Musical binge in London's West End...

Given that I did most of the London attractions last time (not that I didn't do them again this time), I will refrain from elaborating too much about them. However, what was different about this trip was that I splurged on musicals and shows, and took advantage of what London's West End had to offer. I feel like this blog post will be more about the different shows that I saw, so apologies in advance if that doesn't interest you. I did see some new sights, so I will also speak about Hyde Park, Science Museum, Greenwich and the Harry Potter Studios.

Viva la France...

Day 56

Slept through my alarm so didn't leave the apartment until a bit after midday. Given that my Musuem Pass expired today, I dedicated today to mainly museums, as well as a few attractions which were covered. Climbed up the towers of Notre Dame to check out the view as well as the stone chimeras. Apparently gargoyles are used for water drainage and since these beasts were purely for decoration, they were chimeras. I was also up there when Quasimodo rang the bells which was quite an experience.

Let it snow...

Day 30: The original plan was to go to Musee D'Orsay but I woke up to see a bright blue sky, and knew that I needed to take advantage of it. So without even having breakfast, I rushed straight over to the Eiffel Tower and was surprised to see that the line wasn't that long. Odd. It was ridiculously long the other few days that I had walked past, and those days were miserable. Guess I was in luck. After waiting in line for 20 minutes, I was on my way up!! However, apparently they don't have a lift which takes you all the way to the top, which is really disappointing. Had to get out on the second floor to wait in line for another 20 minutes for another lift. But then it was only up from there!! And when I got out of the lift at the top, the wait was definitely worth it. The view is gorgeous from up there. I never knew Paris was such a white city. Everything looks white from way up there. They were also selling ridiculously overpriced champagne up there (20 euros for a flute). I guess they were trying to take advantage of the lovers up there who were desperate to toast their love for each other. Anyways, I did laps around the top of the tower taking photos from almost every spot to capture the entire scope of awesomeness that is the top of the Eiffel Tower. It seriously is breath-taking, and it is one of the highlights of my trip so far.

Wicked way to leave London...

Day 22: Went to line up for Wicked tickets at the Apollo Theatre. Got there at 8:30am and was surprised to see two people sleeping at the front of the box office. I was thinking that they must have been real big fans to be sleeping there, until I saw the security guard shoo them away. Then I realised that they were hoboes. But I didn't need to be there so early. I could have shown up at 10am and still have gotten front row tickets. But anyways, after walking around the block  few times, I noticed a few people show up around quarter to, so I decided to stay put. Luckily the guard had told me which door was for the box office so I sat there whilst the other losers were waiting at the wrong door. As the doors opened, I was first in, and managed to get the best ticket. Front row, dead centre. All for the low low price of £27.50!!

Tower, Windsor, Stonehenge, Bath...packing so much in...

Day 20: Finally went to see the Tower of London, and it was amazing!! I'm really cut that I didn't get there earlier because I was only able to be there for three hours before they closed for the day (at only 4:30pm). But I love the Tower!! The history behind it is so interesting, and the stories behind all the beheadings that took place in there, as well as the torturing in the dungeons really had me enthralled in the place. Had to speed through the second half since it was 4pm and there was only half an hour left for me to explore so much more. This is what you get for sleeping in (but London weather really does make you just want to stay indoors all day).

Flexibility is key...

Day 18: So I guess I did kind of get out of the mindset of saving all my money temporarily when I went shopping at Primark Oxford Street. It was ridiculously cheap in there. No wonder everyone shops there!! I bought a shirt, a cardigan, a sweater, a pair of cargo pants, 5 pairs of socks, 2 ties, a pair of shoes, a beanie and a backpack for only £32.50. Yes, $50AUD or so. Nevertheless, the Asian in me then took over and decided that even though all this was cheap compared to in Oz, because it was more than £8, it wasn't cheap enough for me to buy. Everything I bought there was £8 or less. There was a really nice jacket for £30 which I was planning to get, but the more I looked at it, the more flaws I found, so I guess maybe it's a good thing I didn't get it. Also some nice vests there, and everyone knows I love vests. But once again, relatively expensive (£12) and I didn't really wanna carry it around with me. All in all, was a good day shopping. So crowded though. I did have a look at their suitcases just in case I wanted to buy one so I would have room for all my extra stuff and the suitcases are only £25. Hmmmmm maybe. It was a rainy day so that really was all I did that day. Shouldn't have wasted it, but the gloomy weather over here really just makes you want to stay indoors and just watch a movie or something.

