'Round Town, Part I

Hey, everyone! I just returned from an extremely long--but fantastic!--tour of London. After orientation this afternoon, we were given several tours to choose from. Naturally, I picked the tour entitled "Sovereigns and Suffragettes," which focused on women's history in London. 

First things first, though. Before the tours began, a few students and I got lunch, and I had my first meal of fish and chips! We went to a pub called the Thirsty Bear. 

 

Apparently, pubs in the UK have you order electronically. You choose your meal from the iPod attached to the table. You can even solicit your waiter by pressing the "assistance" button. We found it a bit sexist as the image for "needed assistance" was a woman. That annoyance aside, I have to be honest; the fish in this meal was the best I have ever eaten, even surpassing seafood at the beach (in America).

 

After lunch, we had a little time to kill, so we took turns taking the obligatory phone booth pictures. Pay phones are a dime a dozen here, which feels so strange to an American.

 

I also had to take some photos from the street where we are living. I have not completely adjusted to the left-side-of-the-road thing yet, and it is hard, but important, to remember to look RIGHT before crossing the street.

 

   

We are right by Waterloo Station, which you reach by walking just past the IMAX theater. Yesterday, when I was exhausted from my flight, I told the security guy I had been awake since 4 o'clock in the morning yesterday, was starving, and wearing glorified sweat pants. "Do you know where I can find a Burger King or McDonald's?" I asked him. His responded, "Have you seen 24?" "Not for years," I said. "Well," he told me, " the new series is out. It's brilliant--brilliant. This season they were trying to bomb Waterloo Station. I couldn't believe it!" The man was very nice and drew me a map. I got my McDonald's and later took a nap. Here are pictures of Waterloo Station, which really is right by our dorm.

 

A few more shots of the area.

  

The Tour

Waterloo Bridge

Okay, now we get to the good stuff! The tour began at Waterloo Bridge, a place I shot from afar yesterday. Today we got a good look at it close up. I also took a few more shots from across the River Thames. 

 

 

 

We then scooted through the river walk park to cross the bridge. There were quite a few interesting people and displays in the area, which is also adjacent to the British Film Institute (BFI). The BFI was having a book sale, which I strolled through later (and left empty-handed, unfortunately). 

 

While on the bridge, we were able to see Parliament Square and Big Ben! The view from the bridge is magnificent, truly. 

 

 

 

 

As we neared the end of the bridge and came closer upon Parliament Square, our excitement rose. Everyone was getting more and more thrilled, the enthusiasm palpable. The tour guide had to stop a few times because so many of us were taking pictures, myself included. And...here he is, Big Ben!

 

Unfortunately, to get a tour of Big Ben, you either have to be a student from the UK or related to someone in the UK. In other words, getting into Big Ben is akin to getting Masters tickets. 

Once we reached Parliament Square, I kind of went wild with the pictures. The architecture is so ornate and dignified. The brick is of a tan color and laced with elaborate twists of iron, the top level of the iron encrusted in bronze. We could not really go inside, but it was cool to stand where amid the hustle and bustle of the British government!

 

 

 

 

 Statues abound in Parliament Square. Here is Churchill, Richard the Lionhearted, and Cromwell. The Cromwell photo, as you can see, is behind bars. I had trouble taking a picture of it, so I held my camera on the other side of the gate. Somehow, I managed to take my picture and pull my hand out quickly; a cop was walking toward me looking perturbed! Whew! Missed that one! Also, is it just me, or does this statue make Churchill look like Mr. Potter? There are a few street views, too. 

 

 

 

 

  

Next, we went to the Women of World War II monument, which featured draped clothing around a black stone. This was supposed to symbolize the various contributions women made to the war, including construction, nursing, and even serving in the war. I took some shots of the street just to capture the feel of London. There were some interesting people in costumes passing by, and I had to document them, too. 

  

 

 

There was another war monument in the middle of the street, and, along with more street shots, I managed to get a few pictures of it as we passed by. 

 

  

  

 

Whew! This is a lot for one day! We're just getting started, though! I'll post part 2 very soon, but for now I need a break. More to come....