AAAAHHHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Wherewolves in London.

I'll recap our time in London since I didn't get to post much while we were there. After landing and standing in line for TWO HOURS to get through customs (how are you ever going to handle the olympics London?) we finally stepped outside the airport only to be greated with some that that famous London rain. Luckily the trip only got better after that. The first impression I got of London was its size. I think the sprawl of London makes Chicagoland look like Corbin. It was very much like any other large city I suppose, but with the ubiquitous red phone booths, black taxis and double-deck buses filling the streets it was impossible to forget where you were. After weeks of trying to decipher danish it was a wecome sight to see street sign and advertizments in English again.

We did have to do some school learning there which consisted of visits and meetings with the London 2012 Olympic commitee and the London Transport Association. We managed to see all the touristy musts: Big Ben and Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, etc. We also went to the British Museum which might sound boring (as Homer Simpson says "Good thing don't end in -eum, good things end in -ateria or -maina ) but was really neat. The Rosetta Stone was there along with tons of Egyptian artifacts which the Brittish took form Napoleon (who took them from the Egyptians) and have never returned. The museum also houses loads of sculptures looted from the Parthenon. What was really cool was that I often found myself walking through or past areas in London that I recognized from rock 'n roll songs - The Royal Albert Hall, Picadilly, Mayfair.

On Saturday night, after we got to see Spamalot in London's west end, I met up with Joy's high school friend Eva and her beau and friend. We went to a local pub/disco which seemed to play the 80's greatest hits all night long (the place went crazy for Bon Jovi). We had a good time learning about each others' cultures and swapping stories about JoyJoy (oh yes I know EVERYTHING about you in high school now, muwahahaha.)

As I mentioned in the last post I had a blast at Wimbledon. It was really different than just seeing old building or famous spots; more of an experience. The grounds of the All England Lawn Tennins and Crouqet Club has the quaint and hallowed feel that I assume must be present at Augusta. Televison does not do justice to the sport, as the speed of play is amplified when watching live and up close. I sat center court in the 8th row to see Marat Safin win. He has since advanced to the semifinals to play Roger Federer. These pictures were taken with no zoom and reall yshow how close my seat was. Awesome.