Day #6
Woke up at about 6am and ready for breakfast at the refectory (or whatever they call it). They have rules here about how many things you can for breakfast (6 serves total, up to 2 serves per item). This is a typical university "communist" kitchen (I remember QUT having the same rules), and the food was fairly poor. I wasn’t too worried, they had endless hot coffee and tea which was the important thing to me.
Russell Square
I have decided to make a concerted effort to visit a few places today (despite being sick) and the first we want to visit is the British Museum. We have heard stories about how great it is and we want to check it out. Testing my theory about always being able to bump into tube stations, we set off down Roseberry Avenue looking for one. After walking for about 30 minutes or so, we come across Russell Square. It is a whole block of grass and trees (It is always interesting to see London with its buildings on every block and then a green area - like they just knocked down buildings and planted trees there). We had tea at a tea house (London weather encourages constants stops for hot beverages). While there we asked for directions to the British Museum. Little did we know that we were right next to it!
(Damn, I am good - even when I don’t know which way to go I can just walk straight to it)
Thanking our good fortune, we head over to the British Museum.
British Museum
I am not as impressed with the British Museum as I thought I would be. Granted it is very large. There is a lot in there (I am not going to go into detail of what is in there, it is typical museum stuff). But what I found disconcerting was its focus on Ancient History (especially on Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome - these eras have been done to death guys!). This was evidenced by only a small area of the museum being devoted to the 0 AD ->, I went to the "Europe" section, and they had a fair bit on 0 AD - 1200 AD. The section from 1300 AD - 1900 AD was effectively one (not very large) room. The 1900 AD -> room was probably about as big as a toilet block (I have a theory that Europeans don’t consider anything after the 1500s to be worthy of collection because it is too "new"). I guess considering some of the ages of various buildings around London, it is one big museum of those more "modern" times (This is of course museums all over London specializing in various eras).
It was at this stage that we decided to start looking for a backpack for Amy (you would be amazed how hard it is to find shopping in London, as I previously mentioned they don’t have the concept of a shopping mall [I haven't been to the 'burbs yet] and so finding your way around is more based on experience. This was evidenced by the fact that when we asked a couple of locals where we could buy a bag they were able to quickly rattle off long and complex directions ["Walk straight down this road to the end, then turn right then left, at the green head down Euston Road, then you will hit markets, from there head to the south end … blah blah)
At one stage we wanted to locate the nearest tube station. Amy had bought me a shirt with the London tube map printed on the front of it. She started asking people for directions and pointed at my chest. Very soon a crowd (well 5-6) of helpful Londoners (some quite amused) were using my chest as tourist map and pinboard, pointing out the various directions to travel. This (slightly erotic but mostly embarrassing) sight was actually quite amusing and it was the most lively I had seen Londoners in my time here. Later that afternoon Amy bought me some London tube map underwear and I wondered with trepidation what would happen the next time we asked for directions.
Undeterred by our lack of success at finding a backpack, we ventured forth looking for Coventry Markets. We finally got there and realized that this place would be a good place to get pick pocketed. It was a typical market with lots of stalls selling nick-nicks, touristy stuff and … backpacks! We buy a backpack from a polish girl (There is a hell of a lot of Eastern Europeans in London). I am very tired by this stage (sick - not to mention grumpy) so we decide to get a cab to St Paul's Cathedral (thinking it is somewhere nearby). This is my first (but not very dramatic) London Cab.
St Paul's Cathedral
We arrive at St Paul's Cathedral after a distance that I decide was lucky we didn’t walk. St Paul's Cathedral is quite an impressive building with 3 main attractions:
1. Beautiful Architecture
2. Nice (and relaxing - too relaxing for Amy, she nearly went to sleep) Choir
3. Free seats (my legs were thanking me profusely)
We got there about 4:30 pm and at 5pm a mass started up. I sat in the mass while Amy went to the café underneath it (yes, a church with a café). I was disgusted when during the mass some guy's mobile rang (despite the warnings all over the place telling them to keep them turned off) and he started talking on it. When the lady (guard) came over and told him to switch it off, he handed the phone to his wife and walked off. She continued talking on the phone (but looked like she was trying to wrap the conversation up), and then hung up. It was at this stage that I tried to will myself into believing in God, just for the sake of him striking them down with a large lightning bolt.
After about 30 minutes Amy (the philistine ;) could take no more and dragged me out of there. Since the price of the first London Cab didn’t seem to bad (about 7 pounds) we decided to get another cab home.
London Cab
I am starting to think that cabbies are the same the world over. I seeded him with some right-wing propaganda and he just went off. It was the usual stuff about foreigners taking all there jobs and get free handouts on their social security system etc etc. I (being the stirrer that I am) said that in Australia we dump them on an island guarded by the navy and in the desert. He said that "Australia had the right idea" and that England should adopt their model. I tried to fire him off about youth today but he was far too engrossed in those damn foreigners so I let him continue. Eventually we reached our destination (Roseberry Hall - our current home) and we asked him where the nearest shops were, He mentioned that Tesco Supermarket was "just down the road". We also told him that we had previously stayed at Earl's Court and he said that is where all Aussies start in London and the place had been nicknamed "Kangaroo Court".
Later we walked "just down the road" (more like 2km from where we were staying - after resting in St Paul's Cathedral - and popping some pills, I had my 2nd wind) to tesco supermartket.
Tesco Supermarket
At last! A real supermarket! It wasn't as large as a Coles (except perhaps the Coles in the Myer Centre), but it was good enough for our needs.
Laundromat
Well for the business end of the holiday. It is 5am in the morning and we are in dire need of washing. Put the washing on, and I am typing here as the washing/drying is done.
XXX Adults only (sealed) section
One thing I have noticed (I don’t know how I can say this in any gentler language - any children/people with weak hearts, or high morals stop reading here) but there is a distinct lack of adult shops in London. The worst magazines that the shops sell is FHM and Zoo. There is no B&D shops, no strip clubs, nothing. This contrasts with filthy pictures stuck inside the various telephone boxes around the place. London is place of contrast, you can see well-healed corporate types walking amongst the poor and downtrodden, and I there seems to be a high moral/puritan feel (but with a nasty undercurrent) about the place too. Nobody swears, but yet a knife-stabbing / shooting is common. So I would wrap up by saying there are really two Londons, and I will leave it up to you to decide which one you would like to explore.
(P.S. Amy said to tell you all that she keg partied all night with half naked cute guys who poured beer over themselves [or her - she didn’t specify which] while I was asleep. I didn’t mind … I needed the sleep badly ;)
