London Baby!

I sure hope you read that as Joey Tribbiani because that's how I said it all day. London baby! Today was a

typical tourist day. I did all the things that the internet says you need to do. I walked past Big Ben and stood on the bridge that separates it from the London Eye. I was surprised at the food vendors on the side of the bridge. Coming from a family that works in concessions, I was a little too invested in the business of the roasted nuts they were selling. The area was busy, but not so busy that I didn't feel like I could stay and hang out for a while. It was only when it started to rain that I decided to move. I was here a little later in the day so there wasn't as much to do inside. There is an aquarium right next to the London Eye that I would have loved to go to, but it just didn't work this time. I was a little surprised to see so many lines around the city, but I soon realized they were just picture spots. While others might be annoyed, as a solo traveler, I loved that there was a line of people that wanted the same thing I did. It was super easy to rotate who takes group photos, after you figure out a way to communicate. Being in such a big tourist location people come from all over and I'm never quite sure how to approach as I know that everyone doesn't speak the same language I do. Anyway, I still got this cute photo.

Buckingham Palace wasn't open for visitors today so I didn't spend too much time there. It was incredibly pretty and the gold elements were very shiny and mesmerizing. This was definitely the place to be. I was very surprised by the Princess Diana Memorial Walk that surrounded the walking path.

I think one of my favourite places that I went to was Leicester Square. Again, very touristy, but that's what today was about. I decided not to look anything up before my outing today so I wasn't sure what to expect and I loved it. There are statues all around the square of some of the most beloved British characters (Indiana Jones aside but it was still cool to see him there). All the classics were there; Mary Poppins, Mr. Bean, and my personal favourite, Paddington. On the Ted Lasso scale of marmalade sandwiches, this bear received an outstanding six marmalade sandwiches. This area reminded me a little bit of Times Square. There was so much going on that I wasn't sure where to be putting my attention. The statues, the restaurants, the billboards, the beat boxers, they all seemed worthy of my attention. PRO TIP: Liecester Square DOES have bathrooms. They are public, but not always free. If there is an attendant at the door, you are welcome to enter, but if there is no attendant you will have to pay a small fee to get past the barriers. I make sure to keep change on me for this reason.

My final stop was Picadilly Circus. I didn't spend much time here at all because it was so incredibly crowded. There was some sort of rap/dance battle happening and it had gathered quite a crowd. Although the statue was cool to see, this was a Harry Potter filming location and I would have loved to have been able to see more of it. After this, I was about done. 23,000 steps and I was feeling it. I decided to head back to the bus station and head back towards Oxford. Unfortunately, I thought I was closer to the Victoria station than the Marble Arch station and I ended up getting pretty lost (turns out Victoria Station and the Victoria station bus stop are NOT the same place). I took the Oxford Tube to and from London and it was a pretty nice way to travel despite being on a bus. I bought a return ticket for roughly $25 and that brought me to London and the ability to return to Oxford at any time within three months. The bus was air conditioned and had free wifi, USB ports, and a phone stand to hold your phone and charge it wirelessly if your phone has that function. It took just under 2 hours to get back to the bus station on Oxford High Street, and then I had to catch another bus to get to Toot Baldon, but the journey was worth it.