London, England

I left Edinburgh mid-day on a train that took me to King's Cross Station. I was very excited to come into King's Cross Station, for those who know me and what books I like, I need not explain why. But, as I came into the station, I was listening to a certain theme song once again.

I was staying with a friend who lived in London, and he met me at the station. His father gave me a driving tour of some of the main sights in London before we went back to their home. It was so nice to be part of a family again after traveling for a few days on my own, and sleeping in their home was so nice after hostels.

The next morning my friend and I went on a run around Hyde Park. I wish that was something I could do more often, as it is a beautiful place. England really does parks right if you ask me. On the run I saw several things including: the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, Prince Albert Memorial, Speaker's Corner, Marble Arch, Serpentine River, etc. The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain was very unique, not what you would expect from a fountain, more like a circular river, seemed fitting for her legacy to be something unique and beautifully simple.

I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum, which has a wide variety of objects from various periods in history and from various places around the world. I spent most of my time in the British History section, as it seemed the fitting thing to do while in Britain. My friend and I ate lunch in the museum's cafe, which I really recommend as they have a lot of selection and it is all unique and delicious.

Next we went to Harrods just to have a look around. That store truly has everything, even a wax-life-size look-a-like of the owner, which was slightly disconcerting. I felt that one could live in their and have everything one would need: food, clothing, entertainment, etc. It was swarming with people (mostly tourists I assume), but it was nice just to have a look around this world-famous store.

We headed on the tube to Millennium Bridge, which connected us to Tate Modern. This was a truly wonderful museum. We spent time at the "Global Cities" exhibit first. This was a large exhibit (ended on 27 August) that compared various large cities from around the world (Tokyo, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Istanbul, Cairo, Johannesburg, Mumbai) in categories such as Size, Speed, Form, Density, and Diversity. It had videos, physical representations, large photos on walls, and other visual aids to make the comparisons. Many of the statistics were interesting as well relating to the ethnic diversity, growth of economy, access to public transportation, population growth, etc. of the cities.

Next we went to level three which featured "Material Gestures" (post-war European and American paintings) and "Poetry and Dream" (mainly Surrealist works). The audio guides for this floor was great, complete with visual aids on a hand held screen. I really loved this floor because (a) I had recently taken a modern art history class and (b) I love poetry so seeing paintings made to match a poem was very interesting.

We took a walk along the River Thames and saw Cleopatra's Needle, Big Ben (from afar), Covent Gardens, and Leicester Square. After that we had a wonderful dinner at a very authentic French Restaurant. We had a great conversation about how Americans speak English different and use different words, they seemed to find my use of "gnarly" most interesting.

The next morning, my friend, his parents, and I went on a ride on the London Eye. I was happy that I was not the only first-timer, as I did not want to drag them around to do touristy things (his father had not been before either). I am not sure why, but I always imagined the London Eye being a tall tower or something, but in actuality, it is a large Farris wheel with little bubble pods for you to ride in. The view was spectacular! It really gives you a sense of how expansive London is and it makes for great pictures of some of the big sights, especially Big Ben.

There is far too much to do in London in only a day and a half, but I definitely scratched the surface and got a feel for the place. I certainly plan to go back someday.

HIGHLIGHT OF LONDON: Living with a local London family whose kindness to me was overwhelming and cannot be put into words.

1. Millennium Bridge with Tate Modern in the Background

2. Nelson's Column and Trafalgar Square

3. The London Eye and the Bubble Pod of the London Eye


4. View of Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament from the London Eye