So yesterday I overdid it and wore myself out too much, so today I relaxed a bit more and worked a lot to make sure I got everything done I needed to.  And I didn’t quite finish, because I work a lot anyways, so I need to work a bit more tonight and tomorrow morning to catch up for the weekend.

Anyways, yesterday I walked about 20 miles.  That might be a low estimate.  I don’t know why I walk everywhere; it’s kind of stupid.  I also get lost walking everywhere, which adds to the problem.

Wednesday.

Hyde Park – After breakfast I walked through Hyde Park again towards Hyde Park corner.  I did this because it was the shortest distance between me and my activities for the day, and there are lots of pigeons.

Buckingham Palace – There were a lot of people here.  I don’t think it was open yet.  Maybe they were waiting to get in?  I don’t really know.  I looked at it and stuff though.

Victoria Memorial – A rock that looked like it was made of gold.

War Memorials – There were a bunch of these, mostly about WWI.  Canada.  New Zealand.  Australia.  There was even one from like, Indonesia or some weird country.  It was a big round rock, so I assume they put it up because it would have been really expensive to ship it back.

Wellington Arch – Similar to most structures, except curved with a large statue on top.  And really tall.

Green Park – I stopped in this park and read for a little bit amongst some daffodils.  These parks are all about daffodils – mostly yellow ones.  My book was about how his grandparents were siblings.  Quite the pleasant outing.

St. James Park – I actually liked this park even more.  There is a very nice walkway going across the lake in the middle.  Like, lots of people taking pictures of themselves with it.  I didn’t take a picture because I figured I could do just as good job describing it.  I would describe it as indescribable and picturesque.

Horse Guards Parade – I walked out here because there were a lot of people gathered.  Turned out to be a bunch of people dressed up on horses.  Didn’t do much for me.

Trafalgar Square – This is the big tourist square.  Tons and tons of people sitting around.  Currently the “fourth plinth” of the square (it rotates special artwork I guess), a giant blue chicken is the best they could come up with.

The National Gallery – The big art museum of London is in this square, so I figured I’d check it out.  Lots of old portraits and whatnot.  Some Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, artists that even I’ve heard of.  I didn’t take any pictures of these because I assume they’ll be there a while, unlike the giant blue chicken.

Big Ben – Walked by it.  Time was accurate.

Wellington Statue – I think he was on a horse.

Winston Churchill Statue – I wonder if the cane in the statue is necessary to help it stay upright.  I hope it does, but I doubt it.

Westminster Abbey – I went in this one.  I even got the audio tour thing.  Lots of memorials to people I’ve only heard of in passing because I never took European history.  It was pretty cool though; I was glad I did it.  Wish I knew more about the history of the royal family going in.

Jewel Tower – Walked by it.  Was not made of jewels.  I think it was playing “Who Will Save Your Soul” on a loop.

I had wanted to be home by 1, but I ended up back home at like 4.  And I was tired.  So I took a break for a couple hours, got some work done, and picked out a place to grab a pint and some fish and chips later.

And in usual form, I got lost.  I looked up the route I took afterward, and literally my first turn was wrong and I went in the wrong direction.  I was going to post it, but it’s embarrassing.  Of course I don’t have wifi on my phone (I don’t have a map either – don’t ask why),  which makes things difficult.  I literally walked for 2 1/2 hours.  In the dark, suddenly you don’t recognize anything.

The Pride of Paddington – About halfway through my trek I decided to stop and grab a beer.   I don’t remember anything about this particular place that made me think people from the area would boast about it frequently, but whatever.

I finally found my flat and stopped across the street for a vegetable quiche and chocolate chip cookie.  It was actually pretty good.  I made it through the day and didn’t die.

Thursday.

Since I was mostly in pain and behind in my work I decided to take it easy today.  I did some work, had breakfast at Mimos Cafe in Paddington, then went to another coffee shop to do work for a couple hours.  Came back, worked some more.

Around 4 I decided to venture down to Notting Hill (it’s about 1 mile from where I’m staying).  Got lost, like usual, and didn’t really get to the museum I wanted to visit with enough time.  But I want to go back anyways, so no big deal.

Notting Hill – Named after a Hugh Grant / Julia Roberts movie.  Apparently a pretty good one too; traditionally, IMDB members are harsh on romantic comedies.  This place really is quite nice though.  Younger people in this area, has a faster pace to it, and some very nice little shops around.  I sauntered about for a bit, through a bookstore and antique shop, and window-shopped some others.

I did make it to the Fish & Chips place I had picked out though.  I would link you to their actual website, but it got hacked and now it’s selling Air Jordan’s (it must have gotten hacked 10 years ago).  Also, the menu said the wifi password was “CHIP&FISH” but it was actually “chip&fish” and I got it on the 3rd try without even asking.  Really channeled my inner Sherlock Holmes on that one.

Here is the picture of what I ate, marking my first purposeful hiatus from vegetarianism in several years.

And then I went to Churchill Arms pub for a pint of warm, thick beer, marking my first purposeful hiatus from drinking in nearly an hour.

And now I’m at Pret a Manger, which is nothing special (I know they’re in NY as well), having some tea and writing this thing.  And doing some more work too.

It’s dark now, so I think I’ll go about getting lost again for a while before finding my way back home.