"I have a stupid question about rugby."

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I said to the bartender tonight, after watching a match on ESPN.

"Of course you do," he said, "you're American."

Which is the kind of anti-American joke I appreciate. It's funny, it's not mean-spirited (after this, he did answer my question), and I had walked right into it. I won't say it fits us, because I was friends with plenty of people on the women's rugby team at Hamilton (undergrad), so I know plenty of Americans who understand the game. Still, funny. The kind of culture-banter I appreciate. Even though I'm American and we don't understand sarcasm (see what I did there?).

Anyway...

Twice now I've landed in London at night, and both times the pilot has circled directly over the city before going into Heathrow. Maybe there's some complicated pilot-reason why they need to loop around, and the direction of the wind requires them to circle directly over central London. But I remain convinced that pilots simply want to show off. Or see it for themselves.

Because London at night, from above, is spectacular. I would know. I've seen it twice.

I like this city well enough, but in the end it's just too big for me. It's fun to visit and spend a couple days here now and again, but as far as living somewhere, I prefer my cities small and walkable, like Newcastle.

I could probably say something very similar about New York City and Boston - in fact I'm sure I have.

I know that in my London entry last year , I meantioned that I've done the touristy thing before, so I didn't visit many of the major sights today.

Also, the friend I stayed with last year has moved out of the country, so I'm in a hostel this time. I'm near Kensington, which is a nice area with lots of artsy shops and fancy cafes and pretty white architecture.



And the Natural History Museum, which is kind of pretty. Also free.



So I went inside. On the ground floor was a dinosaur statue that lit up and flashed your name (or whatever you typed on the keypad) if you donated money. So THAT'S is why admission was free...



Yeah I know.

A plaque posed the question: "Why have animals like this managed to survive natural selection?" and I laughed because I have been asking that question for years. Turns out the males don't usually live that long (shockingly, they get eaten a lot), but as long as they manage to mate with a peahen before it happens, evolutionary-wise they're doing pretty well. Keeping in mind that peahens are colored and built more practically, as in to actually hide and run away from predators. Anyway...



The exhibit on geology and the history of the Earth. Pretty cool, if a bit dramatic at times.

And this:



...is a dinosaur chess set. In the shop. £175 but such a great idea.

After the museum, I took the Underground to the other side of the city, to check out an old church near the Tower of London called All Hallows by the Tower.



A lot of the inside is original medieval, or even earlier. Very cool.





A bit of Roman road, preserved in the crypt of the church. That white area in the middle is suspected to be the edge of a house.



This was also on display in the crypt museum. I have no idea what it is, which is why I took a picture.

Suggestions?



Then I figured, while I'm here...

I didn't go in. Too expensive. It's a really pretty area though, and not nearly as croweded as I expected.



When I took this picture, I was expecting to caption it with a quip like "The Tower of London was built back when lions still roamed the English countryside." But then I read the plaque and found out that lions were traditionally kept in a managerie as a symbol of power and to frighten people who tried to sneak into the castle.

Toss the intruder a bit of raw steak and let the lions out. That's comic book villainy right there.



And this is why I have to keep my camera ABSOLUTELY STILL when I take a picture. Ugh. I was so ready to be proud of this, too. I love the Tower Bridge... actually did a 3-D jigsaw puzzle on it back in the day.



I have no idea what this is, or more accurately, what it's going to be.



The South Bank at sunset. The colors looked much prettier in person.



I like my hostel quite a bit. It's called the "White Ferry Inn". It has free wifi (hence the blog entry now and not when I get back to my flat in Newcastle) and free breakfast. It's really close to 3 tube stops (Sloane Square, Victoria, Pimlico) and walking distance (if you're okay with a mile or so) from Kensington or Westminster. The hostel is above a pub, which doesn't do a ton of food but all guests get one half-price drink voucher and the staff are really friendly.

The catch is that the rooms have tons of people in 3-tier bunk beds, but to me having all of the other stuff for this cheap is worth it. Also, I think there are smaller and single-gender rooms for people who are willing to pay a few pounds more. I'll proabably stay here again next time I'm in the city.

Tomorrow I get on the train at King's Cross and go back to my school, which fills me with a geeky glee and I will be really excited if my train leaves from Platform 9 or 10 (or anywhere in between...)

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Comments

[Millie]

Wonderful Pictures!
Enjoyed your blog--Hope you will have more to share. You are doing what I've always dreamed of--even if Platform 9 3/4 didn't show up!

[anonymous]

The mysterious object is either a sundial or a genie lamp. This entry somehow got sent to my spam folder, sorry! Glad you enjoyed London!

[Kristen]

kristen
forgot my name in that last comment!