1) London is the coolest city on Earth.
2) You can eat cheaply and well (under 5 pounds/meal) if you walk around and find little shops, and they're usually very good.
3) Always have cash on hand for those restaurants in 2). Most places accept credit cards, but they usually have a 10 pound limit on credit card purchases.
4) Always say "tap water" when ordering, or they'll give you a bottle of water that costs money.
5) If you want to see cathedrals and chapels, find when they do Evensong, and you can go in for free and hear choirs sing really well. The only problem is that they don't want you really walking around very much. Otherwise, they charge about 10 pounds just to enter.
6) Everything closes at around 5, so if you need to shop, go early. Pubs, some restaurants, and theaters are really the only things open late.
7) For seeing plays, go the day of about an hour or so early, and you can usually get discounted prices. The only problem is that they may be sold out. If you're dead-set on seeing it, go to Piccadilly Circus and buy from the half-price stores. You can get 40 pound tickets for less than 20.
8) Museums are usually free, but they get you on special exhibitions that cost money.
9) Figure out the Underground. It's easier than it looks, and it's very helpful. Only get Zones 1 and 2 on day or week passes to save money unless your hotel is out in the other zones. Central London has everything to see and most is in Zone 1.
10) When moving your luggage around, try to find the major stations on the Underground that have multiple rail lines to transfer. It may seem like more people, but most often, they have escalators to make carrying luggage much easier.
11) London streets make no sense whatsoever. Always look down at crosswalks, and they tell you which way to look before crossing.
12) London parks are extremely pretty and well-kept. Find time to sit and down and enjoy them.
13) Pubs have good food as well as alcohol. Who knew?
14) You'll never figure out the doors. Just be careful and pull when you think to push and vice-versa. Usually, that's best. Also, note that some places have door releases for whatever reason.
15) CCTV is always watching. Wave hello.
16) Spend more time in the British Museum, less time in the Portrait Gallery and Science Museum.
17) The London Eye is cool to go on at night, but for God's sake, don't leave a bucket of Legos on there. They're extremely paranoid and think you want to blow up London.
18) I felt safe pretty much all the time, but Underground stations always tell you to watch out for your wallet when you enter certain neighborhoods (note: these are usually all big touristy areas. Hmm, a connection maybe?)
19) Trains are expensive, so buy tickets online and make sure to make the appointed time.
20) Gaymer's > Applestone's > Strongbow > Guinness >> all other beers
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Middle Earth and Platform 9 and 3/4
Well, as they say in Britain, everything yesterday "went to shit". It was still fun, and I'll elaborate in a minute. As for today (Saturday), I went and found Platform 9 and 3/4 (Harry Potter stuff). Right now, I'm eating lunch and waiting to meet Matt at the Houses of Parliament. Hopefully, there will be a debate we can see. Later, I'm off to the Globe to see Timon of Athens. I'll come back and pack. Tomorrow, the Underground opens at 7, so I'll get on and take it to King's Cross and then to Heathrow (I scouted it out this morning, and there are no steps!). On to yesterday:
Friday
We woke up early to go to the British Museum. The British Museum may be one the most impressive museums I've ever seen, and I only got to see about a third of it. It's incredibly huge with a lot of stuff in every room. In order to make the play at 2, we only spent about 2 and 1/2 hours there, but we saw the stuff we really wanted to see (Egyptians, Greeks, Romans). We left to go to the play, and after finding the place, they tell us the play is sold out, but it was a children's version anyway (ages 6-11). In summary, we left the coolest museum early to make a play that we couldn't see anyway. Oh well, we walked through Regent's Park and found a place to eat. For a few hours, we walked around, found a bookstore, and sat at a café before we had to meet Matt at 4:30 to go see the play at night. The theater is in Greenwich, and for those who don't know, it takes forever to get there from Central London. Second, no one had a good map of Greenwich, so we had no idea how to get there. So, we got on the Underground, rode it to the DLR (Underground trains?), and got off in North Greenwich (where the paper said to get off). When we finally arrived, someone told us we were a 10 minute bus ride from the place, which makes it a long walk. We decided to take a bus (to where we really didn't know), but we didn't know whether our Travelcards worked (they did thank God). On the bus, we had no idea where to get off. We miraculously picked the right time to get off. We walked to Greenwich Park, and found the Royal Observatory where the play was supposed to be. As the day has gone, the play was cancelled for some reason, so we couldn't see the play. Go figure. Fortunately, the Royal Observatory is also where the Prime Meridian runs through, so we were in the Middle of the World by accident, which was pretty cool. There was a really good view of London from there as well. We decided to go to Batman: the Dark Knight, but we needed dinner first. We found an Indian restaurant (okay) and headed to Central London again. When we arrived at the movie theater, the only available show was for 11:35. First, the Underground stops at 12:30. Second, most people left this morning. Therefore, it wouldn't work, so we headed to a pub across from Big Ben for a few drinks. A nice Scottish man talked to us for awhile, and we left around 10:30. In other words, nothing worked as planned, but it was still a fun day, and as the song in the bar is singing, "You can't always get what you want." Ironic.
