Gardens and towers and bridges, oh my!

Today was another busy day in London. We started off slower this morning, taking our time to get ready and out the door. While my friends opted to skip breakfast, I made use of the convenience of room service, ordering up a light spread of eggs, tomatoes, and bacon. Then it was off to the Sky Garden.

I’m assuming this lovely city garden wasn’t in existence ten years ago, otherwise I’m sure we would have ventured to it. With sprawling views of the city from all angles, you get a truly unique, 360 degree view of recognizable landmarks such as Tower Bridge, Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tate Modern, and the Shard, among others. The atrium is filled with lush plants and plenty of seating to take in the views from the floor to ceiling windows that make up all four walls of the top most floor of this skyscraper. And the best part is it’s a free, public space. You do need to make a reservation to ensure you can enter, because they only allow so many people in per hour, and you’re limited to a one-hour stay (although I didn’t see them kicking anyone out who lingered too long). But for no cost and with breathtaking views, it’s a great way to spend an hour of your day and take in all the city has to show for itself.

After our journey to London’s highest public gardens, it was off to the Tower of London. Though I’d already toured the tower back in my heyday (provided I’m using that word correctly, which I’m probably not), one of my friends hadn’t. Plus I’m never one to turn down the chance to wander an ancient, medieval castle-like structure. I feel like we did more this time around anyway; ten years ago I didn’t get a guided tour, and wasn’t able to peek inside the White Tower and see the armories. I also never had the chance to walk up along the battlements the first time around (though you know I made my rounds through the torture chambers during both my first and second visits, obviously). We spent a good awhile in the tower before making a pit stop for lunch at a place called Strada (which had a small, yet tastebud-friendly gluten-free menu). After lunch it was off to Tower Bridge.

I don’t think I realized ten years ago that you could actually go inside Tower Bridge (or maybe I did and I just never got around to it, who knows). All I know is last time, I was only ever able to snap a photo of the outside. This time, I was determined to go up into the tower as it crosses over the Thames. It was quite a unique experience; an elevator takes you up to the east walkway, where you get to walk across the enclosed walkway that lingers high above the road, and river, below. With glass on both sides, and even part of the floor, you get a chance to see much of the city from a unique perspective. You’re able to walk the west walkway also, which boasts the same glass windows and floor, just with a view of the other side of the city. The tour finishes with a peek inside the engine room and of course, exits through the gift shop.

After a long day of sightseeing, my friends were off to the theater and I was off to relax in the hotel. Though room service isn’t something I make a habit of using when I travel, when you’re cold and tired and don’t feel like venturing out anywhere to scour for food (especially when you have to be specific with the type of cuisine you can eat), the convenience of having someone bring food directly to your door while you relax in your fuzzy socks just can’t be beat. Now it’s off to bed so I can get up and do the tourist thing again tomorrow!

Harry Potter will forever live on in my heart, and I can die happy having visited the place where the magic was created

Today was one of the greatest nerd days in my life: I visited the Warner Bros Studio Tour London to experience the making of Harry Potter. Although the actual cast wasn’t there, the sets, costumes, props, and scenery, everything that made the Harry Potter movies come to life, were all right there at my fingertips. It was a Harry Potter geek’s dream come true. I imagine it’s how some must feel when they go to Disney World, only better because it’s quite literally magical there.

I certainly wouldn’t recommend the tour that got us there, Golden Tours; I expected to take the 1 1/2 hour journey on a coach bus, but was instead shuffled into a double decker bus. I get motion sick easily, so this was a bit concerning (though luckily I didn’t feel ready to barf my face off until after the tour was over and we were almost home). I was also promised a screening of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or Philospher’s stone if you want to be all British and snobby about it), but alas, their system was apparently broken and they couldn’t show the movie. So we had to sit in silence the whole journey there and back.

But honestly, the minute we turned the corner and through the entrance marked ‘Warner Bros Studio Tour London,’ I forgot all about the empty promises made by the company responsible for getting me there.

Once inside, it truly was any fan’s dream come true. There was so much to take in, so many sights to dazzle the eyes and make you feel like you just stepped onto the set of your favorite movie. Because you quite literally do.

You get to wander through the Great Hall and marvel at how the wood and plaster come together perfectly to create a facade that so perfectly resembles hard, heavy stone.

You get to peer inside the sets that make up the Gryffindor common room and boys’ dormitory, including all the the quiet spots where Harry, Ron and Hermione would meet and discuss You-Know-Who without fear of being overheard by untrustworthy Slytherins.

