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London
By Samantha Brown on June 9, 2008 9:59 PM | Permalink | 20 Comments
Day 1
This will be my first trip back to Europe after doing "Passport to Latin America." After spending two years traveling throughout Europe, I had gotten very good at shaking off jet lag. My body just acclimated immediately to a five- or six-hour time difference. But after having spent a year in Latin America, where the time difference averages two hours, I am completely out of time-change shape. I'm so exhausted that at night, I can't sleep. Our call time is 7 a.m., which means makeup at 5:30, which means wake-up call at 4:30 a.m. I am staring at a clock that says it's 3:30 a.m., and I can't believe that I have to get up in an hour. The reason for the early call is that it's the only time St. Paul's Cathedral will let us shoot their view (a view, by the way, that takes 430 steps to get to). By the end of that scene at 12 p.m., I'm absolutely exhausted. Having jet lag really goes against all feelings of love for a place. You certainly understand why sleep deprivation is a popular form of torture. Your body feels like cement, your face a surreal clock in a Salvador Dali painting, and your eyeballs are cold while the sockets themselves have a tingling heat, so that every blink is a painful pins-and-needles type of experience. It's the worst. Especially when some little part of you, deep down inside, past all the major organs and the circulatory system, is not suffering from jet lag and is thrilled to be in London. I think that must be my appendix.
The opening of the London show takes place at Paddington Station. In all my times to London (four now ), I've never been, and I'm really looking forward to it. My favorite story and toy for about five years of my young life was Paddington Bear. In the story, the little Bear sits on his traveling case with a tag on him that reads simply "Please take care of this Bear." The Brown family finds him and takes him home, and I was convinced that I was related to this family.
Day 2
It's 8:30 a.m. Feeling a little better. Got a solid night's sleep, and I'm feeling like my normal self. Borough Market with Juliet Clarke fabulous place and the food all looked incredible. It's the perfect place to pick up fast food with panache and sustenance. While there, a young man -- American or Canadian, either way, no accident -- approaches me and says, "Your shoes are killer!" I asked him if he meant they LOOKED like they were killing my feet or if he actually liked them? His girlfriend is really into shoes, he tells me, and he is beginning to appreciate them himself. Jet lag hits me and, thankfully, even though the restaurant is called Pizza Express, it's anything but. This makes what could be a 45-minute lunch a blissful hour and a half. I go out to our van to catch as much sleep as I can before my salad arrives. As I'm lying in our white van, parked somewhat illegally on a pedestrian-only street, the driver, Chazz, tells me that since I'm here, he'll go get lunch himself. "Sure," I say, but after he leaves I realize you can't see me in the van. What is more suspicious in London these days than a strange white van? I imagine that I'm going to wake up surrounded by police in hazmat suits with the entire street cordoned off and guns drawn. This macabre thought actually puts me to sleep.
Day 3
David Womersley, our producer, jokingly tells me that Camden is one of those places so not conscious of itself that people wear trash bags and don't give a crap. Sure enough, as we begin to shoot on the roof, we spot a woman dancing around wearing a pink trash bag. Turns out she was getting her hair colored a bright fuchsia, and that was her protective cap. Never got into the Punk or Goth scene when I was in junior high, but the kids that did wanted to beat me up. I really do like a lot of what I see and, honestly, love incorporating skulls into my wardrobe.
We have Vietnamese food and I stupidly order Kung Pao Chicken, which I enjoyed immensely in China. When it comes out, it's a bright neon orange, it's brighter than the color of Tang. I take a few bites. The owner, a lovely woman, is enamored of Christina's scent, which turns out to be hand sanitizer. She's never seen such a thing in its little plastic squirt bottle and mimics that she wants to put it all over her body.
Day 4
What a joy this was. I look at my old collection of London tour guides, and none of them have this in there, because the Ceremony of the Keys has been going on every day since 1340. We are in an area where the average Joe is not permitted, so when I tell the guard on duty with a big smile that I'm with the crew, he snaps back at me with a, "I know you are, that's why I'm letting you in, you see, I have this job because I'm smart."
Wow, who knew that my acknowledgement that he IS the guard at the gate that I need to pass through would be inferred as such an insult. As I stand there, I hear Christina come through and, after her polite greeting, get the same talk down. We both laugh at the fact that he must have to say that a lot, as he has it quite down. It's really sad to see a man with PMS.
