Saturday Eve

Today was a pretty good day overall, even though we didn't do much, tired out early and spent most of the evening in the hostel. we ate "breakfast" more around lunchtime, and i had a strawberry & nutella crepe, which was awesome. finally made it to Tate Modern and we went through all the galleries we could (some required tickets for entry). There was a no photo policy, so i took a picture of only one thing that i knew i wouldn't be able to describe to anyone and still do it justice. I saw some original jackson pollocks, monet, francis bacon, picasso, and a dali. There was a really wild surrealist sculpture that took up half a gallery, but i couldn't get a picture of that because the museum police were hardcore cracking down on those that took pictures, or at least they were in that area at that time. (Alex i'll have to draw it for you when i get back home, it was way cool). After the museum our group for the day (me, John, Abbi, Tina, Lacee, Chris) all went to find some dinner. The guys ate at a japanese restaurant, while us four girls went to a place called Tortilla. Its essentially the Chipotle of London, and it was very tasty! I even snagged a menu so i could show everyone what it looks like.

After dinner Tina and I were tired so we went back to the hostel. We caught the RV1 bus but Tina's Oyster card wouldn't work so i helped her pay 2 pounds for the fare, and swiped my own card for my fare. The bus took us all the way to Covent Garden (one train stop away from Holborn, where we are staying) and we checked her card there. It had plenty of money on it and also showed a charge for the bus fare, even though we paid in cash. So she went to the information/service booth and the lady gave her the number for customer service and said to call them. She also said they would refund not only the 1.20 pound bus fare from the Oyster card, but that they would also refund the 2 pounds from the cash we paid.

While we were on that adventure, the other four went to help Abbi take some pictures for her project. Tina and i got some snacks from the grocery store before heading back to the hostel (all the grocery stores here are more like tiny convenience stores, minus the fuel for cars bit). I found some Bueno at the store to bring back with me, and I was very excited about that. Got back to the hostel and we all just chilled for awhile. it was only me and Tina at first, then Christina came back, followed shortly by Abbi, Lacee, John & Chris. After a bit, Jen came back from her post in the breakfast room, and we were joined by Juliet, Jeremy, Rita and Beth to discuss plans for tomorrow. Alli and Elysa said the Tower of London was absolutely amazing, and not worth missing out on, so Tina and I might go Monday since tomorrow we're going to take pictures of the Elephant Parade and hang out in Hyde Park in the morning, then we're going on a Harry Potter walk at 2 pm, and a Sizzling Soho Walk at 7 pm.

Its really great to be here, and I'm becoming more accustomed to finding my way around the city and the suburbs around the city. The city map I have is starting to tear in the corners where it is folded the most, so it very well may be only scraps by the time the trip is over.

I just have to say that the architecture here still amazes me, and I see something new everyday. its all very sculptural, dramatic and hypnotizing. I will definitely make time in the future to come back. Everything is so clean here too. There are always people sweeping sidewalks, or mini street cleaners driving in and out of cars. People don't litter, and if they see any they pick it up. The people are pretty friendly too, and are always willing to help you find things or learn something new about the city that you didn't know before. Driving in the city is pretty crazy (just from an observers viewpoint; i've not been driving anything) and you never can tell what one car or another will do. Everyone is always in a hurry though, so if you don't walk fast on the sidewalks, you'll get run over by others. Same for the underground as well. There is no slow-poking anywhere in those tunnels.

And there are escalators everywhere! Every single underground station has at least two escalator systems from what i've seen, and some of them are so steep that if you look up or down while you're riding it one way or another, it will make you dizzy! Some of the underground stations have murals on the walls or other artworks that are historical or have some direct meaning to the location that you're in. I'm hoping to be able to get some good photos of these before we leave.

It will be a very long time before I will forget this city.