London

Tuesday, 3/18/03
I forgot to mention that when we boarded the Ryan Air plane we didn't go through a tunnel. We ran out onto the runway and climbed up the steps! It was so exciting, just like they do in the movies.

About our London hostel I will only write that it was NASTY! The room was gross, the mattresses sagged, we shared a room with a weird guy who actually lived there, the bathrooms were disgusting, we actually felt dirtier after taking a shower.

"Why am I retarded?" ~Valerie

So, to get back too...last Saturday! We got a rather late start. The "breakfast" they served at the hostel was two disgusting pieces of toast. We did not repeat the honor. The first thing we went to was Kensington Palace. The red brick exterior was nice, but nothing astounding (especially because the front was covered with scaffolding). The tickets cost £7 but it ended up being very worth it. The first part of the tour (audio guides were included in the ticket price) was a detailed look at the clothing of the early 1900s, and how they made things, put them on, etc. Then it went into a display of Queen Elizabeth's dresses, wedding dresses of royal weddings, and Diana's dresses. Those were the best part. Then we went through various rooms used by the nobles previously.

Next we made our way to Buckingham Palace, but just saw the outside. Then we went to the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey, but the Abbey was closed so we determined to come back.

We went next to London Bridge, which was very ordinary (the old one we know as London Bridge is actually in Arizona) but it had great views of the Tower Bridge. We tried to get into the London Tower but weren't going to have enough time to see it all before it closed, so we left.

Since everything was closed and we didn't want to go back tot he hostel, we went to the movies. We were lucky enough to meet some girls on the subway who directed us to a theater that was a little cheaper, being away from central London. We had a magazine we poured through to try to find a place that had movies we all wanted to see. Valerie and Carmen had seen pretty much everything I wanted to, so they went to see The Life of David Gale and I saw Catch Me if You Can.

By the way, the tube system in London is the bomb. It's so efficient. Even when you have to change lines it'll get you to your destination in twenty minutes or less. Once we learned how to use the maps, we went wherever we wanted with our day passes.

The second day, Sunday, we got another late start and went to the British Museum. We feasted that morning on peanut butter and bread. Grocery store food for saving money. But the peanut butter was divine! No PB in Italy.

I loved the British Museum. I realized when we got there that we studied the building in one of my classes. They had a huge Egyptian exhibit, including the Rosetta Stone. Then there was a Parthenon exhibit with all the sculpture from the metopes and friezes of the Parthenon. The Egypt exhibit was so elaborate. There were mummies, and it went through the whole process and purpose of mummification. By the time we got out, we were an hour late to Trafalgar Square for the St. Patrick's Day parade. We sat on the monument and ate bananas and PB sandwiches (mine had Nutella too). We next headed for the Tower of London, but I wanted to see the St. Patrick's festival, so we got sidetracked a while. It was a bit of a disappointment, just a bunch of stands. Finally, after a fiasco in searching for a Tube station, we arrived at the Tower of London.

Wednesday, 3/19/03
What a glorious morning! I'm full of happiness. Today we go to Stirling. But before I go off on how much I love Scotland, I must finish about London.

We got into the Tower of London, which is actually 20 towers. First were some apartments where various royalty had lived, etc. My favorite was the Crown Jewel tower. It described and showcased all the crowns in British history, and their jewels (or copies of their jewels). I regret to say that I really don't remember specifics very well. One thing I do remember is passing through a room where they had a big screen showing the crowning of Queen Elizabeth. That brought tears to my eyes.

When we were on our way to one tower (it might have been the Bloody Tower), Carmen went up to a guard in a stand and said, "Your uniform is too cute. Can I take a picture with you?" It didn't hurt that he also looked like a Leprechaun. He answered, "You can do what you want with me." So I took a picture of them. Then the guard pointed to another guard, one of those in the funny big black hats who doesn't move, and said, "You see that guard over there? He's single. He's looking for a girlfriend. He's seventeen and a half years old." We had a good laugh, and I told Carmen she probably wouldn't be a widow.

The central building was, if I remember correctly, a war museum, lots of artillery. There was one room with a fantastic display of guns, spiraling around pillars, and radiating designs on the walls.

After the tower we, again, had nothing to do because everything was closing. So we went to the cinema again.We found one playing both Daredevil (which I wasn't too excited to see) and Chicago (which I was). We had a little trouble figuring out where it was. After a few Tube delays we weren't sure if we would make it. Then when we got off the Tube we had to catch a bus to the cinema. So we didn't save any money by getting out of central London that time. We got there in the nick of time for Carmen and Valerie to see Daredevil. Afterward they said that Daredevil was really silly, but the kind of film that makes you want to attempt moves from The Matrix.

I liked Chicago, but because of its artistry, not its story. It's hard to identify with shallow murderesses, but you're not supposed to. That was our last night in our hostel Yay! The last night we had to deal with the weirdo that never slept in his room, just came in at 6 in the morning and shuffled around (to take a shower, we supposed), then left. He must have a night job or something. He had a nude poster up, and we turned it around the first night when he wasn't there, but by the next morning he had put it back the way it was. That made me mad, but it's over now.

The las day we went straight to Westminster Abbey, a little upset because it cost £3 to get in. Valerie and I both had money emergencies and had to appeal to our parents. But the abbey, again, was worth it. At first I wasn't sure if I liked it. It was so crammed with sculpture, and noble graves, and the like. But the chapel at the end of the nave (Henry VII's Lady Chapel) was marvelous. It had the most intricate fan vault ceiling, and there was a mirror table in the center of the chapel that reflected the ceiling, making it even more beautiful.

My favorite part was the poet's corner. A few literary figures were buried there, but most of them just had tributes (stone plaques on the walls). There was Shakespeare, Jane Austen, the 3 Bronte sisters, Hardy, James, and a whole slew of poets to name a few. And later, on the other side of the nave, I saw the gravestones of Charles Darwin and Ralph Vaughn Williams!

After the abbey we went across the street and had someone take a picture of the three of us crammed in a phone booth.

We went to St. Paul's Cathedral and when we got off the Tube and were walking there, Carmen and I, sillies that we are, sang "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins. Valerie refused to go in because it cost £5 (one pound is 1.5 dollars). I went in the entrance, one of the side aisles, before you come to the pay desk, and snuck a few pictures of the opposite side aisle. It was being renovated and I suspect that the view of the dome was obstructed anyway.

Our last stop in London was the Covent Garden, which turned out to be a market and not a garden. But I loved it! There was an Asian guy sitting on the street with his keyboard. First he played "Yesterday", my favorite Beatles song. He not only embellished it with tons of runs all over the keyboard, but also was able to give it background chords in the synthesized vocal setting, while the melody was on the piano setting.

Back to the Covent Gardens. As we were leaving we saw two African men, one pounding a drum. The other lit matches, 5 of them, put them on the ground under a limbo stick, and limboed under the stick and over the fire. It was amazing. We skedaddled out of London with no further incident except that at the airport the x-ray read my scissors and so I had to check my backpack in. I couldn't give up my scissors.