Must stop being Asian...

Day 15: Final full day in Edinburgh. Went to see the Rosslyn Chapel. It was smaller than I expected, but still really impressive in terms of its architecture and all the carvings inside. In particular, there were carvings of corn, which suggests that the British may have arrived in America before it was actually discovered by Columbus. The chapel itself was undergoing restoration (which has been going on for years and will continue to go on for years) so there was scaffolding everywhere. Not the pretty picture I was hoping for, so I bought a postcard instead lol. The area that the chapel is in is a really quiet little town, so I had to wait 50 minutes for the next bus to take me back to central Edinburgh. In the meantime, I hiked down a little trail which led me to Rosslyn Castle. Didn't go in though since I needed to get back in time for the bus (or risk waiting another hour for the next one after that).

Guy Fawkes. Awesome dude...

Day 11: Didn't get to explore the British Museum and Tate Modern as planned today. Went on the New Europe London Tour, which pretty much went to every place that I went to myself yesterday. But the cool stories at each spot definitely made the attractions more interesting. Did you know that Big Ben is actually the name of the bell inside the tower, and not the clock itself? And that it's actually sloping and they're doing restoration work on the building joined to it because it's tearing apart? The only new thing today was Buckingham Palace, where I happened to catch some of the changing of the guards ceremony. However, I only saw a bit since the tour had to move on, and my camera battery died so I couldn't get any cool photos. Besides, the massive crowds there meant I couldn't really see much anyway. Who knew that there were so many tourists in London on any given day? Apparently the Queen wasn't in today so the guards could play some more informal songs. They played the James Bond theme!! But when the Queen's there, they play the formal songs lol.

In the land of Monopoly...

Day 10: As usual, I did some exploring of the city. Was planning on catching a bus down to London Tower and walking back but I couldn't find the bus stop that Van had told me to take, so I just kept walking. In the end, I found myself at Leicester Sqaure so I knew I had gone too far. Had a look at the half-price tickets available, and sadly Wicked wasn't on the board today. Guess I'll have to come back another day. From there, I continued down the street until I hit Trafalgar Square. Spent some time inside the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery admiring the artworks, before heading back out and admiring the beauty of Trafalgar Sqaure. Nelson's Column is impressive, as are the two large fountains beside it. In the distance, I saw turrets and the British flag flying so I knew that's where I needed to head.

London baby...

Day 9: I'm now in London, staying at Van and Alan's place. The trip over was OK. Once again, there was a discrepancy with the number of people checked in and the number of people actually on board which caused a bit of a delay. They sold tickets during the flight for bus and train journeys once we left the airport. I asked for a bus one, and didn't check. Turns out he sold me a train one and by the time I realised, it was too late. With the bus ticket, it would have taken me straight to Marble Arch which is where I needed to go, but the train one only took me St Pancras International train station. However, I thought it would be OK since I had also bought an Oyster Card (prepaid travel card which you swipe every time you get on a train, bus or tram). I could just train it to St Pancras, and then use the card to take the Tube to Marble Arch.

Tapas, here I come...

It's now 3pm on Day 8, and I'm waiting to head out on my tapas tour. I haven't really had much Spanish cuisine since I've been here. Had some paella the first night I got here, but that was included in a buffet (for only 10 euros!!). So I guess today will be my first true experience of a Spanish meal.

I got an offer for dentistry today. It's a weird feeling. I kinda made my peace with not getting in, and now that I've received an offer, there isn't really feeling associated with it. Just neutral feelings. I guess it was always meant to be a back-up option. Now if I get an offer for Masters in Org Psych, then I'll be overjoyed. Judging by the date that they said they would annouce offers, I should be in either Slovenia or Italy. But as for dentistry, I'm supposed to accept within 10 days via email. Still working that out because it's a bit weird and everything is so confusing right now.