England won the soccer game yesterday and the whole country went nuts. We went out after the game to visit Harrod’s, which was very cool, or, as they say here, “posh”. Elie bought a bag, but we mainly just browsed. Even the washrooms cost ₤1 to use! We also went to buy theatre tickets. After Harrod’s we went to KFC in Leicester Square for dinner. (None of us really wanted fast food but we were hungry and it was there, so whatever.) There were some very drunk soccer fans there, singing “When The Saints Go Marching In” the whole time, but they only seemed to know the first verse. Unfazed, they just kept singing it over and over again. We encountered them again on the Tube, and they were still singing it. Not sure what the connection is to soccer, but they seemed to be having fun.
Last night, we back to the George, then to a club called O’Neill’s that had a live band, dancing and drinks. We met some of Jon’s friends, who were a lot of fun. We had a great time and lost our voices (Elie’s still hasn’t come back yet). Needless to say we were all a bit hung over this morning, but it didn’t matter because we got to sleep in. I’m really starting to like this vacation mode, although I think I’m gonna have to take it a little easier and pace myself because I’m very tired.
Today was a nicer day. The sun actually threatened to peek through the clouds briefly. And we didn’t get rained on at all!
Today we saw a terrific show – “We Will Rock You”, a musical set to the music of Queen. The plotline was lame, but the music more than made up for it. Standing ovations all around.
Afterwards, we went to ride the London Eye, which is a huge ferris wheel that rotates very slowly. A ticket for ₤11 buys exactly one rotation. So what’s the point, then? It offers a view of the entire city that’s absolutely unparalleled. We took some amazing photos, so I hope they come out well.
Speaking of photos, after the London Eye we walked across the Hungarford Bridge to Trafalgar Square. There were lots of pigeons. We jumped up onto the monument to take pictures. We couldn’t climb onto the metal lions, though – too much danger of falling off. On the edge of Trafalgar Square was what we mistook for the Canadian Embassy but was actually the office of the Canadian High Commission (Canada House). From there, we walked down Whitehall, past Downing Street, which was a bit disappointing – just a narrow street with lots of gates and security. From there, we went to see “Big Ben” (the big famous clock), the Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and lots of absolutely amazing gorgeous buildings. Tons of photo ops.
After a brief walk in St. James Park, which really aggravated Jon’s allergies (poor guy), we headed to Covent Garden for a few drinks. We went to a pub called the Maple Leaf, which was a Canadian pub that served Molson, showed hockey on TV, and had cheesy décor complete with a Mountie uniform. But we LOVED it! Game 2 of the Detroit-Carolina Stanley Cup finals was on replay, and despite knowing the game result in advance, we decided to be true Canadians and cheer on Detroit against the evil Hab-beating Hurricanes. We got a few strange looks but we didn’t care, because we were being true Canadians! We even explained the game to a few drunken, misguided English hockey ignoramuses.
Right now, we’re sitting in Jon’s sister Katherine’s room (where we’ve been living this week), watching game three. It’s exciting because Jon’s a Canadian wannabe and a major hockey fan (although he likes the Leafs… grrrr) so we’re all into the game. Go Detroit!