London!!

Yes, this is me and Big Ben - apparently Big Ben is is the bell, by the way, and not the clock. Tiffany told us that. Interesting. I finally made it to London, the city of... anyhow, we had a great trip. Rich, Tiff, Emma and I, as well as Rich's cousin and our friend Sarah spent a few days. I have been to London once before with my older brother, Aaron, back in the spring of 2003. I only spent a day here though, and have been wanting to come back ever since. That day was well spent - I visited the Cabinet war rooms and learned more about one of my heros, Winston Churchill. London, though, was only a passing memory, and now I have experienced much more of the city. Samual Johnson said, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." Well, this may not be true, but I could certainly spend a lot more time in this city. Here are some of the highlights.


First and foremost, we happened upon the most amazing part of London - not Big Ben, not Buckingham palace... but the street with the Korean restaurants on it!!! For those interested, it is located just off the Tottenham Court Tube station. The six of us all went there on Monday night for a great meal - I have been craving Korean food for months, and it was great to share it with good company. (Okay, so this was not really THE highlight of the trip, and there are probably tons of better restaurants here, but it certainly was special.)
I mentioned earlier that Churchill is a hero of mine. I spent a whole semester in high school researching his speeches and his influence on the people of Britain during World War II, and I came to respect him for the powerful role he played in defending Britain and the west. So, when I saw his statue on the square outside Westminster, I had to stop and just enjoy the moment. I love this statue - it portray's Churchill's defiance and persistance. Being in London, a place where so many great men have toiled and earned recognition, I couldn't help but wonder if I am capable of such works. Well, whatever the case, I am proud to have stood in Churchill's shadow. At Westminster square, we also walked along the Thames and attended Evensong at Westminster Abbey. Oh, and the fact that Tesco has a wonderful express shop there is worth mentioning. A perfect spot for cheap, hungry student travelers.