Jolly Old England--Or Maybe Not So Jolly

This is a view of the Tower of London. One of the things I really liked about this part of the Tower, aesthetically speaking at least, is all the bright robin's-egg-blue doors popping out of the dark stone buildings. The doors together with the green green grass of Tower Green really add a lot of color to the scene, and the dull brown, gray, white, and black stone surrounding them make them stand out. The bright blue just seems an odd color choice for such a somber, dismal location. Remember, this place was essentially a prison, except when it was a place of execution. Nearby on that pretty green lawn is a marker commemorating the spot where Anne Boleyn was beheaded.

The Underground

"The Underground" in London really is underground--waaaay underground. There are all these immensely long escalators that it feels like you're riding for an hour until you fffffffffiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyy reach the bottom. This picture doesn't really show just how immensely long they are, because I didn't quite realize it until we were halfway down, and by the time I fumbled my camera out of my purse, turned it on, aimed, framed, focused, and pushed the button, we were almost at the bottom. Seriously, when I was standing at the top of this escalator and staring down into the bowels of the earth, it felt like I was taking an escalator ride to Hades. It really seemed to be that long, and to go that far down.

Oh, and another thing. Apparently they've never heard of elevators in London. Sorry, apparently they've never heard of "lifts" in London. Because the Tube has none! There are all those escalators and even more staircases, but I never saw a single elevator--sorry, lift--in a Tube station. And there were all these people trying to drag huge, heavy suitcases up and down staircases (including me!), but no elevators. Lifts. The S-Train stations in Copenhagen all had elevators, easily accessible and always available. Thereby proving yet again that Danes are so much smarter and more efficient than the rest of the world :)

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! Since I unfortunately don't have any Irish-themed photos to share with you, I'm afraid I'll have to just go with one that has a lot of green in it.

This, as the more well-traveled of you might already know, is Buckingham Palace in London. Probably #1 on the Good Tourist list of important places to see in London. For some reason, the grass in the UK seemed so much brighter and more green than anywhere else I've ever been. I don't know if that is because it rains so much there or because with all the concrete and steel it pops out so vibrantly. Probably both. Actually, it might just be a comment on how few places I've been. Hmm...

As for me, well, I have no plans for tonight as I have to be at work at 5am tomorrow. So for my St. Paddy's celebration, I'm watching The Boondock Saints and unfortunately not drinking any Guinness.

Bird's Eye View of London

More of London, this time taken from high above the city on the London Eye.