Observations:
- A "crackin' set of pins" = nice legs (a man on the Underground said to Becky)
- No one honks. They just roll down their windows and yell obscenities.
Friday
We woke up early to go to the British Museum. The British Museum may be one the most impressive museums I've ever seen, and I only got to see about a third of it. It's incredibly huge with a lot of stuff in every room. In order to make the play at 2, we only spent about 2 and 1/2 hours there, but we saw the stuff we really wanted to see (Egyptians, Greeks, Romans). We left to go to the play, and after finding the place, they tell us the play is sold out, but it was a children's version anyway (ages 6-11). In summary, we left the coolest museum early to make a play that we couldn't see anyway. Oh well, we walked through Regent's Park and found a place to eat. For a few hours, we walked around, found a bookstore, and sat at a café before we had to meet Matt at 4:30 to go see the play at night. The theater is in Greenwich, and for those who don't know, it takes forever to get there from Central London. Second, no one had a good map of Greenwich, so we had no idea how to get there. So, we got on the Underground, rode it to the DLR (Underground trains?), and got off in North Greenwich (where the paper said to get off). When we finally arrived, someone told us we were a 10 minute bus ride from the place, which makes it a long walk. We decided to take a bus (to where we really didn't know), but we didn't know whether our Travelcards worked (they did thank God). On the bus, we had no idea where to get off. We miraculously picked the right time to get off. We walked to Greenwich Park, and found the Royal Observatory where the play was supposed to be. As the day has gone, the play was cancelled for some reason, so we couldn't see the play. Go figure. Fortunately, the Royal Observatory is also where the Prime Meridian runs through, so we were in the Middle of the World by accident, which was pretty cool. There was a really good view of London from there as well. We decided to go to Batman: the Dark Knight, but we needed dinner first. We found an Indian restaurant (okay) and headed to Central London again. When we arrived at the movie theater, the only available show was for 11:35. First, the Underground stops at 12:30. Second, most people left this morning. Therefore, it wouldn't work, so we headed to a pub across from Big Ben for a few drinks. A nice Scottish man talked to us for awhile, and we left around 10:30. In other words, nothing worked as planned, but it was still a fun day, and as the song in the bar is singing, "You can't always get what you want." Ironic.
