Howdy folks! Casey again, back with another update! I just wanted to let you know I have returned from my vacation to London and am continuing my work on The Hidden Tomb of Hircine mod I’m making for Skyrim. A few weeks back, I completed the first level of the mod, Golgan’s Lair, and started planning what the next level is going to look like. Today’s the day I start placing it out concretely into the Creation Kit! Stay tuned to my Twitch and YouTube channels to follow along as I build the next level, The Ruins of Mortrag!
However, I thought I’d tell you guys about my trip and show off some cool photos! (Shown at the bottom of this post) London truly is a magnificent city and the vacation was one I’ll remember for the rest of my life. From the extremely friendly locals to the popular and loaded pubs, London does an amazing job at bringing in and catering to tourists. In total, I spent about four days in London and there was never a dull moment.
First things first, it is so easy to travel around London. We mostly used the Underground Train system but, in reality, that’s all you really need to get around (that is, if you don’t run into any delays or cancellations). When we had an issue with the Underground, we had options from Ubers to Taxis which all take contactless card payments. Even getting onto the train was easy. No buying metro cards or tickets, you can just tap your credit card and walk through. I’m very thankful with how easy it was to get around London.
On Thursday, we landed at the airport around 12:00 PM which, yes, is technically halfway through the day, but we did so much after we arrived to try and make up for it. After settling into the AirBnB, we took the train over to Westminster and took in all the touristy sights. We saw The Clock Tower (i.e. Big Ben), the Eye of London, Parliament, and even the outside of Westminster Abbey. We couldn’t go inside because, coincidentally, the coronation of King Charles III was taking place just a couple days later. While we were taking in the sights, we stopped at The Red Lion and Sherlock Holmes pubs in Westminster and really took in the local culture and the ales. Once we finished walking around, we boarded a small ship on the River Thames for a very nice dinner cruise. Going along the river, eating dinner, and listening to good music really settled and helped us decompress for the rest of our trip.
On Friday, we hopped back onto the train and headed over to Richmond, which was probably made most popular from the Apple TV Series, “Ted Lasso”. I’ll be honest, if I were English and were rich, I would live in Richmond. Not only is it insanely beautiful with all of the botanical gardens and parks, but the cute shops and pubs make it feel cozy. Not only that, but it’s where I had the best Fish & Chips of my life. We even got to see the area from Ted Lasso right outside his apartment where Ted and Coach sit and chat on the park bench. After Richmond, we took a small walk through the beautiful Kew Gardens. We saw so many different plants and trees from around the world as well as adorable wildlife. After Kew Gardens, we took a cab back to Westminster where we met up with our awesome Pub Tour Guide, Tom! After meeting with Tom, he took us to five pubs, all with different styles and crafts, and gave us a very detailed tour with fun facts about each location. This was probably my favorite part of the whole trip. After the tour, we capped off the night with dinner at The Golden Dragon in Chinatown.
On Saturday, we stayed in for a couple hours and watched the coronation on TV, which was happening just a few miles away from us! Afterwards, we took the train over to Tottenham and watched the Tottenham Hotspurs beat Crystal Palace in football (or soccer in the U.S.) one to zero. It was such a cool environment to be a part of. The stadium was very clean, up-to-date, and very lively as we got to watch the home team win. After the game, we had dinner at a pub near Kensington then got some dessert to take back to the AirBnB where we could unwind.
Sunday, which was our last full day in London, started off with Brunch at The Shard which is by the London Bridge. It was a very fancy brunch with deliciously soft pancakes and roast that was cooked to perfection. After brunch, we took a long walk across London Bridge, along the River Thames and got a guided tour of the Tower of London. I was very impressed by the history and preservation taken to show off the near-thousand year history of the structure. Once we finished at the Tower of London, we crossed the iconic Tower Bridge and took “The Queen’s Walk” on the other side of the River back to the London Bridge. Once we returned, we rested up at a local pub and made our way back onto the train to head over to The O2 Center where we got to be a part of Mamma Mia The Party at Nikos’ Taverna. Having a three course dinner alongside singing and dancing to Mamma Mia was quite the experience and I loved every second, even if it was mostly to indulge my significant other’s desires. After the party, we capped off the night with a cheers and drinks to a wonderful trip at one last pub in The O2.
London was a trip I’ll never forget and have already decided to return one day. The food, the people, and the environment are all very welcoming and amazing. Coming back, I feel refreshed and re-motivated to get back to pursuing my dream of being a Game Designer at Bethesda Game Studios! May and June will be very busy, packed full of streaming days where I’m building the level but also preparing for my grand move out of Grand Rapids! Capping off June will be another (hopefully) unforgettable trip to Paris, France where I will once again refresh and recharge to come back better than ever to finish The Hidden Tomb of Hircine by the time Starfield releases.
Again, don’t forget to stay tuned to my Twitch and YouTube to know when I go live with more modding! I’m excited to get back to it and I’ll see you all there!
Nuclear Swords 