London!

My ten days in London flew by!  Only thing that went faster was my money (60 euros gone within 2 days on food alone. eek!  By the end, my wallet was empty but for a few pounds!). But it was worth every pence!

Where do I begin?... what I liked about London:
-the brightness of the red double-decker buses and red phone booths.
-the pubs on every corner with names like The Red Lion, The Blind Beggar, or Dirty Ducks, where you could look in and see friends having a pint on dark mahogany tables.  At night there'd be standing room only in some of them and groups of men would overflow onto the street corners to talk while having a smoke.
-The taxis, which are still the old-fashioned cars.
-The "look right" written on the ground of every crosswalk--reminders that have probably saved many a tourist.
- the free museums!  Makes London seem like such a generous place.
- hearing my own language spoken by passer-bys on the street.
-lively Soho-- our hostel was in the middle of what felt like the epicenter of cool, young people--pubs, clubs, and theatres-- if I lived there I'd go to all the musicals!
- fish 'n chips. They tasted like America.  I realized I hadn't tasted ketchup since coming to France.
- the parks, full of daffodils- SPRING!
-the musicians playing at the Piccadilly underground station.
-public bathrooms everywhere I looked. I never needed one, but it was comforting knowing they were there. Again, it makes Londoners seem generous, as opposed to these crazy French.
-the tudor-style buildings popping up here and there. the window-boxes.

I could go on, but here are some pictures!

Parliament- a magnificent building!

 As you can see, I hit a lot of the “must-see” historical sights and saw the public parts of London.  We even went to mass in Westminster Abbey (the only way to avoid the £17 entrance fee). Some of this I did with my two travel companions, Francoise and Josyane, two French ladies from Toulouse.  Most days, however, I sent them off without me since their repertoire was a little too museum-heavy and their pace a little too slow for my taste (I did my share of museums, though, and saw lots of great art, for FREE!). Plus, I had people to see. I spent one day with Erin: we watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham and ate fish and chips!

I also saw Reid, whom I worked with in Alaska all summer.  I met his friends; we went to a couple pubs and clubs (nightlife!) and caught up while rummaging through vintage sales on Brick Lane.  It’s not where you are; it’s who you’re with!

Lots done but lots left to do! Reason to go back some day!