Dropping the Pounds

A jolly long three-day weekend, and nothing to do. What then? Well, off to the UK with my mates, I say.

We had three days to kill, and my guidebook suggested spending them all in the capital city of London. Train, plane, and automobile later, we arrived at our hostel on Thursday eve.

First off, London is expensive - terribly expensive. Their currency is the English “pound,” and our almighty dollar only buys a half of one pound. Simply put, everything in England is twice as expensive. A drink at Starbucks is 3-4 pounds, or 6-8 US dollars. So money quickly becomes an issue.

Second, our hostel definitely left something to be desired. We ended up at an 836-bed youth hostel called the “Generator” that prided itself much more on hosting drinking games for teenagers than washing their sheets. After one night in my bunk bed, I acquired a nice little rash on my stomach, probably compliments of the last disease-infested teen to sleep in the bed. Worst of all, our room held a terrible “dirty gym sock” odor all weekend due to faulty plumbing. But the free breakfast was good.

So what’s there to see in London? Well, being the good young Dutchmen that we are, we decided to tackle this question in the cheapest way possible – on foot. Circling the entire city in just one short day, we walked an estimated 12 miles. So let’s just say we got our cardio in for the week. But the sights made the journey well worth it. Here’s a rundown:

Buckingham Palace: the historic royal residence where hundreds of tourists flock each day to see the “changing of the guards.” It was all a bit anti-climactic; they’re more talk than walk. (Although they do wear some fantastic hats.)

Westminster Abbey: Probably the most fascinating site in London. Founded in the 10th century, this church became the official “coronation church” a few years later when William the Conqueror was crowned. Since then, it has become home to the graves of countless royalties and public figures. Bloody Mary, Henry VII, Elizabeth I, Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Darwin – you name him/her – they got ‘em. My favorite relic was the well-worn coronation chair, on which every British monarch since 1066 has been crowned.

Big Ben: It’s not that special, I guess. It’s just a big gothic bell tower. But it’s got such a sweet name…

The Thames River: Cutting through central London, its various bridges are a delight both to look at as well as walk across. And the London Bridge? You guessed it – it fell down. A boring replacement was built in its stead, focusing all the attention on its neighbor – the Tower Bridge.

Other squares and parks: London is filled with eye-pleasing squares (Trafalgar, Piccadilly) and parks (Hyde, Regent), all of which made for an enjoyable trek around the city.

Last but not least: As of this weekend, I have fulfilled one of my lifelong dreams. No, I didn’t meet Mark-Paul Gosselaar, and no, I didn’t go for a swim in a giant mound of pennies. No, this is much bigger. I saw Les Miserables, unarguably the best musical of all time, live at the Queens Theatre. I saw Les Mis back in the day at the San Diego Civic Center, but nothing competes with an enthusiastic London cast – thick British accents and all – in a bustling theatre district in downtown London. It was a stunning performance, to say the least, and it was worth every pound.

So despite the weighty prices and long walks, London was the perfect destination for a three-day weekend. With an unmatched theatre district, a fascinating imperialistic history, and an exquisite riverside charm, it was worth dropping a few pounds for.