Exploring London, Day 1

On Monday, March 21, Matt and I set out to see some of London. We got passes that gave us unlimited use of the subway stations for a day, along with free entry into several different locations. With passes in hand, we headed out. We started the day by visiting St. Paul's Cathedral, which was beautiful. We made the error of going up to the Whispering Gallery as it was approximately 300 stairs up, and 300 back down. The Whispering Gallery was pretty neat, as it had an amazing view within the Cathedral, and if you whispered along the wall, people on the other side of the room could hear you. Once we reached the bottom, we realized that we probably shouldn't start a day of walking with 300 stairs, but the damage was done. By the end of the trip, between the subway stations, Tower of London and all the places we visited, we easily went up and down 1500 stairs, which I used to justify half the stuff we ate.

St. Paul's Cathedral

After St. Paul's we walked over Tower Hill to see the Tower of London and go on one of their guided tours with the Beef Eaters. I think my favorite part of that trip was the Armory, where we got to see the weapons and armor that knights wore. It was pretty cool. Also, in some areas, they had actors in costume, so it was interesting to observe the textiles and interactions first hand. They even taught us a new (to us, really, really old to England) game. I know it's a food blog, but here are a few pictures from the Tower. Keep in mind that, like the food pictures, many of these have been taken with my phone, so that may not be the best quality.

While at the tower I became irritable, which apparently was an indication that Matt hadn't been feeding me, so we headed over to the cafeteria for lunch. They have this area that is a mix between a buffet and cafeteria, with many choices, so you order what you want and then pay for it. Both Matt and I got roasted ham with Yorkshire pudding, carrots and a potato option (chips for him, wedges for me). We both agreed that the food was some of the best we'd had in London, but at the same time, it was just okay. Before the trip, everyone I talked to expressed their disappointment with British food, and I'm starting to realize why. A lot of the food is kind of bland. However, it looks yummy...

After lunch we walked across the bridge and ended up at the Winston Churchill's Britain at War Experience, which I really enjoyed. We go to see a lot of war memorabilia, some of which we got to try on, and different rooms portraying what it was like to live during the war. I'm not much of a sightseer, but I love this kind of thing, so I really enjoyed myself.

Gas Mask Chic

Isn't he handsome?

After leaving Churchill's we went to the London Bridge Experience, which was a lot of fun! The first part, the London Bridge Experience, had a bunch of costumed people talking about the bridge in a creepy/fun way. They went through the history of the bridge, including the Great Fire, as well as how it was used for torture. It was both funny and informative. Afterwards we went through the London Tombs, a haunted house that was scary, but also a lot of fun. I definitely needed something like this to break up all the tours and sightseeing, which can be a tad on the boring side.

After the London Bridge, we headed to Shakespeare's Globe Theater. The original Globe Theater burned down in 1613, so this one was only a replication, but it is supposedly built in the exact same manner the original was. So, they didn't use modern tools, they made all their own materials, and made it as close to the original as possible.

After the Globe, we headed to dinner, where we had Italian (I think we were both sick of pub-like food). We had garlic bread, which was similar to naan. It was perfect for Matt, as it was neither too buttery, nor too garlicky. 

I ordered a chicken dish, which Matt claimed tasted like "macaroni and cheese". It was pretty good, but I had to agree with him that it tasted kind of weird. The chicken wasn't overly breaded, which was good, but it also wasn't terribly flavorful. The restaurant we went to was very small, and was two levels, so I felt really bad for the wait-staff as they had to continually go up and down the stairs carrying food. 

 Matt ordered a Carne Pizza, which had salami, bacon, and Italian sausage. We both thought his was pretty good, though I think he still prefers Round Table's version better.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel, where we arrived around 10pm. I promptly passed out.