Ruston's European Vacation

Details of my time in London.

Wednesday, November 06, 2002

Wow, 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.

After that, I hopped on the tube, and went to the Tower of London. The square there is really cool, with all kinds of awesome buildings, both new and old. I walked across the tower bridge, which is one of the most beautiful bridges I've ever seen. It's now 6:30 pm here, and time for dinner. Did I miss anything that I did? If so, I'll post again.

.: posted by The Rust One 10:28 AM

Tuesday, November 05, 2002

OK, 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 PM

Monday, November 04, 2002

I 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.