March 15-16, 2012

On Thursday we went to a huge antique mall that was 4 stories tall.  It had some random smelly stuff that was pretty cool, including lots of old light fixtures from the 20’s, old moth-eaten hats and clothes, cool jewelry, and ancient shop owners who enjoyed breathing down our necks as we looked at their priceless treasures.  The mall was pretty cool and we had a great time looking at all the expensive wares.  It was at the end of Edgeware Road, through a pretty sketchy area filled with lots of highly disturbed people (one woman was running around yelling, “Peter!  Peter!”.  I assumed that she was insane and having an episode, but my friends were less paranoid that I and thought she was calling for her precious lost son.  Somehow I think my theory was the correct one, seeing how she had crazy-people hair…)

                After the antique mall we meant to go check out Regent Park, but ended up getting lost and found ourselves walking along a little walkway by a sewer.  It was dirty, creepy, had a couple rats, and strange men sitting on the edge of the gutter, dipping their feet in the sewage.  We followed the pathway for about two minutes and passed under a small bridge.  The sewage walkway changed immediately into a beautiful serene walk path alongside a bubbling stream on the other side of the bridge.  It was amazing.  I think there must have been an underwater grate keeping the rats on one side of the river and I expected to see swans suddenly swimming on the clean side.  The change between the two areas was comical.  One moment we were in creepy rat/disturbed individuals area, and the next we were in a posh, clean London drain.

SUCH a nice day!

See?  Actually really nice.

There was a beautiful little path and there were dozens of white mansions alongside the river.  We followed the path for 40 minutes or so, admiring the beautiful boats and ferries docked against the river.  We even got a little sneak peak of the zoo that I had wanted to go to until I found out it was £20 freaking pounds (oh, but students do get a discount.  It’s only £19 pounds for us.  Great.).  Never mind zoo.  You’re not as cool as you think you are.  But here I got a sweet view of small enclosements in the zoo.  I got to see some hyena, birds, and heard the cries of other wild animals that I couldn’t see (but felt I saw them in spirit).  We found out at the end of our trail that we had just walked through “Little Venice.”  Really cool to just stumble across it, but I feel like that happens a lot in London – you can stumble on amazing things if you just let yourself get lost.

Random mansion alongside the sewer

Hyenas.  Check it. 

Boats along the sewer thing

                 Friday we finally checked out the National Science Museum (which I’ve been waiting to see for quite some time).  We didn’t have very long to look at it, because we were meeting our friends for ice cream that afternoon.  The museum was cool enough, but the inner child in me wanted more interactive stuff that I could touch and play with.  The museum was filed with schoolchildren on field trips and parents bringing their kids to see the museum.  I felt a bit out of place with my two other adult girlfriends.  It was kind of embarrassing walking around, fighting my way through crowds of children to get to see things.  I felt the need to snatch a random kid walking around and tote them along with me on my science exploration so I didn’t look like a random creepy adult playing with science stuff.  I did get a good lesson on playing a certain game where you have to water the dying rainforests.  I was looking at the game on a computer and trying to figure it out and this little black British boy came over and explained the whole game to me and proceeded to beat it.  Well done sir, I’ll just step over here and look at a model of the water cycle while you shame me on that computer game.  I understand the water cycle.  And it understands me.

                Even though it was a freezing and rainyish day we got some delicious ice cream because the ice cream parlor next to our house was finally open.  We’ve been staring at the pink closed door for this entire semester and at the sad sign that read, “opening spring 2012!”.  But our waiting is now finally over!  I’ll have to exercise some restraint and not eat at the parlor every day.  So far I’m being pretty good.  But we’ll see – the weather is slowing getting better and once the sun permanently comes out I’ll be out of excuses not to get ice cream every time I walk by.

                That night we went out to St. Jame’s Park to see the lights in the trees.  But alas, they had recently taken down the lights.  We did get to see some cool purple lights in the water though.  Not a huge consolation, but still kinda pretty in its own right.  Then we headed over to Buckingham Palace, which was right next to the park, and admired the palace and the beautiful lack of tourists.  The rest of the night was filled with fun bus riding, hopping on and off random buses, and waiting frantically in creepy bus stop areas to transfer busses that would take us to other, more populated areas.  A highly successful night.

St. Jame's Park with the London Eye and the purple water fountain lights in the background.

Buckingham at night

Outside the palace at night.