London Tidbits

I have had a weekend now to rest and reflect on my London trip. Steph and I had a great time. Here are some random thoughts about my travels from January 15-25, 2008.
--Steph had budgeted $700 for me to bring, I wanted to spend $600, and I ended up only spending $550.
--You can get sick of salami sandwiches.
--London is a clean city in terms of garbage but is very polluted, 'London Fog' is so bad it turns your snot black after about a week.
--The London Bridge is boring, the one everyone thinks of is actually called Tower Bridge.
-Westminster Abby is my favorite of all churches ever visited, it is crazy packed with tombs, graves, and memorials.
--I like chocolate spread on toast in the mornings.
--McDonald's is the international peeing spot, the only place we really felt comfortable walking in to use the toilet when not buying something.
--Central Hostel in London was a steal, $10 a night, surprisingly clean and pleasant.
--I can't sleep on planes.
--The British just went around to different countries and stole tons of shit, it is all now on display at the British Museum.
--YHA hostels are more expensive but very nice as they must adhere to certain standards.
--I function well when getting lots of exercise and eating four small meals a day.
--Every character I like in Les Mis dies, and the ones I don't really care for live happily ever after, I cried through the entire second act.
--You can get tons done in a day when you wake up at 6am.
--I can cross off a Wonder of the World, Stonehenge, seen it.
--First ever reference to traffic law dictated which side of London Bridge travellers entering and leaving London should drive on, historically the British do drive on the correct side of the road.
--Bus system in London puts OC Transpo to shame, but costs more.
--Everything in the UK is so old they don't even really bother putting things from the 1800-1900's in museums because they are too modern.
--Even pub food in London costs $20, expensive fish and chips but very tasty.
--Steph put me to shame photography wise, taking upwards of 1500 pictures compared to my 250.
--Big Ben did not have the same effect on my as the Eiffel Tower.
--English countryside is so beautiful.
--I was more uneasy in The London Eye capsule then the sketchy balcony at the top of St. Paul's Cathedral.
--Everyone thought we were American
--It really hit us where we were when we visited The Brompton Oratory our first morning.
--Harrods is a true shopping experience with food halls and its own gift shop, I bought a purse.
--The only place to buy discounted theatre tickets is at 'tkts' in Leicester Square, everywhere else is most likely a scam.
--Due to constantly looking at London on Google Maps before leaving, I had a really good idea of locations and directions.
--I was coveting a Longchamp travel purse but have since fell out of love with them, at $100 each that was probably a good thing.
--Not getting souvenirs or gifts really cuts down on costs, in Paris they cost me about $150, Steph spent around $130 on them this trip, and I spent $55 getting postcards, stamps, and two things for myself.
--I tend to think girls with British accents are bitchy and guys with British accents are gay, two crazy stereotypes I had to constantly talk myself out of.
--Took a condom, didn't use it.
--Steph got bit by a spider monkey, it put a tiny hole in her camera and her thumb, besides that the London Zoo was really cool.
--Excellent weather, only rained for two or three days, and there were two days with blue skies.
--I can't tell the difference between the British and Australian accent.
--Besides pubs there are alot of pho and curry places.
--Free walking tours are an excellent way to see and learn about any city.
-At The Changing of the Guards the guards change really quickly, the rest of the time it is just the military band playing music, not necessarily military music or even British music.
--I love tiled roofs, sheep, and white washed thatch roof cottages.