- Hooligan update
- St James Park
- Buckingham Palace
- Westminster Abbey
- Big Ben
- London Pass and Big Bus Tours
- The Shard
- London Tower, Crown Jewels
- Chill Since '93
- The Garrick Arms
With earplugs, I only woke up a couple of times from the chants/shouts of the soccer Hooligans. It was tolerable. I recorded this short snippet while lying in bed around 11 pm. FYI, this is with the window closed.
Leicester Square by Tom Jahnsen on Soundcloud:
This morning, we breakfasted here at the flat, then walked through Trafalgar Square and proceeded to St. James Park. The walk through the park was voted, amongst us, as a highlight of the day! A lovely stroll along the lake, lots of ducks, geese of many different varieties. We grabbed a latte and a slice of sweetbread at the park cafe. Then we arrived at Buckingham Palace and re-merged with the crowds. Lots of school kids on tours. They were loud. No changing of the guard on Saturdays so we just walked around the exterior and snapped photos.
Our next walking stop was Westminster Abbey, final resting place of many kings, queens and nobility. Lots of dead Englishmen. I could feel my distaste for the nobility growing as we toured. So much ego and vanity! Monuments and statuaries to themselves so they can be honored for the next thousand years? Ick. The crowds probably didn't help my attitude. I have an aversion to crowded, tight spaces and there was a plenty of that in this enormous church - turn abouts in mini-mausoleums, sub-chambers, burial rooms dedicated to one earl or another.
After the Abbey, we snapped a picture at Big Ben, then hopped on the "Big Bus" tour - a hop-on-hop-off service here in London. I got a multi-pass at www.londonpass.com, which allows us to visit over 100 attractions in the next two days. We'll only hit about a half dozen, but the pass will save us money.
For the first visit, the bus delivered us to "The Shard," which is the highest skyscraper in London. On the 68th floor, we had 360 views of the city. I had gelato and Yelena had a special gin-based drink. After spending a few minutes there, we ate cannolis at a market near The Towers Bridge, then took the bus back across the Thames to London Tower. The bus service wasn't perfect. Either there were three buses all in a row or no bus for 20 minutes (they are supposed to run every 10). The number of double deck buses in London is staggering. In addition to the normal city buses, which are constantly running, there are at least 5 tourist bus lines with buses running every 10 minutes. Then also unique, old timey buses & private party buses. Throw in pedicabs, taxis, horse carriages, bicycles and all the pedestrians. What chaos!
At the Tower, there were also throngs of people. Hundreds...a thousand? But we all trudged through in an orderly fashion. Starting at the Medieval Palace and the Traitors Gate, we methodically walked around all of the battlements and towers (displays and information at each) until we finally reached the crown jewels. Here, instead of being bedazzled (humbled?), as perhaps intended, my contempt for the monarchy grew and grew. All this ostentatious, gold plated and jewel encrusted wealth, maintained and protected for the elite by the very people they fleeced it from! Disgusting. They don't even allow their subjects to take photos of the jewels they've paid for with blood. Bah, humbug!
Touring the Tower, I was proud to be an American. No Kings! Or Queens! Or "God anointed" aristocracy! Every person is an equal and no one inherits a right to rule. This is the way.
I was reminded by plaques in the Tower that in 1649, emboldened by generals like Oliver Cromwell, British parliament decided to eliminate the monarchy. They executed the king (Charles I) and melted down the crown jewels and all the golden spoons, plates and punch bowls. The Tower plaques bemoan that the original jewels were all lost. But I thought it sad that just a few years later, Charles II rose up and re-established everything! What a shame!
So here we are, nearly 600 years later. The UK still has a king and is still holding onto jewels like the Koh-i-Noor (one of the largest diamonds in the world.) They can it a "legitimately held conquest relic." They do this in spite of the protest of the conquered countries they stole such things from (India, Pakistan, etc).
Ok. I'll get off my soap box. Obviously I have strong feelings about the monarchy and the "Divine Right of Kings."
On the way home, we stopped by a Tesco (grocery) for some tonic and ice. Our friendly flat owner, Ian, had invited us to enjoy his stash of alcohol, so we were making gin and tonics. Tesco's was mad.
For dinner tonight, we had amazing focaccia sandwiches at a local corner place, unusually called "Chill Since '93." I've made a mental note to put focaccia sandwiches in our dinner rotation at home, provided I can find a source for fresh focaccia in Minnesota.
It's a bit sad that Minnesota will never have a neighborhood like this, walkable pedestrian oriented streets with pubs, restaurants and odd little shops... like a hat shop, or a shop that only sells maps. I suppose the weather, combined with our car obsession, will keep things "shopping center" oriented in MN.
We made one last stop for a nightcap at The Garrick Arms, directly behind our flat here at Leicester Square. I chatted a bit with our Hungarian barman, who's name I've now sadly forgotten. He complained about his mad dictator, Victor Orban, and named him the reason he left Hungary, along with all of his friends. He thanked us, as Americans, for giving the world Kurt Russell and Metallica, then he bought us a beer. What a great chap!
Another final American vs Brit observation. I think "bouncers" at bars in the US reflect American attitudes. They are typically enormous, tattooed, unpleasant, egotistical assholes. They keep the peace by intimation and force. Here in the UK, the bouncers (doormen?) seem more to keep order by assertive politeness and social expectations. The doorman here at the Garrick Arms was a little dude of Indian or Pakistani descent, barely 5 ft tall.
In this regard, America has a long way to go.
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