London again (there's a theme emerging...)

Am going to put up a photo in the next day or so. Of a building. A hostel to be more precise. Which, if you value you're sanity, you should not stay at unless you plan on being so drunk that you can pass out and ignore the constant sound of groaning, humming, throbbing plumbing (and no, that's not a euphimism).

Of course, I am staying in room 101 so I should be surprised by the torture that I experienced last night.

On a better note, I visited Buckingham Palace and Westminister Abby today which was fantastic. Had a really good tour guide who told us loads of bits and pieces - we walked past Sting's house (should have taken a picture for Georgia! Sorry, just realised) and it was cool to see where Issac Newton, Elizabeth I, Lord Kelvin, Tennyson ect where all buried. I seem to be visiting a lot of graves and enjoying it...

I'm tossing up whether to go on a Jack the Ripper tour tonight or whether I should go to the theatre, although I don't have many pounds left... bloody London.

London Still

Visited St Pauls this morning, which is one of THE cathedrals of Europe (and there are a few over here) and while you can't take photos inside, here is a few of the outside and the view from the top. It's the second tallest dome in Europe (or so they claim but I always take those with a grain of salf) although I did have to climb over 400 stairs in a series of windy staircases to get to the top so I guess it may be pretty tall.

The first photo is me sitting out the front, and you can see the church clock in the background. The other photo is from the church gardens of the dome. It's got that awful vibe (in the old sense, as in full of awe) - and I got a guilty thrill from seeing the tombs of William Blake and Florence Nightingale.

Then I wandered off to the London Science Museum which was very museum-y, less hands-on. Actually it was all a bit strange, guess I'm used to little science centres. I'll be interested to see what Glasgow is like. So after checking out the maths and energy sections I left to have a look at Harrods. Which is about all I did - it's too big to really do anything useful in.
Am heading to Taryn and Mike's place for dinner tonight which should be good. Oh and I had the best bowl of chips I've ever had at one of the pubs where Charles Dickens used to drink.

Sorry for the crap spelling or entry in general - my brain isn't working quite right because I've been awake since 3am and was woken up every half hour without fail by some bloody bell called Ben. Oh, and I just got offered an interview for a job with the London Science Museum so now I should proabably undo my previous comments... and am heading to Taryn and Mike's for dinner which will be great.

- Heard one of the sweetest stories this morning. I met a elderly couple from Melbourne who have been married for only 12 months. The woman's first three husbands had all died and she began doing lawn bowls. They met every wednesday night until eventually he gathered up the courage to ask her on a picnic... and it took him seven goes to actually stay on the line when he rang. They've been together ever since. Awwww.

London

Well, I survived the plane trip (despite a few bumpy moments over Thailand and being seated next to two honeymooners for the first 9 hours) and I even managed to catch a few hours sleep on the plane. Although now it's only 11:30am and I feel like i've been up for hours - and i can't sleep 'cause my room isn't ready yet.... meh.

I'm staying right near St Pauls Cathedral. Apparently the guy who was commissioned to build it was a little bit whay, little bit dodgy... Story goes that the bishops vetoed his first three designs so he tried a much more conservative design which the King then approved. Once they started building, he persuaded the King to add 'necessary alterations' and the end product bears very little similarity to what the King initally approved. Yet another example of what can happen once you get your foot in the door.
I'm going to try and get in this evening for the choir performance (which is free, as opposed to the 9 pound tour) - might wander down to the Tate museum as well and the Globe - despite studying Shakespeare at University level I've never actually seen it performed live (half hour school visits from the Bell Shakespeare Company don't count).

So basically I arrived safe and sound. Will post a few photos once I actually take them.