Stranded....

Fist of all, my apologies for not updating during my stay in London. For some reason, the wireless access in the hotel seems to block most websites except for Facebook, Google, and Air Canada (thank goodness). So I haven't been able to get to here. I decided to fork out for some 'real' internet access.

So because it's volcano season, I am stranded in London. I was supposed to fly out this past Sunday, but my flight was cancelled. I have re-booked for Tuesday, but I am doubtful that I will be flying out then either. On the one hand, this isn't the worst place to be stuck, and not the worst position to be in. On the other hand, I do really want to get home. The waiting game is frustrating, and having this, at least for the moment, be an indefinite thing is definitely a bit stressful. 

Having said all that, I am trying to enjoy my time here. The upside is that the weather has been amazing, and I am in a great location. So it's not horrible....just frustrating. 

As for what the past 5 days have held for me in London...let me try and think back to what I have done:

Tate Britain

It's about a 10 minute walk from my hotel, with the added bonus of having signs pointing the way, so the possibility of getting lost was significantly reduced. It was nice....but British art isn't my thing. Having said that, it was well done and quite enjoyable. 

Windsor Castle and Eton College

Took a train to the towns of Windsor and Eton (they are right beside each other). Eton is where Eton College is (upscale private school) and Winsdor is where Windsor Castle (duh!!) is. That's the Queen's residence (besides Buckingham Palace). She happened to be there when I was. (If she is in the building, either there or Buckingham Palace, her standard flies in the flagstaff, if not, it's the Union Jack). The castle was HUGE!! I've never seen anything like it before. And the town of Windsor was quite cute. And the Thames runs through it, very picturesque. 

National Portrait Gallery

I meant to do this last time I was here, but didn't have a chance. As the name suggests, it's pretty much portraits. Mostly of old Kings and Queens and other royalty. But there are some artists and scientists and other interesting folks. There was a portrait of John Keats, which totally reminded me that I wanted to see his house the last time I was here, but it was under construction then. So I put that on the list of things to do. 

Westminster Abbey

I can't even begin to describe this place. I've seen it on TV before (watched a documentary of Queen Elizabeth's coronation, Charles and Diana's wedding) and know how important this is historically. So it was a bit overwhelming to be there in person. With admission, you get an audio guide. It was really well done, and narrated by Jeremy Irons (which was pretty cool). This was such an amazing and historical place to be. The architecture is unbelievable. And the fact that there are so many famous monarchs and people buried here, it's incredible. 

John Keats' House

His house is near (in??) a place called Hampstead Heath. I was lucky, because the bus that runs in front of the hotel goes directly there. It was about a 45 minute ride, which was quite nice. I got to see a lot of London that I wouldn't have seen. And a bus is definitely more civilized than the Tube. Trust me on that one. I had picked up a sandwich and some food to have lunch while I was there. So once at the Heath, I sat, ate lunch and read for a bit. It was a lovely sunny and warm day. Then I headed out to the house. It was a bit tricky to find, since the address on the website and were it actually is, are two different things. Luckily I came across a couple who were looking for it as well. So they were able to help navigate. The house itself was somewhat underwhelming. But, Keats is my favourite poet, so it was kind of cool to be at the place where he lived for a short while and where he wrote some of his most famous poems. 

London: Days 1 to 5

At this point, I came home and when I checked my flight it was cancelled. So I rebooked for Tuesday, which bought me two additional days of London. Luckily, the hotel I was staying at had vacancies, so I was able to stay with no hassle.