You get a peek inside Dumbledore’s office, with all of his unique instruments like the telescope and pensieve. You can get up close to the potions classroom, where Hermione learned the tools she needed to perfect the complicated Polyjuice potion. And The Burrow is on display, giving you a taste into the lives of the Weasley family.

You get to take a walk through the Forbidden Forest, and clamber through the Hogwarts Express. You get a peek inside the Knight Bus and 4 Privet Drive. You get time to leisurely stroll through Diagon Alley (my personal fave) and gaze into all the shop windows, spying little trinkets that make each of the shops so unique.

And don’t forget the other elements needed to make the movies what they are. Among all the sets you’ll find costumes and props, as well as small 3-D models (not to mention the larger and insanely impressive model of Hogwarts castle). You’ll learn about all the special effects needed to make all the props and sets come to life. You’ll even learn more about all the creatures that made their cameos throughout all 8 movies.

When you arrive at the studios, you’ll feel like 3 hours is more than enough time to complete a tour. But when that time is surprisingly up, you’ll wish you had 3 hours more to stay and continue immersing yourself in the magic that is the wizarding world of Harry Potter. For any fan of the movies, it’s a must-see when staying in or around London. I truly feel like I’ve died and gone to Harry Potter heaven, and I’m not sure much else can top this. Ever.

You could let jet lag ruin your vacation, or not

Jet lag is the worst.

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve traveled more than four or five hours by plane and had to adjust to more than a couple of hours time difference. I guess I forgot how shitty you can end up feeling when your internal clock is screwed up. The worst part is knowing there’s not a whole lot you can do except wait it out and give your body time to adjust. Unfortunately, that usually means missing out on certain activities so you can take it easy while your body recovers from the strenuous travel.

I’m jealous of my friends, who were able to get up at 6:30 this morning and jet off to our scheduled tour of Oxford, Warwick Castle, Shakespeare’s birthplace and the Cotswolds. I was looking forward to meandering the cobblestone streets of the famous college town, of wandering through the historic castle, of getting a bit of Shakespearean history, of viewing England’s countryside. But I know my body and I know if I had pushed on, I’d pay for it later and probably not get to enjoy all the other exciting things we have planned these next five days.

So instead, I took it easy by myself, getting some extra, much-needed sleep, then puttering around the hotel room slowly, before heading out into the city in search of sustenance. I ended up finding some in a delicious gluten-free bakery, Beyond Bread. Sure, I’d rather have been snapping photos of picturesque buildings and scenery with my friends, but the traditional English brunch I had was delicious, as was the muffin I took as a snack for later (which I’m currently enjoying with my peppermint tea).

After filling my belly and perusing a few stores, I took the long way home and walked the streets near Buckingham Palace, getting a few more photos in to add to the ones we snapped last night once the tourists had gone home for the day. I bought another adorable Alice in Wonderland tea mug from Whittard to add to my collection. I explored the hotel’s courtyard and people-watched in the lobby. Even though I didn’t get to do exactly what I planned on doing today, I still enjoyed being back in london and being on vacation, without having to worry about work or the trivial tasks of being an adult. I could just sort of be in the moment, whether that moment was fast-paced among the bustling tourists at the palace, or low-key sipping tea with my feet up.

Jet lag is the worst and I hate it. If you’re someone who suffers from it when traveling, you probably hate it, too. But it’s okay to succumb for the first day or two and take it easy on yourself. No one will mind if you need a day to rest and recover. And if they do, you probably shouldn’t be traveling with them to begin with. At the end of the day, only you know what your body can handle, so listen and be gentle and give it what it needs. Those landmarks and tourist attractions aren’t going anywhere; they’ll still be there when you’re good and ready to enjoy them.

I may have missed out on a great tour today, but I’ve got plenty more to look forward to the rest of the week. Like the Harry Potter studio tour tomorrow. So come at me, jet lag. Give me your best shot.

Just touched back down in London Town

My friends and I arrived back in merry ole London yesterday morning, and already we’ve crammed quite a bit in to the two days we’ve been here. After getting to our hotel, the St James’ Court, yesterday, we headed back out towards the edge of town to ride the Emirates Air Line. While it wasn’t super exciting from a touristy standpoint (there were really no notable sights to see from the sky that make London the city it’s known for), and it was slightly terrifying when the wind picked up (swinging from a cable car over the dirty Thames is not how I want to go), it was super cheap at about £4. I think it would be a lot cooler had they built it closer to the city center, but there are probably reasons why they didn’t, and it’s a good excuse to travel farther to the outskirts than you might normally do.

