London

Greetings. :)
I've returned from a few days spent with a friend in London and it was a wonderful trip!

I left St Andrews early on Sunday morning and departed for the nearby rail station. I had over an hour before the train would arrive, and it was a beautiful morning. The weather was mild and I was delighted to be able to sit outside with my book on a bench on the platform in December. The rail station is surrounded by green hills which were beautiful and just being hit with sunlight around 10:30am. Once the train arrived, I found my reserved seat and watched the countryside pass by. I had six and a half hours before the train would arrive in London and it really was beautiful to see so much of Scotland and England. I loved the views of the North Sea, the cliffs and moors in southern Scotland, the bright bridges we passed in Newcastle and Darlington, England. The cathedrals and castles in northern England set back behind fields under bright skies. It was so fun too, to watch the crowds of people at Edinburgh Waverley trrain station, Newcastle train station, and York. There were so many students headed home to England, and just crowds of people everywhere running to catch trains and families being reunited. It all was so wonderful to watch, and felt incredibly timeless.

On the train - somewhere not too far out of St Andrews, the North Sea.

More train - crossing a long bridge into Edinburgh.

More train - York, England, I believe.

I was able to write and read and sometime before 6pm, the train arrived at the last stop, Kings Cross Station in London. Emerging from the train in the mass crowd of students, businessmen, families, and elderly people dressed in long jackets and scarves, I was more than a bit nervous about navigating the enormous train station as well as the tube to get to central London where I was to meet my friend Tarah. What first struck me when I walked off the train at Kings Cross was how beautiful everything there was. Our train was one of at least twelve in the station, and we all seperated, rushing in seperate directions. The ceiling was so high and architecturally beautiful. Coming from non-urban area, I had only taken the subway a handful of times before and never alone, but I soon found the attached tube station and immediately bought my tickets with a connection. I took the Victoria Line and changed to the Northern Line before arriving in Charing Cross. Once there, I stepped outside to find myself in central London in the most beautiful, mild evening weather I could ever expect in December and I was convinced that the London tube system is incredibly simple, clear, and quite fun to use. :) Tarah met me at the station and as we walked through the center of the city, it felt exhilerating. Christmas lights and trees and people were everywhere, and it was beautiful. Tarah lives in a London School of Economics residence in an wonderful location. After a quick walk through Covent Garden and dropping off my bag at her residence, we set out for some Japanese food. The culinary options in London were (not surprisingly!) amazing. While St Andrews has wonderful food, it was so fun to explore such different cuisines while in London. We each ordered three small japanese dishes for ourselves, and I had never experienced a japanese meal like that. I ate a salmon roll, a few dumplings and some crab, and can say that I'm no longer the vegetarian I once thought I was. Other culinary highlights of London included plenty more salmon, a brazilian restaurant where I had a delicious curry dish, as well as a gelato place where I tasted salted caramel and rose gelato. That first evening, after our Japanese meal, we walked along the river Thames near Big Ben and the London Eye and enjoyed some mulled wine from a nearby Christmas market. We walked more around the city and by the end of the night, we were both quite exhausted.

The London Eye, an "observation wheel" constructed to mark the year 2000 in London.

 

myself with some mulled wine by the river Thames.

The next two days passed quickly! Tarah had three papers she was working on for her classes so we spent the mornings and evenings together but each afternoon she returned to work on her papers or take a nap. I loved the National Portrait Gallery. A mix up modern, renaissance, and Tudor portraits, everything was so gorgeous. The modern included several photographs of members of the current royal family, as well as musicians and important figures. The large exhibit on the Tudors was fascinating to me. I'll be taking a class next semester through the school of English about the Tudors, and seeing the paintings of Elizabeth I really made me look forward to the course. After Tarah left for the afternoon, I headed to the National Gallery next door which was also incredible. The entire gallery was enormous and included solely paintings. I think my favorites were Manet's paintings as well as the Renaissance art. Next, I walked to Westminster, where I had one goal: Westminster Abbey. Since reading a children's book about Elizabeth I in 2002, I've long held an interest in the Abbey, as it's where she is buried. I was planning on attending Evensong that afternoon but it appeared the choir was on break. Instead, I bought a ticket to explore the Abbey, and I'm quite happy I did. I spent a couple of hours in there, and while it is very different from a Cathedral, and certainly not as ornate or beautiful as a Cathedral, it was historic and inspiring in its own way. It began as an Abbey in the year 960, and just that was pretty amazing to me. Seeing the tombs of the Tudor family, including Elizabeth I's was also interesting. The afternoon included more walking and exploration before meeting up with Tarah for dinner that evening.

Trafalgar Square, outside the National Gallery.

The entrance to the National Gallery.

Trafalgar Square.

The National Gallery.

 

We took a short bus tour the following day and it was nice to see so many other corners of the city. Passing Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, as well as the Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral was very cool. I explored more of Westminster and the area surrounding Parliament that afternoon before Tarah and I got dinner together once again, and walked around in Soho.

 

Tarah took this photo of me at breakfast one morning.

 

Westminster Abbey.

 

Westminster Abbey.

My curry and salad one night.

Tarah and I in Trafalgar Square. :)

 

I departed London mid-day on Wednesday, and after saying goodbye to Tarah and making my way back to King's Cross Station, I walked to the nearby British Library, a visit I was really hoping to make on the trip. While I couldn't stay too long for fear of missing my train, what I saw there was amazing. Original maps, sacred texts, journals, manuscripts and books of some of Britain's best writers was fascinating. After wandering around the maps, original journals, and ancient texts for awhile, I headed back to King's Cross where I boarded my train. The train was later in the day than my previous train, so it grew dark much quicker and I didn't see quite as much of the surroundings as I did when I ventured to London. Arriving back in St Andrews though, was wonderful, and just seeing the lights sprinkled over the town from afar was beautiful. I'll be here a couple more days and then depart for the States on Saturday. :)