London
Tower Bridge in London
August 2, 2003
We boarded our plane in Chicago and began our long journey; it was an uneventful
flight and we landed without a problem in London the next morning.
August 3, 2003
After landing we headed down to the tube to catch a train into the city. We hopped
aboard and got off at Parliament and Big Ben. As we exited the subway station we
came out to see Big Ben standing tall just across the street from where we were
standing. Very impressive and quite real after seeing all of the pictures.
Next we got some water and snacks, then headed out to find a bus service to give
tours of the city. We came across two and the second told us the first was “rubbish”
so we naturally went with the second company and saw the city. We headed away from
Big Ben to Westminster Abbey and over to Buckingham Palace, around to Piccadilly
Circus and across the Thames River. The ride was interesting, but slow and every
other corner seemed to have a McDonald’s or Coke sign; I felt like I was in America,
but more historic.
I was not overly impressed with Westminster; I felt it was a sort of Americanized,
with a touch of history. Once we reached London, however, I was much more impressed,
we saw the London Dungeon, Tower Bridge, and of course the Tower of London. It was
here that we stopped off and took a look around the castle. We saw the history of
a country within these walls and of course saw the Crown Jewels, a sight not to
be missed, except the next time around, they were just jewels and admission was
outrageous.
We finished our day with a bite to eat, a boat ride up the Thames River, and finally
back on the subway to Buckingham Palace. Buckingham was impressive, but the guards
were inside the gates and didn’t even wear the big red hats my stereotype from pictures
and stories told me they'd be wearing.
After Buckingham we jumped on the subway again and got to Heathrow with plenty of
time before our flight to Nairobi.
Big Ben in London
London Bridge
November 10, 2008
I made my way to London and got on the tube to Dan’s flat. It was raining when I
arrived and I had a slight problem finding his place. The English have odd number
houses on one side and even on the other, but that seems to be the extend of their
numbering logic. A single block isn’t just the “100 block” with all apartments labeled
between 100 and 199, but rather may be 100-120 on one side and on the other, due
to a large building on the previous block may number 67-89. So Dan being in 18 was
actually a block away from apartments 17 and 19.
He and his wife Ania have a great place with a great location, but they reminded
me why I live in Milwaukee; their flat costs £1,000 a month, which makes sense considering
London is just as, if not more expensive than New York or Chicago. I also couldn’t
help but notice the most common look for young women: uggs (boots), black spandex,
and a skirt. It’s not the most attractive, especially if they have a fag (cigarette)
hanging out of their mouth. Other than my awe of the style, we made it to dinner
just fine.
We went to a Polish restaurant for dinner to remind us of the good old times when
we were all living in Poland together. I had the three course meal, which consisted
of bigos, pierogi, and of course a shot of vodka (which counts as a course apparently).
After dinner I crashed, more than ready to sleep after my flight and day of travel.
November 11, 2008
I noticed this morning that Dan and Ania have only one clock in their apartment
and it’s off by about 9 hours; I miss the life of a student sometimes... of course
they have phones and watches though.
I got a subway day pass and we headed up to Magnus’s place. We had the games Olympics
and I again lost, but by a much smaller margin this time.
At one point I was eliminated from play so headed out for food. I really like this
part of the city, which is very diverse and active on its main road. The street
had Polish, Middle Eastern, Turkish, Ethiopian restaurants and more.
At the end of the day just catching up, Dan and I headed out; the subway stops running
at midnight. I found this very odd given the fact that London seems like a very
lively, active place with a distinct drinking culture. As one Englishman later explained
to me, they like to drink, but don’t have a lot of time, so have learned to drink
more in less time.
Back at Dan’s apartment we watched a movie and he explained the PhD program to me.
The program is only three years (usually extended to four years though) and only
one year of real coursework. PhDs are primarily based on a very well researched
paper so much of his time is consumed with book, archival, and sociological research.
Buckingham Palace in London
Buckingham Palace in London
Tower of London