After puttering around Westminster for most of the day, we decided to regroup at our hotel (which is super swanky and probably the nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed in as an adult paying my own way) and then head to the West End to catch a show.

The abbey of Westminster.

When we studied abroad here ten years ago, we made it a habit to just show up to the ticket window just before showtime and score whatever last-minute discounted tickets were left. While we didn’t get super cheap seats like we were accustomed to back then, we were still able to score dress circle seats at the last second for Waitress starring Katharine McPhee.

The show was great. Unfortunately we made the decision to see an almost three-hour musical after an extremely long travel day with no nap and some serious jet lag. Let’s just say we all caught some shut eye at one point or another during the show. Still, it was entertaining with a very talented cast. Definitely worth the money and time spent.

After the show, we took a very European approach and decided to have dinner at 9:30 at night. I’d never understood why they wait so long to eat dinner until now; it becomes sort of necessary depending on what other scheduled events you having going on. Although I can’t say I enjoy eating so late, at least I can begin to see why they do it. With my recent dietary restrictions (no gluten + no dairy + no sugar = a difficult task of finding somewhere to eat), we settled on a Mexican restaurant near the Adelphi theater where Waitress was playing.

The restaurant, Lupita, had a lot of really tasty dishes, and I was extremely happy with my gluten-free and vegan quesadillas I was able to enjoy. But man, the service. I don’t get why every restaurant I’ve ever eaten at in Europe seriously sucks when it comes to the service. Maybe it’s the lack of motivation, since European servers don’t work for tips the way Americans do. But seriously. If I have to flag you down after 20 minutes of being completely bone-dry on my glass of water, we have a problem and I hate you. It makes it extremely hard to like your restaurant if the food is good when the service is so terrible.

Today’s choices were slightly better (although not by much). We got some much needed sleep after our long flights and skipped breakfast, instead forging ahead right to lunch at the Thai restaurant Patara. The food was delicious (they even had a gluten-free menu!) but again, the service was less than mediocre. Luckily, I decided to treat myself to a tasty gluten- and dairy-free macaron (yes I cheated with the sugar but who cares?) from Laduree, so I quickly forgot how annoying the service at lunch had been (although I definitely appreciate the special menu, and how they made sure to tell me not to eat the appetizer they brought for the table, which apparently turned out to be incredibly gross anyway).

We did some light shopping at all the best stores (Fortnum & Mason, Harrods, Topshop, and of course, Primark) before ending our day with some delicious sushi at Sticks’n’sushi (which was able to provide me with gluten-free soy sauce).

We were even able to sneak in a quick nighttime visit to Buckingham Palace on our walk back from dinner (who knew Buckingham Palace was so close to our hotel on Buckingham Gate road, am I right?).

Though there’s still so much to do the remainder of this quick, 9-day trip, I feel like it’s finally starting to sink in that I’m really back in this city that captured my heart all those years ago.

I don’t vote

I was stopped at the post office today, just passing through on a quick run to drop off a few packages for my LuLaRoe business, by a guy outside asking people to update their voter registration. In a bit of a hurry, I kindly and quickly said “no thanks, I don’t vote” and continued walking. Apparently he wasn’t satisfied with that response, because he replied with “what about the 19th amendment?” To which I answered “I don’t like my choices” and walked inside. When I reemerged from the building on my way back through the parking lot to my car, he said to me “well what about all the local elections, the judges and the school board and all the people responsible for teaching your children?” (this guy was clearly not giving up). I firmly replied that I teach children, so I’m going to focus on that. I did tell him that I appreciated him asking, but I feel like his persistence just brings up a very good point that I believe I’m not alone in feeling. Or maybe I am and I’m the only person that has it wrong, but either way, it’s my prerogative and it’s my basic human right as an American citizen to vote or not vote. It isn’t anybody else’s choice to make but mine.

I’m sure there’ll be plenty of people reading this who follow politics on the daily and vote every time there’s an election, whether it’s local, state or federal government, but I’m just not one of those people. And I really don’t care who has a problem with it or not, because again, it’s my decision to make as an individual living in this country. It’s my freedom to choose whether or not I want to vote.

I also want to point out that I’m not one of those people who refuses to vote and then, when people are elected that I don’t agree with, sits there and complains about it. No, I realize that if I’m giving up my right to vote, I’m also giving up my right to complain about who wins. I’m not that much of an asshole.

