London – Londres
On Wednesday, March 23 at 12:10 am our plane took off for the United Kingdom. I slept for nearly the entire trip, and we arrived in 11:00 am in London. As our plane to Edinburgh was not scheduled to leave until 20:55, we decided to explore the city for a few hours before we had to return to the airport. Douglas had never been there and I had not been there for twenty years. Our first stop was the Café Below. It is in the crypt of the St. Mary-Le-Bow Church.
El miércoles 23 de marzo a las doce y diez de la noche nuestro avión despegó para el Reino Unido. Dormí por casi el vuelo entero y llegamos en Londres a las once de la mañana. Como nuestro vuelo a Edimburgo estaba para las 20:55 decidimos explorar la ciudad por unas horas antes de volver al aeropuerto. Douglas nunca había estado allí y yo no había estado por veinte años. Nuestra primera parada fue el Café Below. Está en una cripta de la iglesia St. Mary-Le-Bow.
Douglas sampled a couple of beers and had a rarebit sandwich. Luckily, I was able to point out his error before he ordered the rabbit sandwich. I had no idea what rarebit was, but I was pretty sure that it was not rabbit. Turns out that rarebit is a cheese sandwich plus. We found out why Douglas liked it so much when we found out that the cheese sauce had beer in it. He did enjoy it, but undoubtedly he would have been disappointed were he expecting meat. I had tea and an appetizer.
Douglas probó unas cervezas y un sándwich de <<rarebit>>. Por suerte, yo pude enseñarle su error antes de que pidió un sándwich de conejo o <<rabbit>> en inglés. No tenía idea de qué era <<rarebit>> pero estaba segura de que no era conejo. Resulta que <<rarebit>> es un sándwich de queso más… Nos dimos cuenta porque le gustó tanto cuando supimos que la salsa de queso que usan contiene cerveza. Lo disfrutó, pero indudablemente no le habría gustado si hubiera estado esperando carne. Yo comí un bocado y tomé té.
Afterwards, we visited the church itself. It was pretty much what you would expect from a church, pretty but not unusual. I did like the big candlestick.
Después visitamos la iglesia. Fue lo que uno esperaría de una iglesia, bonita pero no extraordinaria. Sí me gustó el candelero grande.
There was a small market in the plaza in front of the church as well as a statue of Capitan John Smith. Apparently, he was a parishioner of the church.
Había un mercado pequeño en la plaza enfrente de la iglesia y también una estatua del Capitán John Smith. Aparentamente fue feligrés de la iglesia.
From there we walked back to the subway. Douglas somehow refrained from having a pint with the businessmen on the corner. The subway trains are all open in London so you can see all the way down the train. At least the one that we were on was that way. I enjoyed watching the school children.
De allí caminamos al metro y Douglas se abstuvo de tomar un trago con los hombres de negocio en la esquina. Los trenes de metro en Londres están abiertos y se puede ver por todo el tren o al menos así era el tren en el cual nos montamos nosotros. Me gustó ver a los niños en sus uniformes escolares.
We got out in front of the Tower of London, but we walked around a little bit before going there.
Salimos de la estación de la Torre de Londres, pero caminamos un poco antes de entrar.
London has changed so much since the last time I was there. All of these modern glass buildings are new.
Londres ha cambiado muchísimo desde la última vez que estuve allí. Todos los edificios de vidrio son nuevos.
I was excited to finally visit the Tower of London. The last time I was in that fair city I was a poor college student, and I did not have the money to go there. I have regretted not putting it on a credit card ever since. Finally, I got my chance.
Yo estaba emocionada para visitar la Torre de Londres por fin. La última vez que estaba en esa bella ciudad era una estudiante universitaria pobre y no tenía la plata para entrar. He arrepentido no cobrarlo en una tarjeta de crédito desde luego, pero por fin tenía mi oportunidad.
The Tower was worth the visit. It is expensive at 25£ a person, but I was glad that we splurged. Walking in we were startled to see this hand behind glass.
La Torre valía la pena. Las entradas son caras a 25£ por persona, pero estaba feliz de que gastamos la plata. Entrando nos asustó esta mano detrás de vidrio.
We were also shocked by the ravens. We walked in and Douglas announced, “Those aren’t birds. Those are dogs with feathers!” They were huge, and they are permanently housed at the Tower. It is the Yeoman Warders’ duty to take care of them. The Yeoman Warders are the Tower of London guards, also known as Beefeaters. Our favorite was this big guy that was playing with a stick much like the dog Douglas had compared him to earlier. Shortly after that he walked under this bench and scared the crap out of the girl that was sitting on it. He strutted around as though he himself was a Beefeater.
