Goodbye London

It is really hard to believe that we have already come to the end of our first city. Our four days in London flew by incredibly fast as we got going on our European trip and did as much as physically possible.

I loved London. As I said to the guys over a beer tonight, this was one of the easiest places to travel to; the language is the same and the culture, while different, is very relatable to that of the US. The British are charming, chivalrous, and sometimes dry people. On the very first morning here in London, literally right after I got off of the plane, I was already arguing with the guy who was selling us our Tube tickets. They don't take your shit here, they say what they think- especially when they know you're American.

More than anything else, this is truly an international city. While they proudly claim that they are the originators of the English language, there is as much French, Italian and Arabic as there is English. It is a real-life melting pot of different cultures and philosophies, and it was really fasiciatig to walk through each of the small neighborhoods that made up each respective demographic.

I have always wanted to come here to this city, and while I am sad to go, I had an amazing few days here with the guys and can't wait to come back one day soon.

Tomorrow, we head to the city of lights, PARIS.

Talk to you from the other side of the channel, enjoy the photos.

Greg

Ps. Dave just posted a blog at the exact same time, right below the pics.




The Tower of London in the background of the tube station




Tower Bridge with three handsome gentlemen







I really was happy to buy that ice cream cone.







Dave took certain liberties with The Bear while he was busy looking at the steam engine at the tower of London.




...Steve was so distraught he buried himself in his drink

Last day in London

Today was a perfect last day in London. We went to Hyde park, had a nice breakfast and played hackey sack for a while. Then went to The Tower of London and did a tour of Tower Bridge. By 5pm we were on our way to dinner which we were told would be quite an experience. Brick lane is a street where loads of Indian restaursnts compete for your bussiness. We naturally elected Greg our point man as he knows how to make a deal. We ended up going to the third place we went to because they added some rounds of free beer to an already cheap meal. Although the portions were on the small side, the meal was delicious(thanks sami). After dinner we headed back to our area and steve bought a round of beer. One of many traditions that have been solidified is that everytime we leave a city, someone knew has to buy a round. Greg bought before we flew from NYC which means i will be buying a round( of wine) in Paris.

Closing thoughts on London. Well first of all, for only being here for 4 days we all agreed, we kicked London's ass. We hit all the major sites and then some, had an unlimited subway card which made us kings of the tube, and saw a a show. To top it all off we had the typical English food of fish and chips, meat pie and hot roasted nuts on Tower Bridge.

I've learned a few more things... Sharing is key. The three of us have been great with sharing foods, drinks and money if need be and it's great. So crucial to be able to do this on a trip such as the one we are on. We have also been great with watching each other's back. In return for me helping Steve buy jeans he knew i really had to pee so he asked someone where a bathroom was and it was the cutest thing ever, haha just joking( about the cute part, but it was nice). Another thing is that Steve is a great alarm clock. Every morning around 9am i feel this big bear claw grab my leg and like clockwork i give a thumbs up to let him know i'm up. As for Londoners go, we have met a mix of very nice helpful people but have also interacted with short, scarcastic and to the point people. These are the people who could care less about you and what you want. But ya know what, those people exist everywhere so i guess its nothing knew. In general, we seem to be getting into a groove of how we work together, which is great because we are really just starting out. But if ya think about it, the three of us have lived in a tent, won and lost color wars and cooked bushels of live crabs together so this trip is nothin, haha. Enjoy the pics Greg is about to post. A special thank you to Patty and David for purchasing tickets to the show the other night. It was great! Goodbye London, hello Paris...

Londons bright (and also bleak) history

Hey everybody!!

The last two days have flown by. We have literally been covering as much of the city as physically possible before we depart on Monday Morning.

Steve covered a lot of what we did yesterday, so I'm gonna pick up where he left off. Last night our good friend Tristan, a former co-counselor of ours and a London native met up with us here in town. We met him down where he is studying, Imperial College in South Kensington. We got some drinks with his hilarious friends and caught up for awhile. It was great to see him and also nice to experience "local" London away from the droves of tourists.