Observations:
- A "crackin' set of pins" = nice legs (a man on the Underground said to Becky)
- No one honks. They just roll down their windows and yell obscenities.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
2 More Days, 3 More Plays
So, we're back at the Roebuck having a few drinks. Tomorrow, we plan to go to the British Museum, a play of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Greenwich, and a play of The Merchant of Venice. Hopefully, on Saturday, Matt and I will be able to hang out before I leave Sunday, but that night, I have a play of Timon of Athens. Anyway, on to today's adventures:
Thursday
First, we tried to go to Westminster Abbey. However, it costs 10 pounds just to go in, so we decided against that because we have already been in there and no photography is allowed. Then, we tried St. Paul's, and the same thing happened. Theeeen, we tried the Museum of London. That was pretty cool. It talks about London before the Romans, London during the Romans, London during the Middle Ages, and London during the fire of 1666 (note the three sixes). The weird thing is that it neglected London from 1667 to now. Weird. Then, we went to the Globe, and we went on a tour. The acting company was rehearsing for the play Saturday, so I go a sneak peek. Still, I have no idea what it's about. The tour was interesting, but the exhibits below the stage were better. Elizabethan costumes, tools, artifacts, and manuscripts. Then, we headed to the Southwark Playhouse to buy tickets to Romeo and Juliet for tonight. We stopped in a little pub for dinner before the show. The show was bizarre but good. The setting is a 1950's boarding school. Four guys go through their day, and at night, go to the chapel to read the play. They act out all the parts themselves without any girls. At first, they play around, but as the play becomes more serious, they become more serious. It was really good, and the actors were fantastic. We were a bit concerned at the beginning because the playhouse is in a back alley, and the theater looks like a catacomb. Yet, they used it really well. The play was very intimate as the actors literally were in our faces. It was very different but very cool.
Observations:
- British people do not give standing ovations for theater. They clap once, and that's it. No overdone clapping and cheering. Simply, they give 'em a hand.
- I really, really want some air conditioning. I'm coming home and turning the thermostat to about 60 and basking in the glory that is a/c.
- Clothes are beginning to run short (yep, time to turn things inside out -- am I kidding? Who wants to guess?). Mom, have the washer ready.
- People in England have no idea how to walk. If you drive on the left, you should walk on the left. Even if they walked on the right instead, it would be okay. However, they walk on all sides, down the middle, etc. Just choose a side. In America, we drive on the right and walk to the right. Geez. My favorite is that people walk in a group of four, take up the entire sidewalk, and refuse to move so I have to walk out in the middle of the road and get hit by a giant bus.
Thursday
First, we tried to go to Westminster Abbey. However, it costs 10 pounds just to go in, so we decided against that because we have already been in there and no photography is allowed. Then, we tried St. Paul's, and the same thing happened. Theeeen, we tried the Museum of London. That was pretty cool. It talks about London before the Romans, London during the Romans, London during the Middle Ages, and London during the fire of 1666 (note the three sixes). The weird thing is that it neglected London from 1667 to now. Weird. Then, we went to the Globe, and we went on a tour. The acting company was rehearsing for the play Saturday, so I go a sneak peek. Still, I have no idea what it's about. The tour was interesting, but the exhibits below the stage were better. Elizabethan costumes, tools, artifacts, and manuscripts. Then, we headed to the Southwark Playhouse to buy tickets to Romeo and Juliet for tonight. We stopped in a little pub for dinner before the show. The show was bizarre but good. The setting is a 1950's boarding school. Four guys go through their day, and at night, go to the chapel to read the play. They act out all the parts themselves without any girls. At first, they play around, but as the play becomes more serious, they become more serious. It was really good, and the actors were fantastic. We were a bit concerned at the beginning because the playhouse is in a back alley, and the theater looks like a catacomb. Yet, they used it really well. The play was very intimate as the actors literally were in our faces. It was very different but very cool.
Observations:
- British people do not give standing ovations for theater. They clap once, and that's it. No overdone clapping and cheering. Simply, they give 'em a hand.
- I really, really want some air conditioning. I'm coming home and turning the thermostat to about 60 and basking in the glory that is a/c.
- Clothes are beginning to run short (yep, time to turn things inside out -- am I kidding? Who wants to guess?). Mom, have the washer ready.
