London, last days

We were hoping to get some sleep on the flight across the ocean but we weren't too lucky. So we arrived at midday to London, while in LA it was 3 AM, ready to fight the jet lag with all our might.

Like in LA, we booked a place through Air b'n'b (something like paid Couchsurfing), near Leicester Square metro station. We found it easily, dropped off our bags, resisted the temptation to lie down and sleep, and set off to discover London. That is I set off to discover it, D was here several times before. I passed through when I was 13 and the only thing I remember is a huge line by the Madame Tussauds museum (I'm not even sure whether I went in or not). So when we were planning the last days of the trip, we decided to spend them in London so that I could finally see it.

As our flat was in the very center of the city, we could go walking to see the main sights. And we started with all the big names, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Parliament, Downing Street, Westminster Abbey... Everybody has seen them long before me, but I was still happy! The only two things that were bashing my enthusiasm were the immense crowds everywhere and the unexpectedly good weather, it was so terribly hot!

For our first dinner in London we went to a Taiwanese place in Victor's honor.

And we even managed another long walk around the center before collapsing to bed!

Picadilly Circus is smaller than I thought

The Mall with British flag

Horse Guards Parade

On the second day that's when the jet lag kicked in, at least for me. I was super tired and cranky and going to hyper crowded Camden Town for a souvenir shopping didn't help too much. We managed to see Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park and Tower Bridge before I said enough and ordered us to go back. After a nap I was able to tick off also St. Paul's Cathedral, before having our first English fish and chips.

Disappointing Buckingham Palace

The Serpentine in Hyde Park

I felt too tired to take pictures of Tower Bridge

The Gherkin skyscraper, behing the Tower

St. Paul's from Millenium Bridge

Half way through dinner

Our last day was a museum day - despite the hordes of tourists in both British Museum and National Gallery, we enjoyed it more than expected. I mean where else do you get to see so many artefacts and paintings that you know from your history and art books?

The British Museum building itself is awesome

Wanna see the Rosetta stone? You have to fight through a human wall

No photos allowed in National Gallery...

And suddenly it was our last evening in the city, and on the road. After eight months of traveling the journey came to an end, difficult to imagine. The whole time in London we had been growing more and more sad and there was nothing to do. The time flew by too fast and we were wishing we could go on, just a little more, more days and weeks deciding where to go, where to wash our clothes, where to sleep and eat, more time discovering places, things and people. This trip had been our dream for long and all of sudden it was over, the dream was fulfilled. And we wanted more... So was this our first and last big trip? We sure hope not.

We enjoyed the colors of the last sunset reflected on the London Eye and walked around some more, in a very nostalgic mood.

And after eight months of being together 24 hours a day, we are about to separate. D is off to Turin and I will be catching a plane for Prague. As if the end of the trip itself wasn't hard enough...