London, Day Two

19.2.2009, Thursday

We took it easy today. Partook of the fantastically cheap but included breakfast at the hostel again. Went back to the British Museum so I could buy the necklace I'd seen the day before. Wandered a bit, looked in some souvenir shops. I've realized now how kitschy and useless most souvenirs are. It's kind of disappointing.

Hopped on the bus and went to Buckingham Palace, getting there just in time for the changing of the guard. All in all, it was pretty anticlimactic. Maybe because we stood there for a while with no idea what was going on? All of the guards paraded down the street through the gate. There were some guys on horses leading them and a band playing fancy music. Once they were all inside they kind of just... stopped. And lined up there for a while. A lot of spectators left and the rest of us were like, "Okay, is it over now? Do we leave? What's going on?" We watched some guys walk back and forth, but nothing was happening...



And the band played Waltzing Matilda "Dancing Queen" and "Mamma Mia" by ABBA. Uh, what? They were playing music and people just stopped and listened like, "They're not really playing 'Dancing Queen,' right?" But they were, and people walking by started singing it. And "Mamma Mia" followed. And it was epic. They played a third song but I have no idea what it was. I feel like it had nothing to do with ABBA though.

After standing there for maybe 45 minutes, Courtney and I decided to leave because nothing was happening. Aaaand surprise, stuff happened! We'd crossed in front of the palace and noticed that, hey, they were moving. So we wound up at the gate they were leaving through. Yay for awesome timing.




Stopped for lunch on our way to a train station. We both got cottage pie (hamburger topped with mashed potatoes and brown gravy) and it was soooo good omg. Also split a profiterole sundae. That was yummy as well. After finally wrangling our check from the guy we went to the station. I got a coffee from Starbucks. We saw the theatre Wicked was playing in. And we took a really long bus ride down to St. Paul's Cathedral. Drove down Fleet Street (as in, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street") but I couldn't get a picture of any of the signs. Stopped at St. Paul's Cathedral, which was massive. And which I'd wanted to see because it's mentioned in "Jekyll & Hyde." Yay, musicals. I love London.

From there we went to the Tower of London. Which, for the record, is not a tower. "Tower of London" refers to the entire stupid castle. Way to go, British people. Way to go. All we did was take pictures of the outside because it cost 14 pounds to get in and because it was closing in like an hour.

Sadly, Mr. Yeoman Tour Guide Man decided to talk to us while we were taking the pictures. Hence the awkward face.

So we wandered a bit, got on a bus, got stuck in traffic, and went back to the hostel to change and scarf dinner before we went to see Les Miiiiissss! We were running fantastically late and I forgot my city map so we got lost before we even got started. I gave up and we got a taxi, which only got us there with 7 minutes to spare; had we walked or taken the bus we would have been super late and I would have cried. Epic show was epic. Went to Starbucks afterward, then took the bus home. I was totally high on life. It was great.

This is the smallest police station in London, located in Trafalgar Square. I really don't think you can actually fit anyone in there.

Peeeek-churrrs.