Wherein we are artists

Here we are (were) on a train from London to Stratford. I couldn't get the wireless working on the train, so I'm writing this in word and it will be posted some time later this evening probably.

We've spent the last 2 nights in our first hostel, and it wasn't bad. The people were friendly, the rooms and bathrooms were clean and he food was decent and cheap. We spent yesterday hoofing it around London, starting at St Paul's cathedral where we took illicit photographs and climbed a million stairs up to the 2^nd topmost dome. The cathedral was pretty magnificent, and Chris was full of tidbits about it, because he watched a doco about it on the plane from Dubai.

After that we walked across the Millenium Bridge to the Tate, where Chris proceeded to make fun of the art (I'm sure I can convince him to write a rant on one piece in particular) and so we left after about 15 mins.It was very noisy and full of school groups from some very loud country, so I wasn't too miffed about leaving. Some of the pieces were pretty cool, but reading the descriptions was just too much for me. Jack – make Andrew promise that if he beomes a world famous artist, he won't take himself too seriously.

After the Tate, Chris and I stumbled upon a small park full of small children in bright yellow safety vests rolling down a hill while their nannys watched them...it was very peculiar.

Then we decided we would open our own art exhibition with a model of he Titanic and kittens in lifejackets. Then we will be rich because everyone loves kittens.

On to the London Eye, where we decreed the line to be too long and the prices too expensive (£17.80 each!?) so we sat and rested our weary feet for a few minutes before pressing on to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben, where I sat and ate a Tesco sandwich and Chris had a Yorkie bar (Not for girls!) and we watched the world go by. From here we attempted to get to Harrods but instead got kind of lost and found a Topshop, where I bought some socks and a tshirt...though it's more jumper weather here, I'm holding out hope that I'll get to wear it soon. By then it was almost 5pm, so I found Chris a nice little (very little) pub as a reward for letting me shop, and we lounged there for another hour or so, listening to the vey British businessmen at the next table and the South Africans on the other side talk very loudly about the economy and voting and things which concern us not.

Bits and Pieces

I think we've confused a few shop-people with our “see you later”s and so on. And one gentleman who walked into me told me not to apologise as it was his fault entirely. And then another guy actually stopped, turned around and apologised for accidentally knocking me with his backpack. Basically, there are a lot more polite people here than at home, so it seems.

Catching the Tube wasn't as daunting as it first seemed, especially after we'd gotten our Tube maps and realised you can pretty much get anywhere by about 10 different routes. I must say though, we've come across a lot of non-English speakers on the Tube and in shops and stuff, which for me at least has made the fact that we're on the other side of the world still seem kind of unreal.

Oh, and we had a fun game of semi-charades with the Polish(?) girl at the cafe we had breakfast at yesterday morning wherein she was baffled by our swipe card (hey mostly use microchips in their cards here) and then it turned out we only had to pay £13, not £30 which is what I misheard her say...

Yesterday evening we sort of made friends with a couple of Spanish girls in our dorm at the hostel, who got very excited when we said we were from Australia, because they were in London to see the John Butler Trio.

And Chris thinks French people are the noisiest he's ever met. =P

More later, I promise! We'll be in Stratford until the 22nd, when we fly to Barcelona and really throw ourselves in the deep end. I'm sure there will be some stories after that particular adventure.

-Liz