As I noted in the last post, we got in pretty late the night before. We woke up at 9:30 to grab some free breakfast. Then we went back to sleep! We woke up at 2:30 and took showers. Showers are always nice! Then rushed off to meet for the free tour of London.
The tour stared off near Green Park. It was just one large group, but it was managable. We walked through and talked about Green Park and then walked on to Buckingham Palace. The Queen was not at home that day, sadly. Otherwise Charles and I would have stopped in and had crumpets and tea with her. She and I are on a first name basis, you see. Wot wot! The Palace looked nice, but we couldn’t see too much. The garden out front was pretty though. Apparently, quite a few people have managed to break into the ground or palace, which made me want to try it. Mayhaps another time. It’d just be fun to do!
We walked along then to see some of the palace guards. That’s right; the ones who wear those silly hats. They were very serious about those mammals which must have been crouching on their heads. The area wrapped off, woefully, so neither Charles nor I had the chance to pester the guards and see if they didn’t budge, as rumored. From there we walked to the house of one of a King’s mistress and then along Pall Mall, which is one of the most expensive streets in London. Carp like that doesn’t impress me, so I didn’t think too much of the area.
Onward we walked, now on to Trafalger Square! This is where the British like to party… for just about anything. The square is pretty awesome. A large statue of Horatio Nelson stands in the middle. He was a bad-ass naval commander, before he was shot by a sniper. Apparently, after you get sniped, you tend to die. And that’s what Horatio Nelson did: died. If you couldn’t tell, I’m feeling a bit funny today. Not in a physical way, but a mental way. I’M SO WACKY! Also in the square are a few fountains with statues spewing water, and a few gargantuan lion statues at the base of Mr. Nelson’s statue. There are four plinths in each of the corners of the square and one has been turned into an art project. Let me clarify that just a bit: a living art project. For an hour at a time, a UK resident is on the top of the plinth. They can do whatever they like for the hour, as long as it’s not illegal. This project lasts for several months, and the plinth is occupied 24/7, even in incliment weather. The guy up there when we passed by was talking to some folks and taking pictures. Not anything too exciting.
From there we walked to an archway, which, for some reason unknown to anyone, had a bronze nose in one of the columns. One of those great little things spotted by the guide that not even locals notice. We walked across some street and into a courtyard. There a naval head quarters sat. It is also where some military guys parade on occasion. In the 2012 Olympics, it’ll be the location of sand volleyball. Right on the other side of the clearing is the house of the Prime Minister. It’s painted black because the folks in charge of renevations were too cheap to clean the soot and dirt from it. The quickest fix was to just paint it black and say it’s tradition. Across the street from that is Hyde Park, which used to be the home of the royal menagerie, before it was relocated to the area that is now the London Zoo.
Then we walked along and saw Tower Clock (whose bell is called Big Ben)! We walked around the corner and came across a bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln. Yeah, I had to do a double take too. I have no idea what a statue of ol’ Abe is doing in London, but I have pictures! Then we saw Westminster Abbey. By the way, Westminster Abbey is a fantastic building. It’s been the place of corronations for centuries, and has awesome architecture. The low-yet-wide stance of the large doorway is quite intimidating.
And right across the street from Westminster Abbey are the Houses of Parliment. I think this gothic building is my favorite building ever. On one end is the Tower Clock, and the rest of the building has some other, smaller towers, and really intricate stone masonry. The color is perfect and the whole thing is just regal. I love this building! The Belfry in Bruges was damned awesome, but the Houses of Parliment take the cake! On some steps near the Houses, our guide told us the story of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Treason and Plot. “Remember, remember, the fifth of November.” Yeah, that poem you head in V for Vendetta is real, and has a history to it! I’m very glad Parliment wasn’t blown up, or else I wouldn’t have much to look at there!
Once the tour ended, we grabbed some food at the corner Tesco store and ate it there. We walked around a bit more, and got to see the London Eye, but it soon started to rain. Chuck recorded a get-well video for his Grandmother, and then we headed back. We rode the tube back but had to do so in a round-about way because one of the lines was shut down for a signal failure. Signal failures seem to be a pretty common thing there, because we heard about several in our 5 days there. So we got back to the hostel and then I proceeded to write the day 25 blog adn the drafts for 26 and this 27th blog. I also uploaded some photos. Looked into doing laundry but they didn’t have soap there to use.
I was nearing the end of Hyperion and would need another book for the rest of the time there as well as the flight home, so Chuck and I devised a plan to find *some* bookstore and buy *some* book. Chuck’d headed to bed a while before I finished writing and uploading, but I followed suit not too long after.