(strike fruit)

Guess who's on strike again today? You got it--the French teachers (and probably other professionals, but I can't keep up). What does this mean for me? It means a lovely sunny day off. What does this mean for you? It means the final installment of photos from my British adventures in February! Get ready for London and a couple moments from Bristol (the "home" base of the trip). Above is the only bit of sun I had during my whirlwind day trip to London. It happened as I arrived at Buckingham Palace, and had disappeared by the time I made my way into St. James' park. I can't complain, though--what with all the other sun we'd had for the rest of the trip, a rainy London day seemed fitting, even.

Buckingham Palace on a Wednesday in February when there wasn't even the changing of the Guard. I can't imagine how crowded it is under more tourist-friendly circumstances. I also think I'm glad I never had to live there. This was the first stop on my solo run-through of the capitol, which was squished into the few hours left open between the two three-hour bus rides from and to Bristol.

There is a lot of Queen Victoria all over the place. I think she looks especially intimidating here, with her back to the Palace and her face looking towards St. James' park.

St. James' park seemed like it must be really nice at times--and I did enjoy watching kids feed squirrels and teenagers bothering ducks. However, on a rainy day, with the pond drained, it left a bit to be desired, aesthetically speaking. For instance, there was an umbrella graveyard (and big pipes) where the pond normally is. I had to wonder, though, how on earth so many umbrellas get separated from their owners, and end up in a broken, silty pile. Do people not notice that their umbrellas are gone or something?

I spent the most time at Westminster Abbey--I am just such a sucker for an audio guide! This was also nearer the beginning of my day, so I had all sorts of illusions about having plenty of time to see everything I wanted (the list was already pretty pared down). It was worth the exorbitant time overage, though. I was fascinated by the strange melange of epochs in the small space. It reminded me of a very classy, historical flea-market table, crowded with artifacts and stories competing for visibility and and a spot in the collective memory.

Before seeing the sign that said no pictures, I got this guy chilling out on his elbow for eternity--I discovered that this was a fairly common position for these burial statues. Doesn't seem very comfortable to me, but maybe that ruffle under his chin helps out somehow.

Right after this photo, I saw the no photo sign. If you make it to London, I highly recommend checking the Abbey out so you can see the rest.

And here's Big Ben.

While scarfing down a hot dog along the Thames, I made my way to the reconstructed Globe Theatre and Shakespeare museum. It's only been there since the late 1990's, but I learned that it was reconstructed not only to the original specifications, but also using the original building methods. There are plays here during the summer, and the tour guide who showed it to us was an actress in the company that performs there. For some reason I can't upload my picture of the inside.

Practically next door to the Globe is the Tate Modern--it's an art museum in an old factory. Unfortunately, hitting up this fascinating collection coincided with the dreadful consciousness that I was running out of time before having to catch my bus. I limited myself to one exhibit on the surrealists, then had to rush back towards Victoria Station.

I did at least manage to plot a quick walk-through of Picadilly Circus on my way back to the station--it was quite bright, quite busy. That's about all I got to gather of it. All in all, the day in London was quite a success--I managed to cram in lots of sightseeing, but not so much that I couldn't enjoy the seeing of the sights (with the exception, perhaps, of Tate Modern). And, if I ever get back, there's still plenty I have left to see!

I don't have too many pictures from Bristol--D'yon and I did lots of wandering and visiting in what I have deemed the Baltimore of England. I enjoyed the town, but the main attraction there was definitely my hosts. D'yon and I generally have loads of fun together, as evidenced by this photo of us having fun with the Chinese masks in the children's corner of the Bristol Museum's exhibition.

This is looking up the street in down(up?)town Bristol. That's the university at the top, which is next to the museum where we found the masks and not far from D'yon's work, where we went for a lunchtime concert (curtesy of D'yon and PAB for my birthday!).

This is what you'll probably see if you google image Bristol--their suspension bridge. One day, while PAB was at work, D'yon and I took a long, winding walk along the river Avon to the base of the bridge, walked up and across, enjoyed views of the twilight city, and headed home for a homey dinner and Mario Kart Wii :)

Oh, and while in Bristol, I became acquainted with the pleasures of meat pies. Yum! Think chicken pot pie, but with all kinds of yummy fillings, on top of mashed potatoes and drowning in gravy. The English may have a reputation for bad food, but between meat pies and fish and chips, c'est pas mal. (That is a French compliment, meaning "it's not half bad.")

Not to mention that they've got the whole tea thing down. Tea is awesome, and scones with clotted cream are even more so. And yes, clotted cream sounds gross, but it is my theory that the grossness of the name is inversely proportional to its yumminess--which is good news for my scone!

So, in conclusion--England was great. Friends are great. Two-week vacations in February that allow you to combine the two: impeccable, as the French would say. Or perhaps, in the spirit of my vacation location, I should say: brilliant.