I got up relatively early and navigated the tube (their homo name for subway) to Trafalgar Square. This is about a 5 minute walk from Buckingham Palace and Big Ben/Parliament. I didn't see the queen's place today, but I plan to go tomorrow. The weather was dreary; grey skis all day with rain off and on. Yesterday, it was bright and sunny, but oddly neither hot nor cold, which meant I couldn't regulate my temperature and spent half the day with my jacket on and the other half holding it.
London is the most alcoholic city in the world. There are two pubs on every street and a third on every corner. You cannot walk more than 20 feet without running into a stumbling English person. The English also believe that drinking alcohol is acceptable at all hours--this morning, on my way to breakfast, I was almost trampled by a drunkard, and yesterday at around 4:00 pm, I saw another depositing the contents of his stomach in the Regents Canal (I am staying in a flat on the canal, fyi).
So, back to today. In Trafalgar square, there was a large black man wearing all spandex from head to toe, dancing in front of the National Gallery. I arrived in the square around 1:00 pm to find him using his hands as a microphone, and lip syncing to music playing in his head; as such, I did not hear him sing and could only watch him dance. I went into the Nat'l Gallery and saw amazing paintings. It was ArtHum all over again. Monet, Leonardo, Velazquez, Rembrandt, Goya, and Van Gogh. My favorites by far were the water lilies by Monet and sunflowers by Van Gogh. I also saw some Picasso sketches. After several hours in the museum, I exited into the square and guess who was there??? The black, lip syncing, homeless, dancer in spandex. He was sweating at this point and repeating the same three dance moves as tourists photographed him. His endurance (2.5+ hours) surprised me, but what surprised me most was his weight. How is he so heavy if this is his gig?
I spent the rest of my day walking from Trafalgar Square, across the river to the south side, and down to London Bridge. I crossed the London Bridge and took a great photo of the Tower bridge (the one that raises up). The south side of the river is basically like South Street Sea Port. There are a bunch of over priced restaurants and shops, dirty water, and street people trying to make a buck. I met this homeless artist from the states who stole a set of oil crayons from another homeless person as he was getting arrested. He lays out these huge sheets and lets tourists from all over the world add to them--it's a twist on the traditional quilt. I wrote: From NYC to London on a great metal bird. Next stop: The World. Cheesy, yes, but it was all I could think of. Then, I gave him 50 pence because I valued the service he provided as such (and I want good karma for my trip).
There is a bridge called the Millennium Bridge that runs across the river. It is pedestrian only and super modern. It drops you off in front of the Tate Museum. I think I'll attach a picture.
I sill have not been able to pay for my ticket to Barcelona--so I'm a bit freaked out about it.
London people are kinda weird. They all have this London look and the black ones speak in funny accents that make you think your watching a movie. The lower class English are my favorite. They have these intensely strange accents that sound very out of place in the city--like a southern accent in NY. They talk about inane stuff like parties they didn't go to and plans they didn't keep. When you listen to them, you would think that all they do is sit around at the pub talking about what they could have been doing when they were getting hammered on cheap beer. Judgement is still pending on the validity of this hypothesis.
Last thing! I went to Starbucks. There was a nice Polish girl behind the counter who got so excited when she heard my American accent and incredibly jealous when I told her I was from NY. She literally could not stop gabbing to me about how much she wants to go there. It was funny. Best part was, she told me which buses to take where. Super helpful.
I spent the rest of my day walking from Trafalgar Square, across the river to the south side, and down to London Bridge. I crossed the London Bridge and took a great photo of the Tower bridge (the one that raises up). The south side of the river is basically like South Street Sea Port. There are a bunch of over priced restaurants and shops, dirty water, and street people trying to make a buck. I met this homeless artist from the states who stole a set of oil crayons from another homeless person as he was getting arrested. He lays out these huge sheets and lets tourists from all over the world add to them--it's a twist on the traditional quilt. I wrote: From NYC to London on a great metal bird. Next stop: The World. Cheesy, yes, but it was all I could think of. Then, I gave him 50 pence because I valued the service he provided as such (and I want good karma for my trip).
There is a bridge called the Millennium Bridge that runs across the river. It is pedestrian only and super modern. It drops you off in front of the Tate Museum. I think I'll attach a picture.
I sill have not been able to pay for my ticket to Barcelona--so I'm a bit freaked out about it.
London people are kinda weird. They all have this London look and the black ones speak in funny accents that make you think your watching a movie. The lower class English are my favorite. They have these intensely strange accents that sound very out of place in the city--like a southern accent in NY. They talk about inane stuff like parties they didn't go to and plans they didn't keep. When you listen to them, you would think that all they do is sit around at the pub talking about what they could have been doing when they were getting hammered on cheap beer. Judgement is still pending on the validity of this hypothesis.
Last thing! I went to Starbucks. There was a nice Polish girl behind the counter who got so excited when she heard my American accent and incredibly jealous when I told her I was from NY. She literally could not stop gabbing to me about how much she wants to go there. It was funny. Best part was, she told me which buses to take where. Super helpful.
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