mary-kate and ashley were here.

OK, so my entire time in London was spent obsessing over Winning London, Doctor Who, and
Harry Potter.  I also went to Fleet Street since Catherine loves Sweeney Todd so much.

Edgar at London Bridge.  We did not cross for fear of its falling down.

I tried to make my pictures of the Tower Bridge look really ominous slash Victorian.  Edgar has trouble looking ominous because he's just so darn cute.  I also really like him because he fits just in my hand.  The Tower of London was a ridiculously long walk from my hostel, but I couldn't really figure out the underground as it is slightly different from the DC metro.

These are the outer gates to the tower complex.  It would have cost almost £20 to go inside, so I just wandered the perimeter and learned some of its history from the info signs posted around.  Actually I should say read some of its history rather than learned because all I can really remember is that there used to be a moat where that grass is and the king(s) kept a menagerie of exotic animals inside to further deter enemies until it became impractical and they were all moved to the zoo.  The polar bear was allowed to swim in the Thames on a long leash to catch fish.

Edgar on the Thames!!  I actually don't know if the public is allowed access to the banks, but I happened upon a set of steps leading down so down I went.

One of the things I like most about London is how accommodating it is to difference.  Well, some of these things apply to all of England, like how the money is all different shapes and sizes so the blind can tell how much they're handing over.  And they paint at all the crosswalks to tell you which way to look for oncoming traffic.  The most helpful bit was that all around the city they have these maps of the surrounding area with circles showing 5 min walk and 15 min walk distances and all the major buildings and things are marked.  Every so often I'd be able to check I was going the right way and I was able to find a lot of things I wouldn't have otherwise like Tottenham Court Road.  There isn't anything like that in New York.

Oh, I also went to the Tate Modern and crossed Millennium Bridge to get there.  Some of you will remember it being destroyed by death eaters.  I was wary the entire crossing.

Cheers!


PS I still haven't asked anyone specifically about the word 'cheers,' but so far I've noted it to mean hello, goodbye, and thanks.

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.