Blogs from London City, Greater London, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 15

Last weekend, Lindsay and our friend Matt visited London. I had already been to London last summer with the education class and I loved it when I was there. This time was just as great. We went to all the main tourist stops: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, London Eye, and the Tower of London. While I had seen all of these places before, this time I got to go into the Tower of London. It was worth all 18 pounds of admission. Since I have recently been teaching British history, I was fascinated with the various towers and the exhibits within them. Ann Boleyn was held captive there by Henry VIII and the Tower of London is famous for the mysterious disappearance of the young princes Edward and Richard. I am going to ... read more

We went to the Tower of London today. It was impressive, even though in my head I pictured a really tall, skinny tower instead of the thick, square tower with a fortress around it. It was a fun place to visit. There was still snow on the ground, which made the Tower Green very beautiful. The ravens (they were huge) stood out so starkly against the snow. The Crown Jewels were stunning, but I can't imagine having to actually wear them. They must be so heavy. There were so many crowns of different styles and gems. The armory in the White Tower was one of my favorite parts. It was full of entire suits of armor (for men and for horses), weapons of all types, and artillery. There was a suit of armor that was three ... read more

I AM IN LONDON! After train delays and changed plans, I am in one of the most spectacular cities in the world. I arrived just in time to catch a cab to the Criterian Theater to see "The 39 Steps" with Amy Soukup. With 5 minutes to spare, we both checked in our bags and found our seats. The theater was right on the Picaddily Circus and while small, had beautiful architecture and flair. The show was absolutely phenomenal!! It was a comedy based on Alfred Hitchcock's drama, "The 39 Steps." There were only four actors. The main character, Richard, stayed the same the whole time. He looked almost exactly like Cary Elwes from the Princess Bride. The other three kept switching characters by changing their clothes, voices, or poistion on stage. Sometimes they did conversations ... read more

As far as my actual route, here is what my past 26 hrs have looked like: 1/9-16:30 (CA time): left SFO on my flight to London Heathrow. Really bittersweet. Sad to be leaving the people I love back in the states for a while, but excited for the adventures ahead. 1/10-11:00 (London time): With a 10 hour flight, a short delay, and the time change, I lost about half a day, but its OK, I'll get it back. The flight was pretty standard- I sat next to a nice family from London. Everytime thhey spoke I felt like I was in a Geico commercial. This was the first time I flew Virgin Atlantic, and it was nicer than I was anticipating, so that was nice, but I still wasn't able to sleep like I was hoping. ... read more

Good old London. I had two more days left to stay in the UK, unfortunately without getting to meet some of the friends I wanted to meet. However, one of my work colleages from Australia, named Hayden, was visiting London during this time, and I had made arrangements to hang out with him and show him around. We met up at his hotel and I took him on the tubes. While we were trying to purchase an Oyster Card from the machines, a lady who had no need for her daily travel card offered it to us. Well, that works. It's Hayden's lucky day. We first headed to Piccadilly Circus, where we started our little tour, then we headed on to Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace. These were the main two sites we spent time at ... read more