I had a nice and Lazy start to my 3rd morning in London. I was able to sleep in, take my time getting ready and not feel pressed to get anywhere. To start out the day, my friends and I decided to check out the National Gallery. The National Gallery was “free” except for an optional donation at the entrance, so I would highly recommend checking it out! It was incredible seeing the work of so many famous painters that I learned about in my History of Art Class post-Renaissance period.
I saw the traditional water and bridge-works of Monet and the classic dancer images of Degas. I was truly entranced by the art because their works are incredible. Monet is widely recognized for being a famous impressionist and truly capturing light to make incredible works of art. Degas was famous for his ability to capturing dancers in movement and portraying them with pastels. Though both of these artists work are considered to be impressionists, just by simply comparing their works, it is apparent that they are vastly different.
After this relaxed early afternoon, we walked the streets of Oxford Street which has great shopping, ate at Brewdog, just a pub that has locations around London where I got a chicken sandwich, and visited Camden Market! Camden Market reminded me of the type of shopping in India, as it was an outdoor market in an area that was houses by awnings and tent-like material.
This is a great place to get souvenirs, as you can bargain on prices for anything. I was able to get a few shirts for my family, while my friends were able to find other trinkets. Though this area is about 20 minutes outside of the center/touristy parts of London, I was surprised that a big city with many historical monuments would have an outdoors “market” instead of another street of bustling stores. I don’t find many ourdoor shop areas in the U.S. that aren’t like actual storefronts where you can bargain, so it was cool that such a modern country like Britain does truly have a little bit of everything.
Camden Market is near Kings Cross Station, so of course, our next stop fulfilled a childhood dream of mine: visiting the Platform 9 3/4. I was surprised by how simple Kings Cross Station was, in that it was literally a yellow brick wall with a sign that said Platform 9 3/4. I was surprised to learn that Kings Cross Station is an actual train station, a popular one too, so it was so weird having this touristy spot right inside of an important transportation area. I really can’t imagine something like this in the U.S., because I feel like it would get too crowded and frustrate the locals too much to be successful. You also could get a picture running through the wall (which I definitely got) and then are able to optionally purchase it or buy other HP merchandise.
I also later did another neat Harry Potter activity, which was probably the coolest experience I had in Europe, crafting drinks at the cauldron Bar. You are given a menu of a few different types of drink concoctions you can create and then of the wizards will give you all the tools and ingredients to make them. It was super cool because things steamed, fizzed, whizzed and so much more. Hands down one of the coolest things I have ever done. I think this was also really cool because it really bridged a fun adult activity with a child favorite, so it was a new way to experience one of my favorite book series- truly timeless. One of our drinks was more of a tea-based beverage and our 2nd drink was a sweet concoction.
Finally, we needed a bite to eat. One of our friends was Ecuadorian and got so excited when we saw a Cuban restaurant, so she dragged us there for some tapas fare. I ordered the chicken wings and Patatas Bravas. While this is not classic English fare, tapas are a traditional Spanish style of the meal and with Spain being in Europe, I consider it an authentic European meal. The chicken wings were beautifully charred, juicy and full of flavor with the sour cream to cool it down. The patatas bravas were not what I was expecting; while I was expecting fried cheesy potatoes, as most potatoes in restaurants in the States feature fried potatoes, these were instead boiled, soft potatoes covered with a tomato sauce. I had never had Cuban food, so this was such a neat experience for me, and I am really glad my friend convinced us to go here! I am quickly learning that though Europe is such a foreign, new and exciting place, I am learning so much from the people I am meeting just because they have different experiences and upbringings to share. So while Europe is bringing me out of my comfort zone, it is really the people I am meeting that is teaching me so much! How cool!
On the very first day, my impression was that London was a place of important historical buildings and such. I really thought of it as an important place because of the queen and Buckingham Palace, despite not being obsessed with the Royals culture. However, from the narrow alley passageways that make up the entire city, to a neat transportation system via the tube to the eclectic culture of each area, I really see London as a hub of people with diverse backgrounds all finding their place. In this sense, the big city feels really bridges together all these different people and links all these unique people.
Up next: Amsterdam
Until tomorrow,
Saya