Another fun day in the scheme of my second week of classes and such. To begin we worked on Roman history and style in my architecture course, and my prof helped me to find material to go to Cornwall and such afterward. He is quite the fun bloke, very eccentric and very entertaining as always. After that, Judy and I went down to fill out work study stuff, or rather she did and I waited around a bit looking at my map again and eventually heading off to the computer lab. I received an email for the buddy programme for people coming in from Tulane University and I sent my match an email trying to get her more adjusted to life in London. After Judy finished she and I walked to the STA office in ULU and I tried to set up a holiday to either the Danube or Morocco for Autumn break, but we had little time so I ended up rushing it, and I had to set up an appointment for 10:00 on Thursday. After we came back we went to our second class which is Astronomy and met our professor for the first time, and he is English, but not as eccentric or odd as the rest of my professors seem to be. He was a nice fellow though, and though I did nod off on occasion during that time, I actually learned a lot (or rather refreshed on a lot).
Following class, I decided to go to the Charles Dickens’ house, which is about a quarter of a mile from the Faraday house where my university is situated. Upon arriving there, I was disappointed to discover it was closed (having closed when my class ended), but I resolved to return. Failing the Dickens’ house, I resolved to do something ‘touristy’ so I thought to go to Trafalgar Square and pay witness to the National Portrait Gallery, but unfortunately I got on the Piccadilly line which I thought was going to go to Charing Cross station right by Trafalgar, but indeed did not. So, instead, I decided to get off at Green Park station, which sits very close to Buckingham Palace. I went and sat on the grass in front of Buckingham for a while, and just marvelled at where I was, and how casually I was sitting before the place where the once most powerful people throughout the history of the world lived (Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, etc.) After taking some pictures, especially of the statue of Vicky, I decided to head out and hit Downing Street, but unfortunately it was very well guarded off at the gate, and many policemen were standing there, and I didn’t take any pictures of it even though I suspect it would have been fun, so I decided to head North, and found myself walking near the great Horse Parade, and I walked right past this royal guard on foot was a member of one of Her Majesty’s Calvary regiments in full regalia, it was actually extremely impressive because he had the big shiny metal helmet the awesome boots, and the uniform to match, I wish also that I had taken a picture of him.
I did however take a lot of pictures of the Horse Parade, and the statues there, as well as a cool picture of the tower of the Parade centred right in the middle of the Eye of London, which I have to confess is a really awesome sight... and speaking of such, I was very happy to get a picture on the way to Downing St. from Buckingham a picture of Big Ben in St. James’ park right over the trees, it was unique to me in that it was not a Thames’ side photograph of Big Ben, but rather just a more framing and beautifully serene view of it, in what I deem to be a very British setting of nature. Moving on I did actually run into Trafalgar square after all, not being very far from it apparently, so I did try for the National Gallery, but it sadly had closed about a half hour previous, but I was much bemused to discover the statue of George Washington standing outside of it, this one time traitor to king and country was being honoured here in the same spot as Britain’s all time greatest hero the Admiral Lord Nelson, though admittedly Washington was far less prominent. Getting my way to Charing Cross station, I discovered the long corridor that was part of that Underground’s subway leading to the Bakerloo line. I have to say it is funny to ride the Bakerloo line for me, knowing what Loo means here in England, it must be somewhat comical to think of the ‘pastry-chef’s toilet line’.
I switched at Baker Street and finally found the Sherlock Holmes tiles on the walls of the station, or at least at that platform, and when I switched lines I took a picture of what I believe to be one of London’s oldest underground stations, that of the Metropolitan lines at Baker Street. In fact, I thought it so charming and quaint I took two rather dimly lit photographs to remember it by. On the way back on the Hammersmith lines, I talked to these two English chaps from Luton coming in to see the game, it was pretty funny because they were both drinking Foster’s on the train, but they were asking me if I knew where the football stadium was, I replied that I didn’t, but offered them my map, which sadly cut off before the area they were going to, we had a good conversation and they invited me to come to the game with them, and I really wanted to, but sadly I only had 10 quid on me, and it cost 25 to get in, but it would be great to make some real English friends out here and these fellows were really nice. When I did return home, I was very tired and nearly crashed on the couch, but decided to get up, and asked Seamus to walk with me to the nearest Sainsbury’s and boy, was I glad I went, I felt like I was back in America with the convenience of American grocery stores again, it was so nice to have so much selection in a relatively large store as opposed to all of the hole-in-the-wall stores they call grocery stores here. One thing they did have, that I actually was fool enough to purchase was the film Notting Hill for £5.99 which compared to all the other DVD’s I’ve seen here is an absolute bargain, most of them being about the same price you would pay in America in dollars.
I had really wanted to get Notting Hill since I moved there, or at least see it, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity so I snatched it up and when I got home I watched it straight away, with the rest of my flatmates. It was one of the neatest feelings to know that all the stores and areas they show in the film are pretty much within less than a half-mile from my house, and that I recognised nearly everything including specific shops on Portobello Road, which is where the entire film takes place for the most part. So, I recommend with highest encouragement anyone reading this to go out and see this film if you want to know what it is like around where I live now, because it is very much like life here so far. Plus, I think it is a good film anyway and it is pretty witty and charming and a little sappy, but hey, you get to see the modus vitae de Jason (or Jason’s way of life). Anyway after that, I pretty much wrote this and in theory went to bed. One more thing though before I do, Tim McInnerny is in this film and he also plays Lord Percy and Lieutenant Darling in Black Adder for all of you Rowan Atkinson fans.