Feels Like Home

London really is beginning to feel like home for me. It's very different from the states, but it's a nice break. So far the people I've interacted with are nice. I haven't come across to many anti-American feelings, which I am thankful for. The police are friendly and good to talk to. In general I'm liking London better than the states. Although, the grocery stores are very different. Finding food can be difficult sometimes, but it's not a priority or anything... 

Coffee here is much stronger than at home; it's pretty great. I'm still orienting myself to the neighborhood, but I really love living in the city. This isn't to say that I don't miss being home. Today I was talking with my friends about pancake Sundays at home and our pets and family. So I do miss being home, but I know I'm where I should be now and I'm really settling in.

I saw my first show in London Thursday night, it was a Pantomime. It's not difficult to understand why Pantomimes are only popular in England and Scotland. Basically a panto is an interactive children's show. It's supposed to be funny, but it comes off being tacky. But it was funny when actors dropped lines and improved with each other and the audience. The show had its moments. And the man who played the Dame was fantastic. I thought he was hilarious and really knew how to play to the audience.

Friday I want to Camden town with some friends.

Very interesting place. It's not really my scene, but it was fun. There are a lot of side shops that remind me a little of the cheaper aspects of NYC. Camden also has a lot of piercing and tattoo places. I didn't get anything done while I was there, but I have to say, I was tempted.

Yesterday we spent the day in Greenwich. We took a boat down the Thames river which was really nice. It was a good way to see part of the city. 

The London Eye through the ceiling of the boat. I thought it looked pretty cool.

 

Big Ben. 

The Globe Theatre. I can't wait to have class there Tuesday.

The Tower Bridge. This is only a part of it. It's a large bridge and I couldn't get a picture of the whole things from inside the boat.

Greenwich is beautiful. I was amazed at how green it is, even though there are no leaves on the trees. Greenwich Park is so large, it's incredible. This picture doesn't do it justice. It's a great place to walk around and take pictures. We went up to the observatory to look down on the park. From there you can see the Thames and the opposite bank. The skyline shows the new modern buildings that have gone up. There's been a lot of controversy about modernizing London, some people say it's ruining London. But as such a global economic power, they don't have much of a choice but to construct these status symbols. The locals have nicknames for the new buildings like "the Gherkin" and the mayor's building "Ken's Testicle." Lovely, no?

At the observatory there is also the Greenwich Mean Time clock and a line where the Prime Meridian is. At night there is a green laser light that shows where the Prime Meridian is, which I thought was a really neat idea.

Before leaving we stopped at the Nation Maritime Museum. It's not really my type of museum, but it was interesting. There were small relics from the Titanic which was very interesting. But my favorite part was a small room with panes of stained glass. To be honest, I don't know why the glass was there, but it was beautiful. I'm sure I wasn't supposed to take pictures...but I did.

London really is a fantastic place. There is so much I want to do while I'm here. I know I'll be here for three months, but I know the time will fly by.  

Oh! P.S. Dan & Kelly, thanks so much for the camera, it's definitely the best thing I brought with me to London :)