旅行は私の人生なのだ

 The woman is real. She is just there when I photograph.

2010.8.24

Maybe I was too tired yesterday, I wake up late in the morning.

For others, 7 o'clock may be still too early, but for me, as I was in Iceland, I always got up at 5 or 6 o'clock and departed for the journey at 7 o'clock.

The cool weather of London is also another reason that I wake up late.

I had a comfortable sleeping in my room.

I look at the map thinking which places I will visit today.

In London, I don't have any plan in advance, and I'm not hurry to start the trip today.

About 8 o'clock, I go downstairs to the kitchen at first floor, enjoy the breakfast and talk to the hosts about the travelling in Iceland. I also ask some information about the attractions in London.

I leave at 8:30, but it's under my expectation that the Tube is crowded with the people going for work.

Every carriage is full like a sardine can.

Of course, I don't want to be one of these sardines so I watch these trains passing through and find a uncrowded train until 9 o'clock.

This story tells all of you, if you don't go out early, you should wait until 9 o'clock in your house.

The Tube during the peak time is quite awful.

Because I'm not hurry for anything, as I arrived at King Cross train station, I go looking for the platform 9 3/4 which is a fake platform appeared in the file "Harry Potter".

The location is at the end of the platform 8. You could see half of the trolley stuck on the wall.

Then, I change the Victoria line to the Victoria train station.

When I walk near the Buckingham Palace, there is already lots of tourist around there.

After my first day in London, I'm not so surprised for this situation.

No wonder someone said that the Londoner is used to wait in line.

I wait in line for the ticket for visiting the interior of Bucking Palace.

Besides, I also want to know about the time and the location of the guard changing.

Unfortunately, the staff tells me that guard changing is not held today so I have to come for it tomorrow.

After buying the ticket and a guild book, I go waiting in another line for visiting inside.

Due to the Buckingham Palace is the Queen's house, you have to pass the security check just like in the airport and then get an audio guide in different languages.

And photographing is also prohibited after you enter the rooms.

The only words I could say is, Buckingham Palace deserve the name of Queen's Palace.

It's sumptuous and magnificent that you could feel the life of the imperial family in the past and now.

There is many art works, paintings and the collections of the Queen.

I listen to the audio guide as I visit each room slowly.

It takes about more than one hour to finish the trip.

I you want to stay longer, it's okay.

The end of the trip is the garden of the palace.

Leaving the garden, I walk along the street around the palace to the location where the guard changing is held.

The square is close to the Green park.

Though there is no ceremony today, the tourists are still a lot.

I don't realize what are they waiting for? I think they should have noticed the board.

After a short photographing in the square, I walk through the Green park to the Tube station, and take the Picadilly line to the Russell Square station.

It's already noon and my next destination is British Museum which is only free attraction in London.

The looking of the British Museum looks a little like the Greece Temple.

Though I didn't see the Greece Temple before, I just have the feel.

In London, most old buildings are build by the stone, and have higher ceilings than the houses we live now.

With the sculpture on the stone, the buildings looks very elegant.

At this moment, I suddenly have a thought for travelling to Greece.

British museum collects lots of things from many countries. If you want to watch everything in the museum, it may cost you lots of time, maybe a whole day or more.

For me, I'm not very interested in the exhibitions, and I don't want to spend my vacation in reading the introduction or the history.

Sometimes, I prefer to do this job by reading the books or watching the Discovery in my house.

If I really want to watch the real thing, such as the Greece statues or architectures, I prefer to visit the country where these things originally belong to, not the museum in OTHER country.

Thus, if you want to see the Greece Temple, you should go to Greece.

Because British museum has many collections from other countries, and these cultural or historical heritages were not obtained with complete legality, in order to avoid the complaint, British museum doesn't ask for the admission, but they welcome your donation.

In my opinion, all the museums should be free. I think knowledge should be free for everyone and the government should supports this whatever the visitors are natives or foreigners.

Considering my plan today, I don't have enough time to visit all the areas so I just select some topics.

(See: http://www.britishmuseum.org/)

 This should be the Moai statue from Easter Island.

 And he comes from Egypt for sure.

 I think this should be the Greece Temple, but is it the real or model?

 Poor statues! They lost their heads or hands.

I stay in the British Museum until 3 o'clock, and then I go to Big Ben again via Picadilly line, Northern line and Circle line.

The last part of my plan today is visiting churches.

I don't know why I forgot to watch the front side of the House of Parliament.

As I walk towards Westminster Abby, I suddenly think of this.

I stop at the House for a while taking some photos.

