old london towne

 

London comes in two parts because I'm too lazy to edit more than eight or ten pictures at once.  I've started to get this hipster editing thing down though.  Obv you have to decrease contrast and saturation a tad, but I've found the magic really starts to happen when you pair a warmer temp with a slight green tint.  DON'T YOU APPRECIATE MY HIPSTER EDITING TIPS???   I put a lot of work into figuring that out.  Other hipsters keep their techniques under wraps like they're trade secrets or something.  And lets face it--they basically are.  I think I just lost some street cred.

Anyway, these are from day 2 in London.  I actually managed to sleep in until 2 that day.  I am an idiot basically.  I arrived around around noon on day 1 and went to the British Museum which was super close to my hostel, wandered up Tottenham Court Road (hp!), found Oxford Circus, and bought a pretty canvas/leather bag at Topman.  It is almost exactly the bag I imagined for myself weeks ago but could never find.  Its just that the canvas on this one is olive instead of beige but I can deal because it's the right shade of leather and it fits all my stuff.  Day 2 I found Trafalgar Square and some of the other centrally located government type stuff.  ^^This is Edgar at the London Eye.  We did not ride it because it costs money.  We hoped that we were standing near the spot where Rose and the Doctor realized the Eye was transmitting to the plastic.

 

Phonebox/Big Ben from the Abbey side.  I didn't go into Westminster Abbey either because that costs money too.  Also, 'Big Ben' is actually the name of the bell inside the clock tower, not the tower itself, but you probably already learned that in second grade and just forgot.

Seeing Parliament from across the Thames made me feel like Mary-Kate and Ashley in Winning London.  They are the only real reason I considered doing a river cruise, but I still wasn't willing to fork out.  Basically, my entire London trip was just a fandom explosion.

I also wandered into St. James Park where the squirrels are exceptionally fearless and will climb into your lap if you kneel down to try to photograph them.  There was an ACTUAL SQUIRREL on my ACTUAL KNEE you guys.  Actually there were two, but then I started to worry about rabies so I stood up.  These were the cutest, fattest squirrels ever.  The park was right behind the cabinet war rooms where Amy Pond met Winston Churchill.  You had to pay to go in there too so I didn't.

I probably missed out on some good stuff for being so stingy, but I will go back soon when my pockets are a little looser.  I mean, I got stopped and ask for directions twice, so I obv fit in and look like I belong.  Also, I got hit on by a French man leading a big bus tour that he couldn't convince me to pay for.  He also couldn't convince me to meet him later for drinks ("What happens in London stays in London.")  Maybe if you were 20 years younger Michel.  And if your name were actually Michelle.