Touristy Things
Okay, it's been a long time coming, but I'm very busy all the time now. So here is my long overdue report on my trip into London with Shira to do very touristy things (which is photoblogged beginning here).
The day began with my first real English fog (and thus far the heaviest, as well). Standing on the very empty train platform in Leigh (apparently nobody goes to London on the weekend, so it's £11 to buy a return ticket including all day travel on the tube) I couldn't see much past the end of the station (hence my lack of pictures of Hadleigh Castle).
Since it was to be a very touristy day, we set our sights on the London Eye. We'd long realized that we were going to have to go on it at some point. Shira wasn't happy about the haze, but I was content to go "I'm in London!" and have done with it.
Before the Eye, however, we decided to go on the Thames River cruise. It was appropriately cheesy (our tour guide definitely had hints of "yes, I enjoy my job, but this is the seventeenth time today I have given the same damn tour" about him), but we did get to see cool stuff.
And speaking of bridges, cszego and ksumnersmith, here's #1:
...#2
...#3
and for #4, I have yet to find a pub in London to rival this one right here in Leigh:
Of course, we had to go up the London Eye after the river tour. Despite the haze, I was very taken with the view. Damn, did it get hot in that pod though. We had to take turns standing next to the air conditioner.
Also somewhat unsettling is the fact that the Eye doesn't actually stop moving. You have to jump on and off the cars as they pass through the loading area. Fortunately, the staff are very efficient, and the thing moves slowly enough that they have time to sweep the cars with bomb detectors between unloading and loading.
After disembarking the Eye, we headed toward the London Aquarium (housed in the same building as the Dali Exhibit).
It's certainly no seaworld, but it did serve as home to some of our Pixar friends. And a very curious stingray.
And that was our tour of London. Next up: Open day at school post, in which one of my students is incredibly perceptive and I give some others something to think about.
The day began with my first real English fog (and thus far the heaviest, as well). Standing on the very empty train platform in Leigh (apparently nobody goes to London on the weekend, so it's £11 to buy a return ticket including all day travel on the tube) I couldn't see much past the end of the station (hence my lack of pictures of Hadleigh Castle).
Since it was to be a very touristy day, we set our sights on the London Eye. We'd long realized that we were going to have to go on it at some point. Shira wasn't happy about the haze, but I was content to go "I'm in London!" and have done with it.
Before the Eye, however, we decided to go on the Thames River cruise. It was appropriately cheesy (our tour guide definitely had hints of "yes, I enjoy my job, but this is the seventeenth time today I have given the same damn tour" about him), but we did get to see cool stuff.
And speaking of bridges, cszego and ksumnersmith, here's #1:
...#2
...#3
and for #4, I have yet to find a pub in London to rival this one right here in Leigh:
Of course, we had to go up the London Eye after the river tour. Despite the haze, I was very taken with the view. Damn, did it get hot in that pod though. We had to take turns standing next to the air conditioner.
Also somewhat unsettling is the fact that the Eye doesn't actually stop moving. You have to jump on and off the cars as they pass through the loading area. Fortunately, the staff are very efficient, and the thing moves slowly enough that they have time to sweep the cars with bomb detectors between unloading and loading.
After disembarking the Eye, we headed toward the London Aquarium (housed in the same building as the Dali Exhibit).
It's certainly no seaworld, but it did serve as home to some of our Pixar friends. And a very curious stingray.
And that was our tour of London. Next up: Open day at school post, in which one of my students is incredibly perceptive and I give some others something to think about.