Back in London

I have to say that as I left Cardiff, I was wishing I could have spent more time there. But, I think it was mostly because I was so busy doing family stuff that I hadn't gotten a chance to do anything *I* wanted to do. One of the best record shops in England was just a couple blocks from me, but I never got to go!

But, it's good to be back in London. I really kinda like it here. I dunno if I'd want to life here and all, but it's certainly nice to visit. There is UNENDING stuff to do, and it's very easy to get around.

This morning I got up and went to do the London Eye, trying to beat the crowd. I had heard the lines there get nasty later, so I tried to be there early. There was no line when I got there at 10am, but by the time I left at 10:45 there was already a long line forming.

The London Eye is a HUGE, slow ferris wheel that gives you a great view of London. It's quite breathtaking, which tons of things to see. From the top, you can see all sorts of palaces, parks, chapels, churchs, monuments, etc.

I'm starting to really run out of funds, and the London Eye was just about the last thing on my list to do with the big, touristy price tag. All the museums here are free, so that's what the remainer of my trip will be. I headed to Greenwich for the Maritime Museum, not quite realizing all the other things to do there. There's the Cutty Sark, which is an old clipper you can tour. The tours cost money, so I admired from the outside, then went and ate at an authentic pie shop recommended in one of my books. The place was opened in the late 1800s, and they brag that the menu hasn't changed since. And, it was cheap! I had a Sheppard's Pie, which was very good and filling, though with too many onions for my taste. I also had an apple crumble with custard, which wasn't as sweet as I expected, but way more filling (I couldn't finish it). I also managed to leave my guidebook here, the very one that recommended the place.

I then walked up to the hill in the nearby park to the Royal Observatory, which had all kinds of great displays and artifacts from England's history of keeping accurate time, measurements, and starcharts. It's also the home of the prime meridian, which is quite cool. I then went down to the Maritime Museum, which has tons of exhibits, artifacts, etc on England's nautical history. No photography allowed, unfortunately.

They kicked me out of there at 5pm for closing, so I road the tube up to the Library to have a second look at it. I had really rushed through before, so now I took my time. I made notes of everything I saw, since they wouldn't allow me to take pictures. I saw all kinds of famous old documents relating to almost everythign you can think of: religion, music, science, etc. Much of the library is off limits unless you have a pass, so I spent my time in the exhibit where they have all their rarest bits.

After that, I came back to my hostel, grabbed some dinner at the grocery store acrossed the street, and decided to catch up on my blog.

I've got one more full day in London, and I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with it. Without my guidebook, it's tough to get suggestions. Probably some museums and things, but I'm not sure which. We'll see.