The ceremony takes three hours to shoot, but it was an amazing experience being in the Tower of London at night with no one around. Andy tells me that there are indeed ghosts and he has had three experiences with them. One was so awful that he, who's been in three wars, was never so scared as when he heard one of the ghosts clawing at his door.
20 Comments
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Ugh, I totally understand the jet lag. My college basketball team went to London a few years back. (A real selling point in my recrutement) My coach told me to stay awake 24 hours prior to the flight. That way I would sleep on the plane and hit the ground running in London. What he didn't tell me was that I would be sandwiched between two annoyingly large men on the long flight there and wouldn't be able to sleep. I don't remember "hitting the ground running". It was like being drunk, I think I finally crashed at dinner. I remember thinking, geez, I'm sleeping at a the dinner table, my mom would kill me if she saw me...thanks for the great blogs, I can't wait to see this episode!!!
Does anyone remember the name of the hotel where Sam stayed in London? I'm looking for a place to stay when I go there myself. Thanks!
Heading for London in five weeks so the show was great! Only have two days before the cruise - added your locations to the GPS. We do have to leave our Samantha (grand-daughter) behind, though....
I really enjoyed the episode, especially as it made me feel less crazy about the short (3-4 day) trips that I sometimes make over to London. I'm right there with you -- no matter how tired I am, I'm still thrilled when I have the chance to be back there. It was great to see some of my favorite places to visit featured (St. Pauls, the Tower, and the Tate Modern), and I'll have to make it to Borough Market on a future trip. The cheese sandwich alone looked to die for.
I never would have thought to take an (extended) weekend trip to London. But then again, the Brits do long weedkend trips to NYC, so no difference really. It is actually much eaiser to adjust your internal clocks going backwards with time change rather than forward (so Brits probably find this easier). Travelling to London and the accompanying jet lag is always rough for at least a day. There is one other option, take the a daytime flight that arrives in the evening in London. This way, you're just up later than everyone, but can start the following day fresh as a daisy! I may need to try the weekend trip thing though...
HELP! What is the name and address of the Indian restaurant in the London episode! The name of it was left out of the listing of stops along the way--and off the map. I've just seen the episode and my mouth is already watering!
I believe the hotel to be the Ashford, although I cannot find it listed anywhere on this site! Please post if you can confirm because it looked great. My last London hotel was not close enough to the Tube!! I know better now! Great show...wish we could come with you Samantha!
I just returned from a Maymester trip to London, and it was wonderful. I had to go to all the places Sam went to, including all the hotels she has stayed at. I absolutely love Sam's Europe travels, but my favorite is still London. There are so many places to see that it would take months to see it all. It would be the highlight of my life to travel with Sam.
Sounds like fun. I always enjoy visiting London, though my recent trips to Vietnam have been wonderful as well, though in a more relaxing, less touristy way :)
Don't just love London?! I love it! Just wondering, does Samantha need an assistant? I would love to work for her.
What was the name of that Indian Restaurant in the London Weekend Getaways show? I'm headed there in two weeks and need it NOW!!!
What was the name of the Indian Restaurant in the London episode!! Looks very good! Thanks
What is the name of the hotel you stayed? You always stay in great looking places. Hope not too expensive. Thx
wondering if someone remembers the name of the shop that only sells British foods...? help, please.
great show. Thanks, Samantha.
I was watching the re-run of the London episode this week, and was enamored with the honeymoon drink sold at A. Gold Deli. I was wondering what the bottle is called?
The hotel is the Ashburn.
I know just how you feel. I used to live in London and had to go back and forth to the states often. I deliberately planned my flights around trying to avoid jet lag. Here are some things I did which really helped. I hope they help you as well!
First I only flew on flights that left during the day. That way, I often got in to London just when it was time to go to bed. I would take a long hot bath when I got there and got a good night's sleep.
Second -- DON't drink alcohol on the plane. It not only will enhance the effects of sleep deprivation, but it dries out your skin big time.
Third - drink LOTS of water - you will really feel better for it.
Fourth - get in to the time zone you're visiting as soon as possible.
Fifth - HAVE FUN!
I'm right there with you -- no matter how tired I am, I'm still thrilled when I have the chance to be back there.
hi I love the show where you went to London the only two things i want to know are first what was the name of the store where they sold British foods and what was the name of the place where they had all of the gothic and alternative clothing. I am going to England in April of 2010 and was wondering where these places were so i can find them when i go out there. Thanks. Michelle
I believe the hotel is the Athenaeum in
Mayfair