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Day 4 - Nations Divided by A Common Language

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We got a pretty late start this morning. We had a lot planned for the day, but nothing was too time sensitive, so we got some much needed rest. However, it wasn't the best sleep of all time. The walls here are paper thin, and people were constantly letting this door right outside our room slam shut. Also, Aaron smacked his head on the bunk bed during the night but has no recollection of it.  Once we got up and going, the hostel was pretty much empty. Or rather, empty of kids, and filled with the cleaning crew, who didn't seem to like us being there. After they wouldn't let us into the kitchen to fill up our water bottles, it dawned on us that we're having a little bit of trouble communicating.

First thing we did was head to the Tower of London. We didn't get to go inside the first time we visited, so we decided to go back. It was a pretty great museum (K - "meh"). It started to get really crowded towards the end, and the line to see the crown jewels was the largest line either of us had ever seen. We're not about standing in lines, so we missed out on the crown jewels. Don't worry though! We saw a toilet. An important one that kings (probably) s(h)at on. It was basically just a hole in the side of the tower. Aaron will forever regret not sitting on that toilet.



Next we decided to check out Borough Market, which turned out to be a massive amount of people, food, drinks, and smells. Aaron couldn't get too many pictures because he feared his phone would get nicked. We shared a duck baguette for a late afternoon snack. British French street food.


After Borough Market, we made our way to Shakespeare's Globe Theater. Unfortunately, we didn't get in. There was no way for us to see the theater because it was being prepped for a performance, and the last one of the day was sold out. The museum was expensive, and not worth it if we didn't get to see the actual stage. From there, we crossed the millennial bridge, bought a cup of overpriced nuts, and listened to a street performer sing "Hallelujah" out of key. The bridge led straight to St. Paul's cathedral. We couldn't find our way into that one either, but the outside looked nice.



It was about that time that we started to get hungry, so we made it to the nearest open restaurant. This is where the language barrier really became obvious. Kaylea tried to ask for the bathroom, and our waiter looked at us like we were crazy. "Bath... room?... Oh Toilet! Sorry. Yeah. It's over there." We all laughed. After the meal, Aaron got a blank stare when he asked for the check. "Sorry. The chick?" She started looking at our food as if something was wrong. It wasn't until Aaron made the squiggly pen hand gesture, that she smiled and said "Oh! The Bill!" She walked away laughing. We realized just about everyone has been having trouble understanding us. We have to repeat everything we say at least twice. Our first day here, Kaylea asked someone for utensils, and the guy looked at me for help. It was as if she was speaking Japanese. "You know. Fork and Knife?" "Oh yeah!" He leans over the counter to one of his coworkers "Oy! Do we have any utensils?"
So make note for next time you visit:
  1. Check = Bill
  2. Bathroom = Toilet
  3. Line = Queue
  4. Utensils = Utensils (with a brit accent)
After that we had a bit of trouble getting home. We had yet to ride a double-decker bus, so we went to wait at a bus stop instead of riding the tube. After about 10 minutes, our bus showed up, but it wasn't a double-decker! On a whim, we decided to jump on the next double-decker bus, and then get off on any station near an underground station. That next bus drove us in exact opposite of our destination, but we got to sit on the top deck! We rode the bus to the end of it's line, which was near an underground stations. It was rush hour, but we managed to make it home without our personal space being violated. It took about 30 minutes longer than it would've if we had just walked. 

Here are a few random lessons we've learned:
  • Walk on the left
  • M&M's taste better here
  • Be prepared to pay for "public toilets"
  • Breathe with your mouth shut and watch out for cropdusters (not the farming kind).
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Comments

  1. UnknownMay 6, 2015 at 11:12 AM

    Your blog's a great lunch read. Keep having fun and sharing! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMay 6, 2015 at 11:12 AM

    Your blog's a great lunch read. Keep having fun and sharing! :)

    ReplyDelete

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