Up until this point in my adult life, in the years since I’ve turned 18 and have been eligible to vote, I have not agreed with any of the choices for president. This is only the third presidential election that I have been of age for. The first two were obviously when Obama was elected and reelected; both times I did not agree with his win, and both times I also did not like the opposing candidate. So for me, voting for one guy because I don’t want the other guy to win, even if the guy I’m voting for isn’t someone I  want to win either, really doesn’t make sense to me. Sure, maybe voting for the lesser of two evils is the right thing to do, maybe it’s not. All I know is that until I am presented with at least one option that I truly feel confident about voting in to office, I’m not going to participate. It’s just not a good use of my time. And as a very busy middle school teacher, I can’t afford to waste any time on things that I don’t agree with.

For example, where the upcoming presidential election is concerned, I think Donald Trump is a buffoon and I certainly don’t want him running our country, but does that mean that Hillary Clinton deserves my vote? Probably not, and that’s why I’m not voting. I’m simply not satisfied giving my vote to either candidate.

That being said, I understand the point this nice gentleman is trying to make about how I should still participate in local and state government. However, again, I am a very busy schoolteacher who also runs a business of her own on the side, so between all of that, and all of the things that actually pertain to my day-to-day life and responsibilities, taking the time out of my busy life to vote for people that, again, I don’t really know that much about, really just doesn’t seem to make sense to me. In my opinion, and again, this is all my opinion which, by definition, cannot be wrong, so please don’t tell me that I’m wrong in saying any of this (especially considering the whole “freedom of speech” thing). I’m a language arts teacher, I know what opinion is versus fact. Everything that I’m saying right now is opinion, not a fact, you can’t prove it right or wrong, it’s simply how I feel, and you’re allowed to feel differently, that’s why they’re called opinions.

Anyway, now that I’m done ranting about opinions versus fact, my opinion is that my one vote is not going to make enough of a difference in the long run. In the grand scheme of things, whoever I could possibly vote for in the local and state government is probably not going to make a difference to the point where my vote is necessary. I realize that sounds pessimistic and ignorant, because if everyone had this attitude and everyone said “oh, my vote doesn’t count it’s really not gonna matter whether I vote or not” then nobody would vote and then change really wouldn’t be able to occur. I already get that. But all I know is that, at the end of the day, I’m a teacher, I’m teaching kids and I’m making a difference and impacting the world on a smaller level. I’m causing change to occur on a smaller level, and that is the most that I can contribute to society.

I also refuse to vote blindly just for the sake of voting. If I don’t know who I’m voting for, or I’m uneducated about the candidates, I would rather not vote than vote blindly just for the sake of putting in my two cents. And honestly, between working 40+ hours a week and trying to have some time for my friends and family on top of all that (because I need to have a life and not lose my mind), I don’t have the time to dedicate to educating myself about the candidates. There are so many people running for so many things I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I see signs every day when I’m driving around, re-elect this person or elect that person for a slew of miscellaneous titles that I’ve never even heard of. So, because I’m uneducated about who they even are, let alone what they’re running for, I elect to not vote blindly. And I’m sorry, but I’m also not going to take time out of my very busy schedule to educate myself on people that, honestly, don’t affect my day-to-day life. I don’t really feel the impact of what they do, and maybe one day I will, and maybe that’s the day that I will change my outlook and I will actually care about voting, but until that day comes, I’m going to focus my energy on the things that matter to me and the people in my life directly. For me, to have the biggest impact on my life and the lives of people around me, I need to be a little selfish in that respect and focus on what I’m doing and how I’m trying to make a difference in this world and for me that means teaching my sixth graders about how to be good people and showing them by example how to live a good life and be moral and have ethics and hopefully one day they will be able to go out into the world and they will be able to create change in whatever way they see fit.

Whenever the topic of politics comes up, especially in regards to people (seemingly) being ignorant and not voting, there’s always going to be controversy, there are always going to be people who don’t agree, and there are always going to be people who want to argue and say that you’re wrong. You can tell me I’m wrong all you want, it’s still not going to change how I think and how I live my life.

I will also say that I appreciate the people who do pay attention to this nonsense, because those are the people who are voting and hopefully putting into office people that deserve to be there. Maybe one day my priorities will change as I get older and I will actually care about this stuff and pay attention more, but until that day comes, I’m happy with how I live my life, even if others think I’m living in a bubble (because it’s a damn awesome bubble). I really couldn’t care less about voting at this point in my life, so thank you sir for offering to update my voter registration card, but I’ll take a hard pass.