También nos sorprendieron los cuervos. Entramos y Douglas anunció, <<Esos no son pájaros; ¡son perros con plumas!>> Eran enormes y se albergan para siempre en la Torre. Es el deber de los alabarderos de la Torre cuidarlos. Los alabarderos son los guardias de la Torre de Londres que también se conocen como los <<Beefeaters>>. Nuestro favorito era este grande que jugaba con un palo como el perro con el cual Douglas le había comparado antes. Un poco después caminó por debajo de este banco y asustó a la muchacha que se sentaba allí. Él se pavoneaba como si fuera un alabardero él mismo.
I enjoyed the chicken wire statues imitating the animals that used to inhabit the Tower. It was startling how realistic these could look while made from such a humble material. I am waiting for Douglas to make me a monkey out of chicken wire for our front lawn.
Disfruté de las estatuas de malla de alambre imitando a los animales que antes habitaban la Torre. Fue increíble que tan realistas eran hechas de un material tan sencillo. Estoy esperando que Douglas me haga un mono de malla de alambre para el jardín de enfrente.
The carvings in the walls were also impressive to me. I guess if you are a prisoner, you do not have much else to do than scratch on the walls. Some of the carvings were true works of art and are protected behind Plexiglas.
Los tallados en las paredes me eran impresionantes. Supongo que si uno es prisionero no tiene más nada que hacer menos arañar las paredes. Algunos de los tallados eran verdaderas obras de arte y son protegidos por Plexiglás.
The Yeoman Warders actually live on the premises. That sounds rather dismal, but they seemed to have nice accommodations. I would not mind living in one of these apartments in the Tower of London.
Los alabarderos actualmente viven en el local. Suena abismal, pero parecen tener unas viviendas lindas. No me molestaría vivir en unos de estos apartamentos en la Torre de Londres.
Douglas considered signing up, but in the end he decided that athletic training is a better career choice since the Yeomen Warders cannot wear shorts.
Douglas consideró apuntarse, pero al final decidió que prefiere su profesión porque los alabarderos no pueden llevar pantalones cortos.
Although the Tower has not been used as a royal residence much since the 17th Century, there are rooms that are set up as they were thought to be at the time.
Aunque la Torre no se ha usado como residencia real desde el siglo XVII, hay unos cuartos que se arreglaron como se piensa que eran entonces.
While we were there Douglas was attacked by phantom guards. Luckily, I was able to steal the weapon of an unobservant soldier and defend my husband’s life. We are thankful to have escaped with our lives.
Mientras allí unos guardias fantasmas atacaron a Douglas. Por suerte pude robarle el arma a un soldado distraído y salvarle la vida a mi esposo querido. Damos las gracias por escapar con nuestras vidas.
This building houses the royal jewels. I am glad that we were not at the Tower in the summer. We did not have to wait in any lines to view the gems. Honestly, it made me a little sick to see them, and I was not at all impressed. I hated the thought that those stones came from colonies where the people were basically enslaved to provide stolen riches for foreign royalty. I have this problem any time I travel to Europe, and to be honest I feel it at times in the States as well.
Este edificio alberga las joyas reales. Estoy feliz de que no estuvimos en la Torre durante el verano. No tuvimos que esperar en ninguna cola para ver las joyas. Honestamente, me enfermó un poco verlas, y no me impresionaron para nada. Odio la idea de que esas piedras eran de las colonias donde las personas básicamente se esclavizaron para mantener la realeza extranjera con sus riquezas robadas. Tengo el mismo problema cada vez que visito cualquier país de Europa, y para ser honesta, lo siento a veces en los Estados Unidos también.
The White Tower is the building that gives the entire complex its name. It is probably the building that I enjoyed the most.
La Torre Blanca da el nombre al complejo completo. Fue el edificio que más me gustó.
I am glad that I live in the modern age where our toilets consist of more than a simple hole in the outer wall of a building.
Agradezco haber nacido en la edad moderna donde los excusados consisten de más de un simple agujero en la pared exterior de un edificio.
The armor and weapons collections were impressive.
Las coleccciones de armaduras y armas eran impresionantes.
The torture devices were intimidating. Another reason to appreciate living in the modern age, when it is not acceptable in society to use such implements.
Los mecanismos de tortura intimidaban. Otra razón para apreciar la vida moderna, cuando no es aceptable en la sociedad usar semejantes instrumentos.
If you are planning a trip to the Tower, I suggest that you train by climbing a lot of stairs. I routinely go up and down flights of stairs at work, but it was still exhausting.
Si está planeando un viaje a la Torre, sugiero que entrena por subir muchas escaleras. Yo subo y bajo las escaleras todo el día en el trabajo, pero aún me cansaban todas las escaleras.