- People in England have no idea how to walk. If you drive on the left, you should walk on the left. Even if they walked on the right instead, it would be okay. However, they walk on all sides, down the middle, etc. Just choose a side. In America, we drive on the right and walk to the right. Geez. My favorite is that people walk in a group of four, take up the entire sidewalk, and refuse to move so I have to walk out in the middle of the road and get hit by a giant bus.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Who's Exhausted? I Am
Well, after another day of running around museums, I am completely and utterly fatigued. Tomorrow's plan is to keep the British Museum for Friday and find some other things to do instead that require less leg work (good luck he says to himself).
Tuesday
First, we headed to the Globe to try to get tickets again. We couldn't for King Lear, but John J got one for King Lear next week and I got one for Timon of Athens for Saturday when everyone else will be gone. Supposedly, it is a Shakespeare play, but I've never heard of it (as if I've heard of everything Shakespeare). It should be interesting, and at least, it's better than watching something I've seen a thousand times. From there, we went walking on the banks of the Thames. Then, we walked through a commercial that was being filmed (maybe I'll be on TV -- they thought we were hilarious even though all we did was walk through their "stage"). Tower of London was next. It was impressive, yet some things were not as exciting as I'd hoped. White Tower and the ravens were pretty cool, but the bloody tower was disappointing (it was just a room -- no torture instruments, no blood). We walked around there for about two hours or so before we left for Piccadilly Circus. We were going to find a play to watch, but none of them were worth paying 30 lbs. to watch. We found a Chinese buffet for 4.50, and it was pretty good. Then, we headed to the National Galleries. The Portrait Gallery was nice and had quite a bit in it, but when you don't know who half the people are, it isn't very exciting. The National Gallery is more impressive and has much more to see. However, John and I were pretty tired of walking through art galleries, so we didn't pay a whole lot of attention. I did go find the Arnolfini Wedding, which is a slightly unimpressive art work (or at least odd), but it's famous. Therefore, it was cool to see. After that, we went to Westminster Abbey, but it was closed at 3:45. Yet, we could go see Evensong, so we went and saw one awesome cathedral. We may try to go back on Friday to get a tour and see Poet's Corner and so forth. Then, we didn't really know what to do, so we went walking through Green Park and Hyde Park, which are really beautiful. At the end, I was really tired though. For dinner, we found a sushi place called Little Japan. It was pretty good and cheap. Then, we came back to the Roebuck and to bed.
Wednesday
Starting off today, we went to the Natural History Museum. It really is incredible, and you could spend an entire day in there. Instead, we went around to see the dinosaurs, birds, mammals, and reptiles (among some other things). It really was awesome. We found a lot of good stuff, but after two, almost three hours, we had to leave. We are really tired of walking through museums, so we might take a break from that tomorrow. Then, we headed to the Science Museum. Although not as good as NHM, it was pretty cool, and it had a lot in it as well. Yet, most of it didn't really appeal to us, so we left after almost two hours. Kensington Gardens is really close, so we went and I took a nap. It was a perfect day for such a thing. John then had the bright idea to go get tickets to Pygmalion. We bought the tickets (20 pounds for a 50 pound ticket) and went to find a place to eat. We found another little place to eat. However, that restaurant and the one next to it are connected somehow. So, the lady from the other came over and tried to get us to go to her restaurant, which we found a bit odd. We think they are friends though because we ordered from her in his restaurant. The whole thing really makes no sense whatsoever, but it worked out in the end. After, we went to see the play, and it was absolutely fantastic. Who remembers Creedy from V for Vendetta? Well, it was him playing Dr. Higgins, and he was excellent. However, it was a bit odd seeing him in a completely different role, but he did an excellent job. There was no singing, which I think there was in My Fair Lady (the movie made from the play). It was awesome anyway. Definitely worth going to. Now, we're back at the Roebuck, which has become the easy meeting place for all of us.
Observations:
- Restaurants sometimes charge different prices for eating in versus taking away (labor -- or labour -- costs?).
- These stupid doors over here either have handles where you should push or have release buttons. At the bottom of our stairs out of the room, we have to hit the release button, so me being me, I have pretty much ran into the door a few times. I'll figure it out the morning I leave. I just know it.
