British Isles - Day 4

 My first plan for the day was a bike tour, but since that was only at 10:40 and close to my hostel, I used the chance to sleep in a bit longer. Man, that can be nice. I was the first from my group to arrive at the tour shop, about fifteen minutes early, even though I stopped at a small café built into the supports of an above ground railroad.

Usually the bikes at such tours can be a bit sketchy- weak brakes, wobbly handlebars, etc. In this case, I was pleasantly surprised by the condition. The brakes were sharp, wheels turned smoothly, and even the chain didn’t creak. The guide, Chris, was funny and very informative. One of the interesting things he pointed out was the tendency of ‘66:

• The Norman conquest: 1066 
• Great Fire of London: 1666
• Last Soccer World Cup: 1966

Just a fun observation. During the three and half hour tour, we visited many of the most famous destinations that London has to offer. Chris had an almost endless amount of information, so I’ll just mention some of the highlights:

1. Parliament Square
1. Big Ben is only the largest of five bells. The tower itself is the Elizabeth Tower.
2. The Queen isn’t allowed to enter the House of Commons.
2. Buckingham Palace / Changing of the Guard
1. The Union Jack only flies above the palace when the royal family isn’t there. Else the family’s standard is raised.
3. Eye of London
1. It was assembled horizontally, laying over the Themes, then raised.
4. St. Paul
1. As a major symbol of London, it was heavily targeted during the Blitz. However, many firefighters were continuously limiting the damage and men stood on the roof, pushing bombs with timed fuses off before they could explode.
5. City of London
1. London, as the major city that most know, consists of thirty-two boroughs. In the middle, there is what is known as “The City of London”, which has its own police force, etc.

Overall the tour was fascinating, even if Chris couldn’t answer an important question of mine: what’s up with the “flake”. Every ice cream van offers a “99”, which is a soft serve vanilla ice cream, always served with a chocolate candy bar. In the evening, after a bit of searching, I found out that it is a Cadbury milk chocolate bar. It’s light, flaky and delicious. The ice cream itself is a fairly standard vanilla soft serve and I actually tried it on Day 3, but I’d forgotten to write about it. During the bike tour I’d seen yet another ice cream truck and unsuccessfully asked. 

The Imperial War Museum was right by the bike tour. While not the most impressive of all military museums that I’ve seen, I still enjoyed it. To be fair, I have visited more than the average person. Probably more than is reasonable, if I’m being entirely honest. But I did enjoy the WWI exhibition, which included many artifacts and some moving personal stories from the battlefield. Also, the very first items one sees are a Harrier Jet, a Spitfire, a car destroyed by an IED, and an armored press vehicle belonging to Reuters that was damaged by the IDF. For each of these, screens told the tale of the machine, often describing the suffering that the people associated with them had to go through. I’ve always enjoyed looking at military machinery, but am well insulated from the horrors of war. Too often the painful nature is hidden by the metal façade, and I only see the machine, losing sight of the brutal purpose of its creation. 

Anyway, on that not-so-positive thought, I later made my way to the Shard, which when built had been the tallest building in Europe. Now it’s been surpassed a number of times. When buying tickets up to the observation deck, one has the option to include a £16 glass of champagne. Surprise, surprise- I didn’t. The first elevator brings you halfway, before a second brings you to the enclosed 69th floor. From there, a short staircase brings you to the open-air 72nd floor. Both levels have bars offering drinks and snacks, but the upper one also has a very good gelato stand. Overpriced, yes, but nevertheless tasty. Fortunately for me, the Tower Bridge happened to open while I was on the observation deck. Really cool sight.

Museums and tourist attractions were closed by the time I got down, but that didn’t stop me from wandering around south London. I made my way to the Globe theater, its original location, and the Millennium Bridge. Later, as I kept wandering, I decided to continue sampling local drinks and went for an English cider. Sweet, easy going, and smooth, making it a great after dinner drink.