London

After Jan and Max saw me off at the airport I was on a plane to the Stansted Airport, which is about an hour drive from London. A shuttle brought me to Victoria Station, but from there I had only a vague idea of how to get to my hostel. It was already dark and I was worried I wouldn't find it on my own. An Italian family across from me was having the same troubles and they barely spoke English. So, I expressed my concerns and theirs to the surprisingly courteous bus driver (I say surprising because he had been cursing at traffic the whole ride down). I think both the family and the driver were surprised that I could speak Italian..well, kind of speak Italian. Anyway, as it turned out, the Italians were headed in the same direction as me, so they tagged along behind me and I helped them buy bus passes and find the right stop to their hotel. It felt so good to be of use. Helping them, even though I really had no idea what I was doing, made me feel more confident.
After asking a few more people how to get there, I eventually found my hostel. It was not a pleasant place. It was a lot like a dorm, except it smelled worse and I had to share one bathroom with 40 people. But, it was cheap and I was hardly there. I really can't complain; a French girl had been living there for over a month because she couldn't find an apartment. Poor thing.
I only had two full days in London, but I made the most of it. The first day I wandered around Buckingham Palace, thinking I would see the Changing of the Guard. Of course I was there the one day they did not do it. There was some kind of ceremony invoving New Delhi, but I was not heartbroken. I saw the guards on horseback at the front entrance to the palace.
Next I searched for the river, because Shakespeare's Globe is somewhere along the southern bank. When I eventually found it, I spent over three hours there. I took a guided took and then spent the next two hours checking out the exhibit. I bought a copy of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. I plan to read it before I go to Verona. : ) After the Globe, I crossed London Bridge and proceeded to get lost. Luckily I have perfected my skills of asking for directions. I was directed to Kings Cross Station where I visited Platform 9 and 3/4, a monument honoring Harry Potter. It's not really a monument. It's a plaque and a trolley that looks as if it's being sucked into the wall. I liked it.
I didn't feel comfortable walking around London at night, so I grabbed some fish and chips and went bed early.
My last day I got up early and made my way to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. I don't think I've read more than two Holmes' stories, and the museum was nothing special, but I had a good time all the same. I talked to Sherlock a.k.a Stewart for about half an hour outside the museum. Apparently he dresses up like Sherlock Holmes to earn money while he's in business school.
On my way to the Charles Dickens' House, guess who I bumped into??? The Italian family! London is a pretty big city; I couldn't believe I saw them again. We took a picture together. I will post it with this entry.
I also spent a few hours in the Charles Dickens' House. At this point, I was glad I went to London alone. I don't think I could have dragged many people to all of these places.
I also went to the Natural History Museum, but I left after seeing a few exhibits. Entry is free, so there were many many people--too crowded for my taste. I spent my last touristy hours in Hyde Park, which is very lovely. I read that London has more trees per residents than any other city--I believe it.
Because my shuttle to the airport left at 3 a.m., I went back to my hostel, packed my things and waited at the bus stop. My travels back to Florence were smooth and I did not get lost in Pisa!

This week I'm back in school and happy to be back in Florence. Allow me to gloat for a moment: I got all As on my midterms!