- "Subway" does not mean Underground. Subway = the way to go under the street to the other side. It has nothing to do with transportation. Oddly enough, I have seen Subways around the subway.
- I'm almost surprised when people speak English. When on the Underground, it seems that everyone is speaking another language. It's pretty cool.
Tuesday
First, we headed to the Globe to try to get tickets again. We couldn't for King Lear, but John J got one for King Lear next week and I got one for Timon of Athens for Saturday when everyone else will be gone. Supposedly, it is a Shakespeare play, but I've never heard of it (as if I've heard of everything Shakespeare). It should be interesting, and at least, it's better than watching something I've seen a thousand times. From there, we went walking on the banks of the Thames. Then, we walked through a commercial that was being filmed (maybe I'll be on TV -- they thought we were hilarious even though all we did was walk through their "stage"). Tower of London was next. It was impressive, yet some things were not as exciting as I'd hoped. White Tower and the ravens were pretty cool, but the bloody tower was disappointing (it was just a room -- no torture instruments, no blood). We walked around there for about two hours or so before we left for Piccadilly Circus. We were going to find a play to watch, but none of them were worth paying 30 lbs. to watch. We found a Chinese buffet for 4.50, and it was pretty good. Then, we headed to the National Galleries. The Portrait Gallery was nice and had quite a bit in it, but when you don't know who half the people are, it isn't very exciting. The National Gallery is more impressive and has much more to see. However, John and I were pretty tired of walking through art galleries, so we didn't pay a whole lot of attention. I did go find the Arnolfini Wedding, which is a slightly unimpressive art work (or at least odd), but it's famous. Therefore, it was cool to see. After that, we went to Westminster Abbey, but it was closed at 3:45. Yet, we could go see Evensong, so we went and saw one awesome cathedral. We may try to go back on Friday to get a tour and see Poet's Corner and so forth. Then, we didn't really know what to do, so we went walking through Green Park and Hyde Park, which are really beautiful. At the end, I was really tired though. For dinner, we found a sushi place called Little Japan. It was pretty good and cheap. Then, we came back to the Roebuck and to bed.
Wednesday
Starting off today, we went to the Natural History Museum. It really is incredible, and you could spend an entire day in there. Instead, we went around to see the dinosaurs, birds, mammals, and reptiles (among some other things). It really was awesome. We found a lot of good stuff, but after two, almost three hours, we had to leave. We are really tired of walking through museums, so we might take a break from that tomorrow. Then, we headed to the Science Museum. Although not as good as NHM, it was pretty cool, and it had a lot in it as well. Yet, most of it didn't really appeal to us, so we left after almost two hours. Kensington Gardens is really close, so we went and I took a nap. It was a perfect day for such a thing. John then had the bright idea to go get tickets to Pygmalion. We bought the tickets (20 pounds for a 50 pound ticket) and went to find a place to eat. We found another little place to eat. However, that restaurant and the one next to it are connected somehow. So, the lady from the other came over and tried to get us to go to her restaurant, which we found a bit odd. We think they are friends though because we ordered from her in his restaurant. The whole thing really makes no sense whatsoever, but it worked out in the end. After, we went to see the play, and it was absolutely fantastic. Who remembers Creedy from V for Vendetta? Well, it was him playing Dr. Higgins, and he was excellent. However, it was a bit odd seeing him in a completely different role, but he did an excellent job. There was no singing, which I think there was in My Fair Lady (the movie made from the play). It was awesome anyway. Definitely worth going to. Now, we're back at the Roebuck, which has become the easy meeting place for all of us.
Observations:
- Restaurants sometimes charge different prices for eating in versus taking away (labor -- or labour -- costs?).
- These stupid doors over here either have handles where you should push or have release buttons. At the bottom of our stairs out of the room, we have to hit the release button, so me being me, I have pretty much ran into the door a few times. I'll figure it out the morning I leave. I just know it.
