2023 April-May - London, UK (Day 6)
Tuesday, 2 May 2023 23:09![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elusivek1st May, Bank Holiday. I was expecting today to be dreadful, but, it turned out rather well. We had an issue with our hotel door not locking, so we had to tell the reception and they sent someone up to try and fix it. They had the gall to say, "ah, our customers are good people, our staff are good people, nobody will go into your room, and there is CCTV in the corridors!" and I was like "... so?" Anyway, we did have everything locked up in our luggage bags, so it wasn't really pressing. THey arranged people to fix it while we were out.
Gilda_elise on DW suggested going to the National Maritime Museum, and that's what we did. It was fun.
Though, I had some issue with getting on the right train to Greenwich. I had to go ask the staff hanging around, and they pointed out where to go. All the while, friend was just walking immediately behind me.
Got dropped off at this residential and school area. Made our way over.
We were a tad early and it wasn't opened yet. So, looking around at these globe installations outside.
It was amusing to see them using old school method: Chains and locks for the gates.
My friend was being a nuisance just breathing down the back of my neck and I got irritated and said we don't really need to see the exhibits SO NEAR EACH OTHER. I think my friend took offense and started mumbling to herself "alright let's meet back up at a certain time..." and walked away, without talking about the time and the meeting point.
So just randomly throwing some photos here.
This was a very nice one!
At the gift shop, I saw a postcard of a very nice staircase (it was either the Tulip Staircase, or some-other-flower Staircase), and so we walked over to the Queen's House as well.
I was reading about this one when a small kid (maybe 2 years old?) dashed forward, through the low barrier, and actually poked a finger on the painting. The mother or the babysitter grabbed him quick. None of the staff saw it, but I saw it. Oopsie!
Nice flooring.
There we go, the staircase I saw on the postcard.
When all was done we went to hunt for lunch.
On the way, I saw a small corridor leading to something like a market, so we went there, and indeed, there was a market.
Once again, I told my friend to spread out, I'd be queuing for a Turkish pancake type of thing, and she should go look for something else to eat, so we have variety. Noooooooooo. She's such a scaredy cat, so afraid to get lost, she just stuck by. Geez.
It was yummy!
And then I found out there's another area outside too, but didn't feel like queuing.
Decided to have some churros but these are different? The chuuros I know I smaller? This one's huge!
Funny side story. So I said, I have no more activities for the afternoon, that friend can finally rest her legs. Friend got flustered and said "let's go see the royal observatory as well!" Well, visiting the National Maritime and the Queen's House was free, but I didn't check out the Royal Observatory. Feeling like, it was such a novelty that friend was actually making suggestions, I said sure let's go.
Had to walk up a hill to get there godammit!
And then it was a paid museum too. Friend wanted to skiv off and say no, I said "I put in the effort to walk up the blasted mountain, I'm going in!" so friend went too.
It was actually interesting too.
Ah, the Meridian Line. I too took a photo of my friend, she took a photo of me. I know I'm not the best, but I would appreciate a little more thought to photo composition.
There's Hong Kong.
Cool stuff.
The bottom part where it says BritishYard and Two Feet, and the measurements, that amused me! So in the past, people based the length of stuff on that wall? Or that measurement on the wall?
When I asked how she wanted to get back, friend asked "what ways are there?" so I said, rail, bus, or boat. Friend chose boat, "to try it out!" Well, my friend, didn't you. notice you already went on a boat a few days ago? But anyway...
Finally did some of the basic tourist site walk.
And my friend has no patience waiting for people to disperse.
At St. James' Park, we got ice cream.
He looked at me for a while.
Yes I know, no feeding wild animals. For the record, he d idn't take it, I just wanted to take a photo, but my camera was zoomed too in, so couldn't frame my fingers as well. I know someone has explained before, and I can google as well, but I can't tell if this is a squirrel or a chipmunk. To me, all animals looking like that are squirrels. (When I hear "chipmunk" I think of monkeys, I don't know why. Maybe because of "chimpanzees"?)
I do enjoy St. James' Park.
They've closed an area off Buckingham Square for the specator seats for the Coronation.
Last few photos for the day.
During the walk back (towards Hyde Park Square), I just couldn't handle having this shadow behind my back walking and not lifting their feet properly, so continuously hearing this "sip sip sip" footsteps behind me. I purposefully walked to the very limit of the pavement and my friend asked why am I walking so dangerously? "I'm trying to walk behind you," I replied. Friend didn't understand why, so I said "I just don't like having someone walking behind my back." Maybe i'm being neurotic, but even back home, if I'm walking, and especially at night, I don't like to have someone walking behind me. I'd step aside and let them overtake me.
My friend doesn't pay attention to where she goes, so she likes to walk just behind me. But then she's on her phone playing games as well, so when I stepped behind her, she absolutely didn't know the way. There was an intersection where after we crossed we should turn left to go to our hotel, but she just continues to walk straight on... if I didn't say "hey! this way!" she would have gotten lost... again......