Of course, you could visit the interior of the House of Parliament only if you want to wait in a long line.

But I don't like it so I only photograph outside.

(See: http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/overseasvisitors/)

Walking to Westminster Abby, there is no doubt that you have to pay the admission.

I stand before the entrance thinking of whether I should pay for visiting or not.

Is it the church? When does Christ need to make money? 

Though the maintenance of these old buildings requires lots of money, I just don't know how could the poor　people get access to the church if the admission is always required?

I hesitate for a while, and then leave here without visiting inside.

By the way, if you want to visit Westminster Abby, it's recommended that you study the opening hours for different areas of the Abby that includes Westminster Abby, Chapter House, Pyx Chamber, Westminster Abby Museum, Westminster Abby Shop, Cloister, College Garden, and St. Margaret's Church.

(See: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/)

Along with the Circle line, the next church is the Temple Church.

I notice this church because of the film "The Da Vinci Code".

Unfortunately, it is under maintenance in the interior.

I think I'm not lucky to visit inside, and my soles feel a little pain at this moment.

By the way, if you want to look for the Temple Church, it is hidden inside the community.

The entrance of the community looks like the picture below.

Temple Church has a website: http://www.templechurch.com/

The last church I visit is St. Paul's Church.

I think I could not visit another church or attraction anymore.

My soles feel great pain as I walk towards the church. I need the soft ground.

Compared with Westminster Abby or Temple Church, St. Paul's Church seems to be a little grander for it's big dome.

Mostly, the church will forbid photographing for the silence.

But when I go inside the church, I think the church should forbid talking inside.

The murmurings of these tourists are surrounded all the space inside the church.

They look like a group of sparrow.

I'm a little confused whether this place is a church or a church-like attraction.

If this place is the church, why don't they respect for the silence of the church.

I'm so disappointed.

After visiting these churches, I have a thought of them.

Although the architectures of these churches are worthy of looking, their souls or spirits have changed.

They are the attractions, not the churches.

The church in my mind should be sacred and calm.

But lots of tourists don't respect for this spirit.

I'm suddenly glad that I only arranged two and half days in London.

I'm quite tired with these terrible things.

Because someone introduced a Japanese restaurant near the Picadilly Circle station, I would like to enjoy my last dinner in London tonight.

Whenever I reach the time before finishing my journey, I always want to dine for the Japanese foods.

Recalling my journey in New Zealand last year, I also had a great meal in the Japanese restaurant in Auckland.

 Maybe I should consider learning Japanese well. My stomach is born to enjoying Japanese foods, especially Ramen (ラーメン) and  Nigiri (握り).

I walk around the Picadilly Circle station for a circle, and finally find the Japanese restaurant here.

The dishes I ordered are a set of Sushi which includes Maki (巻き) and Nigiri (握り), Tenpura (天ぷら), and Japanese Tea called Matcha (抹茶).

Though the price is expensive enough for many attractions in London, I prefer enjoying the meal without noise.

Sometimes, money is not the problem. The mood is the problem.

I could spend high budget on travelling in Iceland, but I don't want to pay the admissions in London, especially I have to wait in line.

In summery, I evaluate this Japanese restaurant as the Moderate.

Maybe the Japanese restaurant in other country has its own considerations and limitations.

But In Taiwan, I could enjoy excellent Japanese foods with the same price in London.

Among these dishes, the sushi is the one I feel a little strange.

First, there is chili source on the rolled sushi, Maki (巻き).

In Japan, they only use the Wasabi (山葵), not the chili.

Besides, the shrimp of the Nigiri-sushi is with its head and tail, just like the France dish.

When I try to eat it, I really wonder whether I should eat the whole Nigiri and then spit the head and tail later, or I have to remove the head or tail before I eat it?

Actually, Nigiri in Japanese means an easy-to-eat sushi that could be put into your mouth at once.

The sushi master only leave the tail of the shrimps, and the customer could remove the tail very easily as they put the sushi into the mouth.

If you don't remove the head, how does the customer remove both the head and tail in their mouth?

That is what I mean "Strange", and I don't know the reason.

However, it's not easy to find the Japanese restaurant in London.

So, if you want to try the Japanese foods, this restaurant is acceptable.

(See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramen, 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempura,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matcha,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasabi)

After the meal, I back to Lupton at 7 o'clock.

Most tourists are still visiting outside, but I'm tired.

And I don't like the crowd.

Listening to my MP3, I rarely fall in a deep sleep.

As for my last half day in London tomorrow, I think I will go watching the guard changing ceremony in Buckingham Palace.

My last day is oncoming, and I will return to Taiwan soon.