- "Subway" does not mean Underground. Subway = the way to go under the street to the other side. It has nothing to do with transportation. Oddly enough, I have seen Subways around the subway.
- I'm almost surprised when people speak English. When on the Underground, it seems that everyone is speaking another language. It's pretty cool.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Pictures (Around London)
St. James Park (I forgot, we went there, too. Beautiful place.)
Buckingham Palace (nothing important here).
Big Ben (really cool)
I can't stop taking pictures of it.
People playing Mozart. They were incredible.
Tates and a Midnight Bus
Well, my feet are really tired and hurting, but it's a good hurt. I guess I shall not waste too much of your reading, so here's yesterday and today:
Sunday
We decided to sleep in, so we didn't leave until 11 (at least we got some sleep to get recharged). From there, we met Ashley and Matt at Westminster to go to lunch. We ate at an American-Italian restaurant called Little Frankie's. It is complete with 60's music and milkshakes in metal cups. I still find it funny to find American restaurants because I feel like we've stolen our food from other countries, but I digress. Then, we walked around and saw St. Martin's and st. Paul's. At Saint Paul's (an amazing cathedral), we saw Evensong, but when the organ played, we couldn't hear the choir (which was unfortunate). From there, we said our goodbyes to Ashley as she left this morning to go back to Australia (and we're down to three). We came back to get our jackets and rest. We headed to a little hole-in-the-wall place, and I got some lasagna. Then, we walked around Picadilly Circus, and we found a bunch of stores and places to buy tickets for performances (by the way, it seems as though they have turned every movie created into a musical -- even Tony Blair's reign as Prime Minister). We think we'll find a play for tomorrow night. Unfortunately, Picadilly Circus wasn't much other than shops, so we decided to go to the London Eye. London at night from the Eye is absolutely amazing. I took some pictures, but I'm not sure how they came out. But seriously, it was really cool (although 15 pounds was a bit expensive for it -- oh well, you only live once right?). Then, we decided to walk down the Thames. We found a group playing Mozart (3 violins and a cello) under a walkway, so we sat down for awhile to listen. Then, we walked down some more, but we realized that we should probably go back considering it was around 11. We found Vauxhall Station, but the Victoria line was shut down for the weekend. As a replacement, we rode a double-decker bus to the next station. It was pretty cool, but I almost face planted into the front window on the second tier. When we came back, we went to bed.
Monday
We woke up a little late again, but we still got quite a bit done. First, we went to the Globe to find tickets for King Lear, but they were sold-out (we'll try to get in the replacement line to see if we can't find someone who can't use theirs -- a legal form of scalping it seems). Then, we headed to the Tate Modern and walked around for a couple hours. I really don't see the point in abstract art, but I think I gained a better appreciation for it. Some things like Jackson Pollack's work was really cool and interesting, but when they just put colored blocks on canvas or paint a room white, I am not impressed. Call me traditional, but I like to know at what I'm looking. From there, we took a boat up the Thames to the Tate Britain (it wasn't as exciting as we hoped), and we found some lunch at another little café. Then, we went into the Tate Britain, which is less impressive than Tate Modern, but it still has a lot artwork from famous British artists. Best of all, both were free. Then, we met Matt for dinner. We went to a place called Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. It is one of the oldest pubs/restaurants in London. The "restaurant" was full, but the bar downstairs had seats. So we went downstairs, and we felt like we literally travelled all the way back to the 1700's. It was pretty cool and really dark. To top it all off, they had casks of Amontillado, which freaked us out a bit. It was still really cool, and we felt like we were in a real English pub. We ate quickly and headed over to the Jack the Ripper tour. It was pretty cool, and the guide was really interesting. Overall, he killed lots of people and ripped their guts out. I took some pictures of the places he killed people (that sounded worse than I meant it to). After walking around all day, we were pretty tired, so I'm sitting down writing this blog and having a beer. Tomorrow, we are going to head to the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, the National Gallery, and then to a play. That is the plan at least.
