London Day 1

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Day 1 in London is in the books! And what an exciting day!

Not only was the weather beautiful - but we were able to get in quite a bit in just the first day!

After getting settled with our great hosts Brian and Emily Bower, Amy and I set out for downtown London to take a bus tour of the city. To get down there, we had our first experience on the London Tube (ie the subway/metro). The system is more like the NYC subway than the DC Metro.

In London, we took “The Original Tour Bus” to get a 3 hour view of the city! Many of the pictures we put online were from this Tour. As part of the tout, they take you on a boat ride up the Thames River to get a different view of the city!

It was also so fun to see how many Patriots fan are in town from the States! Amy and I ran into a bunch who were also doing the same we were - using the football game as an excuse to come out here, and then take in the sites before and after the game!

We ended the day with a nice dinner with our hosts in Fulham. They brought us to one of the nice pubs here that I was forced to get Fish and Chips just so I can cross it off the list of things I had to do while out here! Needless to say, the fried food… was… interesting!

So a few London observations from day 1:

Why must everyone dress like a hipster when walking around London? At first I just thought it was a few people - but before long, it seemed like the Salvation Army has an outlet store out here. Granted, I may not have the most fashion sense with my frequent use of the addidas sweatpants, but this is where I draw the line!

The number of monuments is getting out of control! Does London really need a monument for everything???
The traffic out here is crazy. It doesn’t help that the roads are ridiculous narrow, and it seems like more than half of the intersections are round abouts as opposed to street lights!

Does Harrods really need to be that big? For those who like department stores - this is your type of place. But in all seriousness, the place is just too darn large. I just don’t get it. But I guess that’s where all the cool people shop - hence why I saw at a bunch of Patriots players walking around there!

The Parliament building is one of the most impressive buildings I have ever seen. It kind of reminds me of the US Capital building - in that the building itself seems out of place because it is so large and impressive.
In short - this is quite the town!

On the agenda for today:

Amy and I are off to the Tower of London - we hope to get in a long tour of the inside of this impressive building! Pictures to come for sure.

Then - Amy, Brian and Emily and I are off to Stafford Bridge, to watch the Premier League Soccer match between Chelsea and Blackburn!
After the game - we are meeting up my law school friends who are out here now, Nick and Theresa Cook to

go to a big Patriots party being thrown by the UK Patriots Fan Club. Rumor has it, Robert Kraft, the Patriots owner is going to be on hand!

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Photos

Help for the Americans
One of the difficult parts of being an American in London... the traffic is out of control! Aside from the cab drivers, motor bikes, and buses showing a disregard for human life - it does not help that they are all driving on the wrong side of the road! (at least in my own mind). So they Dept. of Transportation here provide some helpful signage to us silly Americans

London Eye
The Eye of London! This ride was built 10 years ago with the idea that it would last only about 5 years on part time basis. Now, they say, it has turned into such a money machine, they have to keep it around! (We havent decided yet if we are going to stand in line for that yet)

One of many... monuments
Now - I am all about remembering history... in fact, I think it is an important thing to do. That said... the people have London have found it necessary to have a monument for EVERYTHING! You simply can not go a city block without seeing an homage to someone or something! For example... does London really need a monument of Abraham Lincoln?

Shakespeare Theatre
Here is a replica of the Shakespeare Theatre, as seen from a boat ride on the Thames River.

St. Pauls Cathedral
A picture outside St. Paul's cathedral! This famous cathedral is where Princess Di and Prince Charles were married at.

The original hard rock!
The original Hard Rock Cafe. I had no idea that the original one was set up by 2 Americans, while in London. Oddly enough - I would say at least half of the pop culture news here in London is from America.

Tim, Amy, and the Patriots!
What a coincidence! We had to go visit the Harrods Department store. Amy and I walked around for about 45 minutes or so until 2 amazing encounters! First, I literally ran into a good friend from College who was also browsing this ridiculously sized store. Perhaps that encounter was meant to be - as after talking to Erin for about 15 minutes, Amy and I turned around and ran into 4 players of the New England Patriots! To Tim's right is reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Jarod Mayo, and the enormous man to Amy's left if the $35 million man himself, outside linebacker Adalius Thomas.

Tim with Dorothy and Dorothy
Dont ask me why... But the Harrods department store found it necessary to have an entire section devoted to rub red slippers. To help bolster sales... lets dress up the salespeople up as Dorothy! (I get the feeling I am not the first person to ask for a picture... )