For an American doing a European tour package as a first trip abroad, London was like a trusty old pair of shoes; it may not be stylish and flashy, but it’s familiar, it fits comfortably and when you slip into it, you can move about with ease. I guess I should qualify this statement by saying that I had only dappled in Asian languages and never studied any of the European/romantic languages, so it seemed that I was more at easy in London that Paris, Cherborg, Koln or Dortmund in that I didn’t have to contend with phrase books and confusions resulting from mistranslations. The London Underground (subway) is both an efficient way of getting around the city and entertaining (especially when a street musician lets you sing Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here while he and his partner play guitars.)
Favourite spots:
I thoroughly enjoyed the British Museum, although the section containing the Japanese antiquities was closed for remodeling at the time; the Egyptian antiquities and the South Asian artifacts exhibits there were outstanding (better than the Louvre’s collection in my opinion). The Tower of London is a must; I especially liked the armament museum and the Crown Jewels. The Tate Gallery has a nice exhibit of the works of Blake and Rossetti, in addition to a traveling exhibit of the works of Francis Bacon (some of his pieces appear in the opening credits of the film Last Tango in Paris). Also check out the National Gallery at Traffalgar Square, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and (now for something completely different...) the London Dungeon.
What's really great:
Though definitely not on the itinerary, I met up with two Australian guys who were touring Europe by working their way through it (moving on only when they made enough money to afford to do so). They talked me into going to a club with them called Samantha’s that had a Tuesday night Five Quid Cover Charge/50 P Per Drink special. We proceeded to teach the locals how to shoot tequila with lemon and salt and managed to get a lovely Swedish cocktail waitress named Eva rather drunk. For some reason in my drunken stupor that night (perhaps it was her black fishnets and the cute rose tattoo on the thigh), I promised to bring her flowers the next day, and surprised her by actually keeping my word the next night with some yellow mums (the bouncer even let me in without charge for 5 minutes to make the delivery even though I was in gross violation of the dress code.)
Accommodations:
Regent Palace Hotel on Regent Street at Piccadilly Circus
Nightlife:
Samantha's on Regent Street (a short early morning drunken stagger from the Regent Palace Hotel.)
Hangouts:
Marquis of Crandby at Regent Street and Charring Cross (Cambridge Circus).
Restaurants:
There's always the Whimpy Burger at Piccadily Circus.
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