





What a wonderful weekend in London it's been!
I got a chance to spend the weekend doing all the things in London I'd wanted to do since I got here, which is great because I'll be traveling for the next 3 weekends in a row. A lot of my friends were in Greece, so I spent most of the weekend on my own, which I didn't mind at all. It was nice to just explore, listen to my ipod, read my book, and get in some quality me time.
I started the weekend off on Friday by spending the day in Hampstead. Set high on a hill just north of central London, I had heard that Hampstead was a quaint sort of suburb (although technically part of London) with a beautiful heath and stunning views of the city. It did not disappoint. I got off the tube and traveled almost 200 feet up to street level (Hampstead is the deepest underground station) where I stepped out onto a cozy little street in the center of town. I walked for a while, not really knowing or caring where I was headed, and ended up in a residential area. Looking around, I fell in love with the neighborhood, and decided that if I ever live in London, this would be where I'd settle. Sadly, I later learned that it's one of the most expensive places in the world to live, and contains more millionaires than any other part of London. Of course I would fall in love with the most expensive place in the world. C'est la vie.
I soon found myself in the famous Hampstead Heath, a HUGE forested park with several lakes, paved and dirt paths, hidden meadows, and spectacular city views. I got lost on purpose, and wandered around, breathing in the fresh air and utterly enjoying the fall leaves tumbling to the ground around me. I even found another Buckeye! There were a ton of them on the ground in this little grove I found by accident. They keep calling to me! I got a delicious crepe for lunch and ate it on Parliament Hill, famous for its kite fliers and perfect view of London. I saw St. Paul's, The City of London, Regent's Park, and even Bloomsbury, where I live. I reluctantly made my way back to the tube station, and passed the poet Keats' house along the way, stopping to admire the small white cottage. Finally I departed my fairytale home, and made my way back to London. After a short yoga class, I spent the rest of the night in, chatting with friends and watching movies on television. I even made some tabouleh salad, which made me think of home.
Saturday was a very, very full day. I woke up early to start the festivities of Open House. I started off at the Bank of England, where I waited in line for over an hour to take a 30 minute tour of one of London's most famous old buildings. It's actually only 70 years old, but it was rebuilt to be a restoration of the old building on the site, so it seems much older. Most of the rooms we saw were ornate and grand, with much of the same furniture from older versions of the bank. Sadly, the vault was not on the tour, but I did get to see the door that leads down to it! At the end of the tour, we got to try and lift a gold bar like the ones they have in the vault to back up their money - and it was heavy! They told us it weighed 25 pounds, and most of the people that tried before me couldn't lift it at all. I was very proud of myself when I lifted it all the way up with one hand! I've been going to the gym. :)
After the bank, I went to Lloyd's, the most famous insurance company in the world. The architecture of the building is very modern, and made to look like its inside out, with all of the heating/cooling and stuff on the outside. As I'm typically unimpressed by modern art and architecture, I had a hard time appreciating it from the street, but I waited a short 25 minutes to get inside, where I had my breath taken away. I walked in to "The Room," where all of the business takes place. A huge space with a giant clock in the middle, The Room opens upward 13 floors to the grand glass ceiling, and you can see all of the floors in between, as well as 5 crisscrossing clear glass escalators. The elevators are another story. After crossing through the room, I stepped into a small glass box, and was flown upward on the outside of the building, taking in all of London as I soared to the eleventh floor. I stepped out of the elevator and into a room with more great views of the city. The tour concluded with a book in which they hand write every ship damage that happens on the sea, as Lloyd's ensures every large vessel on the ocean. This book was opened to the page of April, 1912 - the sinking of the Titanic. It briefly described the incident in very simple terms, then the handwriting faintly trailed off with "loss of life reported to be very serious..." It was eerie seeing it there in someone's handwriting.
I left Lloyd's blown away by the modern architecture, and set off for Guildhall, one of London's older buildings. Used as a kind of city hall, the Guildhall had impressive high arched ceilings and a medieval crypt, with beautiful stained glass depictions of many historical figures - my favorite being Sir Thomas Newman, a great man who did some pretty incredible things in his lifetime. I got a chance to check out the basement of the Guildhall, where remains of Roman London were found recently. It was amazing to see what is probably the oldest London we know of. I left the Guilhall to see St. Mary le Bow church, one of the oldest in London, then caught the tube back to central London, where I saw St. Anne's Church clock tower. By the end of the day, I was absolutely wiped out, so I sat in the garden of St. Anne's and read my book for a while before heading home. Once back in my flat, I got ready to go out, then went with some friends to the Rocket, where we'd been previously, and spent the night dancing and laughing.
Sunday was a more laid back kind of day, although I did venture out to see Horse Guards, where the horse-mounted guards are. I watched the tourists throw an arm over the horse for a photo and laughed, imagining one of the horses getting a little fed-up and giving the obnoxious tourists a little kick. I walked over to the Thames, and found the building I find most beautiful of all I've seen in London. I'd never known what it was before, and I found out it's actually a hotel. I was pretty shocked at this news, although I think it was originally built for something much more grand, as it looks like a grand palace. It's perched right on the river, with beautiful gardens in front, and it's one of the most expensive places to stay in London, as it is within walking distance of Buckingham, Parliament, and Westminster. I sat and read in the little park, then walked over to Trafalgar Square, where the Mayor of London's skyride was taking place - a day long ride around the city, encouraging people to use bikes for transportation. Many of the city roads were closed for the event, and there were thousands of bikers of all ages flooding the streets. I watched the action for a while, then went back home to write a big paper for class the next day.
Monday passed uneventfully, and today we toured Parliament. It was magnificent! I've always been fascinated by government, so it was very interesting to hear about the British system. And the building itself was beautiful, with the House of Lords being ornate and grand, and the House of Commons simple, but not at all plain. We couldn't take pictures, sadly, but it gave me more time to listen to our guide and take in the beautiful portraits and architecture.
It was quite the weekend, dampened only slightly by USC's loss to Washington. I can't say I wasn't upset, but I can't say I was all that surprised either. USC has a tragic flaw of losing to unranked PAC 10 teams, and it seems we just can't get passed it. I have hope for the rest of the season, but perhaps it's a good thing that I can't watch most of the games. Luckily, OSU pulled out a win from Toledo, or rather a shutout, which I was happy about. Looks like we're about even in the rankings now, so I'm pulling for both of my teams this week. Scotland this weekend, and Paris the next. Could be a while before I get back on here, so cheers to all!
Love!
Photos: Lloyd's, Keats House, my favorite London Building (Horseguards Hotel), SkyRide bikers, view from Parliament Hill of London, Hampstead Heath.