Eurotrippin’- Day 1 Part 2

Next, as a group we headed for our second encounter with the London underground. This time taking us to the river side where we all became witness to the iconic beauty at the heart of the city. From Big Ben’s towering opulence to the contrasting multitude of modern architectural marvels lining the banks of the river.  Not even our sleepless eyes could help but be in complete awe of the magnificence the city has to offer. As we made our way to the tower bridge and her majesty’s infamous (insert name of torture place here) the full spectrum of historical, cultural and global significance creeps its way to the front of our minds.

Each of us unknowingly going through all the history lessons that took place at these landmarks we now laid our eyes on.  Images of the many media spectaculars we have witnessed through the lens of television on the very waters we now sailed floated through our heads.

My first sight of Big Ben as I popped my head out of the tube stop.

The ship now took us to Greenwich as we all caught glimpse of the back of our eyes and then finally a much welcomed reunion with the land. We explored this part of the town more as individual groups. Nothing structured just the rains of your aventurines to take you where you pleased. We made our way through the old royal naval academy whose structures ooze with a sense of wisdom and privilege. I thought as I walked through the common “If a dog were to be educated here he could easily become prime minister.”

Around the way we came across a legendary naval pub and sat down for the most delightful fish and chips I had ever consumed. As everyone enjoyed a few of their choice beverages some dosed off as others’ flames were reignited.  We left with laughter from a mix of elixirs, insomnia and satisfied stomachs.

From here the group shrunk ones again and those I was with wondered our way around the lovely town to stumble upon the Royal Museums. As we aimlessly walked in the middle of what we thought was the right side of the road and admired the rolling green grass hills we found ourselves soon straddling the prime meridian line in the observatory upon a rather steep hill. The view from this place is simply breathtaking. Your eyes attempted to take in the beauty of the detail in the buildings below while at the same time trying to comprehend the sheer size of this iconic metropolis.

On our journey home we took a few wrong stops on the tube yet each showed us a new side of the city I had no clue existed. There was something futuristic about riding this train and constantly coming across more and more amazing buildings and places your dreams would fall short of being able to design. The architecture of this city is a spectacle alone. You could live here your entire life traveling it far and wide yet still wind up finding a building that is new and wonderful.

The amount of incredible infrastructure is accompanied by the outrageous amount of construction. For every two sky scrappers in the skyline there has to be at least one crane aiding in the resurrection of another. Once we successfully self navigated the tubes back to our neighborhood Farringdon stop we moseyed up to the flat where each of us sat down just for a moment to find ourselves a hour later waking up on the couch wondering where the time had gone. The past 48 hours had been sleepless, awe inspiring, fun filled, adventurous and educational unlike any other in my short 19 years.

This city and I have only known each other for a day yet I am already trying to figure out what size ring she wears.

From the pub right outside the Naval Academy

Stay tuned for more about my time in London and other articles soon to come.

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