I’m having a wonderful time in London so far! We’ve had a few snafus with the accommodation, but even given the lack of hot water for three days, not getting our keys for several hours (and hanging out in the parking lot), our doorknob falling off, etc., we’ve managed to see and experience some amazing things.
By far my favorite thing has been the Opening Ceremonies. I hope all of you watched them on TV because they were incredible! I heard that US stations cut short a lot of the content, which is disappointing because every second was worth it. It was visually stunning, the music was great, the entertainment was fantastic–just all around brilliant. My favorite part was the industrialization part: when the actors tore apart the beautiful green landscape and the stacks came up through the ground.
Beyond that, I’ve seen a lot of the big sites again–London Eye, Millennium Bridge, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Temple Church, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge, and more! This trip has involved a lot of walking, and even more eating. The British aren’t really known for their food, but I’m a sucker for fish and chips, sticky toffee pudding with custard, and Maltesers.
Tonight I’m going to see Long Day’s Journey into Night, which is one of my favorite plays ever. Tomorrow we’re going to Manchester to see the US Women’s soccer team play North Korea at the Old Trafford Stadium. Then we’re off to Edinburgh for a few days before coming back to London for scads of Olympics events (we only managed to get Opening Ceremonies tickets at the beginning of the trip). Then we cap off the end of the trip with a few days in Paris.
This is one awesome trip.