On Wednesday morning we woke up to buy tickets for the Trans Channel train to London, after deciding just the day before that we would go. It was time for me to return to London, over four years since i had last visited.
The train ride was about an hour and 30 min long. We arrived at London's St. Pancras Station, a marvelously restored Victorian era train station. We then walked to our hostel in the neighborhood of Fitzrovia, a few blocks away from Regent street. After we locked up our belongings we headed out to explore the city. The first stop was a certain 221B Baker street. It was exactly as i had left it four years ago. We took a few pictures and visited the kitschy but well intentioned gift shop. One difference between this and last time i visited, I was significantly better dressed. I'm sure Mr. Holmes would have approved, if he cared. We then stopped for lunch and proceeded to explore Oxford Circus as we made our way towards Parliament. We found House of Parliament, but it was getting dark and did not lend itself to the best pictures. So, tired and cold, we made our way back to the Hostel via the London Underground (or the Tube). I was disappointed to find that the Tube intercom did not recite those famous words "Mind the Gap" as often as they used to. Once we were back at the hostel we took a brief nap and then set out to find a Pub. Upon the recommendation of someone at the hostel, we headed out for a Pub known as The Cock (as in Rooster (though there were many off color jokes through out the evening)). After a relaxing evening at the Cock... we wen to bed to prepare for the next day.
The highlight of the second day for many was the bus tour, though I, having seen many of London's signature sights already, was looking for something i hadn't seen yet. My objective for the day was to visit the Lloyds building in London, a brilliant deconstructionist expression that is possibly the greatest real world vision of the steam-punk style i have ever seen. We got of the bus by the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, and visited a Pub for Lunch; i had fish and chips. After that we split up; Josh and Lisa wanted to explore the Tower of London, while Nick, Ari, and Aaron wanted to see the Gherkin (look it up), which happened to be by Lloyds. The Lloyds building contains an inspiring amount of detail and intention in its design. The mechanical systems of the building are displayed on the exterior of the structure, as if they were decoration. The elevators for the building are also fully exposed. The little glass boxes climb up and down the side of the building, revealing all the little mechanisms of their movement. The building also has a large atrium which is topped by an arched skylight. There are very few encompassing exterior shots of the building because of the urban density of the area so I spent about 30 min trying to get good shots of the exterior of the building (i was disappointed to find that they dont allow the public inside).
After i was finished we all met back at the Tower. We headed back to the hostel and i went off on my own to buy a train ticket back to Lille for the next day (everyone else had to spend an extra night in London because they couldnt get a discount by buying a ticket the day of).
On the third day, Josh and Lisa wanted to visit Parliament again to get better pictures, this led to everyone getting tickets to ride the London Eye (a giant Ferris wheel). I decided not to since i had already seen the exteriors of most of these buildings and i wanted to see the interior of one. So i decided to fork up the rather expensive entry fee to get into Westminster Abbey, which was fine with me. It was time to experience some architecture. The inside of the building was magnificently ornate and detailed. Since the it is a Church first and foremost, no pictures are allowed within the space. I respected the intention of the rule, but not the rule itself, if you know what i mean. My few pictures were discreet. After that was done and the group had regathered, we separated again as they were going to take the tour bus back to the hostel which would take a considerable amount of time. I took the tube to St. Pancras, boarded my train, and was back in Lille in time for dinner with my Professor Paul Gleye, but that is another story.
Pictures soon to follow....
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