So I slept again... That was until 4h40 in the morning... I was awoken by the snoring of someone on the top of the other bunk. Great!!!! I couldn't fall back asleep, I only heard the VRooomm GRrruuf of his snore. So I put Sigur Ros on and half-slept until 7h45.

At that time I got up and got ready for the free breakfast. It was quite crowded, about 15 people there already. I ate a croissant, a bowl of cereals and drank some juice. I also had an extra muffin but I just brought that one with me. So at 8h30 I was out of the hostel and ready for my first day of exploring London! I walked to the tube station… The train was there, the doors were closing just as I arrived on the platform! But to my surprise it was not like in Montreal where they just close and the train leaves. Nope! Here the train doors stopped and allowed me to get in before closing!! How awesome is that! So I took the Underground to Hyde Park Corner.

As I got out there were a lot of ladies dressed in pink walking for breast cancer. It seems this was the end of the walk… They all looked so tired! I walked past Wellington Arch, an Australian War Monument, through Green Park and arrived at Buckingham Palace just as the rain started to fall again. I didn't see the change of the guards but I did see two of them standing near the entrance. The Palace's flag was up so that means the Queen was there! Then some Royal horses passed by on The Mall.

I left the Palace area to walk on Pall Mall and saw an hotel… It's name was Quebec and it had a huge Quebec flag!! I walked passed St James Square but it was closed… Still peaked through the gate. Then I walked by shopping arcades and the Jermyn Street shops but they were all closed still. I arrived at Piccadilly street and walked along there (passing by St-James Church and buying 15 postcards for 1£) to the Piccadilly Circus. The double-decker busses were everywhere! I like them! So typical of London! Just like these red phonebooths (see in the banner above). Piccadilly Circus is the place with huge screens on a building kind of like Times Squares in miniature. There are also a lot of shops and restaurants around there. It seems like a neat night time area.

I then took the Underground from Piccadilly Circus to Charing Cross. Trafalgar Square is pretty impressive with it's two fountains (and a monument that was being restaured). I saw the National Gallery and there was also the Canadian Embassy! The Quebec flag was in the middle of the building, near the main entrance, having more importance it seems (or so I like to believe)! I went inside the National Gallery and toured only the paintings from 1700-1900. I liked Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Monet's works… The ones we know, right?

After the Gallery I was hungry. I didn't have my time so I couldn't say how late it was. I followed my body's request and went to a mini-supermarket to get some food. I bought a BLT sandwich, some orange juice and apple pieces for 3.90£. I then ate some of my sandwich hiding from the rain under the Gallery's porch. The time was now 12h! My body knew exactly that it was lunch time! With my belly a bit satisfied I continued on walking to Leicester Square which is an area with cinemas/theaters/restaurants. Then I walked through Chinatown.

I then took the metro from Leicester Square to South Kensington. I decided since it was raining to go see the Victoria & Albert Museum today. There was a handy tunnel from the Underground to the museum. It's good because you keep dry but bad because you don't see much.

The V&A Museum is HUGE! Gigantic! And it's like a multi-level maze. It took me a while to figure out the map but once I did it was fine. I enjoyed the clothing collection the best, followed by old British objects. I liked creating my own coat of arms on an interactive computer… I then was able to email it to myself! I also saw some Asian artefacts, the cast courts which were huge reproductions of foreign masterpieces and more. I was tired so I decided it was time to head back to the hostel. The time was now 14h30.

At the hostel 15 minutes later I went to my room. I decided to take a little nap. I slept for about 40 minutes. And then came down to the computer room. Tonight for dinner I'd like a real meal but I don't know where to go. And eating alone in a pub/resto sucks. It's really the thing I hate the most about travelling alone.

***

On the Internet I found a pub called Cumberland Arms that was in the same neighbourhood as my hostel. I had read the menu online and it looked alright. So I went there around 17h30. But I read on the board that the dinner service only started at 19h! So I walked around a bit in the neighbourhood. At around 18h I went in. I took my coat off and put it on a chair at a small round table near the bar. I then went to the bar and asked the barman & barmaid what their suggestion was for a beer. They had a lot of different ones on tap but I knew none of them! I told them I wanted a blonde/not strong beer. The barman allowed me to taste one before ordering it. I liked it so I got a pint for 2.70£. I also asked them what was the custom for tipping in pubs and they said usually no tips. So I followed their advice… I'm on a tight budget! I sat down with my beer and started writing postcards to friends/family. Then at 19h I ordered a salmon dish with a half-pint of the same beer for 12.85£. It arrived shortly after. The presentation of the dish was beautiful! And the food was very good too! Definitely worth the money.

The only negative point of London pubs is that people smoke. And they smoke a lot!!! I enjoyed observing the clientele. There was a regular, an old man. He was limping. He had a beer. I heard the waitress say “See you later” and he left. He indeed later came back and had a glass of red wine. He sat, staring at other clients. There was also a man in his late 30's. He was wearing a suit. He was flirting with the barmaid. The first time he came to get drinks he asked her when she usually worked. The second time he touched her hand asking about a ring. She replied she got it for graduation. He asked what did she study. She answered it was her grade 6 graduation. A woman entered, probably another regular. She told the barmaid her hair looked good today. A youger guy in his mid-20's sat at the round table next to mine. He drank beer, typing away on his laptop, talking on his mobile phone.

When I returned to the hostel I met two of my roommates, Monica and a guy whose name I've forgot. They were also Canadian, from near London (Ontario). I think they had done investigative work using my backpack that had been sitting in the room. I have three patches on my backpack, a Canadian flag, a Concordia Uni patch and an Amsterdam city patch. They knew I was Canadian. They then asked about Concordia (but I had not said anything about that… So definitely from my bag). They asked where that was… In Montreal of course! They left this morning early, around 5h30.

In other news… Last night when I got back from the pub I was airing out my red sweater as it stank of smoke. I hung it back up and what did I see hanging out of the pocket?? My watch!!! I was super happy!!! I had been “wearing” it all day without knowing! I am so glad it did not fall out accidently… The pocket doesn't close or anything.