My First England Trip (Day Four) Thursday (May 2, 2013)

       Another morning waking up at 8am in a foreign country. I had been on many vacations before and felt blessed, but being on my own adventure made me feel so...so...I was at a lost for words. Instead of trying to describe to myself how I felt, I went out to experience the day.
      First thing on my list that morning was to get a new SD card. I was running out of space on my factory issued 2MB memory card and I knew that the pictures would only increase. I went north on foot from my hotel in the Kensington district. I weaved through closely built flats and found a garden with some benches encased in the brick world. The streets were busy, but having gotten used to the traffic, I was able to cross with everyone else before the walk told us to go.
      I eventually ran into Curry's PC World, an electronic store that had exactly what I needed. Now armed with a brand new 16GB card, I continued my journey to the nearest tube station, Kensington Tube. The train arrived at 9:35 and was packed. As soon as people left, others scrambled to get a place. Determined not to be left behind, I tried to keep close to the stampede, making sure there was a clear exit for my stop. As I settle into my standing room only spot, I hear a woman shout for her kids to hurry up from behind. I turn to find a tall blond woman in heels and a tighter-than-it-needs-to-be dress heading towards the train. She had her purse on her shoulder, keeping up the pace of a marathon runner at the last stretch and her two kids in both hands, extended out. As soon as they got closer, I realized the horrible truth.
     She's going to use her kids as battering rams!
      Sure enough, her oldest kid was shoved into my stomach as she forced her way onto the train. I was pushed into a group of girls behind me and then the shouting started. I kept my head down as people scolded the woman and the group of girls looked at me like I was a pervert who toppled into them on purpose. No amount of apology would save me (I know that look) and I just minded my own until the train arrived at my stop: The Tower of London!

Image provided by freetoursbyfoot.com

     I arrived at 10:30, just in time for the next Beefeater tour. I learned that a Beefeater was a cerimonial guard of the Tower of London that lived on the grounds and gave tours. One of the coolest things I discovered was that the men and women of the Tower had actually served in the British Military. During the tour, it was told that the guards were known as beefeaters because the original guards of the Tower would get a share of the king's beef supply from the royal kitchens.
      The guide I had seemed rough, but as the tour went on, he showed his sense of humor.
     "People come and always talk about the prisoners held in the Tower and the beheadings, which, by the way, were mostly held in the public Trinity Gardens just beyond these walls."

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       "Here we have the White Tower," our guide gestured behind him. "This tower housed the very first prisoner, the Bishop of Durham."
      He pointed to the foundation.
     "The basement was very dark and dank, which was the best place to store the...?"
      "Prisoners!"​ everyone shouted.
    "The wine!" our guide sighed. "Really, ladies and gentlemen, you've got to get over that whole prisoners in the dungeon thing."
      He continued his story about how the Bishop was given wine during his stay. One night, while in one of the peaks of the Tower (his prison), he invited his guards to drink with him. Soon they were asleep and the Bishop got a rope that was hidden and scaled down the tower to the ground.
    "So, the very first prisoner the Tower of London ever had escaped!"

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         Next, our guide took us into the Tower chapel. He had us all sit in the pews and stood at the altar.
        "Anne Boylen was killed on the grounds and her body is buried under this altar."
        Great, I sighed internally, I was worried about the lack of dead people under my feet.
        "Please," our guide held up his hands as if to stop someone, "if you are the reincarnation of Anne Boleyn, keep it to yourself. I meet about six of you every day."
         He took us outside once more and told us that we'd have to part there.
         "I would suggest taking a look at the crown jewels while you are in the area," he pointed to a building off our left. "And gentlemen, don't be intimidated. They are made to be bigger than what you have."
         The group parted and I was left to explore on my own. As suggested, I went in to see the jewels and found that pictures were forbidden (not to mention under heavy watch). One of the more amazing stories posted on an information board was the fact that someone had stolen the crown jewels!
         A man by the name of Thomas Blood and his three companions got into the Tower and attempted to steal the jewels. At the time, the jewels were held on the ground floor with the keepers living above. When the three were caught, Blood was able to convince Charles II to pardon him and give him a monthly stipend. How? Just a smooth criminal I guessed.

Tower Bridge. While London Bridge was a real bridge, it was unstable and collapsed. Yeah, that song you sang as a child, it was a tragedy. Have fun with that realization.

