Ruston's European VacationDetails of my time in London. Sunday, June 01, 2003Paul has posted the pictures of my trip here and here. .: posted by The Rust One 1:53 AMSunday, November 10, 2002Saturday: Drove throughout the country side. Went to Windsor where we had lunch at a pub, and then played frisbee on a field near Windsor Castle. Didn't go through it as it's a 4-hour tour, and time was of the essence. The thing certainly looks huge from the outside, and I can imagine why it would be so long. After that, we drove up to southern Wales, and stayed at the Abbey Inn, right across the street from Tinturn Abbey. Tintern Abbey is a monastary built starting in the end of the 1200s. We crashed at the Inn, and it was very interesting to be in the middle of nowhere in Wales, which is quite a quaint country. Today, Sunday, we toured the Abbey for a bit, then drove back to London, again driving through the countryside. We took a jaunt through Oxford, but didn't stop anywhere. It was really enjoyable to drive through the countryside, as it is really beautiful. Many hills, lots and lots of green. I got to see quite a bit of foliage, something I've missed since I moved away from New England. We did stop in one town that was at the top of a high hill overlooking a valley and another big hill up the other side. There was a small Anglican church there with a very interesting graveyard connected, where we snapped a few photos. We have returned to Paul's apartment, and I'm deciding what I will do my last night in London. Paul has to be up early for work, but I just have to get to the airport by 10:00. See you in the States... .: posted by The Rust One 11:31 AMFriday: Ok, since I got back to Paul's so late/early this morning, I slept in for quite a while. I didn't end up heading to town until 3:00 pm. I went to the Tate Modern, which was an amazing museum in many different ways. The architechture itself is really cool. It's an old factory or something that was converted to the museum. They really had an amazing collection, and since I love modern art, I was in heaven with the pieces from Picasso, Kandinsky, Mondrian, Dali, Pollock(!), and many others. They had an entire room that Rothko donated to them, and set up himself. It was a really amazing experience. Since I was a little short on time, I didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked there, but it was an amazing time, nonetheless. Across the street from the Tate is St. Paul's, and though I am disappointed I didn't get a close look at it, I did get to see it from across the Thames, and got some good pictures of it from the Millenium Bridge. After that, met up with Paul and some friends and went to a really great Indian retaurant. That's my favorite kind of food, and there's plenty of really good Indian restaurants in the London area. After that, chilled the rest of the night at a friend's gorgeous apartment... .: posted by The Rust One 11:21 AMSorry it's been a few days. It's been a very busy week. Thursday: Took the tube to Leicester Square, and worked my way around the city from there. Hit up Leicester then wandered to Chinatown, then to a very trendy area with a bunch of surprisingly-cool-shoe shops--i can't remember the name of the area--and then hung out in Regent's Park and played some frisbee. What else did I see that day... Picadilly Circus... Camdentown, where there's a lot of shops, markets, people selling stuff on the streets. It was basically a day of walking around alot, seeing a lot of things, a lot of people, a lot of shops, food, pubs, etc. It was a really good day for getting a feel of the city, experiencing its culture, and trying to be a part of it. I found myself out late that night. I missed the tube, so I ended up trying to walk or take buses back to Paul's place, but ended up walking around the city until 6:30 am when the tube opened again... .: posted by The Rust One 11:14 AMWednesday, November 06, 2002Wow, a long tiring, wet day. As I complained about the rain, I was told, "welcome to London. The weather will get better in 20 mins. Then it will get worse again in 20 mins." So, I was soaked before the day even started, but had a good time, despite the soggy socks. Went to the Museum of Natural History first, which was nice, but I felt that I didn't need to be in London to see the displays, as they can be found in nearly any science museum. Met up with Paul for lunch, and then headed to Parliament (Big Ben) and Westminster Abbey. Big Ben, you basically just look at it for a while, and that's all you can do, so you keep walking after a few seconds. So I made my way to Westminster Abbey. Outside the building, there are contemporary shrines to fallen soldiers and the like. You enter the building, which they say is the largest Gothic building in England, and you just see shrine after shrine after shrine. To tell the truth, I didn't know a whole lot about the place before I went. I was really surprised at how ornate the building was. There was both relief work and sculptures on or near the walls, and huge, decadent tombs throughout the place. I couldn't help but feeling guilty walking over so many graves, and tried to avoid walking where they were clearly marked. Among the tombs were a few kings, Queens Elizabeth I and Mary, Geoffrey Chaucer, and a plethora of dukes, duchesses, war heros, and other dignitaries and authors. Westminster Abbey also has quite a few memorials, which aren't necessarily graves. It can be a little confusing as to what one is looking at, as there isn't too detailed of descriptions or directions on what's what.
.: posted by The Rust One 10:28 AMTuesday, November 05, 2002OK, back in London after 3 days in Holland. Had a very good time. Holland is such a beautiful country, it was fun to just look around. Went to the van Gogh museum, which was really cool. I was a little surprised at how small it was however. It also had an American exhibit there, including some paintings from an artist in the Hudson River valley area who's estate I have visited. Anyways, van Gogh's collection was of decent size, but it only took 2 hrs. to see the whole museum twice. Never got to the Rijks Museum, but was able to walk by that beautiful building several times. And let me tell you, the food from the food carts is awesome, whether its frijs or fried dough. Thanks to Fred and Miguel for their hospitality. .: posted by The Rust One 4:37 PMMonday, November 04, 2002I am currently in Holland. Paul and I scored a cheap flight to mainland to explore little. We have a free place to stay which is always nice. We were able to take a boat ride through the canals, which was amazing. Went by the Anne Frank house, the Rijksmuseum, and some really cool churches. Both the old and new architecture here is really amazing, and I enjoyed just looking at all the buildings, which basically have no space between them. We are planning to go to van Gogh museum this afternoon. .: posted by The Rust One 3:42 AMSaturday, November 02, 2002Ok, folks, I have arrived in London. My flights were fine, no problems at all. I flew on a new Boeing 777 for my trip across the Atlantic. It was pretty roomy, we each had our own separate televisions, and I was in the front row, so extra leg space. The lady next to me told me she worked for the State Dept., so we talked a little bit of politics. The sun was rising just as I was flying over Ireland, but of course, it was overcast, so I could not see. I've only come to Paul's apartment so far, so I have yet to explore. We will be doing so shortly. So, you will get a more exciting post next time this site is updated. .: posted by The Rust One 3:51 AM |
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