These are only a few, ok not that few, pictures of the hundreds that I took that day. I will spare you the rest but highly recommend that you visit the Tower yourself one day. Don’t be like me and wait twenty years!
Estas son unas pocas, bueno no tan pocas, de los miles de fotos que tomé ese día. Para no aburrirle demasiado no le mostraré todas, pero recomiendo que visite algún día. ¡No siga mi ejemplo y espere veinte años!
From the Tower we walked to Tower Bridge. It is only a short jaunt. Last time I was in London, I went to the Tower Bridge Exhibition. I enjoyed it despite the fact that it did not have the glass floor attraction at that time.
De la Torre caminamos al Puente de la Torre. Es sólo un paso de la Torre. La última vez que estaba en Londres fui a la exhibición del Puente de la Torre. Me gustó a pesar de que no tenía la atracción del piso de vidrio en esa época.
We walked halfway across the bridge and then walked back.
Caminamos al centro del Puente y después volvimos.
Just after leaving the bridge I remembered that I had a bottle of wine from the plane that we needed to drink before going back through airport security. Unsure of the open container laws in London, I hid it in a glove to drink on our walk back to the underground station. I’m nothing if not sophisticated.
Después de salir del puente me di cuenta de que todavía tenía una botellita de vino del avión que tenía que terminar antes de pasar por la seguridad del aeropuerto. Sin saber las leyes de los contenedores abiertos de Londres, la escondí en un guante por el camino de vuelta al metro. No soy nada sino sofisticada.
Before entering the metro, I admired this statue of a construction worker on the job. I appreciated the juxtaposition of his presence in front of a real construction site.
Enfrente de la entrada del metro, vi esta estatua de un obrero en su trabajo. Me gustó la yuxtaposición de su presencia enfrente de un sitio en construcción de verdad.
That evening was a bit stressful as we went to the wrong terminal at Heathrow and had a lot of extra walking while exhausted. I admit that I was a bit cranky, but we made it through security in time to have a proper dinner before boarding the plane to Edinburgh. We got in after ten, but Taylor was there to meet us and accompany us back to our hotel.
Esa tarde fue un poco estresante porque fuimos al terminal del aeropuerto equivocado y tuvimos que caminar mucho más de lo necesario y yo ya estaba muerta de cansancio. Admito que me quejaba un poco, pero pasamos por la seguridad con tiempo suficiente para cenar antes de abordar el avión a Edimburgo. Llegamos después de las diez, pero nuestra sobrina Taylor estaba allí para darnos la bienvenida y acompañarnos al hotel.
Since I referenced my first visit to London several times, I thought it only fair to show you a picture of me during that stay. You have to excuse the 1996 baggy jeans and oversized sweater. I think that was the style at the time. I was surprised to see that I have almost an identical haircut.
Como he hecho unas referencias a mi primera visita a Londres varias veces, pensaba que sería bueno mostrarles una foto mía de entonces. Tiene que excusar los bluyines enormes de 1996 y el suéter super grande para combinar. Pienso que era el estilo de los años 90. Me sorprendió ver que tengo un corte de pelo casi idéntico.
Also, you can see how much London has changed compared to this picture of my then boyfriend, Jason. There was a lot less glass back in the 90’s.
También pueden ver cuánto ha cambiado Londres comparado con esta foto de mi novio de entonces, Jason. Había mucho menos vidrio en el pasado.
Happy Travels!
¡Bien viaje!
Loved this post, Jessica. Do think Douglas would look rather good in one of those frock coats though, don’t you?:) Enjoy the rest of your trip and the I hope the sun shines for you at least some of the time.
I would love to see him in that uniform. 🙂 We did not see much of the sun on that trip, but it is out here now!
a cafe in a crypt!!! omg! i need to go there someday. that is the awesomest thing i’ve heard all year. i didn’t know what rarebit was either… i can’t believe how big that raven playing with the stick is! the bench really puts it in perspective. love the chicken wire animals. pretty impressive, especially the monkeys. great pictures jessica!!! i have never been to the tower, when i was in london in ’98, the line was so incredibly long just to get into the tower that i gave up. i’ve always regretted it!
I am so glad that we were able to go, but I must admit that I probably would have skipped a long line as well. That is one of the biggest reasons that I like to travel in the off season even though it is usually cold and my pictures don’t look as nice because the trees are not green.
smart idea with the glove, that’s funny. i love that cellar restaurant, and why on earth would that NOT be a rabbit sandwich, it certainly sounds like it!!
b
And why would you call a cheese sandwich a rarebit sandwich, anyway?
It was so nice seeing all your pictures of the Tower of London!
I’m glad you enjoyed them.