Previously on Ramblings... We left Classy Chiq passed out from exhaustion at her London Hostel...
Because I went to sleep so early, I kept waking up during the night. I was waiting for the sunrise, which can be deceiving because it begins to rise in England around 4 or so. I got up around 5 and went downstairs. I got an orange flavored Fanta and had it along with my smoky bacon flavored crisps -- and I always thought Snickers was the breakfast of champions. It wasn’t quite 6 AM but iI decided to go out for a walk. It was pretty light out and there were quite a few cars on the road.
I walked in the general direction of Buckingham Palace and eventually made it there. Of course, it’s surrounded by huge walls, so you can’t see much. Next to it is St. James’ Park (I think) but it’s sort of barracaded because an Olympic Torch Concert or something will be going on later in the afternoon. I’m getting sort of tired and I’m worried about walking too far away from "home" but I figure I can hop the tube back. I can see the Millenium Eye in the distance. I walk along and come upon Big Ben -- well, Big Ben refers to the bell inside, but the huge clock tower which is apart of the House of Parliament. I was very surprised to see that the clock towers is like, embellished with gold. Everytime I’ve seen it, it just looks brown. Not decorated. All of the architecture is so intricate...it almost seems... Well, most of the architecture in America is primarily funtional and depending on what it is, it may have some sort of artistic quality to it. But so much of what I see here looks like a work of art first and funtionality second.
I walked past H.O.P. as I’m sure NO ONE in London refers to it and I end up at the River Thames. Around here is the Wesminster Underground tube station, which is closed for Sunday. Great. Thames looks pretty cool. The Millennium Eye just on the other side of it and I spend my last picture on it. It moves only a little because I think people are cleaning or inspecting each little bubble/room. I sit out on the river and rest. It’s nearly 7am and I want to listen to the clocks chime away the hour. After a few minutes, I walk over to Trafalgar Sqaure. I looked at the big statue, the one with the four lions at the base and then I catch a bus back to Victoria Station. I will later catch the train from Victoria to Falmer and I figure it’s best that I get my Youth Railcard and train ticket while the station is still pretty empty. After Victoria, I go back to the hostel where “breakfast” is being “served.” There were rolls, corn flakes and coffee. You serve yourself and wash your own dishes. I wouldn’t mind trying one of those infamous “Full English Breakfasts” right about then, but I paid for this..."meal" or whatever...so I eat a couple rolls and some cereal (with milk, which i semi-regret a little later). I finish eating, then go back to my room to nap before checkout at 10AM. I oversleep by about 45 minutes. I check out around 11, them head over to Victoria. I arrive at about 11:30 and the next train leaves at 11:47. Perfect eneough timing. I met some UC students bound for Sussex at Lewes Station (where you transfer to Falmer). We became quick friends...and now I’m the last of us still at the computer center. There’s a welcom dinner at 6 and I agreed to meet them at a quarter til...and it's 5:30... I mean, 17:30. I gotta go. But first some random observations
Random Observations
Cars
***It’s so funny to walk down streets in London. Not just because of that drive-on-the-other-side-of-the-street thing, but mostly because of the cars themselves. Most of the cars are like mini station wagon/hatchbak hybrids. I even saw a “Just Married” car, all teeny and bright yellow...it may have been slightly smaller. In its defense, it an electric car. There are lots of BMWs and you see like Mercedes Bens vans. I’m surprised to see so many Fords. I saw a Toyota Corolla which looks like what a 2000 Corolla SR-5 would look like, if they still existed.
Theater
***There are lots of ads for plays up here. I passed by a theater that was featuring the Royal Shakespeare Co’s production of Othello. How awesome must that be?!? The new trend is musicals is like -- well, the featured musicals now are “Jailhouse Rock” which is an Elvis thing, I assume based on the movie. There is “We Will Rock You” the Queen Musical. There is a Rod Stewart musical and there is one based on Saturday Night Fever. Chicago is here and I may go see it with a group here.
Usher
***When you live near Oakland, one thing you can’t escape is R&B and it seems like the only two people on those stations are Usher and Kanye West (or something he produced). Imagine my...surprise (with a pinch of exasperation) when I’m dosing on the train to Falmer and I hear “Let it Burn.” Some kids were listening to it a few rows behind me. “Yeah,” they said. “Yeah. Usher, yeah.” I swear one sounded like he was 4 and the oldest couldn’t have been above 12. It was pretty funny actually.