Part 2: London

My blogging performance has been weak as of late, and I apologize for that. I need to make sure I keep the posting up, as I expect I'll be looking back on this blog in the years to come. Where did I leave off? I think it's time to tell you all a bit about my trip to London. When we left our hero, he was departing Dublin en route to London for three days of sightseeing and shenanigans.

Our London hostel was conveniently located right on the edge of Hyde Park. On our first full day there, we walked through the park and headed to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. If you haven't seen the changing of the guard, there's no rush. It typically happens at around 11:30 a.m., but if you don't get there at at least 10:45, there is no way you'll be able to see. It's unbelievable how many people come out to see the change. I felt like I was at a concert or something, except I could neither hear nor see the main act. So we left and instead made our way to the Picadilly Circus area and walked around, ducking into shops and cafés and getting a sense for the city. It was mostly nice just to wander around and immerse ourselves in the culture.

Yours truly in front of Buckingham Palace

The highlight of the London trip was the second full day, during which we bought a London City Pass and went to what seemed like every tourist attraction in the city. My feet, legs, knees, and lower back have never been in so much pain from walking. The London City Pass was 47 pounds, and granted us entry to almost all the major attractions. We were even able to skip the long lines and walk right into the building! That day alone we went to Westminster Abbey, Saint Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the Tate Modern Art Museum and the Churchill War Rooms. These were all truly amazing.

Something funny to add about the Tower of London. We got a tour from a classic Beefeater, who was very funny. We then walked around the castle grounds ourself, and at one point came across a throng of people in neon vests and walkie talkies. As we got closer we could see what looked like a film crew. Turns out they were filming the sequel to last year's Muppets movie -- at the Tower of London. As I looked closer I could see there, getting her dress fixed, behind a curtain: Miss Piggy! Yes, the one and only. And I saw her, in the flesh. Well I guess really in the foam. But you know what I mean. Yes, my only celebrity sighting in London was a puppet.

Saint Paul's Cathedral

Westminster Abbey was incredible -- think about the history behind that building. All the coronations, the funerals, plus the famous thinks and writers and politicians who are buried there. Really an unbelievable place. But, I liked the aesthetics of St. Paul's Cathedral more. It's domed ceiling reminded me of the U.S. Capitol building, and the frescoes on the interior are very ornate. I think my favorite site of that day was the Imperial War Museum, which houses the Churchill War Rooms. The War Rooms are the underground bunker that housed the UK military headquarters during World War Two. Churchill basically ran the British offensive from an office under London. The War Rooms are perfectly preserved as they were when the war ended, and you can walk through and see the bunker as if the soldiers had just left yesterday.

A wax Winston Churchill in his private
 phone room, calling President Roosevelt.

Churchill's wife, Clementine's, room.

I think one of the most amazing parts of both London and Dublin was the intricacy of the architecture. You can see this more in London than Dublin. The churches, castles, towers, and other historic buildings are incredibly adorned with decorative walls, corners, columns, overhangs, and whatever else I don't know the name of. Every single square inch seems to have taken hours to complete. And this isn't only on the front of the building, or around the door or something -- no, this is all around, even in the back alleys behind the buildings where the peasants undoubtedly did their business. I just kept thinking that if I was an 11th or 12th century architect, I would probably just say "Oh screw it, no one is going to look back there anyway" and just leave the back walls as blank stone. I guess that's why I'm a political science major, we're good at putting on a facade.

Me, sleeping, in front of Big Ben

On our third and fourth days in London, we basically wrapped up our visit and saw anything we hadn't seen already. We went on the London Eye (overpriced and overrated, but I suppose worth it) and met up with one of my friends from Dickinson who lives in London. He showed me a couple cool pubs and we caught up on the old times. Day four we left London, and had an easy commute back to Toulouse. It's a direct flight from Gatwick to Toulouse, thankfully.

Wrong Queen's Guardsman?

Overall my whirlwind tour through Dublin and London was really fun. I liked Dublin because of the people, and I liked London because of the history. I think if I had to go back to one, I'd choose Dublin. Maybe it's the family roots there? Who knows. Remember to check out my Flickr account, it has all of the pictures from my trip on there! There are many more where these came from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajtoole/

London, from the London Eye