Trip to London

I decided to take leave of Leeds this weekend and head to London. Upon my arrival I was greeted by gale force winds that nearly carried me back to Leeds. This experience provided me with two realizations about English fashion. For men, the spiked messy look was not created by stylists, but by the casual use of hair gels and London winds. For women, hats are not so much a fashion accessory, but a necessity to prevent a mass of tangled fibers; though I have yet to discover how they keep the hats on.

I spent Saturday visiting the naval battleship HMS Belfast, London City Hall, The Tower Bridge, The Tower of London, and the Tate Modern Art Museum. The Tate Museum exhibition was extremely enjoyable. I spent over three hours there browsing the pieces. After the museum, I had a brew at a local pub and finished off the night with a little meal in a family Indian restaurant.

Sunday, I made my way from my hotel situated next to St. Paul's Cathedral, along the River Thames to The London Eye. From The Eye, I crossed the river to Westminster Hall and Abbey, of course, stopping to take a picture or two of Big Ben. From there, I walked through the Buckingham Gardens to Buckingham Palace and saw the Changing of the Guard. I was a bit tired of museums at this point, so I walked aimlessly down Piccadilly Circus.

After a couple of hours of not knowing where I was going, I decided to go to the British Museum. This museum is by far the largest museum I have ever been to. In the three or so hours I spent there, I do not think I even saw a quarter of the museum. The museum is a tribute to English colonialism's pillaging as it owns ancient works from all over the world. I finished up the trip with a visit to Covent Garden, and a great traditional Italian meal.