Gilda_elise on DW suggested going to the National Maritime Museum, and that's what we did. It was fun.
Though, I had some issue with getting on the right train to Greenwich. I had to go ask the staff hanging around, and they pointed out where to go. All the while, friend was just walking immediately behind me.
Got dropped off at this residential and school area. Made our way over.
We were a tad early and it wasn't opened yet. So, looking around at these globe installations outside.
It was amusing to see them using old school method: Chains and locks for the gates.
My friend was being a nuisance just breathing down the back of my neck and I got irritated and said we don't really need to see the exhibits SO NEAR EACH OTHER. I think my friend took offense and started mumbling to herself "alright let's meet back up at a certain time..." and walked away, without talking about the time and the meeting point.
So just randomly throwing some photos here.
This was a very nice one!
At the gift shop, I saw a postcard of a very nice staircase (it was either the Tulip Staircase, or some-other-flower Staircase), and so we walked over to the Queen's House as well.
I was reading about this one when a small kid (maybe 2 years old?) dashed forward, through the low barrier, and actually poked a finger on the painting. The mother or the babysitter grabbed him quick. None of the staff saw it, but I saw it. Oopsie!
Nice flooring.
There we go, the staircase I saw on the postcard.
When all was done we went to hunt for lunch.
On the way, I saw a small corridor leading to something like a market, so we went there, and indeed, there was a market.
Once again, I told my friend to spread out, I'd be queuing for a Turkish pancake type of thing, and she should go look for something else to eat, so we have variety. Noooooooooo. She's such a scaredy cat, so afraid to get lost, she just stuck by. Geez.
It was yummy!
And then I found out there's another area outside too, but didn't feel like queuing.
Decided to have some churros but these are different? The chuuros I know I smaller? This one's huge!
Funny side story. So I said, I have no more activities for the afternoon, that friend can finally rest her legs. Friend got flustered and said "let's go see the royal observatory as well!" Well, visiting the National Maritime and the Queen's House was free, but I didn't check out the Royal Observatory. Feeling like, it was such a novelty that friend was actually making suggestions, I said sure let's go.
Had to walk up a hill to get there godammit!
And then it was a paid museum too. Friend wanted to skiv off and say no, I said "I put in the effort to walk up the blasted mountain, I'm going in!" so friend went too.
It was actually interesting too.
Ah, the Meridian Line. I too took a photo of my friend, she took a photo of me. I know I'm not the best, but I would appreciate a little more thought to photo composition.
There's Hong Kong.
Cool stuff.
The bottom part where it says BritishYard and Two Feet, and the measurements, that amused me! So in the past, people based the length of stuff on that wall? Or that measurement on the wall?
When I asked how she wanted to get back, friend asked "what ways are there?" so I said, rail, bus, or boat. Friend chose boat, "to try it out!" Well, my friend, didn't you. notice you already went on a boat a few days ago? But anyway...
Finally did some of the basic tourist site walk.
And my friend has no patience waiting for people to disperse.
At St. James' Park, we got ice cream.
He looked at me for a while.
Yes I know, no feeding wild animals. For the record, he d idn't take it, I just wanted to take a photo, but my camera was zoomed too in, so couldn't frame my fingers as well. I know someone has explained before, and I can google as well, but I can't tell if this is a squirrel or a chipmunk. To me, all animals looking like that are squirrels. (When I hear "chipmunk" I think of monkeys, I don't know why. Maybe because of "chimpanzees"?)
I do enjoy St. James' Park.
They've closed an area off Buckingham Square for the specator seats for the Coronation.
Last few photos for the day.
During the walk back (towards Hyde Park Square), I just couldn't handle having this shadow behind my back walking and not lifting their feet properly, so continuously hearing this "sip sip sip" footsteps behind me. I purposefully walked to the very limit of the pavement and my friend asked why am I walking so dangerously? "I'm trying to walk behind you," I replied. Friend didn't understand why, so I said "I just don't like having someone walking behind my back." Maybe i'm being neurotic, but even back home, if I'm walking, and especially at night, I don't like to have someone walking behind me. I'd step aside and let them overtake me.
My friend doesn't pay attention to where she goes, so she likes to walk just behind me. But then she's on her phone playing games as well, so when I stepped behind her, she absolutely didn't know the way. There was an intersection where after we crossed we should turn left to go to our hotel, but she just continues to walk straight on... if I didn't say "hey! this way!" she would have gotten lost... again......
no subject
Date: 2023-05-03 10:41 (UTC)Squirrel. Chipmunks are smaller, have very distinctive white and black stripes down their back, and their tails don't curl in that distinctive sort of "S" shape, nor are their tails as bushy.
no subject
Date: 2023-05-03 11:58 (UTC)And, yes, what jo said. We have dozens of squirrels running around our neighborhood (probably hundreds.) Chipmunks, too.