London

Yesterday, I went to London with my friend Tyler, another MIT student here for the year at Cambridge. The train only took about an hour, and it deposited us right at Kings Cross station.

When we arrived at Kings Cross, I was shocked to discover that Harry Potter is real.

We first took the Underground to Piccadilly Circus and wandered around. I was a bit tired so I walked into the nearest donut shop and ordered a cup of coffee. Now, I know that the UK is expensive, and London is supposed to be especially bad, but £2.50 (that's $5) for a 12 oz. cup of weak-ass coffee from a grungy donut shop is downright ridiculous.

The main square in Piccadilly was kind of a mini-Times Square, but with much older buildings. Also, there was gambling! I won 5 quid on my first pull of a slot machine then cashed out and left. The big neon signs were cool, but I think I would've preferred to look at the fronts of the buildings behind them.

Movies are absurdly expensive in London! (These prices are in pounds, so multiply them by 2.)

From Piccadilly Circus, we walked toward Trafalgar Square, and on the way passed by the National Portrait Gallery. We noticed that admission was free and wandered in. Inside, we found portraits of (and by) a number of British icons.

Andy Warhol's portrait of the Queen:

T.S. Eliot's head:

Ian Flemming:

A really, really scary looking guy:

Dude with glasses:

After leaving the National Portrait Gallery, we continued to Trafalgar Square.

On one side is the National Gallery. Here's Tyler flashing some sort of obscure gang sign in front of it:

On the other side of Trafalgar Square were lots and lots of protesters. We watched this guy rant about Che Guevara for about 10 minutes:

We continued on toward Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. On the way, we saw Admiralty Arch.

And this Jack Daniels taxi cab.

When we arrived, we were greeted instantly by 4 world-famous landmarks: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, and Mr Rossi's ice cream truck.

More protesters outside Parliament:

Tyler gets in touch with his spiritual side at Westminster Abbey:

Unfortunately, we arrived too late to tour the Abbey, but were just in time for the Evensong services. I'm not religious, but sitting in on a service there was very cool. The choir was quite good, and the 100-food ceilings provided spectacular acoustics. It also happened to be the anniversary of Alfred Lord Tennyson's death, who is buried in the "poet's corner" section of the Abbey.

I took a quick photo while everyone was shuffling out at the end of services.

Next, we wandered through St. James Park toward Buckingham Palace.

Just a man and his birds - Danny K, if you're reading this, this is you in 50 years:

After that picture, my camera ran out of batteries! I think I might invest in a new one with better resolution and a rechargeable battery before my next excursion. Fortunately, it was already beginning to get dark. We walked to Soho and ate possibly the best Indian food I've had in my life, then caught the train back to Cambridge.

All in all, it was a great day. I'd really like to explore London more while I'm here. It's so close and easy to get to. Next time, instead of focusing the touristy stuff, I think I'll go off in search of the city's sordid underbelly. (Brixton is supposed to be a good place to start.) A few of my British friends who know the city well have already offered to show me around.

Well, it's been a nice weekend, but I have a 9am lecture tomorrow and it's time to get some sleep.