Touring London

I spent today being a tourist in London. In general it was great, but man, do I hate tourists.

I'm not much of a museum girl, but rain was expected this morning, so I decided to start my day indoors at the British Museum. Since I've studied the Church of England and various other aspects of Christian history in Europe, I figured it could at least entertain me for a while. It didn't disappoint. I wandered through some of the Roman and Egyptian collections, but what really geeked me out were the European rooms with their various religious artifacts.  I was a bit disappointed that the Europe 1400-1800 room was closed today, since I'm sure it would've had more of the same. I ended my time in the Age of Enlightenment room, which was a recreation of the King's Library and made me feel very warm and homey, as it smelled of old books. But after a minute I lost focus and kept thinking of Swingers -- It says breakfast any time... I'd like pancakes in the age of enlightenment -- so I had to leave.

After the Museum, I took the Tube up to Westminster, which was basically a giant crush of tourists. I took a walk around Parliament Square then headed across the Thames on Westminster Bridge, all the while unable to escape the immense crowd. I stopped for a lukewarm sausage roll, crossed back over the water, then turned the opposite way of the horde, which led me to take a lovely stroll through Whitehall Gardens. Having relaxed a bit, I took a walk back into the masses and up to see 10 Downing.

Of course, I couldn't actually see #10, because Downing Street is completely closed to the public. The road is blocked by 2 gates and a number of policemen, including one with a machine gun. So I joined the throngs in taking a photo, then moved on. Up the street I wandered into the cavalry parade ground. It wasn't all that spectacular, and just made me feel sorry for the poor guys in full regalia, and their horses, who have to stand there all day letting person after person take pictures of them.

At this point, the sun had come out and, because I had dressed for the morning chill, my body temperature was in the vicinity of one million degrees. I made a quick stop back at the hotel for a wardrobe change, then took advantage of the nice afternoon and walked down to Hyde Park. I strolled all the way through the park, past Kensington Palace (currently closed) and popped out the other side on Kensington High Street. It was quite a nice walk, albeit about 2 miles long, so after I'd finished my shopping, I opted for the Underground back to my hotel.

Now, having done all my touring, I'm not sure what the night holds for me. I know that dinner and wine are in order, but beyond that.... well... probably not much, as I have a long day of flying tomorrow, but we shall see.