      While the Tower was said to take all day, my new found health carried me all over the place faster than I realized. After seeing everything, I headed for my next destination.
      I reached the Nation Gallery in Trafalgar Square by 2:40pm. There, I was among some very wonderful paintings. Photography was forbidden still and I felt sad as a man's phone was confiscated. I found that the Gallery was hosting a special exhibit in the basement called The Barocci Artwork Collection. There were many beautiful paintings and my favorite was Aeneas Fleeing Troy, 1598 (the history lover in me).

This lion statue was made possible by the artist modeling one of the lions kept in the Tower of London.

       I finished my trip around the Gallery and arrived at Leicester Square by 5:20. Taking the advice I had learned from the Zonzo staff the night before, I looked around for restaurants. A few blocks in, I found my way blocked by a huge crowd. Seeing as how I didn't know my way around or what restaurants to go to, I decided to wander (because that always works in my favor, right?). I ended underneath a red gate with Chinese characters.
     So this is Chinatown?
     I followed the crowd and ended up at the Tao Tao Fu restaurant. As I was served, I wondered if I had even eaten at all that day. Could this have been my first meal? I ate everything on my plate and was surprised at my extra fortune cookie. Soon, I was back towards Leicester Square.

      Next thing I know, I'm swept up in a crowd going wild. There is a huge screen and then I see it!

      I had stumbled onto the London premiere of Star Trek: Into Darkness! While I love Star Wars more than the Trek franchise, I have to admit that I still liked the Trek story line. I went all fanboy and took pictures of the screen when the stars were on (huge crowd, was only able to get so close). The perfect end to an amazing day!...or so I thought.

      The sun had set and I headed back to the nearest Tube around 7pm. A few feet in and I saw it. Right there, out of the corner of my eye! Tokyo Toys Manga Toy Store! As my close friends will attest, I am an anime/manga lover and God help you if you ever try to come in between.
      They had manga, anime, cosplay, gadgets, pendants, figurines, so many things that I almost had a mini heart attack in the store. I had to give myself a few minutes as I leaned against a wall of life sized pillows called dakimakura (can be explicit content, caution if looking up).
        I acquired many new items during my stop and held them close as I made my way back to the hotel.

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       I sat on my bed, admiring my new toys. It had been an amazing day. History in the morning, fun in the evening, surprises everywhere! The freedom to do what I wanted and when. That was what vacation was. I hadn't understood that until now.
       Not wanting to ruin the great mood, I hopped into bed and sunk into my pillow.
       I hope tomorrow will be just as fun, I turned off the lights.
      Little did I know, the next day would not only be special, but tragic as well.

To be continued...

P.S.  -   So, Star Trek: Into Darkness was released the very next day and my idiot self was like 'Cool, I'll be sure to see it first thing when I get back home!' Cue to me being back in the States and finding out that the movie didn't come out for another two weeks Stateside. I still beat myself up over that to this day!

Music for the Journey Pt. 8:

Getting My New Memory Card: Head in the Clouds by Shiro Sagisu (Bleach Original Soundtrack I)

Battering Ram Kids: Great Escape by Hashioto Yukari (Toradora! Original Soundtrack)

The Tower of London: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048: Allegro by London Philharmonic Orchestra (The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music)

The Nation Gallery: Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prelude by Yo-Yo Ma (Bach: Cello Suites Nos. 1, 5 & 6)
                                          Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: II. Allemande  by Yo-Yo Ma (Bach: Cello Suites Nos. 1, 5 & 6)
                                          Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: III. Courante by Yo-Yo Ma (Bach: Cello Suites Nos. 1, 5 & 6)
                                         Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: IV. Sarabande by Yo-Yo Ma (Bach: Cello Suites Nos. 1, 5 & 6)
                                        Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: V. Menuett by Yo-Yo Ma (Bach: Cello Suites Nos. 1, 5 & 6)
                                            Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: VI. Gigue by Yo-Yo Ma (Bach: Cello Suites Nos. 1, 5 & 6)

Barrocci Artwork Collection: Das Wohltemperierte Klavier: Book 1, BWV 846-869: Prelude in C Major BWV 846 by Maurizio Pollini (Prelude in C Major - Itunes Discovery Download)

Chinatown Food: China Dear China by Relaxation and Meditation (Relaxing Oriental Music)

Star Trek: Into Darkness Premiere: Main Theme by Michael Giacchino (Star Trek: Into Darkness Soundtrack)

Tokyo Toys!: Mayaa to Ita Kisetsu by Kurihara Masaki (Azumanga Daioh Original Soundtrack)

Good Night: Star Trek Deep Space Nine - After 3:00 A.M. At Quarks by Dennis McCarthy (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

End Pt. 8: Rewrite (Live) by (My Favorite Band) Asian Kung Fu Generation (Live Concert)