Saturday, February 10, 2007

So as many of you know (because you all follow London weather conditions), it snowed! Last Thursday I awoke to a blanket of powder covering everything. This was good, except I had to go to class that is a 20 minute walk away at another campus. And I was stupid and didn't take the bus. By the time I arrived, I was freezing because my feet were soaked. The sidewalks were slush and it was horrible. After I came home and ate lunch I took these beautiful pictures for you, the readers of my blog. You should feel loved.


The snowy stairs of Regent's canal


A view of a church


I call it a snow-bush-flower-plant


The snowy bench (it looks so inviting... but no)


travels


mind the bird...


tulips love the snow

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Saturdays lend themselves for excursions into the realm of central London. This is like a far away world compared to the reality of life in the East End. Central London is the things of postcards: Big Ben, Parliament, and the London Eye. The East End is home to the many different ethnicities that make London such a diverse place. Its like they are two different cities, yet all in one. Last Saturday I traveled into central for a day hopping museums and in search of St. George's Gardens. I first ventured to the British Museum. This is a collection of artifacts from all the places that have been conquered by the British empire at some time. This includes Roman sculpture, African artwork, and Egyptian mummies. The museum is vast, and more importantly, free, so it is always packed with tourists and Londoners alike. Here are a few highlights from my visit:


Attesting to the multicultural visitors (and tourism in general), the Egyptian guide is printed in 8 languages.


A view of the inner courtyard.


The lion in the courtyard... yeah the Brits stole it from somewhere... I would guess Italy


On to the Egyptians... Some statues made of???


Mummified cats... and the sign assured that they were real.


On to stealing from Rome! And doesn't this bust look like Will Ferrell?



And this was stolen from... somewhere happy.


More in an upcoming post about St. George's Gardens...