New Years Eve in London

We arrived in London the evening of Sunday, December 30^th.  Finding the Travel Joy Hostel where we were staying was no hassle because of the very helpful tourist maps located on street corners.  The hostel was situated along the River Thames which meant that we began the next day with a scenic walk along the riverfront. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating; it was a gloomy day with an ominous wind that pushed us towards Westminster and Big Ben.

While I had been in London once before Garnet had not, so we planned to visit as many prominent tourist attractions as we could in two days. Our first stop was to the infamous Tower of London to learn about its former royal residents, executions, murders and torture. As a way to set the mood, the weather decided to turn for the worse as we entered the grounds. It began to rain, and rain...

 

I, armed with my umbrella, and Garnet, who refused to use my umbrella, decided to join one of the tour groups to make the most of our Tower experience. These groups are led by the castle guard, called Beef Eaters, who really do have an outstanding amount of knowledge and skill for dramatic delivery. I was surprised to learn that they live on site! Talk about dedication to your career. Our tour included the scaffold sight where important prisoners were executed over the centuries. While countless unfortunates met their doom at public executions on nearby Tower Hill, only seven individuals were executed inside the walls. These people included Henry VIII’s wives Anne Boleyn and Kathryn Howard, plus the 16 year old Queen of nine days Lady Jane Grey.

At the center of the Tower is the previous royal palace, the White Tower. Nowadays it houses a museum which educates visitors on previous monarchs, the royal armoury and royal mint. Other attractions at the Tower included the Chapel Royal of St Peter and Vincula, Traitor’s Gate where prisoners entered the Tower, Beauchamp Tower with its prisoner graffiti, and the Bloody Tower where two young princes were murdered. Normally no visit to the Tower of London is complete without seeing the Crown Jewels, but given the pouring rain and a massive queue of tourists we decided to head to a drier locale.

 Traitor's Gate

 A neat dragon sculpture created from elements of industries housed within the White Tower.

The execution block on display in the White Tower.

We were wet and tired by the time we reached my friends Geordie and Christine’s house in the suburbs of London. They were kind enough to open their home to us, despite our come-and-go schedule. We had hardly arrived before we needed to head back towards the city center to bring in the New Year.

New Years in London is a logistical nightmare. Imagine over 100,000 people standing all within a handful of city blocks. Imagine these people all trying to return home at once. Let me put this in perspective. It took 45 minutes walking and riding the underground to get from Geordie and Christine’s home to the Trafalgar Square. It took Garnet and I two hours and 45 minutes to get back. This adventurous evening required much standing in pushy, crammed queues and significant searching for open underground stations (the closest stations were closed as safety precautions).  Honestly though, I suppose it could have been worse. What matters is that Garnet and I got back safely and now we have a good story to tell.

The upside of New Years in London is the amazing amount of excitement and energy perceptible in the air of downtown. It was invigorating to be surrounded by hordes of people all anticipating a good night and fresh start. It was impossible not to break out into a big smile as you counted down 10...9...8... As we reached midnight fireworks were set off along the Thames. Sadly, we could not see the explosions past the tall buildings of Trafalgar Square. The images were broadcast over big screens, but I wanted to see the real thing so we shifted in the crowd until we could see a tiny teaser over one building corner.  This is the best I could do for pictures. 

 If I were to return to London for New Year’s celebrations I would make sure that I went early to find a seat along the waterfront to see the fireworks. I would also be more prepared mentally for the crowded environment. If you can afford the outrageously inflated prices of downtown accommodation then it is best to stay within walking distance. Or perhaps the best option is to settle into a cozy pub with friends and watch the festivities on a television. Regardless, Garnet and I are both glad we experienced the real thing.

Today we had snow flurries in Ireland! Hope you are staying warm this February.

Shannon