Dominating the Tube

Today I did three things that I didn't get a chance to do the last time I was in London three years ago: 1) Go inside the Tower of London. 2) See Kensington Palace (and not a fake picture of it over construction scaffolding). 3) And see the Olympic Rings.  Along with a whole lot more. Obviously.

This morning started on very little sleep, as is what usually happens on my trips. I am usually so very tired at night but also so very wound up at the same time. It's hard for me to get to sleep because of the great day I had and the anticipation for the next day.  My body is tired but my mind won't stop. (Wait, how is this different than on non-vacay nights?) Even on 6 hours of sleep, I woke up to my 6:30 alarm for a run. Sure I could have slept in a bit and started my day a little later, but I like getting out before the crowds. I ran along the Thames again for a solid 5.5 miles at an 8:55 (!!) pace. I must have been feeling it out there because that is FAST for me. I could have kept going but I didn't want to overdo it with my legs because I had a lot of walking in front of me again today. This time though, I knew I was going to use the Tube waaayyy more. This time though, I consulted with one of the station guys on what my best option for payment. I ended up buying an Oyster Card and loading money on it. With the card, its cheaper than buying single ride after single ride. Lesson learned. Now all I have to do is tap it like all the locals and I'm in and out. And can re-load when I need to add more money. (The Tube system is so much more efficient than the MTA Subway system. They have certain "turnstyles" for people coming in and out so there's no congestion problem there and people always know to stay to the right if they are standing on the escalator or walking slow throughout the station. It's really amazing. New Yorkers could take some cues there.)

Anyway, my first stop of the day was Tower of London, which happens to be a World Heritage site. I didn't know that at first but it makes total sense. This is literally a giant fortress right in the middle of London. I never made it inside the last time I was in London because a) I'm not a huge museum person (Yes, this isn't quite a museum, but kind of similar. I get impatient and bored, but am rather productive and make my way through the whole thing pretty quickly) and 2) The lines were long and it was super crowded. Well, I'm still not so much of a museum person but there were no lines and it was not crowded at all. It might be because it's not peak season and/or might also be because I went right when it opened. It was probably a combo of both. I spent about an hour going through all the Towers and such. Some of the highlights were:
    - There were actual ravens on the grounds. Most were in there cages but there was one just wandering around and it freaked me out. At first I couldn't remember the name of these birds but knew it was the Edgar Allan Poe bird, so there's that. I also know they're an omen of death so at first, so when I didn't realize they were part of the Tower life, I panicked a little. When I was reading about them on one of the placards, it talked about an "unkindness of Ravens " which was the title of one of my favorite episodes of One Tree Hill. See how I make connections?!?!
     - The opulence of the Crown Jewels was pretty spectacular. After visiting all the castles in Europe last summer I saw a ton of that royal stuff, but these were pretty incredible too. They are also guarded in a room with huge thick steal doors, like a bank vault.  To see the Jewels, that are in their cases obviously, there is a moving walkway you stand on and you pass right by each one very slowly. This way people don't just stand and gape in front of the jewels. Pretty genius if you ask me!
     - There was a giant golden punch bowl that was big enough to hold 144 bottles worth of wine. Damn.
     - The stuff inside the Torture Tower was pretty fascinating. There were some pretty bizarre and creative ways that prisoners were tortured by. Gave me the chills.

After the Tower of London, I grabbed a quick early lunch at Pret and then headed back on the train and headed over to Kensington Palace. The train lets you out by a bunch of the free museums in the city, but I passed on going inside. I had gone in almost all of them and saw what I wanted to see last time I was there. However, I passed a science museum I didn't remember so I popped in there for a few. There wasn't much, if any, life science in there so it didn't interest me too much. I was in and out in almost ten minutes. Then it was on to see the Royal Albert Memorial and Kensington Palace. For some reason anything Royal Albert makes me giggle. I always think of Prince Albert and if you know what a Prince Albert piercing is (Pauly D had one!!), you would giggle too. And then cringe. (If you don't know what it is, then google it if you dare.) It's gross. Really gross.

After Royal Albert, it was time for some Wills and Kate. I had to visit their place of residence which is Kensington Palace. The last time I was there, it was under construction so I didn't get a glimpse of it, but it's pretty gorgeous. The fence is beautiful and the landscaping is pristine. Only the best for the Royals, naturally. The gardens are pretty exquisite too with their amazing flowers. The whole park is pretty magnificent. Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park are connected and I walked through both because I went from end to end and exited the park right on the famous Oxford Street. I popped in Selfridges because hey, it's Selfridges, and I used their bathroom and their wifi and then continued on my merry way. I can't afford anything there but wanted to at least take a peak. I walked down Oxford some more and hopped on the Tube again and headed to Olympic Park. It was not open the last time I was here and was bummed I couldn't see it, but this time I was for sure making it out there to see the Olympic Rings.

Once I got off the train in Stratford, I was blown away with the area. Everything there was so new. New malls (a HUGE Westfield shopping center), parking structures, condos, etc... And there was still TONS of construction and building going on. I made my way to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to see the Olympic rings and they were pretty amazing to see in person. Remember when they were hanging from Tower Bridge during the London 2012 Olympics? Fucking amazing. Seeing them up close and personal even made me more excited that the 2016 Rio games are going to be this summer. I love watching the Olympics from track to gymnastics to swimming to beach volleyball to...well, you get it. All of it.  I wandered the park a bit which was also super new and really nice. On my way there I had noticed, what looked to be super far away, giant silver "R", "U", and "N" letters. That's right, RUN. Of course, I had to see it! It's just so me. It was pretty awesome and I just felt like it was meant for me to see from the distance. Then I made my way back up the grounds where most of the stadiums are. Again, it was pretty awesome. I can't imagine what the energy must have been like there during the Olympics. It was probably insane, in the best way possible. To be able to experience that as a spectator and an even more-so as an athlete was probably pretty surreal. I was pretty blown away by the whole area.

Finally, before I headed back to the hotel, I stopped in the mall for a snack. Yes, I had another doughnut because it was so damn good yesterday. When I come back from this trip and wonder why I didn't lose an ounce, remind me of the doughnuts and kinder bars. But hey, I only that crap on vacation so it is what it is. And it tastes damn good. After using the mall wi-fi and enjoying my doughnut, I finally made my way back to the hotel where I relaxed a bit before heading out for dinner around 7:30. Yup, I took the train again. I am dominating this Tube System and loving it.  I decided I would walk around Covent Garden again and maybe find something to eat there; however, I didn't really want to sit in a restaurant, so guess what? I got Shake Shack.  It actually wasn't as good as it is at home, but it was still pretty fantastic and it hit the spot. As I was sitting inside eating, I could hear the rain pounding outside. However, when I got outside, it was not raining, it was full-on hailing. London, what's the deal with these random bursts of winter weather? It's almost May! Get with the program. It's just bizarre. But, I was prepared and had an umbrella. I was back at the hotel cold and soaked (the umbrella didn't help much) by 9:15 and so ready for bed. After covering almost 19.75 miles of ground today, I guess you could say I was ready for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow is Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor Castle and I am super excited. Again. Duh. I'm so happy when I'm traveling and each day is just full of happiness for me. I am so glad I treated myself to this trip. Two days in, its just been so wonderful. So. Worth. It.