who's big ben, anyway?

Today was basically full of sightseeing, walking, and eating. We started our morning by going to Beigel Bakery for a quick breakfast. I had a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese. It was really good and I would go back again, but a) the walk to the bakery is kind of far from the hotel, and b) I’m slightly embarrassed to go back because I got confused between pounds and pence, so I paid the lady 2 pence (the bagel was 1.60) thinking it was a 2 pound coin, and she said, “What’s that?” in a rude voice. So obviously, not everyone is nice here. 

Then we rushed to Buckingham Palace in order to see the changing of the guards, which is supposedly a “must-see” event. We got there right on time, but the whole area was already surrounded with people in every corner. So sadly, we were only able to see the guards cross the streets to enter the gates. But we did see a duck with the most interesting feet at St. James Park.

Next, we went to Parliament Square to see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, and anything else that was in the area. Of course, we had to take touristy pictures at a red telephone booth with Big Ben in the background.

Our next stop was Trafalgar Square and the National Portrait Gallery. I love museums, and I’m glad most of them are free in London. The Gallery is huge, and the paintings were amazing to look at.  After the museum, we saw a group of guys break dancing near the center of the Square. They mainly drew in the crowd by taking off their shirts and not through their actual dance moves. But hey, I wasn’t complaining.

We then went to The Attendant to grab some iced lattes. Fun fact: this cafe was once a public restroom. But wanting some real food, we found Mother Mash in SoHo to eat some classic sausages and mashed potatoes, or what the British call “bangers and mash.” Indeed, they call their sausages “bangers.” My plate was smothered with gravy, giving me a comforting yet quite disgusting feeling. 

We ended our day at Harrods, the largest department store in Europe. Basically no one can afford anything at Harrods, so I just imagined myself owning a Celine handbag and Jimmy Choo shoes. But we mainly went there to see the Food Hall—fancy food everywhere!

Well, the Wi-Fi on my laptop is still only 30 minutes at the hotel, so I’ll just be writing my posts in a document and adding as many pictures as I can within that timespan. I’ll probably post more of my pictures elsewhere soon. I’m exhausted, but I can’t wait for tomorrow!