We've just gotten back from our trip into London, and I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. I don't know exactly what I was expecting- I think from the general way that London is cried up as this fabulous place I was just expecting it to be like other cities that I've enjoyed, like Bangkok. My real problem is that I've traveled too much to enjoy cities with a fresh perspective. :)
Today we took the hour long train that goes into Kings Cross station, where we discovered that the Tube line which we were planning to take is shut down due to construction (which they call Works here). The alternate line was also shut down. :) So we rearranged our plan to take us to a station near Buckingham Palace, which we mistakenly thought that people could go in and see anytime- actually, it's only open in August when the royal family isn't there. We came just as the guard was changing and marching off down the street, and mistook it for some kind of parade. :) We spent some time looking at the palace, which is very plain looking from the front really, and looking at the different gates, which have the names of members of the Commonwealth on them....Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Malay States....and not unexpectedly the US is not on there. It struck me as a strong reminder of the reasons that our country fought to be free from "Taxation without representation" and all sorts of other things, and that our name won't be on a list like that. Strange thoughts. :)
We walked from there over to see Westminster Abbey, which we didn't realize closed to visitors at 1:45, and on our way there we stopped at this awesome Botanical Art exhibit which was being given by the graduating students of a course in botanical art. The art was amazing- we saw the most lifelike drawings and water colors of flowers and fruit that we'd ever seen. This stop made us too late to go into Westminster, so we decided to wait for the Evensong at 3pm and go for the service, which was beautiful. We met 3 girls there who were from Hong kong who were also C's, and one introduced herself as Almond. She and her 2 friends are in London for a week, and then off to Scotland. How cool to wrshp next to 3 ladies from Hong Kong!
Actually on our way back from Westminster we ran into a giant mob of Chinese people who were coming from a protest they had been making outside the House of Parliament regarding what they felt was unfair representation of China in the BBC media regarding the issues in Tibet recently, and the issues with the Olympic Torch. I wish i'd known they were having a protest, I would have gone and photographed it.
There's been a long term anti Iraq war protest outside the House of Parliament on this giant traffic circle, which is made to look like a park but has no access except by running across traffic. :) Anyway when we were down 4 or 5 months ago there was a very small tent camp in this park, with protest signs up. They are still there believe it or not. Their protest seems to have become just another part of London, and I wonder whether the MPs who exit the gate directly across from the protest even notice it anymore.
We walked to Picadilly Circus, and Trafalgar Square, and saw the famous monuments to Admiral Lord Nelson, the famous British general. We saw the outside of the Canadian embassy, which is on Trafalgar square, and the Uganda embassy, which looks considerably less nice- in fact almost run down. The difference was so striking.
Of course being London it had to rain some. :) But it wasn't bad. The worst of it were the MOBS of tourists everywhere, the mobs of people getting onto the Tube trains, getting off the Tube trains, getting out of the stations, crossing the streets...you get the idea. I don't like crowds, but I do have a crowd face and a crowd plowing technique which I picked up from my dad and which gets me through most crowds easily. :) Pretty much if you pick a path, go straight for it, and look determined, and don't stop to let everyone else go in front of you, you get along just fine, as does everyone else.
We spent some time in Green Park, which is near Buckingham Palace, feeding the amazingly interesting types of birds- strange varieties of geese, ducks, and unknown birds, and we saw HUGE pelicans living in St James' Pond (which is near the palace too). I also took some great photos of very cute grey squirrels taking food right from George's hand.
Anyway we ate dinner in Chinatown, and found a little place for bubble tea, and pretty much everything was closed by then (6pm.) London is not a city that never sleeps. :) There was basically nothing else to do then, so we came back home. I'm so spoiled by Asian cities- I thought there'd be a Night Market in London, like Bangkok has, with some people selling random things, and street food you can buy, and things like that. But I've learned that British people have different schedules than other cultures, which might account for the surprising lack of anything to do (except pay extortion prices to see a show, half of which aren't really very good). So British people get home from work around 6 or 6:30, 7 sometimes depending on how far they commute. They don't eat dinner until 7:30 or 8pm, and it's 9ish by the time they're done. After that they mostly hang out at home, and then go to sleep. No wonder there's nothing to do! :)
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