Today we set our sights on royalty, and hit up the changing of the guard ceremony at the famed Buckingham Palace. We followed the advice of Rick Steve's Europe guide and claimed a spot on the Victoria monument right in front of the palace and had a great view of the whole thing. The whole ceremony was...fun... not amazing... but definitely a required part of any respectable London itinerary. Our afternoon was spent relaxing in St. James park in central London, playing hacky sack and laughing our asses off.

Later, we toured the underground bunkers from which Winston Churchill directed the country during world war two. As an American, it is so easy to forget how terrifying that it must have been to live in London at the time. Facing constant bombing from the German air force and an almost certain invasion, Churchill instilled pride and confidence into the country from down in the bunkers. It was a fascinating look into something so recent in history.

This evening, at the generosity of my parents, we went to see a musical in the West End here in London. It was called "We Will Rock You" set to the music of Queen. It was really awesome, and we all forgot how much Queen meant to the British in the 80s and 90s- the audience was going nuts pretty much the whole time. It was a really great experience.

Now some updates:

-line of the day: "ay yo Akbar, get this man some jeans!" said by a store clerk to his employee while steve was shopping for pants (he messed up and only packed one pair that fits)

-played Hackey in a place called "Dean's yard" in the shadow of Westminster abbey (we found the name highly amusing)

-while taking a picture a random asian dude took our picture, apparently amused at our poses.

-Sami Marx has been trying to throw us off the trail the past few days, suggesting non-amazing sights and less-than-absolutely-delectable-markets. Nice try Sami!

Gotta run! Talk to you soon and enjoy the pics.



Changing of the guards





Jews at a church (Westminster Abbey)




Dean in London!

England day 2 photos (1of 2)

War museum


That's Brownstein next to gun

Europe day 2 pics (2 of 2)

British history by foot!

Today was full of British, and world, history. We began our day with a trip to the imperial was museum. A large museum on just about every major military related conflicted from world war I till today. Of course the world wars are a topic that we all know a good amount about, it is interesting to see the story told from a different perspective. I can't wait to see some similar museums in germany where the perspective is drastically different. They also had some awesome tanks, planes, and missiles, as well as a nice holocaust exhibit.

After around 3 hours in the museum we finally had to leave due to hunger. We headed to the borough market and discovered one of the largest, most delicious collections of food vendors i have ever seen. Dave got lamb, I got wild boar, and Greg... Veggie. The market was under the London bridge, which unfortunately led to the occasional smell of feces.

We ended our day with a walk around Westminster and Whitehall. This area is home to the typical landmarks... Big ben, parliament, tralfagor square and Denison rd where the prime minister lives. We made this walk while listening to a Rick steves audio tour on our iPhones. I'm sure the site of the 3 of us strolling thru London with our headphones in and simultaneously pointing at the same buildings was hilarious to others.

Pictures to be posted soon.

-The bear

Day 2

Hello all,

Our first day on the trip was definitely one I will not forget. It felt as if we were up for two days straight, which aside from a few hour naps here and there we kinda were. By the time we got to the city and off the tube stop at kings cross we were starting to feel the strain of having hardly any sleep. We were excited to reach the hostel but of course nothing can go perfectly on the first attempt at checking in... The last thing we needed happened. There was no one at e front desk and a co-traveler explained they don't start checking in till 10. Ah! And there we were left for an hour or so walking around with our packs, not fun. Finally the smartest and handsomest man of the group (me) made his biggest contribution to the trip. After we got to the British museum it was 10am and I suggested since we have unlimited an unlimited tube pass, why don't we go back, take a nap and then head out for the day. We got in our bunk beds, looked at each ore and said "1 hour."

3 hours later we awoke to a sunny afternoon and a new outlook on life. What a difference a nap can make. We went back to the British museum, saw the Rosetta stone and other cool artifacts then explored Westminster. Greg,as we knew he would is mastering the travel/ site seeing aspect showing us trafalgur square and piccadilly square. And steve, the bear, felt like he was in hunt for salmon was on a roll with his decisions to direct us everywhere. His "feelings" brought us to a great pub for dinner.

Last night we made some friends at the hostel and did the 2nd thing I learned can truly change the feeling of a trip...a shower! Now, after a full night sleep we are about to head out to the Imperial war museum, borough market and the Westminster area. Till next time...