little while to find it but luckily with the help of some nice people we were informed as to where it was. When we finally found it we were very disappointed because it looked really fake. I had seen other people take their pictures with it and was pretty sure that this was not the real platform 9 3/4. Liz is a die-hard Harry Potter fan so we all took our pictures anyway and tried to push the luggage cart through the wall so that we could take the train to Hogwarts. Unfortunately, we are all Muggles and were unable to get through the wall. After we were done taking our pictures I asked a worker if this was the real one and she told me that since the station was undergoing construction they had to tear down the real one and put up this one until the construction was finished.

Me trying to get to Hogwarts.

Once we were done at King's Cross, Danny showed us some other touristy places around London. His brother studied abroad in London and he visited him so he knew of all the cool places to see. We saw St. Paul's Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge. Both of which were very pretty. It was rainy and we were all tired so we decided to go back to the hotel to shower and get ready for the night. Once we were all ready it was kind of late so we decided to just walk and find a restaurant to get a bite to eat. We all had a beer and some food and then called it a night since we had lots to do the next day.

Liz, Christine, Me, and Michelle on the Millennium Bridge.

Michelle, Me, Liz, and Christine on the Millennium Bridge.

Liz, Christine and I shared a room. It was only meant for two people so we lied to the hotel and told them there was only two of us. Not only did it work but they upgraded us and our bed was huge so we were all able to fit in it and the room was really nice. When we got to the hotel and turned on the television there was a welcome message saying "Welcome Christine Miecuna."

Our welcome message on the television.

Our bedroom at the Shaftesbury Hotel.

St. Patrick's Day in Dublin...Is This For Real?

Thursday was St. Patrick's Day and boy do the Irish know how to celebrate it. We woke up early and went to Grafton Street. Here there were tons of people out and some of the stores were even open. We stopped in an Irish souvenir shop to get shot glasses that hang from your neck (even Oma wore one). At the end of Grafton street were people painting shamrocks on faces. I got one on my face to add even more green to my outfit. Once I got the shamrock painted on my face we headed to the street where the parade was going to be. We decided to get there early so that we could get a good spot because it gets very packed. We met these two girls who were standing near us. They were carrying a bottle of alcohol in their jackets and they were pretty drunk but also hilarious. They had their faces painted and kept singing to the guys in front of us who had big Irish hats on that were blocking their views. The girls definitely made the parade more enjoyable because without them the parade would have been very boring. The parade was made after a children's book that had chapters. One of the chapters was Galway which was really cool to see.

Pop Pop, Mom and Dylan at the parade.

Dad, me and Oma at the parade.

Dylan and me at the parade.

Oma with all her shot glass at the parade.

After the parade we were starving so we searched for a place for lunch, except everywhere was packed beyond belief. Finally we were stalking a table and got one so that we could sit down. We ordered drinks (obviously) and some lunch. After lunch I went to meet up with Christine and Liz at a bar in the Temple Bar District. The bar was also packed and Oma and Pop Pop decided to go back to the hotel to rest for dinner. Mom and Dad went into the bar with Dylan and I to have some drinks with my friends. It was a lot of fun and everyone was drunk. When Liz and I went to get drinks at the bar, this guy came up to me and asked me out on a date multiple times and eventually I said maybe and he handed me five Euros. Liz and I thought it was hilarious and I loved it even more because I got five Euros for nothing. My parents left the bar after a couple of drinks and Dylan and I decided to stay. We hung out and got some more drinks..Dylan even bought a round :)

Eventually it was time for dinner so Dylan and I decided to leave but my friends also left at the same time. We walked them to some restaurant and then headed to our dinner. Dinner was delicious. Mom didn't feel great so she went back to the hotel and Dylan went with her. Dad, Oma, Pop Pop and I stayed at the restaurant for awhile longer hanging out and talking. After dinner we walked back to the hotel where we got more drinks from the hotel bar. Dad and I went in to get the drinks and while at the bar a guy started talking to me and then tried stealing my "Irish Princess" tiara. I did not like that so I hit his arm away and told him not to touch my tiara. After a couple of rounds of drinks, everyone was exhausted from the festivities and I had to be up at 3:30a.m. to get a taxi to the airport. Overall it was an amazing St. Patrick's Day and one I will definitely never forget.

Dylan, Liz and me at the bar after the parade.

Liz and me drinking out Guinnesses.

Michelle (Christine's Sister) and me at the bar.

Christine and I in all our Irish glory.

The first sibling picture ever taken in three years.