February 21st, 2009 Posted in Sightseeing, Travel | No Comments »
After several months, I’m finally getting around to writing about the rest of my trip.
Tower of London
Before my trip I heard mixed reviews on the Tower of London. Some called it a must-see and others said it was clearly overrated. I found the truth somewhere in between.
The tour guides are Tower guards, or Yeoman Warders, who meet strict qualifications (22 years honorable military service, for example) and live in the Tower with their families where they’re locked in each night. Primarily hired to protect the Queen and the crown jewels, they also give excellent tours and have wonderful senses of humor. You may recognize their uniforms from a popular liquor:
Turns out the gin gets its name from the guards who are nicknamed “beefeaters” because of their traditionally large rations of beef.
Shopping
After spending several days sightseeing, I needed to relax, and I did so by walking around some of the nice neighborhoods and doing a little shopping. The stores throughout the entire city are incredible, from Harrod’s to Hemley’s. While the exchange rate was better for the US Dollar than it has been for years, it was still expensive so I didn’t make too many purchases but found a couple nice things and gifts for some friends. Not surprisingly, if you’re a shopper you’d love London and probably spend more than a day on it.
Here’s Harrod’s…
…a life-size Lego model of Indiana Jones, and a shot of a great shopping area:

Nightlife
London and Barcelona couldn’t be more different when it comes to nightlife. Barcelona doesn’t start partying until after midnight while London is closed by then except for a few areas of clubs taking advantage of the recent law change that lets them stay open past 11. However, the same places that are empty by 11pm are packed from 5 until 9. People come straight from work for a few pints regardless of the day of the week.
And the pubs are great. Fish and chips, stews, beer…what’s not to like?
I spent one night out late at a bar/club and met a fun group of people. They were out for a work party and wearing costumes. Of course, they didn’t call it a costume party; they were in “fancy dress”.
I also went to the theater. I had trouble choosing one play given the endless choices and finally settled on Rain Man. I figured I’d see something I couldn’t easily see in the US (at least not yet) and it starred someone I knew – Josh Hartnett. Unfortunately he was sick that night and while they’d gladly exchange tickets for another night, I was leaving soon so I just saw it anyway. The theater was beautiful and the performance was excellence. Adam Godley did an amazing job as the rain main . He’s not quite Dustin Hoffman but for a live performance he was spectacular.
Rugby
Saturday was probably the highlight of my trip. A college friend who lives in London found tickets to the England/South Africa rugby match. I’ve seen rugby on TV and watched a few matches in college, but had never seen anything like this. Twickenham Stadium, the dedicated Rugby stadium and second largest stadium of any kind in the UK, was filled to it’s 82,000-person capacity. The atmosphere was electric, although more so before the home team started losing badly, the fans were friendly and fun, and they served Guinness and fish-and-chips Again: what’s not to like?
While the game wasn’t great for England, I’ve built an appreciation for the sport. It’s physically demanding, fast-paced, and fun to watch. I need to learn more about strategy but even without background I enjoyed it tremendously.

London is now near the top of my list of favorite places. The best word I have for it is approachable. Between the people, the transportation, and the endless activities, I never felt lost or overwhelmed, even in such a large city. It’s a place I’ll always be happy to visit.