We've been in London for three days now. The first was mostly spent resting. We arrived six hours later than planned, completely exhausted after staying up all night. I don't really care much for long plane rides, but its so worth it.
We're staying with Lisa's sister and her husband in a nice dorm at the London School of Economics. The neighborhood is great. Its within walking distance of most significant sights.
We started yesterday by walking across the Thames river and visiting a few markets, then going to a pub to see the America Algeria World Cup soccer match. I'm not really into soccer, but it was good to see everyone so happy. Apparently both the United States and England won games yesterday. People were excited. While the rest of the crew stayed in the pub I slipped out and went to the National Gallery around the corner. It was a labyrinth of rooms with paintings. I think it would take days to see everything in there. I had about an hour and had no problem getting lost in there.
This morning we went to the famous Tower of London, home to many kings and prisoners alike. Construction began in 1057. Most of it was completed during the following 200 years. It didn't look that old, but it was way cool none the less. Highlights included the crown jewels, an exhibit on torture, and old medieval armor and weapons. It would have taken more than a day to see everything that was in there. We stayed for about three hours.
This afternoon we broke out of "tourist" London and went to a neighborhood called Brick Lane in the city's East end. It was quite a change. Brick Lane reminded me a little of what Manhattan's Lower East Side was like 15 years ago before the yuppies took over. It was a gritty, mostly immigrant neighborhood sprinkled with hipsters and consignment shops. We walked around allot, had some coffee, and bought some cool clothes. If I was going to move here, it would be a good choice, full of coffee houses and cheap ethnic restaurants.
Crossing the Thames:
Trafalgar Square:
National Gallery:
Covenant Gardens Market
Tower Bridge:
Entering the Tower of London:
Edward II's bedroom:
Crown Jewel House.... I was reprimanded for taking a picture in here:
Sir Walter Raleigh's prison quarters.... not too bad:
Torture.... The Rack:
Old armor:
Heading to Brick Road:
Street Art:
This was my favorite:
A cool coffee shop with a framed Burqua:
Natalie, Me, Lisa, and Gillee:
East end neighborhood:
