Lost in Westminster

With nothing much to do on a Sunday afternoon, I decided to get some fresh air in.  I took my camera with me this time (because I regretted not having it before) and set a course south, toward the river.  About halfway through the walk, though, I thought to myself, "You know, I'm really bored."  So, I looked up, found that I was on Oxford Street, and decided to head west.  While walking down Oxford Street, I found a huge (by that, I mean that it had four floors in a good-sized building) store by the name of Zavvi.  And Zavvi is the British version of FYE.  And if you know me, you know that I'm drawn to those kinds of stores.  Needless to say, I spent about thirty minutes gawking at everything and going up and down the escalators.  I was highly amused by two things in particular: 1. The classical music had its own little room, and it was nice and closed off from everything.  It was nice, I suppose, for the classical music enthusiasts who can't stand the music those young kids are listening to these days.  2. The Phil Collins CDs were going for less than Peter Gabriel's CDs.  Therefore, Peter Gabriel is of higher value.  Therefore, Peter Gabriel rocks.  End of story.

After getting out of Zavvi, I continued on down Oxford Street until I got to the fringe of Oxford Square.  I decided it would probably be a good time to start trying to find the Strand, so I turned in the direction that I thought was south.  A few streets down Regent Street, which was what I turned onto, I panicked a little.  And if you were in my shoes, you might have too.  Here's what I realized: a. I'm a girl (it's nice to assert your gender sometimes); b. I'm traveling alone (which isn't bad in London); and c. I hadn't done my research on these streets before I went on them - so I had no idea where I was going.  To ease my mind, I didn't ask for directions.  Rather, I walked to those bus stop canopies and analyzed the bus route maps to figure out where I was.  Unfortunately, those are rather vague and confusing, so I kind of gave up after a little while.  I then decided that I was tired of the crowded Regent Street and thought, "You know, I'm in Westminster.  That's all I need to know - and if I wander out of the borough, I'll know where I am."  

I think it's nice to lie when you're trying to reassure yourself.

Anyway, I wandered down a friendly-looking, less-crowded street (Glasshouse Street - an amusing name, with a complimentary Glassblower's Pub that I didn't visit) until I, completely unexpectedly, walked into Piccadilly Circus.  It hit me like a four foot wide glowstick - and I wasn't quite prepared for it.  I mean, you're walking down a really quiet back street, and then all of a sudden you see this enormous video screen.  I sort of wandered around a bit dazed before I got my bearings back - well, sort of.  I'd been to Piccadilly Circus while on the bus tour - but I was definitely out of commission on the bus tour.  I absorbed the sights and moved on - and I don't quite know why I chose the route I did.  It's probably because I noticed a "Trafalgar Square" bus coming down a not so crowded street, and I, not liking crowds, opted to go down this mysterious street to another familiarly named place.  Looking at a map now, I think I took Haymarket Street.  I saw no hay markets, so I can't say.  However, some of the statues looked eerily familiar.  It was weird - because I'd never been to London before now.  I felt some extreme deja vu until... I realized we had gone this way on the bus tour.  I ended up in front of the National Gallery fairly soon, and just went along with the sights.  A group of kids had gathered up and were shouting at each other to go jump in the fountain.  I thought, "Maybe I should watch this..." and found some stairs that took me to the twin fountains in Trafalgar Square.  There was no fountain jumping.  I was somewhat disappointed, and decided to point myself in the direction of Westminster Abbey - because somehow I'd managed to find another bus, or maybe I saw Big Ben.  Looking back, I could have hopped on the Strand - which was what I was looking for earlier - right then at the square... but I somehow ended up on Whitehall Road, I think.  (I say the names with certainty because now I have a map.)

While making my way towards Westminster Abbey, which I could slowly see more and more clearly, I came across the Horse Guards post, and saw a guy decked out in spiffy red gear, an awesome looking poncho dealie, and, to top it off, a large, golden helmet with a white fluff on top.  I approached him with a great deal of curiosity - realized where I was, and was terribly amused at what I saw next.  The guard was smiling.  I think Americans are awfully aware that you can do just about anything in front of the Royal Guard and they won't crack a smile - but this guy was.  I think I would have too, if I was in his situation.  Why?  About a foot in front of him, a large group of Asian tourists were all huddled, laughing rather excitedly at someone's camera.  I swear, they knew how to pull off the tourist thing like it was no one's business.  I went past the guard, went about my business, and was slowly becoming aware that I really wasn't that far from the Thames.  In fact, the London Eye was getting to be right in front of me - that is, if I turned that way.  So, I came to a decision - I was going to cross the street, cut through this small mews (ha ha) and get over to the river so I could at least find Waterloo Bridge and make my way back to the flat.

The great part was that the mews that I'd chosen was not very much a mews.  It was the side entrance to the Ministry of Defense.  And I had a very distinct feeling that I was being watched.  You would, too, if there were all these cameras pointed in every direction.  Needless to say, I moved along very quickly.  I backtracked a bit, hopped onto a footbridge, got some awesome pictures of Westminster Abbey and Big Ben (the bridge happened to be even closer to the Abbey, and I got a better shot.  Sweet!) - and somehow managed to get to the Waterloo Bridge, and back to my flat.

I think I just might do that again - but I need some sort of landmark to gain my bearings at.  Maybe somewhere along the Thames - I don't know.  

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