Observations:
- The British Parliament and Big Ben are the coolest buildings in London. Hands down, no dispute.
- I now understand the currency and don't have to look for the numbers on the back of the coins to know what they represent. Yes, and with a couple days to spare. I'm an idiot.
Sunday
We decided to sleep in, so we didn't leave until 11 (at least we got some sleep to get recharged). From there, we met Ashley and Matt at Westminster to go to lunch. We ate at an American-Italian restaurant called Little Frankie's. It is complete with 60's music and milkshakes in metal cups. I still find it funny to find American restaurants because I feel like we've stolen our food from other countries, but I digress. Then, we walked around and saw St. Martin's and st. Paul's. At Saint Paul's (an amazing cathedral), we saw Evensong, but when the organ played, we couldn't hear the choir (which was unfortunate). From there, we said our goodbyes to Ashley as she left this morning to go back to Australia (and we're down to three). We came back to get our jackets and rest. We headed to a little hole-in-the-wall place, and I got some lasagna. Then, we walked around Picadilly Circus, and we found a bunch of stores and places to buy tickets for performances (by the way, it seems as though they have turned every movie created into a musical -- even Tony Blair's reign as Prime Minister). We think we'll find a play for tomorrow night. Unfortunately, Picadilly Circus wasn't much other than shops, so we decided to go to the London Eye. London at night from the Eye is absolutely amazing. I took some pictures, but I'm not sure how they came out. But seriously, it was really cool (although 15 pounds was a bit expensive for it -- oh well, you only live once right?). Then, we decided to walk down the Thames. We found a group playing Mozart (3 violins and a cello) under a walkway, so we sat down for awhile to listen. Then, we walked down some more, but we realized that we should probably go back considering it was around 11. We found Vauxhall Station, but the Victoria line was shut down for the weekend. As a replacement, we rode a double-decker bus to the next station. It was pretty cool, but I almost face planted into the front window on the second tier. When we came back, we went to bed.
Monday
We woke up a little late again, but we still got quite a bit done. First, we went to the Globe to find tickets for King Lear, but they were sold-out (we'll try to get in the replacement line to see if we can't find someone who can't use theirs -- a legal form of scalping it seems). Then, we headed to the Tate Modern and walked around for a couple hours. I really don't see the point in abstract art, but I think I gained a better appreciation for it. Some things like Jackson Pollack's work was really cool and interesting, but when they just put colored blocks on canvas or paint a room white, I am not impressed. Call me traditional, but I like to know at what I'm looking. From there, we took a boat up the Thames to the Tate Britain (it wasn't as exciting as we hoped), and we found some lunch at another little café. Then, we went into the Tate Britain, which is less impressive than Tate Modern, but it still has a lot artwork from famous British artists. Best of all, both were free. Then, we met Matt for dinner. We went to a place called Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. It is one of the oldest pubs/restaurants in London. The "restaurant" was full, but the bar downstairs had seats. So we went downstairs, and we felt like we literally travelled all the way back to the 1700's. It was pretty cool and really dark. To top it all off, they had casks of Amontillado, which freaked us out a bit. It was still really cool, and we felt like we were in a real English pub. We ate quickly and headed over to the Jack the Ripper tour. It was pretty cool, and the guide was really interesting. Overall, he killed lots of people and ripped their guts out. I took some pictures of the places he killed people (that sounded worse than I meant it to). After walking around all day, we were pretty tired, so I'm sitting down writing this blog and having a beer. Tomorrow, we are going to head to the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, the National Gallery, and then to a play. That is the plan at least.
Observations:
- The British Parliament and Big Ben are the coolest buildings in London. Hands down, no dispute.
- I now understand the currency and don't have to look for the numbers on the back of the coins to know what they represent. Yes, and with a couple days to spare. I'm an idiot.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Pictures (London at Night)
The London Eye (and a really good picture of John J)
The Parliament Building
Parliament and Big Ben
A little bit closer and without Westminster Bridge
Tower Bridge (really cool)
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