Our flight back from London was the first time I have had a clear view of Ireland from the air. I got a few photos of County Cork when we were landing, and what you see above is the best shot I took. That's essentially what the whole country looks like from an airplane.
London was "grand," as they say in these parts. Grand to walk around in and take in the sights, but not grand for the wallet. We stayed with some distant relatives outside of the city; before heading in for the first time, our host referred to the city as "Rip-Me-Off London." This is an appropriate epithet. Westminster Abbey was £15 per person, the Tower of London a whopping £17.50. It hurts even more when you convert it to dollars. Needless to say, we didn't go into most of these places. Luckily the Natural History Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the National Gallery are free!
Here are some other places we visited:
If you don't know what this is, just Google it.
For all of you Pink Floyd fans, Battersea Power Station.
One of the more famous front doors in London (sorry, couldn't find Madonna's).Our host, Tony, is a police officer and he was able to get us into some neat places with relative ease. That's how we got to pose at No. 10 Downing Street. He also set us up with a private tour of Westminster Palace, also known as the Houses of Parliament:
Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside. Too bad, because the interior is fantastic. The Queen's Robing Room and the House of Lords are the more opulent places, the House of Commons is more austere, or common. Among the highlights was a beautiful clock in the Queen's Robing Room that originally belonged to Marie Antoinette. Our guide told us that the French want it back, but the Greeks also want back the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon. If the British have taught us anything, it's finders keepers.
Since I was in London I was looking forward to some English pub food. My quest for bar cuisine turned out to be disappointing: about 80% of the "traditional" English pubs in London are owned by the same company, and they all have the exact same menu. This unfortunate situation holds true for much of Britain, I'm afraid. The independent English pub is nearly extinct, I have heard that they're closing at a rate of thirteen a day. Anyway, by a mild stroke of luck I found a pub owned by a smaller pub conglomerate in which to sample some fish and chips.
Tony's wife, Jackie, treated us to some excellent dinners, including a wonderful "curry." "Going to get a curry" (i.e. Indian food) is ingrained in British culture––every menu of 'traditional British food' I saw included at least one Indian entrée. You could say curry is the Mexican food of Britain (Mexican restaurants, on the other hand, were nowhere to be seen. Business opportunity?).
Katherine and I took obligatory pictures with the famous red London phone boxes. Ever wonder what they look like inside?:
Most of the boxes I saw had similar advertisements. If that isn't charming enough, this one also seems to be used as a urinal on a regular basis.
These minor problems aside, I recommend visiting London. It's not as jaw-droppingly beautiful as Paris or Rome, and has more of a business-like feel. Like New York. As a result, the amount of wealth in London is incredible. You can't walk far in the city without coming across rows of imposing mansions, and I saw so many Bentleys and Aston Martins I actually lost count. In the Mayfair neighborhood Katherine and I counted seven Bentleys, two Rolls-Royces, and two Aston Martins parked along the street on one block. That's impressive.
Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside. Too bad, because the interior is fantastic. The Queen's Robing Room and the House of Lords are the more opulent places, the House of Commons is more austere, or common. Among the highlights was a beautiful clock in the Queen's Robing Room that originally belonged to Marie Antoinette. Our guide told us that the French want it back, but the Greeks also want back the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon. If the British have taught us anything, it's finders keepers.
Since I was in London I was looking forward to some English pub food. My quest for bar cuisine turned out to be disappointing: about 80% of the "traditional" English pubs in London are owned by the same company, and they all have the exact same menu. This unfortunate situation holds true for much of Britain, I'm afraid. The independent English pub is nearly extinct, I have heard that they're closing at a rate of thirteen a day. Anyway, by a mild stroke of luck I found a pub owned by a smaller pub conglomerate in which to sample some fish and chips.
Tony's wife, Jackie, treated us to some excellent dinners, including a wonderful "curry." "Going to get a curry" (i.e. Indian food) is ingrained in British culture––every menu of 'traditional British food' I saw included at least one Indian entrée. You could say curry is the Mexican food of Britain (Mexican restaurants, on the other hand, were nowhere to be seen. Business opportunity?).
Katherine and I took obligatory pictures with the famous red London phone boxes. Ever wonder what they look like inside?:
Most of the boxes I saw had similar advertisements. If that isn't charming enough, this one also seems to be used as a urinal on a regular basis.
These minor problems aside, I recommend visiting London. It's not as jaw-droppingly beautiful as Paris or Rome, and has more of a business-like feel. Like New York. As a result, the amount of wealth in London is incredible. You can't walk far in the city without coming across rows of imposing mansions, and I saw so many Bentleys and Aston Martins I actually lost count. In the Mayfair neighborhood Katherine and I counted seven Bentleys, two Rolls-Royces, and two Aston Martins parked along the street on one block. That's impressive.
I'm so jealous! Battersea!! Some of that other stuff too....ha ha....
ReplyDeleteWait, did you trust Mic and go order a "snake and pygmy" pie? If so, what is it??
ReplyDeleteCasey, "snake and pygmy " is cockney rhyme and slang for steak and kidney. And just in case you don't know what cockney rhyme and slang is,it is a dialogue that was started and used by the criminal element, about 100 years or so ago. They used this code language so the "old bill" wouldn't know what they were saying. It has gone through some changes since but it is still used. Although there are many variations of the "code" you are only considered a "real Cockney" if you are born in London and are within ear shot of the the church St Mary-le Bow.TRUE STORY "NOT A PORK PIE" (LIE)
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