Second Day in London

Well, It's my second day in London. We got here yesterday morning and have been on the go ever since. The jet-lag still hasn't worn off unfortunately. I guess that will just take a couple of days.

It's a lot different here than I had expected. London is a huge metropolis and while I realized that, I don't think I understood how different it would be from home. When I first arrived I was surprised at how dilapidated most of the buildings here are. It's a lot more run down looking than I had expected. However, the streets are very clean and free from litter which is nice.

There is barely any grass anywhere! There are a few select parks where there are patches of sodded land, but most of the city is concrete, asphalt, stone, and brick. While there are obvious updates that have been made to the buildings through the years the city still looks very old. The paint is peeling on most of the buildings and many roofs are uneven. While we were on the tube (which is the public transportation that runs like a maze through underground London and can get you just about anywhere) it was hard to tell the probable socio-economic statuses of the families in the different areas based upon their houses.

Another thing that shocked me was the cultural diversity. There are so man different races and ethnicities represented here. I have not heard the oh-so-anticipated British accent nearly as much as I had expected upon arriving in England. Many conversations I have heard have been in languages other than English. Many of the restaurant and shop employees do not speak English very well or have a foreign accent at the least.

We visited the London Eye the first day we arrived. It was pretty neat to ride on. It is basically like a huge Ferris Wheel that can fit about 15-20 people in one thing. Once you arrive at the top you can see much of London.

Today we went to the National Gallery and the British Museum. It was really neat to see paintings I have learned about at RSU in person. They are much grander than a book could ever convey. We got to see paintings by Michelangelo and other famous painters. At the British Museum there were artifacts from all over the world. It was incredible to see stuff that was made hundreds of years ago. The mummies and the Rosetta Stone were particularly fascinating to me. It was exciting to personally see those things.


I'm looking forward to seeing where else we go on this trip. :)